It’s been a while since I last blogged.  2012 is a busy year for me this year with lots of wonderful events being held, so I may not be as prolific on the writing front as previous years, and in fact this blog post is more of an update of what’s taking place this year.    I finally got round yesterday to editing the video footage from the Reiki Drum Share we held last month in Sheering, Essex.  Wow, what a day!  The video has got me buzzing all over again!  Check it out here:  Reiki Drum Share March 2012 It was such a high energy event, with 55 Reiki Drummers all in one space.  We enjoyed sacred ceremony, Reiju, shared drum healing, an amazing community healing for two people, journeying, power animal work and some rhythmic creative drumming and dance.  If you haven’t yet experienced the magic which is Reiki Drum, I’m running a four day Reiki Drumming retreat at the end of October at the wonderful Phoenix Centre in Suffolk.  The earth energies here are very condusive to the work we will be doing and it is being held around the time of Samhain, the Celtic New Year and an auspicious time to be working with Reiki and  the Ancestors.  The two day Reiki Drum practitioner course can be life changing, so to have four days as a residential will be a true blessing for those who join us.  Spaces are limited, so if you would like further details, please email info@reikidrum.co.uk at the earliest opportunity.

In April I started to run chant/mantra and Kirtan evenings in Sawbridgeworth, East Herts.  The first one was a really lovely evening, working with some powerful Goddess energies such as Durga, Kali and Tara.  We made good use of my wonderful new Monochord Sound Chair which arrived in February.   I’m planning on rolling out more of these evenings and the next one is being held on Thursday 7^th June.  Places again are limited, but I have a few spaces remaining.  If you are interested in joining us to use your voice and chant in a group, then please let me know. The evenings cost £8 and run for about two hours.    I am still running regular gong baths in East Herts and have some plans for further evening events which I’ll be rolling out later on in the year, so watch this space!

This weekend I’m blessed to be holding the Sound & Light Beltane Retreat at the very special Dev Aura, Lincolnshire with a fantastic group of people.  We’ll be doing lots of voice work, playing the gongs, drumming, ceremony, meditation, movement and enjoying some silence!  I always feel so lucky when I run events at the very special centres I hold my events at.  Last year when I arrived at Dev Aura, I ran around for about half an hour in raptures and full of gratitude to be able to hold the retreat at such a special place.

I’m no less excited to be holding a Reiki retreat at the Glastonbury Abbey retreat centre in July.  For those who’ve been following my blog, you’ll know how much I love Glastonbury, my spiritual home,  and despite the four hour journey, I try and visit there at least four or five times a year.  This year Sarah Baker has kindly agreed to lead the participants of our retreat on a Tor labyrinth walk.  Sarah and I did the Labyrinth walk back in February this year in preparation,  joined by the wonderful Lucy Baker and Sue Jones.   It’s really a magical and spiritual experience.  The labyrinth is on seven layers to which has been attributed much myth and legend.  One of the beliefs is that each layer corresponds to one of the seven chakras.  As we walked around the specific layer/chakra the environment spoke to us communicating what we needed to see in terms of our own life paths.    For energy centres I know I needed to do some work upon, I found the walk on that particular layer a little challenging, whereas for those centres which I knew were in balance, the walk was easy and no effort at all, as if I was walking completely in the flow!  Sarah has told me today that another belief is that each layer corresponds to the elemental realm, the bottom layer working with the earth elementals such as the gnomes and the dwarves, working with undines, salamanders, sylphs and to the celestial realms culminating in the Archangel at the top of the tor.  Whilst walking the labyrinth, we find ourselves at the Egg Stone, reputed to be the entrance on the Tor to the elemental realm.  We sat there for a while in February and the energy was extremely powerful.   We were also joined by a beautiful blue orb (blue orbs are said to be Archangel Michael energy!).

Besides the tor walk in July,  I have booked the Chalice Well gardens especially for our group so that we can have Reiju blessings and private meditation time, and there are lots of other wonderful things planned.  Just staying at Abbey House on the Michael leyline can be intensely healing in itself.  As I write I have four spaces remaining on this retreat, so if you would like to experience the magic of Glastonbury and immerse yourself in Reiki practises for a few days, then please consider joining us.

I’ve had lots of you enquire after June, my mother-in-law,  whose story I blogged about this time last year.  I’m pleased to say that June is doing well, in fact she is still enjoying an active life both inside and outside of the home.  June was given weeks to live in January 2011 following a cancer diagnosis and was dying.  Her doctors said nothing could be done for her allopathically and for her to put her affairs in order, but she has been following a natural health regime with lots of Reiki and body work over the past 16 months and is proof that the work we do actually DOES work!

So it only remains for me to wish you all a wonderful Beltane and May Day, may the Spring and Summer bring your ideas and inspirations into manifestation.  Sending love xx

Forthcoming Events and Classes

Regular Gong/Sound Bath evenings – please enquire to be put on the mailing list

Evening of Chant/Mantra & Kirtan – June 7th – Open to all, please contact me to reseve a place

Karuna Reiki –  23rd-25th June, 3rd-5th August

Reiki Drum Practitioner –  21/22 July, 8th/9th September

Reiki One (Shoden) – 2/3 June, 1/2 September, 3/4 November

Reiki Two (Okuden) 14/15 July, 24/25 November

Reiki Master Teacher 18-20 May, 9-11 November

Sound & Light Retreat 27th-29th April

Glastonbury Reiki Retreat 5th-8th July

Reiki Drum Residential & Samhain Retreat – 26th-29th October

• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING
• Moving into Autumn
• Win-Win – Approaching Cancer the Reiki Way
• Raising Consciousness
• Wishing You An Amazing 2011!

I have asked Sarah to provide me with some information to share with you as per the following and for those of you who are coming along to March’s Reiki Drum Share, she will have some designs to show you along with order forms should you wish to place an order.  Should you want to order one before March so you can show off your exquisite bags at the Share and carry your prized possessions in style then please contact Sarah at the number and email address below.

Drum Bags designed by Sarah Baker – All reiki’d up

Hand made bags designed to hold frame drums, made to measure for your drum.

The bags come with bespoke appliqué designs to each side. Inspiration for each of the designs comes from people’s interests, power animals, nature, symbols, signs and other sources. Each design starts off as a hand drawn picture designed to fit the size of bag required. The picture is then “line drawn” and cut into jigsaw type pieces, for the appliqué pattern. Materials are chosen for each individual piece of the jigsaw, which is then cut and stitched to complete the picture, often formed in multiple layers. Whatever your inspiration is, it can be turned into a beautiful adornment for an individual bag. Other options for designs can include a fabric printed photograph quilted in a single layer, perhaps a photo of a special place or beautiful visitor to your garden?

Every bag is unique with no two designs ever the same, as the process of building the picture is completely free-hand and “organic”.

