Please Dial 1 for your Reiki Wakeup Call

Article by Phillip Hawkins

When we think about improving our lives and changing things for the better, we invariably think of an increase in the ‘good stuff’ what ever we perceive that good stuff to be, and a reduction in the ‘bad’ stuff as it’s taken away by someone (a healer) or something (in this case Reiki) or it just magically disappears. But if we take a moment to think about the reality of ‘changing things for the better’ we may come to realise there is more to it than we first thought. For things to change for the better we have to make the connection between our life and the person who lives it; we are the common denominator in every experience we have ever had. We are the sole tenant living in our body, we are the only thinker in our mind, the center of our internal universe, our life doesn’t just happen it’s created and we are the creator. If we’re not happy with the way things are then it’s we who need to make some changes, if we want something different the first step is to start by doing something different and this pivotal catalyst can be Reiki coming into our lives.

Change requires choice, it also requires the belief that you are capable of change, and you have the desire or intent to bring about that change in your life. Change is not about sitting back moaning and waiting for someone else to sort out your problems for you, you are your problem and within every problem are the seeds to their solution. Albert Einstein once said ‘a problem can never be solved by the same mindset that created it’ if you want to find a solution to any problem you must first raise your level of awareness to gain a perspective that lies outside of the problem. You are the only one that can create the choice, through the belief and intent to bring about this change for the better, you have to either do something new, or let go of the old stuff. Reiki can be the catalyst that creates the ripple of dissatisfaction in your current state, either way development requires change and all development creates movement, you can’t change and stay the same, something will eventually have to give.

Our negative ego would have us believe that it knows best; it’s much safer to stay the way you are, no matter how bad you think things are they will only get worse if you begin to interfere and try to change. It will try to make you believe that no good deed goes unpunished and that self improvement comes from arrogance and not knowledge and understanding. If our higher self is the wise and knowledgeable teacher that wants only the best for us, our ego by comparison is the harsh selfish authoritive figure that has to be in control and obeyed at all times, self centered very judgmental of you and of everyone else. From the negative ego’s point of view, a change for the better would be no change at all, things staying the way they are with lots of self imposed limitations to hide behind, and the belief that nothing is ever our fault.

Through the study of Reiki and other spiritual teachings we can begin to realise that our higher self doesn’t look at things in the same way; it doesn’t see fault or blame, it merely sees adverse effects brought about by inappropriate choices that we make out of ignorance and fear instead of knowledge and understanding. Blame and guilt don’t exist for the higher self, they are illusions created by the ego as a means of maintaining control over us, the higher self wants us to take responsibility for our own actions and beliefs and enjoy the rewards that come through knowledge and understanding.

From the higher self’s point of view a change for the better would be the realisation that you are never isolated or alone, that you have access to a higher knowledge than the ego could ever imagine, and that you have the power to create the kind of life you wish to live. Reiki can provide the initial insight and the tools to bring about this change, but it won’t do it for you because that’s your responsibility.

Our higher self wants us to become aware of the harmful patterns that we keep repeating in our lives and the way we hurt ourselves through ignorance and fear. We need to let go of the past and the stuff we hang on to out of fear or desperation, unfortunately this won’t just disappear, it has to be acknowledged resolved and then released more often than not with professional help that lies outside the remit of Reiki, and this change for better may not appear so when we are faced with issues we would prefer to ignore or pretend didn’t exist. Change can be traumatic, but this is due in part to our attitude to change in general, change takes us out of our comfort zone and into the unknown and we can view change as losing something we value, something to be taken away from us. It’s because of this negative attitude that we would much prefer to stay with the tried and tested no matter how unhealthy that may be and in the process try to maintain the status quo hanging on to stuff that is harmful and self destructive. In this instance pain and suffering are always in relation to our resistance to change, the more we resist change the more traumatic the situation may appear to become. This is why the Reiki principles provide truth demonstrated of our capacity and ability to heal ourselves.

That which exists must be governed by the laws that were instrumental in its creation, we are governed by amongst others the law of cause and effect, nothing happens by accident and nothing changes arbitrarily of its own accord, if we wish a situation to improve then we must play our part in bringing about the change we desire for even miracles must adhere to the laws of creation. There are no spectators in life only those who are asleep and those who are awake to this fact, a change for the better requires an understanding and appreciation of what we already have, it’s this awakening sometimes through a Reiki induced wakeup call that can determine what we perceive to be better and it’s this awareness, this knowledge and understanding that motivates us to bring about a change for the better in our lives, and in doing so the healing begins.

A Reiki practitioner since 1999, Phillip started teaching Reiki in 2000 and using those skills and abilities he has spent the majority of the last seventeen years working with a wide range of social and educational needs including Autism and ADHD. Working with addicts dependent on alcohol and drugs, people whose lives were extremely violent and abusive, and others who had to deal with severe mental health issues. This has enabled him to work extensively in the private sector, schools, colleges, education and care in the community, the prison service and psychiatric units.

In 2016, Phillip decided to semi-retire from full-time employment to concentrate on developing his career as a published author and the setting up of his Reiki personal development programme at the Chilton Community College.