My First Reiki Festival Participation

Article by Carrie Anderson

Recently, I was able to participate in giving Reiki at a local festival. This was a large festival that was vegan (abstaining from any animal products or by-products) in nature. Our stand was only one of two that focused on holistic healing. There were about 100 vendors, thousands of guests, bands performing, and lecturers. It was a wonderfully warm sunny day in which to be outside celebrating the human-animal connection and giving Reiki.

Reiki while in a festival like atmosphere is very different from my usual practice of a darkened, candlelit room, Tibetan Singing bowl, crystals, and quiet music in the background. I’ve practiced giving Reiki in large groups before, but never in a place like an outdoor festival.

Two Reiki tables were set up under a small canopy. On a table outside of the tent area were pamphlets, a display, and information related to, “What is Reiki?” Festival goers were able to sign up for a 20-minute session. Appointments were made on a first come first served basis, and we had clients all day long. This was entirely done as a service and there was a donation box also on the information table. Each of the Reiki practitioners were there on a volunteer basis. All proceeds were given to our local Community Reiki Clinic.

While it was a bit cooler under our tent, the day was overall hot. There was always a constant stream of people walking by, staring inquisitively, and looking through our information. At our stand we had enough volunteers that we were able to take turns in giving Reiki sessions and assisting festival-goers that had questions regarding this service. We had people sign up for every slot that was offered throughout the day. We rotated practitioners, so that we could have a session, then break, and time to participate in other offerings that the festival had available.

This was a vegan festival, so in addition to all of the other vendors and participants, there was so much food being made-the smells were really enticing. Our tent was set up near the music stage and there were many performers doing hip-hop, rap, rock, and pop.

I had some concerns about how distracted I would be during the Reiki sessions, given the venue. I noticed the other practitioners had taken off their shoes and were giving Reiki while their feet were touching the bare grass. I decided to do the same and instantly noticed that I was more grounded and connected. I stayed barefoot for every session and think that in the future, I would like to try giving Reiki in the outdoors.

The music, while obviously loud in an outside venue, did not cause any distractions. Perhaps, it was the general festival atmosphere or the constant positive energy that was being proffered by the other practitioners, but it was easy to allow the noises to become part of the experience.

Certainly not the normal Reiki setting, but the festival offered some great opportunities. A wider, broader group of people were able to discover this holistic energy work and could instantly connect with practitioners, in person, to have questions answered. Many people were able to receive a free session, for most of them, it was their first time on not only receiving Reiki, but of ever having heard of it. We are also able to make connections with other vendors, some were even selling Reiki infused products. It was definitely a unique experience and one that, hopefully, is repeated in the future.

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Carrie earned her Ph.D in Metaphysics and Energy Healing through World Metaphysical Institutes. She is a Reiki Master Teacher, Animal Reiki Master Teacher and holds degrees in several types of Reiki. Her focus is on Distance Reiki. Carrie is a Master Level Psychic Intuitive and gives daily readings. She combines Reiki and Divination to create unique readings. She is accredited through World Metaphysical Association and Council of Holistic Healers. She also has certifcations in Teen Guided Meditation,. Additionally, she is a Professional Yoga Facilitator with a focus on Gentle Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Carrie is a co-author with Mellisa Dormoy for the book, “Easy Mindfulness for Today’s Teens”. She is an active member of the Natural Healer Society and may be reached at www.caresreiki.com