The appliqué designed panels are then quilted and made into the front or back panel of a drum bag. The sides of the bags are also quilted to provide some protection for your drum while travelling. Handles can be made from the same material as the bag or from webbing straps. They can be designed as a shoulder bag, hand carry bag or even a back pack to suit your needs.

Bag designs can be altered to cater for personal use or to carry other instruments – singing bowls and shakers etc.

Prices vary depending on design requirements and materials used. Prices for a bag for a 16” frame drum start at £60 for a bag with a single appliqué design.

Contact Sarah Baker on allreikidup@gmail.com or call 07740 701102 to discuss your requirements and pricing.

• Moving into Autumn
• Just For Today, Do Not Worry – Opportunities For Growth
• Early Beltane Blessings!
• The Use of Reiki as a Complementary Therapy while Undergoing Cancer Treatment
• Win-Win – Approaching Cancer the Reiki Way

Reiki Drum has some wonderful things planned to commemorate this year.  Our Reiki Drum Share is coming up in March and is going to be very well attended by many Reiki practitioners from all around the UK.  At the end of April we will be celebrating at beautiful Dev Aura at the Sound & Light Retreat.  In July, Glastonbury beckons and a heart opening Reiki retreat is planned.  I have also recently finalised details for the annual Reiki Drum Residential being held at Dunwich on the Suffolk Coast in October.  Last year’s weekend was enjoyed by everyone who attended, so much so that I have extended the retreat by an extra day this year.  The long weekend retreat is planned for 26^th-29^th October and not only will students study the core syllabus of the Reiki Drum Practitioner training; it will also give us the opportunity to celebrate Samhain, the Celtic New Year in a very conducive environment.  The retreat gives us the opportunity to go so much deeper into the Reiki Drum teachings and if you’ve been considering learning Reiki Drum, this truly is a fabulous weekend to do so. Further details of all the retreats can be found in the Retreats section of the website.

All of these wonderful events are taking up a lot of my time in organisation, but before I sign out for a little while I wanted to share the Reiki technique Genetsu Ho, a technique which possibly may come in handy for some of you at this time of year when people succumb to illness and flu.  Genetsu Ho is a remarkably effective technique both my family and some of my students have used to reduce a high fever.  Several years ago my husband had a fever and high temperature which left him almost delirious.  The weekend prior to this event I had been discussing Genetsu Ho with a group of Okuden students, and had mentioned I did not know how effective it was because I hadn’t had the opportunity to practise it… be careful what you wish for… anyway, the Universe gave me that opportunity literally a few days later.   The following technique brought his temperature down to normal straight away.  One of my recent Okuden students had the same results with a member of her family.  She documented her findings for one of her case studies and measured her daughter’s  temperature both before and after Genetsu Ho.  Before she started the treatment the thermometer registered 37.9 C, and straight after the treatment, it measured 36.9 C!  It’s always nice to have some sort of proof these things we do work!

Genetsu Ho

• Apply Reiki to the following hand positions for a total of around 30 minutes – forehead, temples, back of head, neck/throat, crown of head.  You can do longer if your intuition tells you to, remember Reiki should always be an intuitive process.
• When you feel enough Reiki has been applied to the head and neck area, then apply Reiki to the stomach and intestines for around 15 minutes.
• We know that Reiki should always be applied for the highest good of the recipient, but I tend to set my intention that Reiki will in this instance also help with reducing the high fever.

I hope that you won’t have the near opportunity to use this technique, but if you do, then I’d love to hear if you have any profound healing results.

Forthcoming Events and Classes

Reiki Share to celebrate Imbolc (Students only)

Karuna Reiki – 10th-12th February, 3rd-5th August

Reiki Drum Practitioner – 3/4 March, 5/6 May, 21/22 July

Reiki One (Shoden) – 10/11 March, 2/3 June

Reiki Drum Share – 25th March

Reiki Two (Okuden) 31 March/1 April, 28/29 July

Reiki Master Teacher 18-20 May

Sound & Light Retreat 27th-29th April

Glastonbury Reiki Retreat 5th-8th July

Reiki Drum Residential & Samhain Retreat – 26th-29th October

• Moving into Autumn
• Early Beltane Blessings!
• Shinpai Suna – Do Not Worry
• Wishing You An Amazing 2011!
• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING

A few weeks ago I had my aura photo taken, a very healthy shade of green (apparently a must for a healing practitioner) and we conducted a little experiment.  I placed my right hand on my Antahkarana and my left hand on the sensors for the aura machine.  The machine has a programme which shows the condition of one’s chakras at any given time.  I know from the healing work I do that my heart chakra tends to be very open 99.9% of the time.  It was interesting to watch all of my other energy centres enlarge as I held my hand on the Antahkarana, but the heart chakra diminished just slightly, bringing me perhaps back to a normal heart chakra condition.  Many healing practitioners and therapists have their heart centres wide open which can often leave them prone to giving too much in their wish to help others with little time spent for themselves. The Antahkarana was bringing me back to a more balanced place. Despite this, I mentally started repeating the words “I am love” and it was amazing to watch the centre open really wide again.  This is perhaps worth noting when life throws things at us which could potentially close our hearts (anger, distrust, despair).

During this time of year, the festive season is very much a season of the heart.  Our hearts allow us to be generous to others, to be kind, to experience the joy of celebration and the joy of giving and receiving.  Our hearts allow us to bask in the love of our friends and families, as well as allowing us to be compassionate to those less fortunate.    Often people find themselves with family members who challenge them at this time of year, and the energy of the heart also provides tolerance and allows us to forgive those who may have hurt us in the past.

For those of you who have not come across the Antahkarana before, it’s a non-traditional Reiki and Universal Symbol used by Western Reiki Master Teachers and by many different cultures and spiritual disciplines for healing and connecting to one’s Higher Self.  It is said that by simply having the symbol in your presence, it will have a positive effect on the chakras and the aura, as was demonstrated during my aura reading.  I teach this particular symbol on my Usui Reiki Master Teacher course should you be interested in working with this powerful symbol further.  The picture on the left is of one of the Antahkaranas we produce.  Should you wish to purchase a bespoke sculpure of the Antahkarana, please contact us for individual pricing.

I personally tend to always celebrate the Winter Solstice and Yule every year as my major festival and not so much the Christmas experience, shying away from commercialism and over indulgence.  I find this season for me is a time of deep meditation, reflection and insight which allows me to review the experiences of the past year and have vision for the forthcoming one.  Following a lovely weekend at the Open Your Heart retreat which set the tone for my period of reflection, I have started on a two week juice and water fast before the long awaited 2012 dawns.

