A Meditation for You and for Now
The bottom line about meditation is this: communication.
A meditation can be done anywhere. But the best location is the one where you are in a quiet place, uninterrupted, and where you can relax and feel safe.
A good meditation posture is the one where you sit or lay down with your eyes closed in whatever position is most comfortable for you.
Like other forms of communication, the more you practice meditation, the more you will be receptive to the energy and greater awareness of the activity.
At the beginning of your meditation, you may want to light a candle, ring a bell, burn incense, play soothing music. You may hold a meaningful store or other symbol such as a cross or star.
Close your eyes and focus your breathing as you inhale and exhale slowly and deeply. Think about your breath as you inhale and exhale. Breathe slowly and deeply for the next several minutes while you allow your sacred self to take control. This will let you calm your sensory perceptions.
Notice how your body relaxes with each breath.
This quiet time is a priority. With every breath, you relax a bit more deeply. Light and energy and positive thoughts enter your body with every inhale.
Allow a sense of well-being and gentle relaxation to cover your entire self.
Toxins, anxiety, and frustrations leave your body with each exhale. This is a good time to discard discomfort. Relaxation replaces the toxins with every breath.
Breathe in healing light and warmth from the crown of your head down through your body – your upper chest, your back and spine, down your abdomen and pelvic areas, hips, thighs, and down your legs to your feet.
Your breath will guide this light to encircle your body and circulate around your body several times.
When you are ready, gather the energy at your feet and let it flow up your body to your head.
See this energy flowing out from your head as a fountain of light. It gathers at your feet in a pool of energy and then flows back up to the crown of your head.
Repeat this fountain flow several times – as long as you like.
When you are relaxed, comfortable, and energized, it is time to leave the meditation and return to the room.
Open your eyes. Gently shake your arms, hands, legs, and feet.
Now, smile, knowing that you can return to this space whenever you want.
Lift Yourself Up: 6 Things That Work
Sometimes, we’re aware of life’s impacts when they happen. Other times, they sneak up on us. We wake up and realize things haven’t been “right” for a while or even a long time.
Life is many things to many different people. Over time, things change. The changes can come daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or even more slowly.
However that is for you, when you realize things aren’t what you consider ideal – or even acceptable – it’s time to lift yourself up.
This is a good opportunity to spend energy connecting with your community. You may find that your community is experiencing adjustments as well as yourself. Who are you in this community? Are you comfortable with your place here?
The important thing is to connect with people who lift you up. You find them when you connect with your community – through friends, groups, and extended families.
Check in with those who are important to you.
Take a deep breath and a break. Self-care activities such as meditation and enough sleep can be particularly healing now. (Meditation always comes up first on the self-care list. However, it is not popular with everyone. The point is to choose something that works for you.)
Returning to body work habits such as reflexology or Reiki therapy can be particularly appreciated now. While you’re focusing on these new (or renewed) connections, schedule extra sessions to keep you grounded and steady.
This is also a time to pick up a new skill through classes, books, or other ways of learning.
Finally, show up for others in positive ways which honors them. This makes you a conduit for healing in ways you may not have thought of before.
Being a conduit for healing is a basic tenet of self-healing. Being a conduit does not require that you change your story or anyone else’s.
Being a conduit for healing does not really offer therapy even. Simply being there and showing up is enough.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please forward this post to your friends and relatives and also share it to your preferred social media network.
Thank you.
Thurmangreco.com
Reiki and Me: A Personal Transformation
Flashback to the 90’s.
I lived in the Washington, D.C. metro area when I went to the dogs.
I took my complete professional wardrobe (conservative suits, white blouses, natural colored stockings, sensible shoes, and matching power jewelry) to the Ft. Belvoir Thrift Shop and said “goodbye” to my past life.
I dusted off my massage therapy certificate which I earned from the Potomac MyoTherapy Institute in 1980. (I wrote about PMTI in my wellness book “Healer’s Handbook”.)
I practiced massage therapy and foot reflexology as far beneath the radar screen as I could get. Except for my clients, my goal was “invisible”.
And, I studied canine massage therapy, more foot reflexology, and animal communication at different workshops and classes around the country.
