A Change in the Flow

It has been nearly nine months since my first Reiki attunement, and almost two months since I received the Reiki Master attunement. Throughout this nine month window, I have noticed modest changes in both how I carry myself, view myself, and see the world around me. Here are the five items that I have noticed the most since being attuned.

1. My mind is much calmer and more peaceful in all thought. It doesn’t matter if it is a writing problem, life problem, or a computer problem…the thoughts that come are steady, smooth, and rarely negative. Any negative thoughts that come wash away quickly.

2. I go with the flow much easier. We all have that “battling” feeling when things are not quite going to plan. For me, the battle has been fought largely in the time management arena…always rushing to get one thing done to hit the other 50 things on the to-do list. This no longer is a problem. I have the same amount of hours in a day, and haven’t really dropped anything, but everything just flows. And as long as I go with the flow, everything is grand. When I try to fight the current, the waves kick up and the battle begins anew.

3. Healing can come in many forms, most of which cannot be predicted. Louise Hay has made a connection between issues with the emotional and spiritual-self manifesting into physical ailments. This takes us to…

4. Setting an expectation of any healing, whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual leads often to misunderstanding and confusion. You may expect the doctor to heal your sore knee through a surgical procedure, but find yourself in the same place as you were pre-surgery. Why? Referring back to Ms. Hay, knee issues can stem not only from a physical injury, but from an inability to go with the flow, or fear, or pride, or even kidney issues. In setting an expectation for your knee to be healed in surgery, you are only scratching the surface on what could really be causing your knee problems, and you will be left wondering why your knee still hurts.

5. Be a part of the moment that you are a part of…that means no looking back or ahead. Just be.

One thing I found most interesting in thinking and meditating on this list is that many of the points above were reinforced during a series of energy work sessions that my friend Sadiqua performed (http://happyholyhealthy.com/). Additionally, the Reiki meditations and techniques I learned from my Reiki teacher Michele Tegen (http://www.wingshadowhealing.com/), who has always been there to add advice, suggestions, lend and recommend reading material, and to answer my many classes along my path were invaluable in gaining the vision to see the changes for what they are without attachment to outcome. My girlfriend Kasia, who is also attuned to the Reiki Master level, has granted me valuable insights and understandings of how things work, and has been my rock through it all. 

Although this list is only a drop in the Reiki bucket of energy, these points illustrate some of the changes I have seen within myself, my observations, and how I notice others interacting with me. Perhaps these are not really changes; perhaps Reiki has simply lifted a layer of haze to give me a new vision on what is what. Or maybe it is the wonder of Reiki energy doing its thing.

Train Wreck

In a world of fluidity, his night air is filled with the stench of stagnation. The scent of clothes in dire need of a rinse cycle smothers a corner of his room. Across the room stands an empty bottle of Jack, surrounded by the long extinguished remains of cheap, stale vending machine cigarettes that once filled his lungs with the self-destructiveness he delivers to himself with growing regularity. The pack from which these remains came lay crumpled near the door, a constant reminder of his present moment.

The lone light bulb he needs to paint the room in a yellow glow miserably fails, exasperated by the continually declining condition of a dying street lamp on the street below. Flickers of street light, a dim ceiling light, and no smokes…no Jack…the life he now lives reflected back.

How does one find cause in a train wreck, a train wreck consuming itself? A glimmer of hope that ceases to exist, a wreck of a promising life lay on his floor in ruin…but how? Why? When? Memories are fleeting when he needs them the most; the future that greets him is more dire than most. A riddle, a mystery, the unsolved crime of life permeates him this very stale night.

The essence of light, so pure in theory, now leaves the future closed and dreary. His hands held to his face, a quiver in his knees, as he ponders his fate again and again. No air enters through the window on the wall, no hope descends…no prayers are answered.

A faint sound of laughter enters his ears; only the right one at first…then over to the left. He thinks to himself, “It is 4am, who besides my kind and lovers are still awake?” The laughter grows louder, and takes over everything; he is startled when the faint light bulb suddenly does its job. Annoyed and scared, he throws his head out the window, to a vision that stuns his emotionless self.

A couple walks, obviously homeless, and the happiness that holds them rudely grabs and holds him too. Stunned and angry, he laughs at himself. His anger grows at the hold of this happiness, leading to more laughter. “I am so angry at their intrusion; why can I not stop laughing?” The brick hits him. Unexpected. Hard. Unyielding in weight and force.