Next year I’m going to be running several exciting retreats and events  which will for myself and the participants be heart opening events!  We will start off with the Reiki Drum Share in March which is looking like it’s going to be a fabulous day, with lots of people already coming from all around the UK.  We are planning on having the aura photography unit there for people to see their own energy fields.  The Sound & Light Retreat in April will be a joyous occasion, celebrating Beltane and is a wonderful introductory weekend to sound healing and finding your voice in the high vibrational centre, Dev Aura.  In July we are holding the very special Reiki retreat at Glastonbury Abbey Retreat House (Glastonbury being the Heart chakra of our planet), very apt for the heart opening energy of 2012.  I’ve also recently finalised the details of next year’s Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential which due to the success of this year’s retreat is going to be extended an extra day so we can enjoy even more drumming.  I would definitely encourage people who are interested in learning the technique to attend that retreat if possible. It’s a marvellous opportunity to learn the Reiki Drum teachings over four days with lots of added extras at the auspicious turn of the Celtic New Year.   Currently all of these events have spaces remaining should you be interested in joining us and details can be found on the Retreats page.

I’m now running twice monthly gong/sound healing evenings in Sawbridgeworth,  East Herts on or around the new and full moons.  The evenings are limited to six people maximum.  We start with meditation and breathing exercises followed by the gong/sound bath which lasts an hour and is followed by light refreshments and time for people to share their experiences or just get to know each other.  Synchronistically people who are meant to be together on these evenings are guided by the Universe to attend, and they are very healing and enlightening.  Cost is £16.  If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this particular event, then please email me at info@reikidrum.co.uk I was fortunate to find a Neptune Gong on the second hand market recently to add to my growing collection.  Neptune is the gong of the Mystic and brings in the energy of the mystical, dreams, art, poetry, music, spiritual devotion, psychic abilities and ESP, compassionate, sacrificial, psychic and cosmic awareness. Whenever a new gong comes into my life, the energy of that gong also arrives and I’m loving this new energy very much, it seems to fit nicely at this period in time.

So all that remains is for me to wish you all Solstice blessings, a joyous Yule and a Happy Christmas.  Let us open our hearts and embrace whatever our earth journeys have in store for us during 2012.

Forthcoming Classes and Events

Gong/Sound Evening – January 9^th (Full), January 23^rd (Full), February 6^th (Full), February 23^rd, March 8th

Reiki One (Shoden) – January 28^th& 29^th

Reiki Two (Okuden) – February 14^th & 15^th

Reiki Drum – January 21^st and 22^nd, March 3^rd & 4^th

Reiki Master Teacher – 18^th -20^th May

Karuna Reiki – 10^th & 12^th February

Reiki Drum Share – 25^th March, Sheering, Essex

Sound & Light Retreat – 27^th-29^th April, Lincolnshire

Reiki Retreat – 5^th-8^th July, Glastonbury

Reiki Drum & Samhain Residential – 26^th-29^th October, Suffolk

• Early Beltane Blessings!
• End of Year Round Up
• Moving into Autumn
• Just For Today, Do Not Worry – Opportunities For Growth
• Wishing You An Amazing 2011!

This chaos has affected all of us, but Sensitives have been especially affected by the intense energy.  So much so that I realised I had to take a couple of weeks off at the beginning of October to water and juice fast so I could make sense of it all!  During a fast higher consciousness thinking comes through very clearly without the gross matter of food to impede it, and makes sense of everything that is going on in one’s life, so I managed to attain some clarity in this way.  Many of my friends and colleagues have expressed that they are currently feeling “stuck” and having difficulty in moving forward, and I too was feeling that energy, but the fast has got things moving again!  The concept that came through abundantly clear during this time was one of the Reiki precepts, “Shinpai Suna -  Do Not Worry”.  Most of this year has been spent “worrying” about one thing or another.  Family illness (my mother-in-law’s cancer diagnosis and both beloved family pets having serious illnesses), a major house build taking place in front of my home taking away any peace and quiet I could have hoped for, various challenges in the work place and a world that seemed to have gone quite mad!  But through all of this, here I am on 24th October and absolutely none of my worries have come to pass.  My family members and pets are all alive and well, my house remains a tranquil haven as the building work comes to an end, my work continues to bring me joy and remuneration and the world is just working through its issues, allowing people to rise to the challenges it offers in a profoundly humbling and inspiring way.  So it would be beneficial for us to contemplate the Reiki precept Shinpai Suna in the midst of chaos and realise the current moment is the only moment there is and how important it is to live in the now.

I wanted to blog this week and let everyone know about a fantastic opportunity that starts tomorrow.  For those of you who have been following this blog, you will know that despite all of the odds, my mother-in-law, June, who was diagnosed with a terminal cancer in December 2010 and not expected to live past February 2011,  is still very much with us,  all thanks to following a completely natural health regime of naturopathic nutrition, herbal medicine, energy and body work.  Tomorrow there is the marvellous opportunity to listen in on the Healing Cancer World Summit.  If you haven’t done so already, you still have time to register for free to listen to some of the world’s top leaders in the field of Cancer and Natural and Integrated Healthcare.  Go to this link to register for free access to these interviews over the coming days.  Healing Cancer World Summit

Well if this weekend is the end of the Mayan calendar as Calleman states I will be in good company as I am facilitating this year’s annual Reiki Drum Residential and Samhain retreat at the beautiful Phoenix Centre on the Suffolk Coast.  I’m hugely excited about this weekend which will give those who are attending the marvellous opportunity to share the Reiki Drum teachings at the auspicious time of the Celtic New Year.  It will provide a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months.

Next year’s Reiki retreat is almost full, but I do still have a few spaces left on the Sound & Light weekend to be held around Beltane at the end of April, should any of you wish to join us for a light filled weekend at the incredibly high vibrational spot of Dev Aura.

And finally, I graduated from the College of Sound Healing’s Gong Practitioner course in October and am now offering regular monthly gong baths in Sawbridgeworth, East Herts as well as personal gong and sound healing treatments.  My gratitude goes out  to Sheila Whittaker who was the tutor for the course and whose expertise, support and wisdom was a true blessing and very much appreciated. I am now the proud custodian of a Mars gong which has added extra vitality to the sessions offered by my Symphonic and Venus gongs.  Recipients of its energy have been quite amazed at how much their own energy has been boosted by the Mars power!  I’m very much looking forward to this new adventure into the world of sound healing and believe it will be as exciting a one as the Reiki Drumming journey has been.  I am still receiving marvellous feedback about the Reiki Drum CD – A Bridge Between The Worlds.  Should you wish to purchase a copy as a gift before the Festive season begins, the CDs are available from the Reiki Drum online shop.

Wishing you special Samhain blessings!

