by Colleen Benelli
“Just for today, be grateful,” is one of the five Reiki principles Dr. Usui asked us to practice each day. It is important for Reiki practitioners to notice and to spread thoughts of gratitude. Increasing the light of gratitude in the world is work we can do daily. When we practice and speak of gratitude, we also remind others to remember the blessings in their lives too. As each individual lives in his or her grateful heart, we become a powerful collective consciousness. We create a band of light that collects the gratitude we express, and then becomes a prevailing thought form of peace and thanksgiving encircling the Earth.
Gratitude is a vibration of divine light. Everything in the physical universe shares gratitude as a part of its life force. When we live in gratitude, we are in the flow of creation, and we increase the divine light within ourselves and in the world around us. I do not always know what to do about the darkness in the world, but I do know that the light always illuminates the dark, and that the greatest power I have personally to effect change in the world, is to add light to the light.
“Imagine all the people living life for peace. You may say that I am dreamer, but I am not the only one. I hope some day you will join us and the world will live as one.” John Lennon, Imagine.
Reiki is a source of divine light. When we activate Reiki, we become and create a portal for the divine light to enter into the density of this world. The Usui Master Symbol literally means, “Treasure house of the great beaming light,” and “Great being of the Universe, shine on me.” Reiki sends the vibration of divine light to the Earth through us, and the more we use it the more divine light there is on the planet.
However, being human and living life on Earth can be hard, and it is sometimes challenging to be in gratitude. Therefore, we need specific tools that help. Gratitude is a practice. The more attention and focus we give it, the easier it is to be grateful. It actually can be developed as a skill. Reiki offers many tools that can help us focus on our blessings each day. I asked my Reiki guides for ways to express gratitude, and they gave me the Reiki Gratitude Ceremony, and the Reiki Gratitude Treatment as two powerful Reiki tools.
A Reiki ceremony creates an entrance point for the presence of the divine light. People gather together to pray and claim their intentions. The power of the prayers and intentions is increased when a circle of Reiki light unites the people who are gathered. Reiki amplifies the light and invites the divine presence to join the circle. The Reiki Gratitude Ceremony focuses on blessings and allows us to express our deepest thanksgiving.
Reiki gratitude treatments can help us heal our negative mind and find our grateful heart even in the midst of turmoil. It can empower us and make it easier to perceive and choose gratitude, wisdom, and love each day. Reiki can heal the places where we are blocked and ungrateful.
As no one desires the slightest suffering
Nor ever has enough of happiness,
There is no difference between myself and others,
So let me make others joyfully happy.
-Santideva
Just for today, be grateful.
Practice gratitude daily. Life feels great when we remember our blessings, and it feels so hard when we forget them. When we think about our gifts and blessings and say thank you, our hearts open and our minds are positive, inspired, and receptive. It is easier to have a creative mind, which makes it easier to manifest our goals and dreams.
When we think about all that is not good enough in our lives, we can spiral into negative circling thoughts. Mind chatter, negativity, blame, and criticism rob us of a full and happy life. “Mind garbage” distracts us, we cannot hear our inner guidance, and there is no room for inspired ideas. We can become depleted, stressed, and anxious, and feel as if we do not control our own lives.
Our negative minds can affect our relationships too. If we are in blame, criticism, judgment, or dislike of others, we are not in our true heart and we can lose the opportunity to love another person in the fullest way possible. We can miss the experience of ourselves as loving human beings. Decide to focus only on what you love about the people in your relationships.
Usually it is a matter of training our minds to think about our blessings, and we have to make a deliberate choice notice them. Managing our mind can be a full time job. Reiki and gratitude are powerful tools that can instantly change our thoughts the moment we focus on our blessings. A grateful heart is one of the quickest ways to heal mind chatter, negative thought, and unwanted perceptions.
“Be directive in what you create in your life. If you are directive, you are utilizing your gift of choice-your sacred fee will-to choose the personal thought and beliefs that will manifest in your life. When you realize the power of your thoughts, and start to monitor them, you have taken the first step toward creating change for yourself.”
Jan Engels-Smith, “Becoming Yourself, the Journey from Head to Heart.”
This article appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of the Reiki News Magazine.
