02. Reiki & Remedies
In Reiki & Remedies blog post 01, about the origins and intentions of the Usui Reiki Ryōhō system I practice, teach and share, I discuss how Reiki and Remedies (herbalism) is a path of self-healing which is accessible to everyone and anyone.
We have lost so much confidence and self-knowing in our relationship with Life Energy (Rei Ki) and with the Natural world - as I experience it, through my practices in herbalism. Our ancestors knew this relationship so much more deeply, and this connection was imbued in so much of everyday life through ritual, habits and seasonal rhythm.
We’re left with a scraping of knowledge of healing plants;
We barely perceive the flow of life energy in a tree, the land, the vitality of a healing plant;
Our awareness of the reciprocity of the living world and our part in it - muted.
In discussing the origins of the practice of Reiki, I note how fundamental it is that Usui Sensei intended this practice to be for EVERY BODY, and I drew a comparison between his teaching and the teaching of herbalist Rosemary Gladstar who promotes herbalism as a practice for all.
These are not oesoteric, removed practices which only the elite and enlightend can access. They are practices that can be learned by people of all ages and backgrounds. This approach is refreshing, accessible, and empowering.
Gladstar advocates for everyone knowing how to treat common ailments with medicinal plants, and promotes overall wellness in family-friendly recipes and resources. She teaches that herbalism is a way to address the root of chronic health problems and to support overall constitutional wellness, making it a valuable tool for every individual.
Accessible: Herbal remedies should be a natural and accessible part of everyone's health practices.
Empowering: YOU can create your own herbal remedies, and take an active role in your own health.
Holistic wellbeing: A holistic view of health, using herbs to support constitutional wellness rather than just suppressing symptoms.
Focus on prevention: holistic herbalism practiced in this way focuses on prevention for long-term wellbeing.
In both reiki and remedy making practices, we start with grounding. We centre, prepare our minds to expand, flow and receive.
Grounding
The thing about herbalism is it's such a grounding practice; slow. Mindful. Methodical. I find I loosen the clutch of my busy thinking mind and can sink into a grounded calm connection with my inner self.
Remedy making IS Reiki - it is connection with life force energy.
In order to ground ourselves, in Reiki practice, we focus on letting the breath become slow and soft. Into the belly, out to release, beyond, beyond the physical body. And as I prepare herbs, I am breathing in this grounded way, my intention becomes part of the medicine, for me, with the plant, with nature, and far beyond.
Sometimes I need a little anchor, maybe a mantra: “Slow and soft, slow and soft.”
The goal here isn't to control breath, or bring force or effort, but to let breath and being naturally and organically deepen. So next time you’re sowing, growing, harvesting, preparing, making a remedy with the gifts of the plant world, remember your Reiki techniques and deepen that connection.
In blog post 03. Grounding, I will share a few practices which you can add to your Reiki or to your Herbalism, ways to really bring you into the moment.
Reiki & Remedies. A beautiful woven practice. For connection, awareness, relationship and reciprocity.
