Wednesday was the 3rd of what will now be four
lessons for Reiki 1. So after a celebratory birthday lunch for my teacher (I made
“fried” chicken, collard greens, “mac” and cheese, and biscuits), we began our
lesson. After blessing and sanctifying the space, she said close your eyes and
using your left hand (not my dominant hand), hover your hand over this deck of
Zen cards and pick three. The three that
I picked were Compassion, Wisdom, and Community. We laughed and she said yes
those are you; read the backs if you would like.
Compassion – Say little. But when you speak offer gentle words that touch the heart. Be truthful. Express kindness. Abstain from vanity. This is your way.
Wisdom – Treat everyone and everything with loving compassion. When you see no difference between the sacred and the profane, the saint and the sinner. That is the ultimate wisdom.
Community – Understand that you will be like those with whom you surround yourself. your environment is stronger then you are.
After I read these I had to smile as these are some of the guiding principles and values by which I live my life on a daily basis. I am a fairly quiet person. when you ask me to speak I will, however, I have found that as I have tried to answer the Sufi teaching about speaking only if it is truthful, necessary, and kind, that I have found myself becoming increasingly quiet and reflective in my life.
Recently, a friend told me that we have such a wide diversity of friends. As I thought about I realized we truly do. however, the one things we all have in common is that none of us feel any of us is better then the other. We all believe that we are of equal value in this universe. To be surrounded by others who also treat others and all of life with such compassion and respect is such a blessing and it has led to the development of a community, intentionally or not, that is about unconditional love and respect.
Later Maryanna said to me hover your hand over these paper towels and let me know where you feel most attracted. Pick two or three. Once again, my teacher giggled. It seemed that hidden under these towels were stones and crystals. The two I had picked were what she called the pillar of love. it was a pillar of rose quartz and two small pieces of transparent agate. These too she saw as me. You are a pillar of love.
“Rose quartz is often called the "Love Stone." It's energetic hallmark is that of unconditional love that opens the heart chakra. This makes rose quartz a stone for every type of love: self-love, family, platonic, romantic, and unconditional. As a variety of quartz, rose quartz has high energy, and this strong energy can enhance love in virtually any situation. . . . The high energy of quartz gives rose quartz the property of enhancing love in virtually any situation. Bringing love in to life and daily situations not only brings inner warmth, but it also lowers stress and soothes those around it. Rose quartz is a very happy and loving stone.”[1]
What I learned about Agate, is it that it “is a stone of strength. It was used by the Ancients on the breastplates of armor to give warriors strength and make them victorious in battle. Energetically, it is considered to give strength in both battle and physically.
Agate enhances creativity and strengthens the intellect, making it a beneficial stone for both students and artists. It is also known as a good luck stone. As a stone of harmony, one of the things agate does is balance yin/yang energy. Agate increases energy. However, because it is a grounding stone, it does not increase energy at all times, but rather enables bursts of energy as needed. In this way, agate is a conservation stone, and enhances longevity.”[2]
As a teacher, writer, and creator the powers of the agate spoke to me. it is amazing what my body and energy was teaching me about myself, just because I closed my eyes and allowed my energy to guide me.
[1] http://meanings.crystalsandjewelry.com/rose-quartz/
[2] http://meanings.crystalsandjewelry.com/agate/