Interview with Angie Webster

Angie Webster made a significant contribution to the Reiki community, with a particular focus on Animal Reiki, which she had a deep affection for. As a knowledgeable Reiki Master Teacher and Author, she conducted online courses on energy healing, herbalism, flower essences, and personal growth.
She is the author of “Animal Reiki: How it Heals, Teaches & Reconnects Us with Nature” and “Reiki from A to Z”. Currently, Angie has decided to retire from her professional life to devote more time to her health, family, and the little joys of life.

1. How did Reiki find you?

I had been on a mission to ease my own chronic pain and discomfort from fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, migraines, seizures and various other health issues for more than 20 years. I had learned a lot on my own about herbs and nutritional healing, but still had a lot of problems. My immune system was a wreck and I was depressed and anxious much of the time. I didn’t sleep well.

I kept coming across the word ‘Reiki’ several years ago. It was suggested to me by a few people, who though it might be the key to helping me get better, along with the other things I was trying. I was unsure because I didn’t really understand what is was and little information was available back then. When a friend offered to add my name to the list for her weekly distant healing group, I agreed, though I was skeptical that it would help, especially from a distance. But it did help! And I felt the energy each week at the appointed time, even if I completely forgot about the session. My pain would disappear.

Over time, I started feeling better and better. I even started making better choices as my mind cleared, which helped me heal even more. Soon I was aware that I wanted to serve the world. This felt like a purpose that I had been unable to fulfill while I was so sick, but that I could do now that I was better. Part of that purpose was to spread the healing to others and to share information about Reiki. I want people to have access to clear and accurate information about energy healing when they look for it.

2. What is your favorite symbol and why?

I love them all and don’t have a particular favorite. I use whichever ones I feel led to in a particular situation. I probably use the Mental/Emotional Symbol more ways than most practitioners. I use it a lot, since I feel led to use it in places that I feel emotional traumas are stored in the body. I was not taught that way, but it is what I have been led to do intuitively.

3. What do you think about Angels, Crystals?

I feel that Angels are beings that are available to help us, protect us and work with us from the Higher Dimensions. They are not gods, but they do have access to higher forms of wisdom and understanding. They can be of great help and comfort. They can also help a great deal with healing efforts. They are most able to help and to communicate with us when they are called upon, just as we are most able to work with and communicate with any being in this realm when we ask for their assistance and directly engage in a dialogue with them. When working with beings from other realms, you can sense that they are Angels or Higher Beings by the way they feel. Angels and Higher Beings feel very loving and the way they communicate with you or try to assist you is never overbearing.

Crystals and stones are also potentially very helpful. They seem to carry their own individual frequencies, like anything else. Each of these frequencies has a quality that can help with specific areas of healing. The stones each have their own individual characteristics, even within the same stone type. Once you begin tuning in to them, you can recognize these frequencies, especially if you are sensitive to energy already.

I have been drawn to rocks and to certain gemstones and crystals since I was a little girl, but I didn’t feel much of a vibration coming from them when I first started working with them. I just knew I loved them and liked being around them. After some time tuning in to what made me so happy around them, I realized I felt a different sensation from each one, the same way I feel a different sensation from each person. Some were more “buzzy”, others more light, some carried the images and emotions of whatever they had most recently been around, some eased my pain or made me feel calm. At that point, I began learning more about using them with healing.

4. What do you think of distant attunements? Do they work?

I have heard that some people use them and that they can feel the energy coming to them over the distance. I can imagine that if a distant healing session works, then the energy of an attunement can work as well, to some degree. However, I think that you must keep in mind that there is much more to learning Reiki than simply becoming attuned. I have noticed that some people who have not been trained in Reiki don’t necessarily know that. Much of the learning in a Reiki class is only effectively learned through hands on training, in my opinion. The attunement does not teach Reiki, it only opens the channel for the energy to be felt, connected with and worked with, much like a deep healing. The student must then practice regularly so that they do feel the energy and build their connection with it. In order to learn how to properly do that, it is best to be in person with your teacher, so that you can see, feel, and experience the practice. You would not try to learn any other healing method through distance, as you would understand that you must learn through practice with people, in person. Reiki is no different.

Also, you may want to consider that it is of great benefit to you to build a personal relationship with your Reiki teacher, which is difficult to do from a distance. This is someone that you should feel you can come to with questions and concerns as you walk your Reiki path, someone whose ‘vibe’ you trust. It can be harder to get a good feel for someone unless you are with them in person.

These days, it is pretty easy to find a Reiki teacher near most areas, so the need for a distant attunement is not as great as it once might have been when there were few Reiki Master teachers. If you are considering doing your training through an online attunement because the price is very cheap, then it might be a better idea to simply save a few dollars back each pay period until you have enough to do the training in person. Set your intention to move toward Reiki and learn all you can about the energy that flows through you while you wait. It may happen faster than you imagine once you set the goal and begin working toward it!

5. Can you share one of your most amazing Reiki experiences?

I am in awe of my own series of amazing transformations that still seem to keep flowing since Reiki became part of my life! Despite being in my mid-40s, my eyesight has improved after declining since my teens, my blood work shows a properly functioning immune system for the first time in 20 years, I have no digestive disorders any more, the issues with interstitial cystitis have gone away and all the other issues have dropped to manageable levels. The longer I do Reiki, the more improvement I see and the happier my life becomes.

When I had my first in person Reiki session, I had been having a circulation problem with my toes for several months. They turned purple every day and stayed that way, though they never hurt. After the session, this got a lot worse for several hours that night. I stayed calm, somehow knowing it was a healing effect. The next day, the purple was gone and it has never come back again, though I never did anything for it aside from Reiki. I hadn’t even made it to a doctor yet!

6. How do you see Reiki 50 years from now?

My vision for Reiki in 50 years is that it will have expanded so that most people have a clear understanding of what it is. The expansion of education around Reiki will help to dissipate much of the fear and skepticism that still lingers around it today. This will involve continued research and it will involve people like me and others continuing to write and talk to others about Reiki, so that understanding grows. And also, sharing Reiki demonstrations with those who have not tried it yet! Experiencing Reiki is actually far more helpful than talking about it. Reiki is one of those things you just have to try because words alone aren’t enough. My hope is that in 50 years, most people will have tried Reiki and many will have learned how to work with energy healing in at least a basic way, such as at Reiki Level One. We are all surrounded by this loving energy. It flows through us and around us and all things. The world would be a wonderful and loving place if more people were aware of that. That is my hope.

7. If you could give just one piece of advice to a new practitioner, what would it be?

Practice with the energy every, single day!! You have this lovely new gift, so hone your skill by working with it. Heal yourself by doing self Reiki every day and don’t be afraid of the energy. Use it with others, use it with everything! Use your imagination about ways to work with the energy in your life, as you go through your day! Don’t fall into the trap of telling yourself you don’t have time to do Reiki or to treat yourself. Make the time and you will never be sorry you did. Even if you can allow only 10 minutes a day and you commit to doing that every day, your life will change and it will keep getting better. There is no need to make it complicated. Simply put your hands on yourself where you feel led to and go!

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