Names like Jonathan Rudinger, Penelope Smith, Dawn Hayman, Marge D’Urso, and Bill Flocco bring up extremely fond memories.
This is where my life took a change.
I attended an introductory canine massage therapy class in Clinton, New York, at Spring Farm CARES. At the first (of many) class I attended there, every other student in the class was a Reiki practitioner or master.
Not only was I the only student not attuned to Reiki, I couldn’t even spell it.
Don’t get me wrong. Reiki wasn’t a part of the curriculum in this class. It was simply a part of each student’s credentials and vocabulary.
I was intrigued by this healing technique they all knew and used. As soon as I returned home I began searching to find out about Reiki and how was it taught. I asked everyone I knew about it. Keep in mind, this was the Northern Virginia suburbs where not even massage was legal.
It was also just before computers became common. I didn’t yet know about Google.
What I really wanted to know was where I could find a teacher. I definitely didn’t like being the only person in a class not connected to something that was obviously important to the rest of the people in the room.
While searching for a teacher, I discovered only 6 Reiki books. One title I remember: “Essential Reiki” by Diane Stein.
I also learned that two friends were Reiki Masters. In seeking a Reiki Master Teacher, I learned that people I knew very well were keeping deep dark secrets from the world. The secrets? Reiki.
Amazing: Knowing that a close friend’s deepest, darkest secret was Reiki says things about my close friends, about Reiki, and about Virginia.
Kathy Levin and Barbara Kaplan were healing people and not even sharing their skills with anyone. And, finally, they weren’t even whispering the names of their teachers. Both women claimed to have learned Reiki years before. Their stories could have been begun with “Long ago and far away…”
I dug and dug and finally found a metaphysical gift shop in Vienna, VA which taught a variety of interesting things on the weekends. Reiki was buried in a long list of interesting spiritual-sounding classes at Terra Christa.
Needless to say, Mary Ruth Van Landingham and her classes were a gold mine for me. I learned nine different types of Reiki and a whole host of other things. For the next few years, I was a student in most of the weekend classes in Mary Ruth’s classroom behind her shop.
Soon, Reiki joined my below-the-radar healing sessions of reflexology, massage therapy, canine massage therapy, animal communication.
The Reiki training I received fit well into every service I offered.
Not in the Reiki category, but important: Dan Chesbro ordained me at Terra Christa. Throughout the years, most of my Reiki students reached out to Dan Chesbro for ordination.
Mary Ruth Van Landingham planted the seed for my first book “Healer’s Handbook”. It took years from Mary Ruth’s guiding suggestion to an actual book. My life experiences had to catch up with the text.
While all this was happening on the weekends, something else happened that was quiet, calm, positive, and distinct.
My life changed. I turned some kind of spiritual corner.
Reiki is not necessarily an out-loud modality. Reiki touches every life differently. After all, we’re all each individual and unique.
It became a part of my life without much fanfare. And, it was certainly easy to learn. Through the years, it’s become such a part of my life that sometimes I feel I don’t give it enough credit.
Reiki is automatic and quiet. Reiki doesn’t need a lot of attention. It stays with me. It doesn’t need equipment and it doesn’t require periodic recertifications.
I use Reiki and reflexology together regularly. They work hand-in-glove without the need of a prescription.
I’m grateful for the healing modalities I’ve learned throughout my life. They served my clients and students well. Sometimes I feel I don’t give Reiki and reflexology the credit they deserve.
When I think about it, part of the usefulness of Reiki and reflexology is that they don’t need attention. They don’t need credit. They just do the work.
SO, thank you Reiki and reflexology.
And, thank you to everyone who has read and does read this blog. Thanks for buying the books and thank you for referring me to your friends, relatives, and neighbors.
I regularly invite Reiki practitioners to come on my show to discuss and receive Reiki.
Find out more about healing and wellness at www.thurmangreco.com.
Finally, thank you for dropping by my Tarot booth at Mower’s Meadow Saturday Sunday Flea Market. This is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. The Flea Market is both mystical and magical. Join me there!
