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 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.
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.
What to do When it all Gets to be Too Much: Switch Off The Day
The times are overwhelming. It’s as if everyone is “always on”. I find that when I’m always connected, things can quit working. When I’m always connected, I find myself staring at screens, answering every door bell and phone ring.
When things quit working, one of the most effective things I do is switch everything off. This includes me. I switch off – both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
I turn off electronic devices. The phone goes off. The computer shuts down. The TV is off. I turn off all the lights.
And, you know what? almost everything works better after I’ve unplugged it for a few minutes. And, that includes me.
And, then, I get in my most comfortable chair and give myself a Reiki therapy session.
I begin the session with the symbols and three hand positions to my head. My intention is to relax so that I won’t be so fatigued and overwhelmed.
Now…I know that switching everything off can be difficult. In some cases, it’s impossible. I also know that there comes a time when saying “no” is not selfish.
An important lesson I had to learn as an adult is that when everybody is getting oxygen masks, we sometimes each need to get our own oxygen mask first so we can make sure everyone else is being properly cared for.
So, becoming comfortable with “no” and “off” is something that I had to learn in life.
A life lesson I had to learn was that some people stress me out. Learning to recognize stressor people and situations was (is) important. Once stressors are are recognized, it is easy to avoid them.
Life is more pleasant, less complicated, and easier when stressors are recognized and minimized.
Reiki sessions help. Both Reiki and reflexology promote relaxation and a more positive outlook.
Emergency Reiki sessions are a dramatic improvement. They work even better when they are a supplement to regularly scheduled Reiki therapy sessions.
I invite you to connect with me on Facebook
If you who have friends and relatives who might enjoy this post, please share it to your favorite social media network and to your friends and relatives.
For more info, check out my books at Thurmangreco.com. every title is available in hard copy and ebook with the exception of the first edition of “But for Gabriel” This book is available as an ebook only until December.
PLEASE don’t forget to schedule regular Reiki therapy and reflexology sessions.
Please check out the YOUTUBE channel show. New episodes are released on Tuesdays. “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” is a positive, entertaining series of interviews which I’ve conducted throughout the last 15 or so years. There have been a few intermissions along the way, but not many.
My guests enjoy being on the show and many ask to return. One thing they all have in common: we’ve all met each other somehow in Woodstock, NY
Join us soon!
And, let us know how you like the shows.
Use the reflexology you keep in your toolbox – Part 6
One nice thing I like about reflexology: it’s adaptable.
You don’t have to do a lot to prepare for a reflexology session. Don’t get me wrong. Your session preparation can be as elaborate as you can imagine and desire. It can include music, incense, essential oils, enfolding comforters, gentle lighting, and anything else you want to add to support your client partner.
But when the going gets tough, all you have to do is gently touch a person’s hands or feet for a few moments. Reflexology warm-ups and warm-downs are powerful. And there are few to no contraindications to touch a person.
And, a person doesn’t have to be lying by the side of the road to qualify for a gentle touch and nothing more.
Reflexology works well with other modalities. I love to add Reiki therapy and chakra healing but there are many more modalities that work fine. The choice is up to you.
On a gurney or roadside, I would certainly add Reiki but, honestly, it’s not necessary. Reflexology will do the job quite well.
Popular reflexology holds which are appropriate for gurney or roadside situations include simply holding the person’s hands or feet.
If I can’t make contact any other way, a hand placed on a shoulder can be effective.
I like to begin a session with a gentle solar plexus hold. After that, I might hold the person’s heels to offer comfort and support. Gently holding a person’s lymphatic reflexes for a minute can bring calm.
And, truthfully, Reflexology’s job is to bring about homeostasis. This happens in a session, no matter the circumstances.
At your table, reflexology will generate a different result during each session. That’s because your client is different every day on a cellular level. This daily difference produces a unique outcome at every session.
But, no matter the circumstance, reflexology is a heavy lifter in your toolbox. It will not let you down. After a session, don’t waste even a minute thinking you should have done something else or touched the person’s feet or hands another way. Your hands did the right thing at the right moment for this person.
