by Penelope Quest
At this time of year, it is traditional to do some spring housecleaning to get rid of the old and make way for the new, to get ready for the brighter days of spring. This is a good idea on an energetic level as well as a practical level. However, maybe it is also a good time to start a regular practice of cleansing and energetic protection of yourself, your home and workplace, and your life in general.
Why Is Energetic Protection and Cleansing Important?
Whatever level of Reiki you have, it is really important to include a regular energy cleansing routine in your self healing, whether you intend to use Reiki on other people or not. As I have explained in previous articles, everything is energy, and energies can have negative, positive, or neutral vibrations. Being attuned to Reiki raises your body's vibrations. As the energetic oscillations become faster, this makes your whole energy field lighter and less dense, and you gradually become more and more "enlightened." This not only increases your spiritual awareness, but also means that your whole energy field becomes more permeable, and therefore more vulnerable to denser energies, which are attracted to the light. This happens because as your energies become lighter and vibrate faster, there is more "space" between the energy molecules, which the denser, negative energies attempt to fill. As an analogy, imagine placing pebbles in a bowl until it appears to be completely filled. If you poured water into the bowl, the water would occupy the space between the pebbles. Negative energy from outside sources can clog your energy field, just as the water did the pebbles. Because this could manifest as illness, it is essential to cleanse your entire energy field regularly.
These outside sources of negative energy are many and varied, and they can be physical energy, mental or thought energy, emotional energy, or spiritual energy. Newspapers, TV, radio, and films often have sad, disturbing, or horrific images and words that can negatively impact our energy fields, so it is important to be discriminating about what you read, watch, or listen to. Far better to be uplifted by beautiful music or happy, fun programs than to be dragged down by horror films or the negative stuff which is usually presented as "news." Energy disturbances or blockages in other people's energy fields, such as negative thoughts and emotions or physical or mental illness can also impact us. Our energies can be lowered when we spend time with negative people. Places can impact on our energies, especially if we spend time where negative energy can collect, such as shopping centers, city streets, offices and other workplaces, doctors' surgeries, hospitals, and even our own home or homes belonging to friends and family. It would be a rare home indeed that was untouched by conflict or argument or sorrow, and such mental and emotional energy can hang around for quite a long time.
Essentially, your beautiful, sparkling, clear, and "enlightened" energy body can act like a sponge, mopping up the negative energy soup around you on a daily basis. Not exactly a happy thought, is it? That's why in this article I am going to give you some techniques to protect yourself from such negative energies, as well as a range of methods for clearing and cleansing your whole energy body.
Energetic Protection
The first thing to do is to develop the habit of protecting yourself energetically every day, which doesn't have to be complicated. You can use your thought energy (which is very powerful) to visualize protective barriers around you, and of course you can use Reiki, with or without the symbols. A sensible way to use these methods is to carry out one or more of them every morning, especially before leaving home. You can also use them at any time you feel particularly threatened, such as when going into some stressful situation or having to deal with very negative people.
- Imagine yourself in a bubble or eggshell of white or golden light that is filled with Reiki, and intend that the edges of the bubble are permeable only by love, light, Reiki, and positive energies. As a second stage to this method, you can also imagine and intend that it is closely surrounded by a fine mesh made of gold, and that this mesh is only permeable by love, light, Reiki, and positive energies.
- If you ever feel really threatened, then do all of the above. Then, outside your bubble imagine and intend that there is a ring of fire, and outside that imagine and intend there is a shiny shell made of mirror or silver or gold, with the mirrored/shiny side facing outwards. This effectively forms an energetic boundary around you, so that any negative energy sent your way will rebound back to its source.
- If you know the Reiki symbols, draw a Power symbol on each palm, saying its mantra three times, and then stroke and smooth as much of your aura as possible with your palms (about 15 cm. or 6 in. away from your body), intending that the Reiki flow into your aura above, below, and on all sides of you, to provide a protective shield against any negative energies.
- Another beneficial way to use the Power symbol is to draw it large in front of you and step into it, saying its mantra three times. Imagine being wrapped inside the Power symbol so that it is in front, behind, and each side of you, and intend that the Reiki protect you from any negativity or harm.
This is an excerpt from an article in the Spring 2004 issue of Reiki News Magazine.