Forthcoming Classes and Events

Reiki Drum Practitioner -   5/6 November

Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential Retreat – 28-30 October (Full)

Reiki Share, Sawbridgeworth, 21st November(Students only)

Reiki Master Teacher (Shinpiden) 18-20 November

• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING
• Moving into Autumn
• Wishing You An Amazing 2011!
• Happy New Year of the Dragon
• Just For Today, Do Not Worry – Opportunities For Growth

I wanted to run another Reiki retreat in 2012, it being a special year for all of us in terms of humanity’s history.  We’ve been working towards this period for many years and although I feel the energetics are happening currently and have been for some time, it felt important to mark 2012 in a special way.  As such I’m very excited to be holding a four day Reiki retreat at Glastonbury Abbey Retreat House, Glastonbury, Somerset from the 5^th-8^th July.  Glastonbury is a very special centre for spiritual seekers, not only for its history but also for the powerful energy located there, thanks to the Mary and Michael lines which pass through the town and its various power spots.  The retreat will give those attending the opportunity to sit and experience the Reiki energy and Reiki practises as well as sampling the many treasures Glastonbury has to offer.  I have advertised this out to students who have trained with me in the past and have been overwhelmed with the positive response and there are only a few spaces remaining.  If you would like to join us for these special few days, then please let me know at the earliest opportunity.

For the third year running, I will be organising a Reiki Drum Share in Sheering, Essex on Sunday 25^th March, a few days after the Spring Equinox.  The past two years have been really high energy events and wonderful days for networking with like minded Reiki practitioners.  Open to all Reiki attuned people, anyone is welcome to attend, preferably bringing their own drum.  Please contact us for further information.

For those of you who have been following our cancer journey, we have some positive news.  To update those of you haven’t been aware of the adventure my family have been on for the past year, my mother-in-law June was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of cancer, mesothelioma in December last year after being ill for just a few months.  The prognosis was as bad as it could get and she was told to go home and put her affairs in order.  Because there was nothing the medical profession could do for her at that time we had nothing to lose, so embarked on a natural healing approach with naturopathic diet, herbal and supplementation regimes and intensive natural healing in the form of Reiki and many other healing modalities.   Despite making some incredible advancements in her health (see previous blog posts), at the end of May, June’s health started to deteriorate and we feared the worst.  As a family we pretty much thought we would be spending our last few weeks with her.  What actually took place was that she was going through some intensive healing and bounced back with a vengeance a few weeks later.  She threw a huge party for her friends and family and has been going out with her friends on a regular basis ever since.

If you talk to the other members of the family they are not going to lie and say it’s been easy.  It hasn’t.  It’s been such an emotional strain on everyone, (and the chaotic 2011 energies have been challenging for everyone I talk to!) but what has been achieved has been incredible.  June followed the regime to the letter for six months.  She then started to introduce a few “normal” foods from her old diet back into her daily eating, and continues to also eat the naturopathic diet of juices, smoothies, soups and salads.  She is also taking the herbal remedies, and has dropped her therapy regime down to about twice weekly (she was having treatment almost daily at the beginning of the year).  She has not visited a hospital since January of this year and the only medical attention she has received was for a cut on her leg which needed attention when she bumped into an open dishwasher door a month or so ago (after overzealously cleaning her kitchen!)    Everyone is quite amazed at how well she has been doing.  We are certainly not taking her new found health for granted, and are aware that we need to continue to view each day as a gift, but as a regime, we are convinced this has been the best way to go.  There have been none of the exhausting and stressful hospital visits and June has been surrounded by her family and friends in her own home, living a fairly normal life.

I’ve also been heartened to hear some really good things the last few weeks about Reiki and it’s role in the community.  Many years ago when I first trained in Reiki, I had a conversation with Sharon, the lady I studied the Western Reiki Master training with, about how Reiki should be practised fully within the NHS, and how it had to be our future.  Shortly afterwards, synchronicity being what it is, she received a call from an Administrator from one of our local hospitals, wanting to learn Reiki.  Several years later there is a wonderful programme available at this hospital. Reiki practitioners offer their services every Monday to both general public and hospital workers.  Reiki practitioners are also employed on a part-time basis as members of the NHS staff at several other hospitals in the area.  In August I furthered my Reiki training by repeating Shoden and Okuden in the Jikiden Reiki lineage with Tadao Yamaguchi (here’s a pic of me receiving my certificate from Sensei).  I was overjoyed and blessed to meet a G.P. on that course who practises in a NHS practise within the UK and also is a Reiki practitioner.  It is obvious to me that Reiki has definitely got a stronghold within mainstream consciousness and the future is looking bright indeed!

Reiki Drum is also going from strength to strength here in the UK.  It’s syllabus and course structure is recognised by  leading practitioner organisations such as the UK Reiki Federation, Embody and the FHT as a style of Reiki in its own right.  Following the teacher Assessment day in August, another Master teacher, Julie Rennie joined the other wonderful qualified teachers who are spreading Reiki Drum around the UK.  For those of you who would like to teach this technique as recognised Reiki Drum Master Teachers and join them in spreading awareness of this magical and deeply healing practice, you will need to attend the Reiki Drum Practitioner Training, already have experience in teaching Reiki to Reiki Second Degree level, complete case studies and successfully attend and pass a Master Teacher Assessment Day.  If you would like to join us, there are a few spaces left on the November Reiki Drum practitioner training being held in East Herts November 5th & 6th.

I also want to mention the UK Reiki Federation in this post.  This organisation does such important work and has been instrumental in raising awareness of Reiki here in the UK over the past few years.  It is highly supportive of its members and if you are looking to join an organisation to support you in your Reiki practise you could find no better.  I think much of our gratitude for Reiki being in mainstream consciousness is down to the incredible work this organisation has done and continues to do.

Maintaining these positive thought, I’m very much looking forward to the next few months with the numerous classes being held and our Reiki Drum residential in Dunwich.  Wishing you a bountiful Autumn!

Reiki Drum Practitioner -   5/6 November

Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential Retreat – 28-30 October (Full)

Reiki Share, Sawbridgeworth, 23rd September (Students only)

Reiki One(Shoden) – 1/2 October (Full), 3/4 December

Reiki Two (Okuden) –  22/23 October

Reiki Master Teacher (Shinpiden) 18-20 November

• Early Beltane Blessings!
• Raising Consciousness
• Win-Win – Approaching Cancer the Reiki Way
• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING
• Wishing You An Amazing 2011!

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Reiki offers people from all walks of life relaxation and stress relief, and it may help strengthen the immune system and promote healing throughout the body. For cancer patients, Reiki offers these same benefits and can be used as  a valuable complement to traditional medical treatments of cancer.  Reiki can be performed on cancer patients at any stage, from diagnosis to treatment to recovery.

Reiki promotes positive thinking in patients’ minds and also induces relaxation in their bodies. Being diagnosed with cancer and then undergoing treatments can be an extremely stressful period of anyone’s life. This emotional stress and strain can negatively impact a patient’s health at a time when his or her immune system is already weakened. After a cancer diagnosis, Reiki treatments may help patients feel more relaxed by relieving stress and anxiety, and Reiki can help patients feel more in touch with their bodies.

