Roots That Heal

I have started writing my Celtic Reiki book this week and the first chapter - The Beech (not the first chapter in the book but my favourite tee so my favourite chapter to write!) has just been completed! I’m going to be sharing some excerpts from the book as and when I feel it is appropriate, as the whole process is a great way for me to develop my understanding of each tree to even deeper levels than I have previously. And as it’s been such a long time since I shared a meditation with you I thought I’d post this one here. Stay tuned as I am going to be looking into a way to record and publish it as an actual guided meditation over the coming week, but until then enjoy reading through it and perhaps give it a try with a loved one!

This meditation works best with some music playing softly in the background, as the Beech tree delights in taking those who visit her on a dancing journey to her home. You can just as easily follow this meditation without any music and just dance to the music in your soul, if you feel that this is something you would rather do.

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable where you can sit without being disturbed. Make sure you are nice and warm and then close your eyes and quietly listen to the sound of your own breath as it goes slowly in and out, in and out.

Be aware of your body, focus on first your toes, then your feet and ankles, your calves and knees and then your thighs and hips. Note if you have any tension in any of these areas. If you do, gently direct the breath down to the tense area and allow it to softly blow away the pain. When your legs feel nice and relaxed move your attention further up your body to focus on your abdomen, chest, arms, hands and fingers. Again allow your breath to ease away any tension, slowly but surely. Finally bring your attention to your neck, face and head, breathing out any tension here, until the whole of your body feels warm and relaxed.

Quietly listen to the sound of your breath once more, noticing how slowly and deeply you are now taking breath in and blowing it back out. In and out, like a steady rhythm, beating to the sound of the music you can hear.

As you listen to the music you become aware of a green thread of light, dancing in swirls before you. You watch it, following each dip and swirl and realise that with each movement the colour gets brighter and the trail it leaves longer. Feel the green light dancing around you, inviting you to step into its world and dance with it.

As you begin to sway to the music realise that you are now standing in a beautiful forest, where the sunlight is shining down through a canopy of the most beautiful green you have ever seen. All around you there are trees growing, blissfully dancing in the slight breeze created by your very breath – in and out, in and out. Each tree dances to its own tune, yet together they make a beautifully orchestrated ensemble, dancing as if they have danced this very dance their entire lives.

As you watch this beautiful scene before you, your eyes are drawn into the distance, where a silvery grey presence begins to glow. You know instinctively that this is who you came to see – this is the star of this performance and she is inviting you to join her tonight. You walk along the path, drawn by her graceful moves, and as you draw near you realise that the silvery being is in fact the trunk of the tallest Beech tree you have ever seen.

You hesitate for a moment, wondering what you should do, when you hear a whisper on the breeze, the breeze created by your own breath – in and out. You listen and realise that the whisper is your own voice, this is your higher self speaking to you. Listen to the secrets you hold deep inside yourself – listen to how wise you are!

As you continue to breathe in and out you realise that you are the most important part of this whole dance – you are the star and the Beech is your partner. Knowing this, you reach out your arms and embrace her as you begin to dance along to your own music – the music of life. And as you touch her, the Beech tree begins to move more freely than ever before. Her roots lift up from the ground, trailing behind her like a dancer’s gown. She spins around the forest floor, dancing to the sound of your breath and the beat of your heart. She knows your pain, your joy, your silence and your voice – she knows everything about you and she wants to create a living record of who you are, right now.

As you continue to dance you realise that it is getting dark. Suddenly you find you are no longer in the forest but inside the most beautiful hall you have ever seen. The hall is perfectly round, its ceiling created by layers upon layers of branches, all reaching towards the ground and in its very centre stands the trunk of the oldest tree you could imagine. This, your partner tells you, is the first Beech tree – the mother of all other Beech trees in our world and any other. As you continue to dance around this central pillar of love and wisdom you feel another whisper in the breeze. This whisper is unlike any you’ve ever heard before – it speaks of time itself – whispering sweet words of all the dances that ever were and ever will be. Here all wisdom, knowledge and experience is recorded, so all those who ever visit will be blessed with the whole of existence. This is where the dance of life is created and where it is kept for al eternity. And you are now a part of this.

As you begin to understand the great significance of this you realise that the hall is slowly fading and you no longer feel the powerful pull of your partner’s enchanting dance. Yet a soft whisper still lies upon your breath – it tells you that this is not the end – in fact this is merely the beginning of a beautiful dance that will continue until time itself no longer exists.

Slowly but surely become aware of your breathing once more as you slowly breathe in and out, in and out. Say a silent prayer of thanks to your partner for sharing in your dance and showing you the knowledge and power held within your very breath.

Gradually become aware of your body, first your head and then your neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs and feet. Wriggle your toes and fingers and open your eyes.

Be blessed by the energy of the Beech.

Thanks to all of you who are following this journey with T and myself and special thanks for all the good thoughts sent our way. After several days of feeling rather sorry for myself, my body decided it was well enough to carry out the attunement last Sunday. I have been meaning to post the pictures all week, but work has simply been so busy my evenings have been taken up with sleeping!!

