Shortly after I became a Reiki Master Candidate, my Master Penelope Jewell flew down to Texas from New York. Before her arrival, my “job” was to schedule free public Reiki informational talks and demonstrations around my small town, and to promote and assist a Reiki training workshop to be hosted at my studio and led by Penelope.
This was no small task…in 2008, very few people in Kerrville had ever even heard of Reiki. Individuals, businesses, and organizations understandably were wary about participating in something they knew little or nothing about.
But I continued to make phone calls, post notices, and send out press releases. The editor of the new local magazine Kerr County People invited me to write an article about Reiki for its March issue – perfect timing for Penelope’s first trip to the Texas Hill Country.
By the time Penelope arrived in Kerrville, we were fortunate to have a varied slate of venues for the public talks –Schreiner University, Dietert Senior Center, and Unity Church. Flyers for the talks and training were posted at these locations, plus at Hastings Book Store, the local library, coffee shops, cafes, and grocery stores. (Remember, this was before social media had become so popular and effective.) And, thanks in large part to the publicity from my article in the magazine, we had eight registrations for the Reiki I training.
During the days of public talks in the week before the training workshop, I continued to receive calls from people asking if there was still room in the workshop. Penelope graciously encouraged them all to join us, even the one who phoned just the hour before the workshop started. That evening we began our first Reiki I training in Kerrville – with thirteen students.
There was no “typical” student. The class was filled with all kinds of individuals, including several twenty-something year-olds and a seventy-something year-young, a massage therapist, a PhD, a sculptor, a biologist, a singer, a life coach, a substance abuse worker, a retired Marine lieutenant, and two married couples.
Ventana Al Cielo Studio Kerrville, Texas
By the end of the training, all had something in common: Reiki – and their inclination to practice it in their own unique way. Each was aware of the innate power for healing that Reiki is, and each was prepared to experience its potential in their life. For some, it would become a new path…for others, it would be the catalyst for change and transition to something else.
At the end of the workshop, Penelope encouraged us all to give ourselves Reiki for ninety consecutive days and in those next three months, to give ten full Reiki treatments to others. This, she assured, would immerse us in Reiki and allow us to continue to come to know and understand this energy.
After this first class, my Master returned to Albany. Before she left, she suggested I sponsor “Reiki Shares” for the new Reiki practitioners. She explained that through these Shares, we could all continue to enjoy receiving and giving Reiki with each other. It is a time to share Reiki experiences, bring up questions, and sharpen or refresh our Reiki practice.
Reiki Shares are an opportunity to experience, build, and maintain a Reiki community. Shares are a convergence of individuals, each with their own expression of Reiki…and their own understanding of it. Shares are a way to honor ourselves and our Reiki practice.
Monthly Reiki Level I Shares offered at my studio are open to my students at all levels and are free of charge. And I invite Level II students to attend free Reiki II Shares every other month, as well.
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