In addition to the damage done to the body by cancerous cells, cancer treatments themselves can take a great toll on the body. Radiation and chemotherapy, though life-saving for many, come with side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and aches and pains. Following Reiki sessions, many patients undergoing cancer treatments reported an increased sense of well-being and a reduction in treatment side effects like nausea, vomiting and pain.

Many of the scientific studies that attempt to evaluate Reiki’s benefits for cancer patients have flaws such as having too small a sample size or choosing a non-randomized sample. Some studies were not designed with rigorous enough standards, so the research must be carefully evaluated. According to the American Cancer Society current scientific evidence does not support any claims that Reiki could cure or help treat cancer. Reiki has not been shown to increase mesothelioma life expectancy, or life expectancies for other cancers.   Nonetheless, anecdotal evidence suggests that Reiki can promote relaxation and a sense of well-being that is beneficial to patients suffering from mesothelioma or other cancers.

Reiki treatments have begun to be offered in many cancer treatment centers, hospitals, and even by hospice providers. The number of patient testimonials on Reiki’s healing effects have clearly made enough of an impact that it is now considered a complementary therapy that has particular benefits to cancer patients.

It is not advisable for patients to rely on Reiki as the sole method of treating cancer, but Reiki is conclusively considered to be safe for cancer patients, as it is on anyone. There is little to no chance of harm for patients who want to undergo Reiki as a complement to medical cancer treatments, and it may at the very least result in increased well-being and decreased stress and anxiety.

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Thanks again to Emily for her guest editorial slot and I will personally be back to blogging in the very near future.

Future events and workshops

Reiki Drum Practitioner -  3/4 September, 5/6 November

Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential Retreat – 28-30 October

Reiki Share, Sawbridgeworth, 23rd September (Students only)

Reiki One(Shoden) – 16 /17 July, 1/2 October, 3/4 December

Reiki Two (Okuden) – 23/24 July, 22/23 October

Reiki Master Teacher (Shinpiden) 18-20 November

Karuna Reiki® – 5-7 August

• Moving into Autumn
• Early Beltane Blessings!
• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING
• Welcome to the Reiki Drum Blog
• Reiki Drum Bags

Avaaz have had an incredible response for their petition to oppose this ban.  At the time of writing they have received over 826,000 signatures.  They are hoping for more than a million signatures so if you have not signed this as yet and would like to register your concern then please sign it at http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_herbal_medicine_ban/ and forward the link to all your email contacts.  Avaaz are a wonderfully proactive organisation whose campaigns for human rights and other major issues are often successful.  I have noticed most of the signatories are European.  If any of you are reading this from countries outside of the EU, if herbal medicine can be banned in Europe, it can be banned anywhere, so please support us in our mission to get this ban overturned.

I wrote to my M.P. expressing my concern, but the answer I received was not positive.  It has made me realise how many of the people who make decisions which affect the majority of  us are ignorant of the holistic, spiritual approach.  It has made me even more determined to continue to teach Reiki to as many interested people as I can, so that I can help to raise consciousness amongst the general population.  Last weekend I had the absolute pleasure and privilege to teach six new Reiki Master Teachers whose light shone very brightly and who I know will go out into the world and achieve many wonderful things in their role as Reiki Master Teachers.  We discussed our responsibility at this time in human evolution as spiritual teachers, in that the Reiki energy really does raise the consciousness of people who become attuned to it.  I see dramatic and positive changes for everyone on their Reiki journey as they bring more light into their being and shine it brightly in their own lives with the people they interact with.   The Reiki energy allows people to let go of practises and lifestyle choices which are detrimental to their wellbeing and encourages them to make choices which support a more positive, loving and higher consciousness life.

Despite all the chaos in the World, I hear heartening things on a daily basis and there is always a reason to celebrate life on this beautiful planet of ours.  We have had Beltane in the past month, a time of celebrating Spring and all the abundance she brings to us, and this week I had a birthday and decided to celebrate it down at the Avebury Henge.  Here is a video of some Reiki Drumming I did in the Stone Circle.    Reiki Drumming at Avebury Henge The energy in a stone circle is extremely powerful.  Used for spiritual purposes by many seekers over the years, the energy of such places can provide healing and insight for those who visit them.  You don’t need to make the trip down to Wiltshire to visit a stone circle, there are many of them dotted all over the British Isles, so if there is one near you, why don’t you spend some time and treat yourself to their amazing energy.   I found a quiet place to do my drumming when it appeared there were not many people about and let the Reiki do its magic.  During the ten minutes or so I was drumming people started to be attracted to the sound of the drum and before we knew it people were trance dancing and lying down to journey – it was a very special  moment.  You will see on the video how the environment responded to both the Reiki energy and the drumming.    The weather was quite cloudy and there were lots of crows cawing throughout the drumming, and the cawing became even more intense as the drumming powered up.  As the drumming became more gentle when different energies were channelled, the sun came out and shone brightly, the crows became quiet and finches sang sweetly.  Reiki Drumming always creates a very special sort of magic.

I’m thrilled that in the next month many of the Reiki Drum Master teachers I have trained up in the past six months are about to teach for the first time.  Reiki Drum really is starting to make inroads into the collective consciousness of the UK Reiki community.  Last month I had the pleasure of presenting the Reiki Drum Technique to the attendees of the UK Reiki Federation Conference and have had lots of positive feedback and interest from that event.  I also had some excellent news this morning that the UK Reiki Federation has added The Reiki Drum Technique to its list of approved Reiki styles, using the Reiki Drum core syllabus, practises and teaching structure as a benchmark, something I have been endeavouring to bring about for the past four years.  I envisage as a therapy Reiki Drum is going to grow exponentially over the coming months and years until my vision of it becoming a well practised therapy in both the UK and Europe comes to fruition.  Already there are several European practitioners and this gentle, but powerful treatment which incorporates the strengths from so many different healing modalities, is set to become a welcome tool to a Reiki Practitioners’ toolbag.  My dear friend Diana Malone has been teaching the technique in Abu Dhabi only this week and is moving to China later on this year and has intentions to teach Reiki Drumming there too!  As far as I am aware the technique really was only taught in the States and Canada up until 2007, so it’s marvellous to see it spreading it’s vibrational wings over the globe.

I am teaching further Reiki Drum, Shoden and Shinpiden classes this month before the Solstice Sound & Light Retreat being held at the amazing venue, Dev Aura in Lincolnshire from the 24^th-26^th June.  I have been guided to do some deep healing practises during this weekend and I know it’s going to be a transformational time for those who attend.  Open to anyone (you don’t have to be Reiki attuned), the programme includes toning, chanting mantra, Kirtan, movement, ceremony, group drumming, gong baths (giving and receiving), Reiki Drum journey, meditation, visualisation, healing sessions and much more.  It’s going to be a beautiful weekend in a venue which lends itself to light filled practises.  I have a few spaces remaining should anyone wish to join us for a weekend of friendship, joy, light and deep healing.