Thanks for reading this article. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
THANKS!
Thurman
Feel good about your feet!-Healing tools in your toolbox. – Part 4
Once you see the soles of your feet as more than just the bottoms of your feet, you find your soul. You have a better understanding of the path you travel to a deeper consciousness.
I’m a reflexologist, teacher, writer, speaker, dowser. And, whether I heal, teach, write, speak, or dowse, my intention is the same.
I want us all to become more conscious of our unique selves.
I want us all to take charge of our own healing.
I want us all to release things we don’t need anymore. This will make room for changes that are important for our current time and place.
As we journey through life, we discover things about our selves that we never knew. We rediscover things we once knew but forgot. And, finally, we see things about our selves which we may have felt weren’t important but now realize they are.
My job is to help you find your feet.
Once you see the soles of your feet as more than just the bottoms of your feet, you find your soul. You have a better understanding of the path you are traveling to a deeper consciousness.
After awhile, everything falls into place. For some, this shortens the journey. For others, it takes months or even years.
Historical references to our feet as healing conductors can be found in the Physicians’ Tomb in Saqqara, Egypt in wall paintings dating back almost to 2400 BCE.
Ancient Chinese writings describe pressure points on thumbs and toes.
The Medicine Teacher Temple in Nara, Japan has stone carvings of Buddha’s feet.
In India, Vishnu paintings highlight points corresponding to reflexology points on feet.
Ayurveda medicine incorporates foot reflexology.
When I work a person’s feet, I feel as if I’ve opened a book filled with stories, all waiting to be told. This is the Language of Your Feet.
But, many of you already know this. You practice reflexology, or some other healing modality, either as a hobby or as a profession.
But, however we describe our Reiki therapy, our healing modalities, our Yoga classes, our music, our meditations – let us never forget: These are tools to use throughout life. They exist to get us through the tough times, the crises. They “get us down the road” as my grandmother used to say.
I’m so grateful we have these tools!
Thank you for reading this article. Please share this post with your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Depression is Your Soul Crying Out for Help.
Spiritually, your soul cries out for help. On top of all this spiritual suffering you may also have feelings of self doubt and hopelessness. When you deal with depression, you feel you are stuck in a storywith no positive ending.
Everyone feels sad occasionally. Your depression is unique, just as you are unique. There’s a difference between having the blues and being depressed. Depression is a disease of your soul. Chemicals alone cannot cure your depression.
Depression includes feeling sad, empty, or unhappy. Your sleep may be disturbed. This means you may be sleeping too much or have insomnia. Your diet may be disturbed. This means you may have lost your appetite or you may be gaining weight. Your thinking, speaking, and body movements have slowed down. You feel anxious, agitated, and restless. You have trouble thinking, concentrating, remembering things and making decisions. You have unexplained physical problems such as back pain or headache.
You may have clinical depression if you drink alcohol and smoke excessively, experience poor appetite and weight loss, are preoccupied with negative thoughts of despair, and contemplate suicide.
Whatever the symptoms, depression is a prolonged feeling of unhappiness. It may be associated with grief, divorce, or retirement. It may be connected with childbirth. Whatever the trigger, depression is a disease which can be overwhelming.
Consult with a physician when you begin your search for relief because popular treatments include antidepressants and psychotherapy. Depression is extremely treatable, so go for it!
Reflexology, Reiki, and chakra healings are not cure-alls but can certainly help. Reflexology sessions encourage homeostasis, important for positive outcomes, especially since it’s not always easy for you to find how to lift your spirits. Your sessions will help manage the side effects of any allopathic medications you may be taking.
CHAKRA
Your crown and heart chakras are unbalanced.
REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK
nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, endocrine system, spine, liver, and solar plexus
ESSENTIAL OILS
cedarwood, frankincense, jasmine, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, ylang ylang
RISK FACTORS
Depression is a fairly complex issue resulting from numerous factors including a genetic predisposition, hormonal shifts, sedentary lifestyle, life events, underlying health issues
EFFECTIVE HEALING FIELDS
Begin with Conventional medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy. Supplement the allopathic medicine with complementary and alternative medicine treatments. Bodywork such as massage is often a positive therapy. Depression is a case where you can wholeheartedly adopt both styles of medical care. Synchronicity!