The moment passes, he opens his eyes. The early morning rays of sun reveal the sharpness of the cracked paint that defines the ceiling he now stares at. Memories of the night are vivid, but the emotion of the night forgotten. He rises from the floor, rubs his head, yet feels no bump…no pain. The memory of the brick is vivid, and yet there is no wound, no aftereffect, no brick.

A smile cracks his face as the sunlight begins to seep through the cracks between the surrounding buildings to flood his room in light. The warmth of the world has returned, the warmth of his soul has returned with it. Alive, warm, and happy…a rebirth of a life starting anew.

He walks to the door, bends, and gently removes the crumpled cigarette pack from the floor. He pauses for a moment before placing it gently in the hungry trash basket. Searching the room, he spots the cigarette remains, the empty bottle of Jack, and uses them to feed his hungry trash basket.

The room is now free of his self-destruction. He walks to the door, opens it, and closes a chapter of his life, leaving behind a now satisfied trash basket and a smothering pile of clothes in a corner. 

Live the Part…and Show Gratitude

No matter what the passion is that drives you, living in that world may seem far away at times. It is important, and this applies not just to the creative world but to any vocation, to live the part of what your passion is. It is very simple to say, very simple to do, but for many this idea seems worlds away.

Think about it, especially those of you making a living or spending far too much of your time earning your way but not jumping into the pool of passion that is rightàthereàin front of-àyou. It is RIGHT THERE. Excuses are just that…excuses. These are bountiful in any cafeteria, pub, or party conversation: “I would love to do that but…” or “I wish I could, but…”, and of course the popular “I just can’t, ok?”.

But you can…of course you can. Will you have a Grammy-winning singing career? Probably not, but if you don’t try, you will never know. If your vocal range limits you to karaoke night at the local pub, then so be it…let that moment be yours. Are you an artist? Create art…even if for only a 10 minute part of your day, it all counts…it all matters.

Lastly…and most importantly…show and express gratitude in everything that you do. In fact, show gratitude for whatever it is that you want to do, say, or accomplish. If you are already expressing thanks for something that has not yet happened, or that you wish to do or have happen, put out that gratuitous energy, as it will come back to you in ways that you least expect. Those of you that are familiar with the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza (http://www.drjoedispenza.com/joedispenza) know exactly what I’m talking about…

In The Balance...

The toughest part of freelance writing and blogging is the balancing act one must perform between a day job, writing related tasks and reading, spending time with family and friends, and the general day to day life things that we all come across.  

Although I would like to think that I have it all under control, there are moments when it becomes painfully obvious that I do not. Life, no matter how much you think you are planning or manifesting, still manages to throw in a series of unpredictable events that quickly lay waste to even the best laid out plans. Things like losing your car for a day or two, or missing a flight to find everything else booked, or something throwing you off your game just enough to give that odd, but not very pleasant, amiss feeling as your day moves forward, can all mess up your rhythm and lead to all those great writing plans going astray.

So how does one maintain the balance of work and writing with life demands? They are all necessary; you need work to pay the bills, and you need writing to feel whole, while you need life to provide love energy exchange with significant others, family, friends, and the universe as a whole. 

Deep breaths....meditation....strength...pushing out and releasing all things negative and anxiety provoking. Accepting that there are some things that will come up that you cannot change the direction of, and that in riding out the wave, things will smooth out, and you will be back on track. Sound easy? Of course it isn't.

But that doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, just that you are evolving. As you adapt and adjust to the changes and events coming and going at sometimes breakneck speed, it almost seems to start getting easier the more insane it gets. For me, the crazier it is, the more focused I am...not that I'm rooting for crazy. I do enjoy a mostly relaxed pace, but in short spurts crazy busy can lead to some crazy grand results. 

Embrace what comes your way, as it is meant to come your way to develop some aspect of your life, career, or spirituality. 

Yes, I know it's not easy, and I have certainly failed at it many times myself. I shake off the failures, regroup, try to learn from what I did wrong, and move onto the next task.

Bucketlist Update

Of, so this week's post may be a little boring, but only because my time is somewhat limited to complete what it was I REALLY wanted to post. So.....remember that bucketlist I created at the beginning of the year? Well, here is my first thirds of 2013 progress report.