Respectfully submitted,
Thurman Greco
One Thing About Reiki and Healing
Since the ’90s, I’ve taught Reiki and Reflexology to students of all ages, sizes, and shapes. I made a conscious effort to let my students fly free, once he or she received the certificates earned. .
Healing is a personal path for a student. Eventually, the learned skills will surface in a way that is best for the universe. Sometimes the surfacing happens quite soon. Other times, it may take years as the student carries the energy around quietly, underground almost – waiting for just the right time. Meanwhile, the healing Reiki energy percolates, hidden below the surface.
Soon after Donald Trump was inaugurated, I put out an extremely quiet call to some Reiki Master Practitioners. “Come over and get your teacher wings.”
A few answered the call. I attuned them all to the Reiki Master Teacher Level and, again, set them loose to do what they felt called to do.
Karen kept in touch. She took her attunement seriously and, throughout the Pandemic, taught and practiced Reiki. Karen worked outdoors throughout this time. She practiced her profession in a park about 2 blocks from her home.
Some days were hot. Others were cold. Nobody seemed to mind.
Now, in these days and times, Karen is ill. She is teaching us all how to prepare for the future when there isn’t much time left on this plane.
She is allowing her students and fellow practitioners the opportunity to offer Reiki. This is a special time for all of us. Her students set up a time: Tuesday afternoons at 3:00.
People drop by her home to see how she’s doing. Some prepare food. Others run errands, etc. Everyone is finding things that need attention. Hospice is in the mix.
Reiki is at the core of this transition. We participate the best way we can.
One thing happening out loud is this: When we learn Reiki or other healing modality, we’re not sure what we’re going to do with our new certificate and skill.
Whatever we do, Reiki meets us where we are. However we use the things we’ve learned, it’s all for the good of the universe.
We are not here to change a story when offering therapy. Instead, we are a conduit for healing. Nothing more.
I am grateful to each and every student I’ve had over the past years. Each of you is an educational experience for me. You have, one and all, given me the highest honor a teacher can receive: Your trust.
Thank you to everyone. Thank you to Karen for allowing us to be with her at this special time.
My first book, “Healer’s Handbook” took 10 years to write. It’s gone out to over 3 dozen countries. I think it needs another edition to highlight End-of-Life Reiki. What do you think?
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Earlier posts of this blog may have answers to your questions. Check them out. Also go to some of the YOUTUBE segments of “Let’s Live” which cover wellness and healing.
Find out more at www.thurmangreco.com.
Contact me at thurmangreco@gmail.com.
The shows have been hold for several weeks because Ellen had surgery. We are resuming our shows soon. Join us!
One Way to Explore and Expand Your Path
We are, each of us, on a unique path.
You may follow your path from childhood and continue throughout your life, honoring your traditions.
Or, you may create your own path, making meaning out of each new step.
Wherever you are on your journey, your path is yours alone. Only you occupy your space.
One thing you can do to help yourself advance on your path is to journal. Because your path is yours alone, your journal will help you reflect on life’s meanings and what they teach you.
You can create your journal from an old tablet you found lying around on a table. Or, you can create your a journal as a work of art with drawings, photos, paintings, and a creative cover. Or, your journal can be anywhere between these two styles.
However you decide to create your journal, it can help you explore your spirituality.
Whatever you do to create your journal, it can help you explore the wonders of your life. The words of your journal will help you learn more about how you think and feel. This will help you create a deeper connection with your self and your path.
Your journal entries will help you explore your beliefs and how you feel and think about them.
The spiritual exploration offered by your journal will enhance and strengthen your path.
Thanks for reading this article.
It is not intended to change your story or offer therapy. It is written to offer a conduit to your own healing journey’s path.
Find out more about reflexology, Reiki, and healing, at www.thurmangreco.com.
If you are seeking specific information, check out older blog posts and also go to some of the YOUTUBE segments which cover wellness and healing.
A recent book features the major arcana of the Tarot. These cards explore well-known symbols and archetypes which heal, shape, and reflect our lives.
Beyond the boundaries of this book, I will explore archetypes and how they affect our spiritual growth in future blog posts..
You can order this book at thurmangreco.com or email me at thurmangreco@gmail.com.
