Day 44: Community healing
Have you ever done Reiki? Have you ever done it in a group setting? Reiki is an energy healing technique in which a Reiki master (who has undergone formal training in this modality) uses gentle hand movements with the intention to guide the flow of healthy energy (what's known in Reiki as life force energy) through the client's body to reduce stress and promote healing. I was the only man amongst 23 other women. Lately, I have been more open to putting myself in those types of situations that might have made me uncomfortable in the past. Why is that important you might ask? For one, if you are a guy reading this you have a mother and maybe a sister. You should ask them about the shitty things that men have said and done to them over the course of their life. Perhaps the woman or women you care about are among the select few (25%) that haven’t been subjected to the shitty actions of men. Perhaps this is why women are more into self-care and healing. Here is what I learned and observed from a night full of spiritual healing and community from a strong group of women.
The Reiki master started by explaining what the night would look like. After instruction, she lit a sage and walked around, and saged all 23 of us. I love the smell of sage. Do you love that smell? I would love to smell it right now while I’m writing this from Edge Coffee Shop. After that, she walked around and put her hands on all of us. I could feel the heat from her hands. I told the Reiki master just that. She said, “I was burning up in there and would wipe the sweat moving from one person to the next.” There was some legit something magical and healing going on in that room.
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this next part. The Reiki master asked me if I knew who showed up for me or who lined up for me (meaning ancestors or spiritual guides) during the session. I had to admit that I didn’t have such an experience. However, my wife did. She had a very vivid experience. I won’t get into detail because that is her story to tell. I can tell you from being at the event and reading the room other women had that same experience. I would be curious to know if all of them had a similar experience. Perhaps I and the one other gal who was “eyes wide open” people (meaning we had our eyes open in a trance) were the only ones who didn’t have such an experience.
The Stallion Matthew Allyn asked me what is the deeper purpose. He said, “When these women had ancestors line up for them what did that do for them?” I didn’t want to take a stab at it so I asked my wife what it meant to her. She is going through some hard stuff right now. She said, “It reminds me that people have my back and that I don’t have to go through the hard stuff by myself. It’s like having a support network and knowing that you are not alone.” Isn’t that a fundamental human desire or need: to love and be loved? At times life can be overwhelming and we weren’t meant to do it alone.
I think I didn’t have the same experience because Bree has been doing the deep work since March 2019. That was Bree’s 5th time at Reiki and her 8th overall session. She has also been doing deep meditation and she has been open to connecting with her ancestors. She said, “You have to call it in and you have to be ready for it. It is powerful, intense, and a little scary.” I told her it I find it a little funny/ironic that as men we act so tough or stoic. When really being brave, tough, and strong is to confront these things that a lot of women are doing. I don’t want to speak for all men, but I do think that for the men that are coming “online” (meaning they are exploring their subconscious brain - the 95% that is on autopilot), these men feel frustrated and lonely that nobody understands what they are going through. However, people can only show up for you to the degree that you are willing to be vulnerable with them. If you act like a tough guy all the time and act like you don’t need anyone then nobody can understand you. You can’t have it both ways.