Reiki Drum Practitioner – 2/3 July, 3/4 September, 5/6 November

Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential Retreat – 28-30 October

Reiki Share, Sawbridgeworth, 21^st June (Students only)

Sound & Light Residential Retreat – 24-26 June

Reiki One(Shoden) – 16 /17 July, 1/2 October, 3/4 December

Reiki Two (Okuden) – 23/24 July, 22/23 October

Reiki Master Teacher (Shinpiden) 27-29 May, 18-20 November

Karuna Reiki® – 5-7 August

• Early Beltane Blessings!
• Moving into Autumn
• Win-Win – Approaching Cancer the Reiki Way
• Embracing All Paths
• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING

Of course from a spiritual, energetic perspective I realise the futility of anger with these types of issues.  Meditating on the precepts always allows one to look at things from a higher consciousness perspective.  However, what this sort of thing often does is to inspire people towards action, rather than apathy, in opposing these almost medieval laws, hopefully creating a positive outcome for the general population rather than curtailing our freedom of choice which these new laws would in effect do.  The Law of Attraction also means that what we resist, persists, so I’m mindful to visualise a positive outcome to this herbal dilemma with the Alliance for Natural Health’s campaign being successful and allowing the European public to make independent and free choices about which types of medicine, be it orthodox or herbal they wish to pursue.

I’ve had a few queries about the supplementation and therapy programme June is undertaking following my blogging about the nutritional protocol she is having.  For those of you new to the blog, my mother in law June was diagnosed with a terminal cancer Mesothelioma in December of last year.  In January she was told to go home and put her affairs in order.  Now three months later she is doing well on the healing regime she has undertaken.  Please see earlier posts for the nutritional information.   Her supplementation is as follows:-.

Essiac Tea – Essiac tea is a combination of four herbs; Sheep Sorrell, Burdock Root, Slippery Elm and Turkey Rhubarb.  The mix we are using has added Watercress, Blessed Thistle, Red Clover and Kelp.  It was discovered by a Canadian Nurse, Rene Caisse after she saw one of her Doctor’s patients make a complete recovery from terminal cancer, and on enquiry found that she had been taking the herbal mixture.  Caisse dedicated her life to treating patients with the herbal formula with great success and thousands of cancer patients have taken this herbal remedy with powerful healing results.   A good book detailing lots of wonderful testimonials and the history of Essiac can be found on Amazon entitled “The Essiac Handbook” by James Percival.

Co Enzyme Q10 – an antioxidant which stimulates the immune system by creating  higher antibody levels, and greater numbers and/or activities of the cancer fighting macrophages and T-cells.

Vitamin D – It is believed that low levels of Vitamin D can contribute to cancer.

Vitamin C – In this case this is being administered orally, and there are schools of thought that believe intravenous use of Vitamin C can be a potent cure for cancer.

MSM – Believed to improve lung function in people with emphysema and lung tumours.

Probiotics – There is a school of thought that cancer is a fungus or at least an imbalance in candida in the body.  Avoiding processed sugars and most fruit sugars along with taking probiotic bacteria will start to counteract the imbalance within the body, although tackling candida overgrowth is actually quite a complex protocol.  Probiotic bacteria favourably alter the intestinal micro flora balance, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, promote good digestion, boost  the immune system and increase resistance to infection.  

Blue Green Algae – Rich in chlorophyll, believed to have a therapeutic effect against cancer cells.

Chlorella – High in chlorophyll, boosts immune response.

Spirulina – boosts immune system.

The last three are actually classed as foods rather than supplements. One of the main issues June is having currently is fatigue.  These three are renowned for boosting energy.

There are a myriad of other types of supplements and remedies which may help June and her protocol will be adjusted in the future as needed.  In addition to the nutritional and supplementation protocol June has received intensive therapy in a variety of forms.  She had a consultation with a naturopathic doctor at the start of her healing regime who advised us on the protocol we are currently following.  She also saw a homeopath and was prescribed remedies to combat the cancer, lung problems, and shock from diagnosis.  Our intention was that she received some form of treatment on a daily basis.  My personal belief is that dis-ease is an imbalance of the mind/body connection.  By creating a positive energetic balance within someone on a mental/emotional level, the body will follow suit.  Fortunately three members of our family are healing practitioners but we have also hired the services of a cranial osteopath, and a reflexologist/healer to help out,  as giving these treatments to one so close can be both physically and emotionally draining at times.

The therapies June has received (rotationally) on an almost daily basis (although there have been days we have missed) since January have been as follows:   Reiki, Reiki Drumming, Sound Healing, Voice Work, Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Cranial Osteopathy, Spiritual Healing, Shamanic extraction and soul retrieval, Reflexology, Aromatherapy Massage, Crystal Healing, Meditation and visualisation practises.   I have faith that Reiki would have been enough on its own as an energy therapy, but we are using all the resources available to us and giving her the best chance she can have.    Last weekend I presented Reiki Drum at the UK Reiki Federation’s Annual Conference and the speaker before me presented on colour therapy.  It was a fascinating presentation and afterwards on discussion with June we came to the conclusion she needed more red in her life, to help boost the root chakra, chakra of survival and vitality.  Strangely enough she had been drawn to red clothes that week.  The amount of body work, energy work and the pure diet is resulting in her intuitive processes being much heightened currently.  Many lovely people have sent distant healing to June on a regular basis.  I believe the positive energy coming her way has enabled her to make the radical lifestyle changes she has had to make for her healing journey.

As a family the emotional roller coaster continues. Some weeks we have weeks of complete peace, other weeks the littlest thing can throw us all off balance, but one thing is for sure, we are all growing from the experience, and it is a joy to see that the things we are doing have allowed June to as she puts it,  “go past my sell by date!”.  The specialists at the hospital did not expect her to last very long after seeing her in January, so we are blessed to still have her with us, and it is good to see that the healing regime, although intensive by any one’s standards is keeping her alive, completely pain free and allowing her to continue living at home in the way she wishes.   Thank you once again to all of you who continue to keep her in your healing thoughts.

On the Reiki Drum front, what a fantastic day we all had at the Reiki Drum Share in Sheering on the Spring Equinox.  Thirty four Reiki drummers from all over the UK and Europe (thanks to Chiara for making the trip from Italy!) gathered together to share Reiki Drumming, commemorate the 8000 Sacred Drums Ceremony and celebrate the Equinox.  It was a very high energy event and here is a small clip of some video footage from the day.   Reiki Drum Share 2011 It never ceases to amaze me that one can lie on the treatment couch and have all of those people in one room drumming but still fall into that Reiki space of deep relaxation.  As you will see from the video most of the drumming started to entrain together, so we were all in harmony.   The day followed shortly on from the tsunami and earthquake in Japan, and it was right and fitting that we dedicated the day to Japan, the birthplace of Reiki.  We drummed, chanted, did ceremony, healed, laughed and talked a lot.  It was a great occasion and well received by many so I think it will probably run again next year.