If you choose to add homeopathic remedies, consult with a homeopath for the treatment best suited to your needs.
FOODS IMPORTANT TO YOUR DIET
bananas, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, low-fat dairy products, oats, oily fish, whole grains
Eat breakfast every day. Eat protein at every meal. Stay away from processed foods. Eat more whole grains. Better yet…get nutritional counseling!
THINGS TO TRY
Find out what’s going on in your head. You’ll get to know about things that may be causing you to feel depressed.
Flower remedies can be successful.
Physical exercise promotes a positive mental attitude. It’s important to your success in the battle to overcome depression.
Depression gives you a chance to work with parts within yourself that you don’t know about and may have repressed. When you enter therapy and work with them, you can understand your self better while you heal and transform yourself.
When you stay connected with friends and community, your worries will be in the background. Join a support group. Your physician may have a list of groups available to you. Do something you enjoy every day. Journal about it.
Try something new. A new hobby can get you out of your house and out of your head.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please share it with your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Eczema – a skin condition we all need to know more about
Spiritually, if you have eczema, you have a negative attitude toward unpleasant events in your life.
Eczema is a fairly common skin condition becoming more and more common. Your skin becomes inflamed as it reacts to soaps, detergents, household chemicals, food, house dust, and other irritants.
Itching, red, inflamed skin is the first step. It’s followed by flaking skin and a rash appearing on legs, hands, face, neck.
In children, eczema likes the inner knees and elbows.
If the condition doesn’t improve within a week, you need to see a medical professional.
Looking at the bigger picture, eczema is also a reaction to stresses in and around you. And, we can probably all agree that life is becoming more and more stressful.
The best way to treat eczema is to identify, remove, and avoid the allergens. Your goal is to control and relieve symptoms.
Looking beyond the emotional, mental, and spiritual stress, we are all more and more stressed by the chemicals we come in contact with daily. The soaps we clean with and the food we eat are becoming more and more laden with more and stronger chemicals as time goes by.
Eczema begins as itchy blotches on your skin. The redness begins later. The three culprits here are allergies, stress, and immune system overload.
These three situations respond positively to regular reflexology, Reiki therapy and chakra healing sessions.
An important first step in treating eczema beyond regular sessions is for you to identify the triggers which set off your bouts of eczema. These may be animal dander, anger, cleaning products, drugs, foods, fragrances, poor circulation, house dust, .
All is not lost. You’ll benefit from a little sun every day.
Because eczema is a situation resulting from immune system overload, a clean environment is critical. This includes your air, body, car, home, work place, water.
When toxins are cleaned out, your health will have a chance to improve. Then, your reflexology sessions will be able to more effectively manage eczema’s side effects.
Eczema responds to conventional medical treatments as well as mind-body therapies. In addition to reflexology, Reiki therapy, and chakra healing, meditation helps.
Although this may seem like a daunting task, cleaning up your body and the environment is easier than you might think. For starters, throw out all your cleaning supplies and cosmetics and replace them with non-toxic products which won’t exacerbate the problem.
A good next step is to clean up the diet by cooking and eating only the foods which have no artificial colors, flavors, additives.
It has been said that health begins and ends in the colon. A colon cleanse followed by a liver cleanse is in order. When your environment is cleaned up and your body cleaned out, it will be easier to cope with stressful situations.
CHAKRAS:
Eczema is a fourth chakra issue.
REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK:
immune system, nervous system, lymphatics, digestive system, circulatory system, liver, solar plexus
ESSENTIAL OILS:
bergamot, frankincense, geranium, helichrysum, juniper, lavender, myrrh, neroli, peppermint, sweet orange, tea tree, yarrow,
EFFECTIVE FIELDS OF HEALING: Conventional Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Herbalism
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES: Keep damaged skin moist using an oil-based cream. Apply emollients liberally and frequently.