Do One Small Thing For Your Success.
Choose one small opportunity.
To get yourself out of your rut or away from whatever is holding you back – do one small thing which will give you a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of success.
Success, no matter how small, takes you the distance.
So, how does this work? Choose one small opportunity.
Take your goals and break them down into tiny components which will not let you down. Life can get frustrating when we work toward goals which aren’t going to happen anytime soon.
When you break things down to small tasks, you can achieve success much more easily. And, all it takes to get you unstuck is to do one small thing.
Recently, I found myself in a real stuck mode. I felt as if I were wading in thick mud and getting nowhere.
I thought about a small success: I decided to finally write that letter I’d been putting off for weeks – months, really.
So, I sat down and wrote one sentence: “Several days ago I read a post on the net somewhere by Trish Lease-Way.”
I set the letter aside and continued with my day.
Things went much better after that. That one sentence of the letter shifted the energy.
And, guess what, the mud disappeared with the shift.
That sentence turned out to be a bonus! I finished the letter in a few days and sent it off. AND, i moved forward with my primary objective.
I don’t always get a bonus. But, an energy shift works really well when I’m stuck in the mud!
Thanks for reading this article. Please forward it to your favorite social media network. Share it with your friends and family.
Find out more about me at www.thurmangreco.com.
Coming Soon!
“A Healer’s Tarot Memoir” should be available on the website in a few days! This book explains how to use Major Arcana Cards for greater insight into your life and to discover more about your role in the world. Representing important events in your life, these archetypes explain the wisdom in your soul so they can do their work.
ENJOY!
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It’s Spring. Discover One Completely New Thing
Trying something new can be daunting. I get out of my comfort zone every April. I know when the Forsythia starts to bloom, it’s time to dust off my learning skills and experience something new. It doesn’t matter what it really is. The important thing is I’m enjoying discovery and adventure.
Living in upstate New York, I live the four seasons. Coming from the south, I thought I lived the four seasons. And, actually, I don’t think I really did. Then, living in Venezuela, I learned about living with 2 seasons: rainy and dry.
Because I chose to live where I live, I look forward to each season. I see Spring as a new energy. I experience Spring as an opportunity to try something completely new. It doesn’t really matter what it is. The important thing is I’m enjoying discovery and adventure
One thing I expect is this: not getting it right. I get to enjoy being a learner again. I might not like what I learned but that’s okay.
My friend Karen is a professional learner – every time I visit her, she’s got something new in her life: this spring she’s learning how to play a concertina!
Karen has learned to take the pressure off her days. She’s leaving the stress at the door and she’s simply enjoying a new activity.
I never know how long she’ll stay with the concertina or whatever magical thing she is learning. And, it doesn’t matter. When she learns something new, she makes her world bigger and newer.
May we all be a little like Karen!
Thanks for reading this article. Please share it with your friends and neighbors and forward it to your preferred social media networks.
Check out my books on www.thurmangreco.com.
I do have one new book coming out soon. “A Healer’s Tarot Memoir” is going to be published soon.
The role of this book is to learn to use Major Arcana cards for greater insight into your life so you can discover more about your role in the world. Representing important events in your life, these archetypes explain the wisdom in your soul while they do their work.
I’ve known about this book since 2015 when I sat down with a Tarot Reader in the Washington Square Park late one summer afternoon. He was reading my cards and suddenly, we were the only two people in the park. He read my cards and confirmed that one day I would write a book which would bring me joy.
His reading was spot on. I did. “”A Healer’s Tarot Memoir” is the book.
Find out more at www.thurmangreco.com.
Contact me at thurmangreco@gmail.com.
Until “A Healer’s Tarot Memoir” is released, my latest book, “But for Gabriel” is available in both ebook and paperback at thurmangreco@gmail.com
Thanks again!
Thurman
ONE MORE THING!
Reiki and Reflexology are ALWAYS APPROPRIATE!
Let’s Get Back to Basics! Start with Foot Reflexology
Reduced to a basic practice, reflexology works with zone therapy. So, this chart is the one I’m displaying first. If you feel that your life is too complicated for reflexology, try massaging your feet and observing where you feel soreness or sensitivity. Rather than feeling you even need to know how you experience these points, just knowing where they are on your feet is enough.
