Reiki

Reiki is another side of spirituality I've been quite interested in for the past few months. Alot of people look at Reiki as some 'New Age' practice, but it actually dates back hundreds of years. I've had a couple of distance reiki sessions courtesy of a freind in Los Angeles that sent Reiki energy to me while we were on different sides of the country. These experiences were pretty eye opening and amazing. Throughout the sessions Richard (Grim) has done with me I felt a strong heat and tingling sensation throughout my body. The only way I can describe it is it feels like these little bugs crawling on you or something, but not in a bad way like you are probably thinking. It's like a spiritual high that is really hard to describe. The tingling sensation is very strong and it promotes the healing of your body, mind, and spirit. All I can say is TRY IT.

Richard (Grim) also gave me my first Reiki attunement, I'm hoping to get attuned to a level 3 Reiki Master someday. I plan on studying Reiki more in depth sometime soon and really getting into it, I've been extremely intrigued by it ever since Richard gave me my first Reiki healing. I have to admit that I thought it was all a bunch of BS until I actually experienced it myself. Thanks for everything and for making me a beleiver and opening my eyes Grim. haha.

Anyway, here's a breif lesson of Reiki for anyone wanting to know more, I got this off the web from wikipedia.com:

Reiki (霊気 or レイキ, Reiki? IPA: /ˈreɪkiː/) is a form of spiritual practice, used as a complementary therapy, proposed for the treatment of physical, emotional, and mental diseases. Mikao Usui developed Reiki in early 20th century Japan, where he said he received the ability of 'healing without energy depletion' after three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama. Practitioners use a technique similar to the laying on of hands, which they say will channel "healing energy" (ki). Practitioners state that energy flows through their palms to bring about healing and that the method can be used for self-treatment as well as treatment of others.

Derivation of name
The name Reiki derives from the Japanese pronunciation of two Japanese characters that describe the energy itself: '霊 rei' (meaning 'unseen' or 'spiritual') and 気 ki (Chinese qi, here meaning 'energy' or 'life force'). In English, the meaning of Reiki is often given as 'universal life energy' (a translation used by Hawayo Takata, see History). The noun commonly refers to either the energy or the therapeutic method which uses the energy. Reiki is also used as a verb and an adjective. Japanese speakers use the term as a generic 'spiritual power' while the Usui Method of Reiki Healing is specifically Usui reiki shiki ryoho.

Theory
Reiki teachings state that there is a universal 'life force' energy, which can be accessed by practitioners to induce a healing effect. It is claimed by believers that anyone can gain access to this energy by means of an attunement process carried out by a Reiki Master.
The belief is that the energy will flow through the practitioner's hands whenever the hands are placed on, or held near a potential recipient, who can be clothed. Some teachings stress the importance of the practitioner's intention or presence in this process, while others claim that the energy is drawn by the recipient's injury to activate or enhance the natural healing processes. Going further, the belief is that the 'energy' is 'intelligent', making diagnosis unnecessary.
A second level of training, including another initiation, is said to equip the practitioner to perform Reiki treatments from a distance. This method, it is stated, involves the use of special symbols to form a temporary connection between the practitioner and the recipient, regardless of location, and then to send the Reiki energy. Techniques are also taught whereby Reiki can be sent to a specific point in time, either in the past or the future.
The energy involved in a Reiki treatment is said to be 'from the Universe,' rather than the personal energy of the practitioner, and is therefore inexhaustible. (Some teachings say that the energy enters the practitioner through the crown chakra at the top of the head, before being emitted from the hands.) As a consequence, Reiki practitioners are taught that they can treat themselves with Reiki.
Reiki is also used by practitioners as preventative medicine, as it is claimed that the energy encourages healing before any noticeable symptoms have emerged. Another consequence of the simplicity of Reiki is that it can be taught to children.
Some teachers state that if, on some level, the intended recipient does not wish to be healed, the energy will not flow.
Reiki is described by adherents as a holistic therapy which brings about healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. It is said that healing may occur in any or all of these domains in a single treatment, without any conscious direction needed by either the practitioner or the recipient.

Dark Entities

This is an excerpt from a book I was just reading. The part I'm posting is the part of the book concerning "Dark Entities" in our lives. I think we all can think of a person or persons that come to mind while reading this:

First of all they have no conscience, no sense of responsibility for their actions, and no remorse. They take all of the credit and none of the blame for everything that happens around them. As far as they are concerned, if they hurt you, it's either your fault, or you made them do it. In graphic terms, if they stab you, it's only because you ran into the knife. If you criticize them, it's not because they deserve critisim-you are either too stupid or too shallow to appreciate them. Self-justification is as natural to them as breathing. In their eyes, you are lucky to be among the chosen few they have decided to grace with their time and attention. And trust me, any relationship like that is demeaning and unacceptable to begin with.

