Above: Sei He Ki symbol for Emotional Healing
Recently I’ve been fairly quiet on the video-making front, with the exception of my regular Chthonia podcast every two weeks. This is because I’ve been working heavily with distance Reiki techniques. I do offer Reiki healing as part of my services at liminalreiki.com, along with Tarot readings. I’ve not been able to do in-person sessions because of COVID; thus, I have been experimenting with using Reiki over video chat applications like Zoom, FaceTime, and WhatsApp.
For those who don’t know what Reiki is—the word is a Japanese term meaning “Universal Energy”. “Ki” is like “Chi”—it represents the same principle, and deals with energy that is available everywhere and in all things. Thus, Reiki practice is about balancing the energy flow in the body, with the Rei-Ki flowing through the palms of the hands. Because it is “universal energy”, it has nothing to do with me or my personal energy. This means that it’s not draining for me to do a session; in fact, it is usually quite the opposite. On the other hand, it also means that I don’t control the energy flow; it does its own thing. So, someone may come to me with a specific physical issue, but the Reiki flow may end up highlighting a different physical issue, or an emotional one. I can’t promise someone that it will “fix” their problem; in fact, you should be suspicious of anyone who says they can “fix” you through Reiki. It’s not for them to decide. That said, Reiki does have beneficial effects regardless, and never has negative ones.
So, the question is, how does this work via distance? The answer is through symbols. Reiki practitioners who are above the first level can use anywhere from one to five symbols (usually—there may be some who use others) to transmit certain types of healing. This may sound odd to those used to more concrete varieties of healing, but if you think about it—the entire flow of our civilizations works on symbols—words and images are very powerful, as are sounds. Vibration, color, and image are all tools in healing modalities. Do they actually work? Based on personal experience for almost twenty years, and the feedback of clients—definitely yes.
In thinking about symbols this morning, I found myself connecting this thought to recent changes in branding by companies with regard to old, racist symbols in advertising—Quaker looking to retire Aunt Jemima and the Cream of Wheat chef, and Uncle Ben’s Rice also looking to change their branding. In some of the discussion about this, I’ve heard some interesting pushback. In particular, there seems to be the complaint that these images “gave white people a comfortable feeling about blacks.” What they don’t seem to realize is the narrative that this implies—that blacks are somehow scary or not to be trusted. So, even if you’ve grown up seeing these symbols, the fact that they are changing shows that civilization is changing. In spite of any resistance, we are definitely moving into a sphere where the old ways—and old symbols—need to fall away and make way for something that reflects a new narrative, one that is inclusive of difference. It has to move from mere words and proclamations to replacing the underlying cultural images and forms. I remember one of my grad school professors saying, “Do you want to learn cultural hermeneutics? Watch television commercials.” Advertisers and branders make heavy use of accepted imagery in our culture. Changing images reflects changes in culture.
Indeed, that’s what Chthonia is about, even though the focus is only on the “dark Feminine”. I don’t get into racial experiences namely because I haven’t had them. I can tell you authentically what it is like to live as a woman in this civilization; I cannot authentically tell you what the experience of a black person is in this civilization, because I’m white. Nonetheless, the need to look at narratives of “darkness” differently (i.e., not as evil and suspicious) can easily be applied here as well.
My work, whether it is in podcasting and teaching, or in offering healing and guidance services, is to help people re-think their narratives. When you change the story, you change everything. And it IS possible to change the story.