Foot reflexology sessions relax, balance, detox, and heal your entire body.
Reflexology brings about homeostasis – a body balance that is important for your health.
Reflex areas in your feet correspond to the internal organs.
Note where these points are and then work them over the next few days.
Work your toes to help alleviate headaches,
The ball of your foot relieves tension in your neck and shoulders.
Your foot arch relates to your liver, bowel, and kidneys. Manipulate this area gently, especially if you’ve been burning the candle at both ends.
Massaging the top of your foot induces psychological calm.
Modern reflexology is based on the centuries-old theory of Zone Therapy. The principle is that the energy connection should be free-flowing. An energy blockage will imbalance body parts within that particular zone.
Reflexology sessions work to restore free-flowing energy pathways throughout the body, creating homeostasis. This energetic body balance is essential for your good health.
When our bodies are balanced, things work better:
stress is relieved
the immune system improves
there is relief from pain
circulation improves
bowel movements improve
toxins clear
relaxation is better
In short, the body works better!
Most of us know these things but it’s nice to have a short review occasionally. It’s easier to find time in the daily schedule for a reflexology session if we can remember what the session will actually do for us.
On behalf of healers everywhere, I honor you and thank you for seeking wellness throughout your life.
With blogs, books, classes and sessions, I am not here to change your story. I am here as a conduit for your healing.
“Healer’s Handbook” is available as an ebook or paperback at www.thurmangreco.com
I thank you for reading this blog post.
If you have friends or relatives who might enjoy this article, please share it with them.
Please forward this post on your preferred social media network.
For more info, check out my books on www.thurmangreco.com.
To learn more about reflexology, download this video.
Ask a friend to join you in a learning adventure. The two of you can learn together and exchange sessions.
I have several reflexology videos on YOUTUBE – Let’s Live with Thurman Greco. These videos are free.
Thank you for your interest.
Self-Care is Kindness to Ourselves
Self-Care asks us to give the same kindness to ourselves that we give to others.
When you have negative or critical thoughts about yourself, stop for a moment and ask yourself this: “Would I say these things about a good friend?”
The chances are that you would not. You would not be unkind to someone else.
Now, try being as kind to yourself as you would to a loved one.
The next time things go wrong, accept the event for what it is. Then, apologize for what happened if that’s appropriate. Then, forgive yourself.
Learning from mistakes and moving on is a positive way to get through life.
Forgiving yourself is what allows you to get through life. When you forgive yourself, you are being nice to yourself. It’s easier to be happy that way.
When you forgive yourself, you are offering self-care. This sends nourishing messages to the brain about your self-worth.
Try, every day, to care for yourself in every way possible.
When stress accumulates, this facial massage meditation will relieve muscles and leave you feeling better.
Facial Massage Meditation
For many of us, the day’s stress accumulates in the muscles of the head, face, and jaw. Massaging your face and head can smooth the tiny muscles and nerve endings. Stress and fatigue will have a chance to disappear.
Begin this meditation by finding a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for a few minutes.
Lie flat on a chair, bed, or floor, with your face up. If that is not comfortable, find a comfortable chair or recliner to sit comfortably.
Cover your body with a light blanket or sheet so you won’t get cold as your body relaxes and cools.
Take several deep breaths. Begin these breaths in your abdominal area. Breathe in deeply and hold the breath to the count of three: 1 – 2 – 3.
Now slowly release the breath. When you exhale, you release toxins and stress.
Repeat these inhalations and exhalations 1-2 minutes. As you inhale, you l breathe in healthy air. With each exhalation, you release toxins and stress.
Become aware of your forehead. Mentally relax your forehead to erase wrinkles of expression…the space between your eyebrows becomes bigger. Your eyelids are heavy.
Move your fingers to your forehead and slowly massage it in small circles.
When you feel that your forehead is becoming relaxed, move your fingers to your temples and gently move them in clockwise and counterclockwise motions. Feel this area relaxing.
Notice the tension behind your eyes, and around your eyes and release it.