In psychiatric terms, dark entities in human form are the true sociopaths among us. They can mimic human emotions brilliantly without ever really feeling them. They can seem incredibly charming (all the better to seduce you into their proximity); they can seem deeply sensitive, compassionate and loving; they can seem genuinely sorry after they've wounded you, to keep you off balance about their true nature. They can feign interest in anything that interest you-including God and Spirituality - in order to create the illusion that you and they have something in common. It's all a performance and they drop the act as soon as they're convinced their control over you is secure.

Sadly, we white entities, because our emotions and faith are genuine, have a tough time grasping the concept that it is all a performance. So rather than walking away from the dark entity once they have "removed their mask," we stay with them, trying desperately to rescue the wonderful person we are sure that is in there because we saw them with our own eyes. It is almost impossible to imagine that wonderful person isn't lost, but never existed in the first place. But in the case of a genuinely dark entity, it is the cruel, bleak truth.

Secondly, dark entities don't generally get to know or care about the people around them. What they do care about is the reflection of themselves that they get back from the people around them. As far as they are concerned, white entities are walking mirrors in which to admire themselves. As long as their reflection through our eyes is flattering, we're of value to them. But the minute we catch on that we're only looking at a disguise, and that whatever character and integrity that they possess exist only because we "filled in the blanks" ourselves, they will react in one of two ways. Either they'll distance themselves, or they'll repeat the performance that won our approval in the first place, to try to win it again.

Third, dark entities live by their own arbitrary, self-serving rules, which can change without warning at their convenience and which don't necessarily apply to anyone else around them. In their minds, their behavior is always acceptable, but they may become outraged or deeply wounded if someone else aims that same behavior at them. White entities invariably try to make sense of all this and adjust accordingly. That's logical. It's also useless. The rules and behavior that please a dark entity on a Tuesday night, might throw them into a tantrum on Wednesday. The result is that a white entity is kept constantly off balance and confused, which gives the dark entity that much more control and power.

The goal of a dark entity is not to turn a white entity dark. That can't be done. Their goal is to destroy a white entity-not physically, necessarily, but certainly emotionally. Let's face it; the one way for darkness to survive is to destroy the light, so that's their purpose and their pleasure. They go about it trying to create as much emotional turbulence, self-doubt, guilt and depression as possible in as many white entities as they can lure into their dark grip. They insult, they demean, and they threaten to end a relationship if the white entity doesn't "Shape up" while insisting that no one else would even want a relationship with someone as worthless as the white entity anyway. They promise to take away anything that is truly important to the white entity if they do leave. In other words, they will do anything that makes the white entity feel insecure, and, as a result, eliminate any power the white entity might have. The problem is white entities have a conscience. We are sensitive and compassionate, and we take our responsibility seriously. We have a natural tendency to believe the best about the people we care for. Those are the qualities that attract dark entities in the first place. They love the flattering reflection of themselves in our eyes, and they know we're likely to perceive their darkness as some kind of sadness or pain and try to help. You may have heard the saying "No good deed goes unpunished." I have a good feeling that saying was coined by a white entity who tried to rescue some supposedly troubled, misunderstood dark entity. If you're trying to rescue a dark entity in your life with your love/ and or friendship, please ask yourself this simple question: Which do you feel you get more often as a reward for your efforts – appreciation or punishment.

Turning your back on another of God's children is probably contrary to your unbringing and your humanitarian instincts. But I promise you, you have more valuable ways to spend your time and energy that trying to help or save a dark entity whom you are sure will be a wonderful person if only they'll "change" (a goal white entities refer to often when talking about a dark entity in their lives) and let in the light you have to offer them. A dark entity can't be turned white, any more than a white entity can be turned dark. You can't appeal to a conscience that doesn't exist, and, make no mistake about it, dark entities have no conscience. Besides, how are you going to inspire genuine remorse in someone who doesn't think anything bad that happens is ever their fault? I say this as both a spiritual psychic and as a person who learned the hard way: If's there's a dark entity anywhere in your life-a friend, a lover, a spouse, or a family member-follow the advice of Christ: "Shake off the dust from you feet and leave."