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
What’s Your Definition of Healthy?
When I first studied massage therapy at PMTI, I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of things that make up the healthy human body. There are, for example, over 600 muscles.
From the beginning of this class in 1980, I have never stopped studying and learning about the human body, its wellbeing, and its health. Not even for a moment.
The question looming over all the studies, classes, and courses is this: What is the definition of healthy?
As a healer, my goal is to be a conduit for your healing. I am not here to change your story. And, I certainly cannot define “Healthy” for you. Each person I meet in my daily travels has a truly unique and individual definition of “Healthy”.
An important word in my vocabulary as healer is “homeostasis”. Through the years, I’ve worked to make that word and it’s definition a part of your life, too.
Homeostasis is the return to balance of your body. As a Reflexologist, my goal was and is and will be to bring your body to homeostasis.
And, of course, Homeostasis is a big word because the body has so many thousands of working parts.
That being said – what is Healthy? For me, as a healer, that word is loaded.
For many, healthy comes down to what you eat. After all, we’ve all heard and read the saying: “You are what you eat.”
And, I think we can agree that something that is perfect for one person is not good for another. That’s why there are so many different diets for people these days. Each of us has individual needs when it comes to what we need to be healthy. So, it comes down to this:
One body needs different foods compared to another body.
Our dietary needs continually shift.
Whether we’re talking diet, exercise, sleep, or any other activity, our daily decisions are spiritual.
So, this all includes judgement and criticism. This is an extremely eye-opening statement for some. But, I know it to be true. Many people feel judged for what they eat, where they get what they eat, and how they store, prepare, and serve what they bring home.
People not only feel judged for what they eat, they feel judged for how they look, whether they are over or underweight, and their lifestyles.
When we eat to be healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, we come up against a lot of opinions and questions.
Something I try to never do is criticize another person for what they eat or don’t eat. However, that’s a tough thing to do. But, really, we never literally know what another person needs to be healthy.
You can simplify your life a bit if you just believe that we don’t know what another person needs and we don’t need to know. It’s just not anybody else’s business.
And, it’s easier to do this if we factor in the cost of food these days. Nowadays it’s getting to be more common to encounter people who simply don’t have the money to eat the way they might otherwise eat.
Instead of feeding their bodies and souls, they are” robbing Peter to pay Paul” (as my mother used to say) as they choose between rent and food. We can’t blame our unhealthy activities and habits on the rising cost of food when our rents have risen from $800 per month to $2000 per month.
Meanwhile, the job is paying more but not THAT much more.
Guess what, this blog post has just degenerated from a spiritual discussion of the word “healthy” into an economic politically spiritual one. Our struggles all have a spiritual component.
And, when a person finally loses the roof and life’s struggle includes finding a warm, dry place to sleep for the night, I wonder how they fit healthy into the struggle to get to work, get the children to school, and find a meal.
At this point, “healthy” becomes a lot about how to breathe deeply for grounding.
And now, I’m reminded of Kerrith McKechnie, my massage teacher at PMTI. She spoke a lot about breath, breathing, grounding and staying healthy.
I listened to her when she spoke about breathing and its importance to our health. And, every time she lectured or instructed us about breathing, I wondered how this was going to fit into the next exam.
Well, Kerrith McKechnie, I finally know the answer to my question. When the rubber meets the road, proper breathing techniques are essential.
Proper grounding and healing breathing techniques fit smack dab into the middle of the situation.
When you can, please schedule a reflexology or reiki therapy session for yourself, your family members, and even your pets.
If this seems a bit expensive, maybe it’s time to learn to practice Reiki or reflexology.
Thank you for reading this blog post article about the spiritual journey we are all on. My intention is that this article can be a conduit for your spiritual growth and healing.
If you haven’t yet read “Healer’s Handbook” this may be a good opportunity for you to order a copy.
Please forward this article to your preferred social media network and share it with your friends and relatives.
If you want to communicate with me, please email: thurmangreco@gmail.com.
“Ketchup Sandwich Chronicles” is about the spiritual journey of hunger as illustrated by the shoppers in the food pantry line.
Continuing Education: Self-Care for You, Reflexologist – 5
Do you attend continuing education classes, workshops, sessions throughout the year? If not, you’re missing out on the most important part of self-care.
Continuing education classes not only teach us new ideas, techniques, attitudes, postures…they stimulate our minds.
Continuing education classes offer emotional and spiritual stimulation.
Continuing education classes offer networking opportunities of a quality not found anywhere else.
Every continuing education experience is reflected in better work on your client partners.
In addition, continuing education classes usually offer a chance to receive and give body work while you’re learning.
You return to your table renewed and rejuvenated.
Continuing education classes offer you a chance to expand your service skills. I am a reflexologist. This is the work I offer my client partners daily.
I am also known for being a companion animal massage therapist, a Reiki master teacher. I have been attuned to nine different forms of Reiki. Finally, I read tarot cards.
I learned all of these skills on continuing education hours.
To be honest, I’ve studied things that I don’t practice but not one minute of the continuing education hours were a bust.
I am a much better practitioner, blogger, writer, teacher because of my fellow professionals who shared their knowledge with me through continuing education classes: Jonathan Rudinger, Penelope Smith, Dawn Hayman, Mary Ruth Van Landingham, Shoshana Hathaway, Tom Rigler, Rev. Dan Chesbro, Kerrith McKechnie, Marge D’Urso, Alberto Villoldo.
So, my message is this: enrich your life, expand your practice, get continuing education hours!
Thanks for reading this blog post.
Please share this article on your preferred social media site.
Thurman Greco