Some of the attendees graced us with their wonderful products.  Jan Dash sold her beautiful crystals, Peta Jane Gulliver had lovely beaded products for sale.  We were blessed to have Chetna Ladd and her wonderful sound healing instruments and Mary Dankowych brought along her magical Reiki pillows. I had the most amazing experience with one of Mary’s pillows the following day.  I had been feeling a little tired from the event and had an early night.  I saw the Reiki pillow just before retiring and thought why not go to sleep with that tonight, let’s see if it makes a difference.  During the night I had a powerful dream where I was surrounded by healers who were giving me healing with various crystals.  It was a very lucid dream and  I woke up feeling revitalised and as if something had shifted within me.  I can only put this down to the Reiki pillow.  Mary tells me she has had countless testimonials like this one from people who have used her pillows before.  I must admit I was pretty amazed and grateful!  Mary takes photos of each of her pillows made and charges them distantly on a daily basis, so they are constantly full of Reiki energy.  She can be found at www.reikipillows.com.  I use her Reiki Kanjii pillows during my classes and she has many different designs and sizes.

I’ve facilitated some lovely Reiki classes these past few weeks; Okuden and Reiki Drum classes and I have Shoden and Reiki Master Teacher workshops coming up in May.   June brings the Sound & Light retreat at Dev Aura in Lincolnshire which I’m really looking forward to.  We’ll be celebrating the Summer Solstice energy by chanting, toning, ceremony, movement, drumming, gong baths, healing, meditation and friendship!  My intention is that the weekend is a weekend of joy, but I’ve been guided to do practises which are very healing and I think the weekend will take people forward on their respective life journeys in leaps and bounds.  There are still spaces left on this retreat should you wish to join us.      The Reiki Drum residential in October is filling up fast.  I’ve only five spaces left on this weekend and had several enquiries.  Don’t miss out on this weekend if you want to do your Reiki Drum Practitioner training in a very beautiful spot on the Suffolk Coast coinciding with the energies of the Celtic New Year which will lend themselves beautifully to the work we are doing.  See the Reiki Drum Retreats page for further information for both retreats.

I have been busy with gong treatments the past few months in preparation for my gong healing practitioner training with the College of Sound Healing.  I’m off to Kent this weekend to study with the gifted Sheila Whittaker and besides giving, will be receiving several gong baths which I’m sincerely looking forward to.  The results I’ve been seeing when I’ve given gong baths have been incredible.  I will blog more on this at a later date, but if you have not yet received a gong bath, I’d encourage you to try one.  It really is a powerful healing experience.

Reiki Drum Practitioner –May 21/22, 2/3 July, 3/4 September, 5/6 November

Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential Retreat – 28-30 October

Reiki Share, Sawbridgeworth, 21^st June (Students only)

Sound & Light Residential Retreat – 24-26 June

Reiki One(Shoden) – 30 April/1 May,  16 /17 July, 1/2 October, 3/4 December

Reiki Two (Okuden) – 23/24 July, 22/23 October

Reiki Master Teacher (Shinpiden) 6-8 May (Full), 27-29 May, 18-20 November

• Speaking Your Truth On The Spiritual Path
• End of Year Round Up
• Clearing Out The Old – Making Way For The New
• Early Beltane Blessings!
• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING

On the 19^th January June embarked on a naturopathic diet, daily healing therapies and supplementation (of which I will blog about in a later post).  The first three weeks were pretty intense for us as a family as she went through some major detox symptoms.  The whole journey has been a huge spiritual growth path for all of us.  There are several things June didn’t want to do (such as detoxification methods like colonics/enemas, liver flushes etc which I would have encouraged and which would have made her toxic load much lighter), but she bravely battled through all the mental/emotional turmoil which detoxification always brings.  If anyone embarks on this type of healing regime and is willing to follow these other methods, they do make the detoxification lows that much easier.  As your body starts breaking down all the old cells and toxic debris of the past, strong emotions and thoughts will come to the surface to be processed and let go of.  I’ve personally found these quite overwhelming when I’ve done my own detoxification, but found huge relief in liver flushing, kidney cleanses, bentonite clay and psyllium shakes, colonics and enemas which allow the body to get rid of the toxins so much quicker and allows peace to reign once again on the emotional front.  During this time, the therapies that we were practising were also detoxing June’s body and helping the emotions to pass through.

It’s also been an interesting challenge guiding someone through the whole process.  As a therapist and healing practitioner I have learnt over the years that one can only advise different health regimes with one’s clients, as ultimately they have to go there own way.  One of the Facebook applications is called Message from God, and several times the same message came up over the last few weeks:  “Yes, of course, you want to control so everything happens in just the way you want it. But at the end of the day, we control nothing, – it’s all in God’s hands, – has always been, and will always be. So, do what you can, and then let go, and let God handle the rest”,  and that really is the way we have gone.  There were also some things June did want to do which were contraindicated in the normal scheme of things.    Having her hair cut and coloured at the end of week five was not in our detoxification protocol, our concern being with the chemicals and fumes in the hair dye, but we came to the realisation that the mental boost this gave her may outweigh the damage from the chemicals, so we acquiesced.  As far as toxicity is concerned however, I’d encourage people to avoid synthetic chemicals in all of their forms, especially in hair and body care products, as well as household cleaning products, the least toxic the environment, the better.

After the third week there was a huge shift.   Not only did June’s outlook shift dramatically to an “I can do this and I’m going to survive this” attitude, but her physical health started to fall in with her improved mental/emotional outlook.  The diet she is having is calorie restrictive, so our main concern was weight loss as the cachexia from the cancer had been severe.  But we soon realised after the sixth week when her weight stabilised that her energy levels were increasing week on week, and she had stopped losing, so our concern diminished greatly.

So as we move into the eight week on this healing regime, June is coping relatively well.  We’re still not taking things for granted though and know we have lots more milestones to pass.   We still encounter many different emotional states on a daily basis.  However, her weight has stabilised, her energy is on the increase, the pleural effusion in her lungs has gone and she is looking to the future.  Two weeks ago she took a small walk, the first time she had left the house for anything except hospital visits since Autumn last year.  Today as we’ve had such a beautiful day in our part of the UK, she went on a short trip to her local garden centre.  If she had accepted her prognosis in January, she may well not even have been with us today.  Once again, thank you to all of you who are sending distant Reiki, look at what it’s achieving!

The diet she is undertaking is a high raw vegan diet with some cooked soups.  A daily menu looks something like this:-

Breakfast: Green Smoothie (mixture of green leaves, spinach, kale or similar, with two pieces of fruit plus an avocado, 2 tablespoons of  bee pollen, 2 tablespoons of Dr Schulze’s Superfood, 2 tablespoons Udos Oil, apricot kernels.