TREATMENT GOAL: If you can avoid the itch-scratch-itch cycle and avoid potential infection, your situation will be much better.
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
The First Chakra and Reflexology
All 7 of the major Chakras are reflected in our feet. They line up on the spine and they relate to energy centers found on the body. The first Chakra is found at the base of the spine.
The reflex point for the first Chakra is located on the heel of both feet. First Chakra issues are concerned with
security
survival
connection to our earth – our environment
issues with grounding
one’s connection to the community
protection
FOR ME, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN ABOUT FIRST CHAKRA ISSUES WITHOUT QUESTIONING:
Have you put down roots? Or are unable to establish a home?
Do you find it hard to move ahead in life? Or, are you unable to let go of your family?
Do you feel vulnerable? Are you refusing to budge?
Do you eat properly?
Do you hang onto unhealthy relationships?
Can you receive?
Can you give?
Are you in a rut?
Are you afraid of change, even if it is positive?
Are you in your body?
Are you controlling?
There are many first Chakra phrases using the word “heel”:
Cool your heels
Down at your heels
Well heeled
Take to your heels
Drag your heels
Achilles heel
I’m sure you can come up with even more.
Fear is a first Chakra issue. Fear is a culprit in almost every disease, health issue, and problem we encounter in life. Fear keeps us all from being the totally healthy beings we were born to be.
We carry fear over from past lives. And, if you don’t believe in past life issues, just skip them and think for a few minutes about the fear issues we carry from childhood. We can be perfectly rational adults and still carry fear baggage around. Sometimes I see clients whose fear issues weigh more than their physical bodies weigh. Many obese people are holding fear in the form of extreme fat around their bodies.
If you and/or your client partners want to be healthy, it’s important to have a balanced first Chakra. There are several ways to balance one’s first Chakra:
Reflexology for the Spirit sessions offer homeostasis which is the balance of all body systems.
Reiki therapy sessions balance the Chakras.
Meditation. Set aside a few minutes daily to meditate on a balanced Chakra system. The first Chakra needs to be grounded. Take time each day to listen to what your body tells you. If you listen, it will never lie to you. If you listen, you will know when you are not grounded and when your Chakras are not balanced.
It is also easy to tell how balanced your first Chakra is by observing your hips. What is the range of movement for your hips, knees, and ankles? How do they feel? Your ankles, knees, and hips move you forward in this world. They keep you balanced. Stability is important for the first Chakra. Pain, tightness, restricted movement, and inflexibility are strong indicators of a need to balance the first Chakra.
Physically, the first Chakra governs 3 systems:
Immune System
Skeletal System
Lower Digestive Tract.
When you work with your client partner’s first chakra, you offer an opportunity for increased self awareness. What a gift you give!
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Photos provided by Renee Ruwee
Thurman Greco
Reflexology for the Spirit and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
The best thing a person can do to prevent COPD is stop smoking and avoid environmental contaminants.
COPD is a chronic condition composed, basically, of two diseases: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Like heart disease, COPD is slow to manifest itself. As the disease progresses, breathing becomes more difficult.
There are several things a COPD sufferer can do to make life easier. The first is to seek good quality air. Stay away from smoke-filled rooms and smoggy cities. Extreme temperatures and high altitudes should also be avoided.
Drinking plenty of fluids helps dilute the mucus. Adding a humidifier to moisten the indoor air can improve air quality as well.
COPD sufferers should protect themselves against infections. This involves avoiding people with colds and flu, frequent hand washing, getting annual flu shots, and getting a pneumonia vaccine.
COPD sufferers will benefit from exercise training which includes good breathing techniques, yoga, and regular visits to the Reflexogy for the Spirit practitioner.
When a COPD sufferer comes to your table, encourage regular visits that are within 48 hours of a yoga session. Work the respiratory system, urinary system, lymphatics, immune system, and cardiovascular system. Include the liver, solar plexus, and thymus in every session.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
