New Year, New Mind

Article by Samantha Goddard

As we head to the end of a decade and prepare to welcome a new one, I feel it is the perfect time to reflect on the opportunity Reiki offers us to approach life with newness.

“Newness” literally translated means the quality of being new or original.

When I was training to become a Mindfulness Facilitator, one of the strongest concepts that stayed with me during my training was the concept of ‘new mind’. New Mind being the wonderful opportunity to approach life with fresh eyes and to drop our ‘knowing mind’ and thus experience every moment of life with freshness. It reminded me of how incredibly restricting it can be when we hold the thought of ‘I know how to do…’ As, when we have this belief, it can inhibit us from experiencing a new approach, a new lesson, a new beauty and in essence, freedom.

I believe that Reiki continually offers us the same opportunity.

I have been a Reiki Master now for almost 20 years but I try to approach my practice with newness, and encourage my long-term students to do the same. I believe we never fully ‘know’ Reiki, despite the length of time we may have been studying it. As in my experience, Reiki offers us new ways, new insight, new lessons every day as it is ever evolving, as are we.

As with everything in life, it can be easy to become complacent in our ‘knowledge’ of Reiki, especially after practicing or teaching it for many years. However, the true opportunity of the wonder of Reiki is available to us on a daily basis, whether we are new to the path or have perhaps been on our path for decades. I have taught many students who are wishing to continue on to their Master level with the thought that they will somehow ‘finish’ their Reiki training, only to remind them, that by taking their Master level, they are only just beginning. I love the fact that as one progresses through the various levels of Reiki, whatever our lineage, we are constantly brought back to the importance of the basics of Reiki. Just take a moment to reflect on the fact that despite the number of times we may have sat in a simple “Gassho” meditation, there is always something new available to us. It is not a case of “knowing” how to sit in a Gassho meditation; it is being present enough to approach it with a new mind to fully embrace its gifts.

I remember reading an article many years ago about ‘de-cluttering our Reiki practice’ and what a positive invitation this was to me. At this transformational window, perhaps its time to revisit this invitation to ‘de-clutter’ our practice, give it ‘a bit of a clean’, brush off any cobwebs that may have formed over the years and make way for the newness, fresh energy and growth available to us in every moment.

So for me, I welcome the new decade with a new mind, as to what Reiki and my journey will offer and I invite you to do the same. Open to experience, to learning, to growth, to change and therefore open to continued service to self and others. After all, I believe that was always the invitation…

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Sam is an Usui/Holy Fire III Reiki Master Teacher, Holy Fire Karuna Reiki® Master, Reiki Drum Master, Life Journey Guide and Author of ‘Finding Ray’s Key’. Based in the UK, Sam runs both the Devon School of Wellbeing and the Devon School of Reiki which offer clinics, training, retreats and workshops for adults and children, bringing Reiki, energy awareness and mindfulness to people of all ages. Inspired by the pregnancy and birth of her son, Sam also set up ‘Reiki Rascals’ to empower families and individuals through pregnancy, birth and beyond and to share the magic of Reiki with children. She is a passionate advocate of sharing Reiki and mindfulness as helpful holistic tools for modern life. “Finding Ray’s Key” was published in 2018 and is a beautifully illustrated children’s book based on Reiki and mindfulness principles. It is a rhyming story for children (and adults), about a boy called Ray who goes on a journey to find ‘the key to being happy’…and is surprised to find that it is ‘within him and all around.’
You can contact Sam through her website www.devonschoolofreiki.co.uk. She also can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, and Twiter.