Now, place your fingers on your temples and move your fingers in small, gentle dime-size circles for a few minutes.
Move your fingers down to your chin and gently, gently pinch your chin and along your jawline to your ears.
Now, move your hands to your cheeks. Massage your soft cheek tissue in a circular motion.
Now, move your hands to your ears. Gently massage along the edges of your ears for a couple of moments. Now, give your ears some long, luscious pulls.
You are finishing your facial massage now. Notice any thoughts, feelings, or sensations you experience now.
Stay quiet for 1-2 minutes while you enjoy and refresh from this experience.
It is time now to return to the present time.
It is okay to return to this place of calm whenever you need.
The goal of this meditation is to experience calm and relaxation using self-touch.
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Thank you for reading this article. I sincerely hope it helps you feel better about yourself and those around you.
Please forward this post to your friends and relatives who might enjoy it. Please forward it to your favorite social media network and to your friends.
For more information, check out my books on thurmangreco.com. They are available in paperbook and ebook both.
Connect with me on Facebook.
This book is now available as an ebook and should be available as paperbook before December 15th. Order it on thurmangreco.com.
I host “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”, a program aired weekly on Woodstock’s own educational TV channel 23. This show is an informative, upbeat hour with no rehearsals.
My guests are various people whose lives have brought them to Woodstock for a day, a week, an hour, a decade, or more. Let’s Live has been running for over 15 years with an occasional intermission, now and then. You can find some reruns on YouTube “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”.
Renee, our channel wizard adds new programs weekly, usually on Tuesdays..
The Friday evening show airs in Woodstock at 7:00 in the studio located in the Woodstock Community Center on Rock City Road for an hour.
Renee and I both look forward to new subscribers.
Leaving Baggage Behind – No Regrets
Have you ever thought about spiritually cleaning out your closet? cleaning your house?
I got up early this morning because I wanted a few minutes to clean out a closet. Yesterday I promised a friend that I would share some gently used items for her fund raiser.
When I make a promise like that, it’s best that I set a few minutes aside and then work like crazy to get rid of things as quickly as possible.
Working in a fury, I stuffed items in a bag so quickly that I couldn’t overthink the situation. I also knew that I didn’t have time to put things back.
I just grabbed: a white blouse I hadn’t worn in years, a pair of slacks that were never comfortable, 3 T-shirts I was never going to wear again. A new winter coat.
On and on it went. I didn’t give myself time to think I just might, in a pinch, wear one of these items again. I even threw in a pot plant that was still pretty but quickly growing beyond my skill level.
As I stuffed these things in the car, with the plant perched on top of the clothes, I thought about maybe I should have done something like this with some of my other spiritual baggage.
Specifically, I thought of off those regrets I’ve been reliving lately.
We all carry it. Baggage.
Sometimes I feel like I would like to just leave it all behind me as I go through life: Grudges, resentments, painful memories, regrets.
I’ve been carrying all this baggage around with me for decades and decades. Then, a young woman reminded me that we all have baggage.
Sometimes, I just want to leave it all behind.
Other times, getting to a place where I can let go is difficult.
One thing she taught me: forgiveness is a large part of the journey. Leaving all these parcels and bags and boxes of regret is hard.
But, so was gathering all the experiences that became painful memories.
I’m hanging onto all this negativity. It’s making extra weight which I carry around all day, every day, I tried to think of what might be a good way to do this so I went to my roots.
What is going to work?
Eureka! Forgiveness will be important here.
I went to my roots for success! I got out my asphidity bag!
When I’m working on healing an issue, I write a description on a small paper and put it in my asphidity bag. I wear it around my neck to remind me that I’m healing.
Freedom is a goal!
When I have my healing goals in my asphidity bag, I know it’s time to schedule extra weekly Reiki therapy and Reflexology sessions.
If you have friends who might enjoy this post, please forward it to your favorite social media network and to your friends.
For more information, check out my books at thurmangreco.com.
Most of my books are available in ebook form as well as paperbook. “But for Gabriel” should be available in December.
Renee posts new segments to “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” on Tuesdays. are posted. Let me know how you like them!
Thanks again!
Thurman Greco