There are many raw vegan websites which give delicious recipes for green smoothies.  The green leaves  balance out the glycaemic load of the meal and prevents sugar spikes.  Ordinarily fruit should be limited when looking at cancer nutrition, as cancer loves sugar in all of its forms, but we felt the fruit sugar was necessary for  energy as well as calories and also taste.  Fats are also often restricted, but as she had dropped to six stone, we had to have a certain level of fat in her diet.  We introduced bee pollen in the third week after I found several references online to a scientific research study where mice that had developed lung  cancer in laboratory conditions were fed bee pollen versus mice that were fed normal feed.  The mice that were fed the bee pollen lived twice as long as those that weren’t.  The Dr Schulze Superfood has been a staple food in my diet for several years.  It’s a wonderful combination of foods such as seaweeds, green grasses and algaes, and is amazing for sustaining one’s energy.  Apricot kernels have a certain amount of B17 in them which is believed to target cancer cells.

Throughout the day: A mixture of vegetable juices, predominantly carrot, ginger and apple.  The carrot is high in beta carotene which converts to vitamin A in the body, mopping up free radicals, and is good for many organs of the body.   The malic acid in the apples helps to release the minerals in the carrots and the ginger is a warming circulatory booster as well as being an appetite stimulant.  Again if you plan on embarking on such a regime, green juices are actually also very beneficial, but June prefers the carrot mixture so we are sticking with that for the present time.  She is only drinking about one litre of this juice daily, sometimes less.  It would be advantageous if she could drink so much more.  The Gerson Diet which is similar in many ways advocates 8oz of fresh vegetable juice hourly throughout the day.  June’s appetite has always been small, so she is only managing the one litre.

Lunch: Vegetable soups of different varieties, made from scratch.  Occasionally we add a yeast free stock cube, but often they are made just with vegetables, herbs and water.

Evening Meal: Soups, green smoothie or raw salads.

Beverages: Water and Redbush tea.  June was used to drinking normal caffeinated black tea with milk, so we initially added almond milk to the Redbush tea, but gradually she has adopted a preference for the tea on its own.  She probably isn’t having as much water as would be liked (two litres) and this can potentially compromise kidney function, but she is getting liquids from the tea and juices.  We are using bottled spring water as we do not have a distiller or good filtering system. Tap water is just NOT an option as it has far too many chemicals and contaminants in it.    The smoothies are made with a Vita Mix blender which was the first thing which we purchased.   It is a fairly expensive piece of equipment at £439, but worth its weight in gold for preparing foods/smoothies/soups.  You can even juice with them, but fortunately I have a Green Star juicer which is a heavy duty juicer and makes really nutritious juice.

The only true discomfort June experienced was due to her weight loss.  Her sitting bones were no longer covered with any body fat and she found it really uncomfortable to sit for periods of time.  A trip to “Toys r us” and one child’s rubber swimming ring later (decorated with fairies of course), problem solved!    Currently she has some mild throat congestion and these are the only two physical symptoms she is experiencing.

I will blog some more at a further date about the rest of this protocol.  I do feel her improved health is due to ALL of the things we are doing.   However, food and nutrition is hugely important when looking at health, we are what we eat after all.   June’s diet is currently high raw vegan, the aim being to have her blood pH as alkaline as possible (cancer thrives in an acidic pH blood).  From a Reiki and energy perspective, this is the highest vibrational diet she can have.  On an energetic level the foods she is having are very nourishing for her mental/emotional state due to their low level of toxic load as well as being full of vitamins and minerals.  And because of this, she is progressing well.  You will notice the diet is devoid of animal proteins.  On a physical level these would add toxicity, but from a Reiki energetic perspective, animal products also retain the energies (think emotions) from the animals concerned.  That’s not so bad if people are eating organically reared free range animals, but think of all the fear and other negative emotions you would be ingesting by eating a factory farmed animal. Dairy products not only clog up the physical body (you just have to look at their consistency to realise that) but on an energetic level they are believed to clog the nadis and meridians and cause victim consciousness.    Three years ago when I lived just on vegetable juices for three months, I found my consciousness was very elevated, my thoughts were pure and my emotions were very balanced.  What we eat has a profound effect on our psyche.  Dr Gabriel Cousens’ book “Spiritual Nutrition” is a must read for all of you who are interested in finding out more on how food affects the way we feel and think.

On the Reiki Drum front, I’ve just had two marvellous weekends teaching practitioner classes.  Thanks to the Serenity Centre in Hampshire for hosting the first class and the second was held in East Herts.     On a lighter note, two of my students from the most recent class commented on how their Reiki drumming has attracted both their cats and dog.  Apparently their animals won’t leave their side when they start drumming, obviously drawn to the Reiki energies!  I couldn’t resist posting a photo from one of last year’s classes which was run from my home in East Herts.    My two Tonkinese cats love Reiki in all its forms and although very sensitive are happy to receive the drumming.  They are also always very keen to get in on the Reiki action if students are amenable to it.  As you can see from the photo, this is one very chilled out cat and the drum was large, and the drumming was loud!

Most of the practitioner classes will be held in East Herts for the remainder of 2011, except for the very exciting opportunity to incorporate the Reiki Drum practitioner training with a residential retreat and celebrate the Celtic New Year in October at the beautiful Phoenix Centre for which I’m currently taking bookings.

Next weekend we have our Reiki Drum Share being held in Sheering, Essex.  To date the response to this day has been phenomenal and I know we are in for one very special event.  Here’s a link to the Youtube video we took last year Reiki Drum Share 2010 .   I’m off to Dorset this weekend for a four day shamanic drumming retreat with the Sacred Trust, the UK representative organisation for the Foundation of Shamanic Studies.  After teaching and all of my healing work with June and my clients, I’m looking forward to concentrating on my own soul healing for a few days.  And just a reminder that there are still some spaces on the June Summer Solstice Sound & Light Retreat at the beautiful Dev Aura Retreat Centre in Lincolnshire.  This is going to be a beautiful few days working on inner harmony, joy and peace by using sound and light healing techniques in a very special location.  Please get in touch if you’d like to spend a special weekend with like minded souls.

Forthcoming Events:

Reiki Drum Share – 20 March

Reiki Drum Practitioner – April 2/3, May 21/22, 2/3 July, 3/4 September, 5/6 November

Reiki Drum Practitioner & Samhain Residential Retreat – 28-30 October

Sound & Light Residential Retreat – 24-26 June

Reiki One(Shoden) – 30 April/1 May,  16 /17 July, 1/2 October, 3/4 December

Reiki Two (Okuden) – 26/7 March, 23/24 July, 22/23 October

Reiki Master Teacher (Shinpiden) 6-8 May, 18-20 November

• Win-Win – Approaching Cancer the Reiki Way
• Moving into Autumn
• Early Beltane Blessings!
• A HEART FELT SOLSTICE AND YULETIDE GREETING
• Just For Today, Do Not Worry – Opportunities For Growth