Item 1: Complete a Book Idea. I have handwritten out four more chapters, consisting of around 12,500 words. This is a rough guesstimate as it is handwritten words. Grade: B

Item 2: Promote/Expand http://raisiningourhumans.com. I have started to post more regularly on holistic cat topics, as well as putting up a few more funny stories. I still need to add more to the multimedia gallery, but overall viewership of the site is up 31% this year. Grade: B+

Item 3: Raise Awareness of using Natural and Local Goods. It seems that I am chipping away at this one slowly but surely. We do this almost exclusively now, which has been pretty wonderful. Grade: A-

Item 4: Spend More Time With Friends and Family. I'm getting a little better at this, but still have a loooooong way to go. Grade: D+

Item 5: Read At Least One Book Every Three Weeks. I have fallen off the pace a bit, but should be able to catch up to this goal in short order. I only have three completed, but have five in progress. I still find it hard to just pick one book and read it until it is finished. Grade: D+

Item 6: Review an Indie Writer's Book...At Least 6 this Year. I am right on track with two reviews written; that keeps me right on pace with a review every other month. Grade: C

Item 7: Spend Five Days A Month In Nature: Unplugged. Failed. Period. Although I have an excuse with my recovery, I am not going to use it here. Something I must improve on. Grade: F

Item 8: Increase Spiritual Pursuits. I have been doing my meditations when I am called to do so. I find them to be especially strong the day after a new moon and the day before a full moon. Wonderful things are happening here, even though my lower brain still yells a little too loud at times. Grade: B-

Item 9: STC. This one is still slowly brewing, but making baby steps like progress. Grade: C-

Item 10: Master Polish. Bardzo dobry! (Very Good).  Ha! I wish! I am getting much better with my grammar, which has made me more confident when learning new vocabulary and putting together sentences. Speaking is still a challenge, but reading, writing, and listening are going well. Grade: B

Item 11: Continue to Frequent the Little Guy. Done and done. Rarely do I step foot in or spend money with a chain. Grade: A-

Item 12: Shameless Self Promotion. I'm getting better at doing this, but spend most of my promoting time promoting others, which itself is wonderful. I graded myself up a bit because of this. Grade: B

Item 13: Aviation. Not much progress made here, but I am looking to turn this around soon. Grade: D-

Overall: Grade C. I made some good progress in some areas, but lackluster progress in others. A very noticeable all or nothing trend that I need to fix in the coming months

Back To It...

It has been a while since I last posted, but I am happy to say that this will be changing immediately. I was out of commission for a while due to a medical issue that needed to be addressed. This time away, though not spent writing, led to some grand realizations and a few changes in how I will approach my writing from this point forward.

The changes will be seen not only here, but also in my writing style as well. This new style of writing so far seems to be influenced by some of the classic prose I read during my recovery, as well as my growth in understanding for English grammar as a whole, brought on by my learning of Polish. My learning of Polish led me down a path of learning more about Polish literature, particularly from the renaissance era. Some of what I read really struck a chord in me, both in the style and various manners of composition. 

I hope that you all will still receive the same or enhanced enjoyment in reading my new works. As always, critique away.

Namaste.

2013 Bucketlist Item 13: Aviation

I love aviation...I mean I LOVE aviation. My girlfriend and I make every effort to attend the annual EAA Fly-in event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which has stoked this passion for both of us. In attending these air shows, we have met so many wonderful people that have introduced us to so many great and powerful ways that aviation can be used. It boggles my mind each year I attend of how much of a difference this private, passionate, air force provides.

Some of the tasks these pilots have accomplished were volunteering to fly supplies into disaster areas, flying supplies to remote relief efforts or in support of missionary work being done in places that most of us has not heard of. The inspiration that we draw from these pilots is fantastic. 

Flight lessons and flight school is expensive...too much for our budget at the moment. I have found different things I can do until the time comes for flight school. Joining the EAA is priority one, followed by devouring flight school manuals, stories about flying, and any flying publications that I can find. I did this quite a bit in the past, but in recent years have dropped it for some reason. 

This is a passion that I no longer wish to suppress, and am going to encourage this in myself this year to fan the flames of passion for aviation.