How Reiki Found Me

(Disclaimer: I’ve provided links throughout the post but I do NOT make a commission if you click/buy anything. These are resources I find valuable and would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the topic.

Also, I want to acknowledge my privilege. I am a straight, white, cis woman in a single-income family which allows me to freely pursue my passions. I acknowledge that many people do not share my experience. My goal is to share information that might help someone else and to never imply my experience is the “right” or “only” way.)

I mean it when I say Reiki found me… or maybe Reiki was waiting patiently for me to find it. Either way, it’s an interesting story that definitely falls into the “you can’t make this shit up” category. (Yes, I am and will continue to swear in this blog. Do what you wish with that information).

After leaving my corporate healthcare job in January of 2022, I tried staying home with my son a few days a week. On the days he was at daycare, I checked out lots of different jobs. I took graphic design classes on Udemy, set up an Etsy store, tried to become an affiliate blogger, and was even the interim Executive Director for an education foundation. Needless to say, none of those pursuits felt right.

(Spongebob Voice) 9 months later, I was still looking. My entire identity was my career in healthcare, and now I was flailing around trying to find my purpose in life. It was a real mid-life crisis, dark night of the soul situation. Cue Elizabeth Dialto’s podcast - Embodied with Elizabeth Dialto.

I could (and might) dedicate an entire blog to Elizabeth Dialto and her joyful, no-bullshit spirituality. I’ve been listening to her podcast since 2020 and in the spring of 2022, she released an episode about how to engage with spirituality for folks who’ve had trauma or other negative experiences with organized religion. As a self-proclaimed agnostic (on a good day), I was intrigued. I slowly began to integrate spiritual practices into my life. A few months later, I stumbled upon Reiki.

In October 2022, I was searching the internet for Akashic Records readings, which is another really cool intuitive modality. Except I didn’t search for Akashic Records readings, I searched for Reiki by mistake. Looking back, I can’t even remember where I heard the word Reiki and I still don’t understand how I mixed up the two topics. I read a bunch of information about Reiki and was immediately hooked. This is when the divine synchronicities started showing up.

I started by searching for Reiki sessions on YouTube. The first two videos that showed up came from two different practitioners named Andrea. One video was from Andrea Kennedy, a well-known Reiki Master who I adore and still follow today. Her podcast (Beyond the Reiki Gateway) is one of my favorite spirituality podcasts. Then, I went on Amazon to see if there were any books out there about Reiki. The first book I found was Reiki: Level 1, 2, and Master Manual by Lisa Powers. The book discusses the history of Reiki, including the founder, Dr. Mikao Usui. Usui Sensei’s birthday was August 15, 1865. August 15th is also MY birthday. I never meet people with the same birthday as me. Like ever. I only know that Jennifer Lawrence shares my birthday because I Googled celebrity birthdays once.

I know these are not mind-blowing coincidences, but they were enough to get the universal hint. I signed up for a Level 1 class at The Reiki Center in Grandview and started practicing with friends and family. I immediately fell in love. Reiki is everything I’ve wanted to do and be as a healer. My next post will be all the reasons why I love and resonate with Reiki so I won’t belabor it here.

I also learned some really valuable information during my Reiki discovery: If I can give up control over what I think my life should be, I can make room for the Divine plan. My soul is here to love and heal and Reiki is one way I’m going to do it. Bonus points if I get to help other people love and heal as well.

Thanks so much for reading! I’ll be posting about Reiki but also whatever I feel called to write about. Let me know if you have any questions or if there’s something specific you’d like to know more about!