Reiki and the Blessing of Food

Article by Deborah Lloyd, Reiki Master

Growing up in a strong, traditional religious family, every meal began with the traditional prayer. There were eleven people around the large kitchen table, and I always enjoyed watching my younger siblings – the babies and toddlers – try to join along in the prayer. We continued the tradition with our children when they were growing up.

The prayer was simply one of gratitude – thanking God for the blessings of the food on the table. We were a farm family, and we knew where the food came from – the cattle in our barn, the chickens in the coop, and the vegetables in our garden. Although we did not have material luxuries, our father always reminded us what wonderful food we had.

It feels as if the appreciation of good food has come full circle! In the past few decades, we lived with the conveniences of concocted food, with our fast food restaurants, chemically-enhanced fruits and vegetables, and white enriched flours. Now, an appreciation of the healthy qualities of real food is growing. We are finding time to do our own cooking more often, and we are selective on which restaurants to frequent.

Reiki is a practice that greatly supports healthy eating and the frequent expression of gratitude. One of Dr. Usui’s ideals is, “Do not worry and be filled with gratitude.” Reiki reminds us, each and every time we connect, that every thought, word and action has energy. Expressing gratitude, from the heart, creates a loving, positive energy that emanates every aspect of our lives.

When we express gratitude for our food, we acknowledge that food is energy. Not only does it supply the fuel we need for our physical bodies to continue breathing and moving, it also affects our minds and our spirits. Think about how your body feels and your mind thinks, after eating a healthy meal. Remember a time after you had unhealthy foods. You know the difference!

Giving Reiki to your meals (as well as to your gardens, food purchases, meal preparation time, etc.) is another way of enhancing the healthy, nutritional benefits of each food item. Saying a prayer, or mantra, of gratitude and/or requesting the use of food for your highest good – in mind, body and spirit – can become an everyday practice.

So often, people ask me how to find time to do Reiki daily. The best way to “find time” is to truly integrate Reiki into your daily routines. The more you do this, the more creative you become in giving Reiki throughout the moments of your days. Is anything more powerful than beginning a practice of using Reiki with all aspects of food – perhaps, the ultimate Reiki self-treatment? And, as we find brief moments throughout the day for Reiki, it actually becomes easier to “find time” for meditation and longer periods for Reiki self-treatments. Blending Reiki with food is simply a blessed way to become more aware of the power of Reiki.

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Deborah Lloyd is a Usui and Karuna Reiki® Master and certified holistic therapy practitioner, providing Distant Reiki sessions and training in Asheville, NC. Deborah is the author of two books, 22 Messages from the Archangels; and, Believe and it is True: A Story of Healing and Life Lessons. She is also one of the co-authors of Reiki 101: 101 Answers for Your Reiki Questions. Reach Deborah at [email protected] and on Facebook at Deb Lloyd Healing.