So, only a week late, here is how the attunement went.

Please be aware that the photos are snapshots taken from a video we took on my laptop, so the quality is not brilliant. We chose to film the process as this meant we could forget about the camera and focus on what we were doing. The photos are also taken during our run-through prior to the actual attunement - something we chose to do so that T would know what to expect. The photos and comments in this blog post are shared with you in order to show how an attunement works - there are no instructions on how to do an attunement nor no symbols shared. They are not meant to be used in order to try attuning yourself or others - although Celtic Reiki is available to all, I strongly suggest you follow a proper manual and are attuned by a Reiki Master. This is to help you understand the energies and how to use Reiki most effectively, rather than the desire to hold information back.  I would love to think that these posts may inspire some of you to practise Reiki, but practising Reiki means honouring and respecting the process and this means following a dedicated path. If you have any questions or would like to contact me about how to have an attunement yourself then please do not hesitate to contact me at rootsthatheal@live.co.uk I would be happy to help you find a Celtic Reiki Master in your own area or discuss the possibility of setting up a distance attunement at a time convenient for us both.

In preparation for the attunement I had shown T the first degree manual. We had looked together at the nature of energy healing and then gone through the 6 first degree symbols, the trees that they represented and the ways in which we could use them to help ourselves in our own lives. Using Fred Hageneder’s Tree Angel Oracle we found the cards relating to these symbols and placed them on our coffee table, ready to aid us in the attunement. This was a personal choice and not something that has to be done by any means. The whole beauty of Reiki is that it can be adapted to suit those using it. Next to these cards I placed my own cards, portraying the symbols in gold, a small pencil drawing of the tree or plant itself and notes on what the energy is used for in healing sessions. We completed our table with a candle, some crystals and the manual (open for my own reference during the run-through as it was my first attunement and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything!)

As you can see, we closed our curtains to ensure the room was dark and calm. Although the sun was shining beautifully, we felt the desire to have candles and incense burning as we carried out the attunement. It felt more sacred to us both this way - but again this is a preference that each Reiki master and student can choose for themselves. The attunement begins with a prayer and blessing, followed by the opening of the master’s chakras using a master symbol. The room is infused with the master symbols and then rapport is built between student and master by placing the hands on the student’s shoulders, preparing the student for the first degree symbols to be given to him/her.

The first degree symbols are now given to the student in three stages - first they are drawn above the crown chakra and then directed down through the head.

This involves sending the symbols through the student’s hands into the crown chakra.

The hands are then placed on the heart centre, whilst the master moves to kneel in front of the student. This is an excellent time for the student and master to both take a moment to reflect on what they are both doing!

The symbols are then “tapped” into the Third Eye. This involves drawing the symbols before the chakra and then tapping in, whilst intoning the symbol name.

Finally, the symbols are drawn above the hands and then “blown” through the body - up the spine, round the crown and down again into the hands. After this, the master moves once more behind the student to “seal” the energies into the student using a master symbol. A final blessing and prayer of gratitude is given before the master moves to stand once more in front of the student to release the Reiki energy and complete the attunement.

I hope that this post has helped to ease any fears or concerns of anyone new to Reiki, and perhaps inspired some of you to explore further. It has been a pleasure sharing this moment with you all and we shall be updating the blog further with T’s impressions of the attunement and how he felt post attunement, how Celtic Reiki feels in comparison to his Usui Reiki training and of course I shall be posting more about Celtic Reiki, the trees, nature and life itself.

But for now I leave you with bright wishes for a beautiful Sunday, a peaceful week and many blessings.
Amanda xx

Before my first attunement to Celtic Reiki I spent a lot of time getting to know the trees near my home. I was very priviledged to live near a beautiful university campus where I studied. This meant that each day, on my way home from lectures, I could walk around the lake, find a quiet spot and meditate surrounded by nature. In fact, the photos that create the banner to this blog were taken on one such walk!

So, in preparation for the coming attunement, T and I drove out to a nearby wood to connect to the great outdoors. We are very lucky in that even though we live in a city there are many, many green spaces still within walking distance of our home. In fact I walk across a common and the beautiful Cam river (upon which invariably there is a rowing team practising!!) each day on my journey to and from work. But however beautiful these spaces are, they are always full of people.

Now I love people, don’t get me wrong, but when you want to sit in silence and meditate you cannot do so as easily as when you are in a secluded spot. And in preparation for an attunement we both felt that this is what we needed to do. Our decision was well-founded and we walked in awe of the beauty and silence of the area we were in (once we moved away from the main areas of the woods). The photo in the previous post was taken as T meditated to by the old Oak tree that he felt drawn to. Although I will not be attuning him to the energy of the Oak in the first level of Reiki, I do know how powerful the Oak’s energy is and T obviously felt that too as he walked through the woods straight to this particular tree and felt the need to sit at its base and absorb some of its energy.

We saw many trees and flowers that day which really connected us to nature, reminding us to listen to the breeze and enjoy the moment. In fact, that day I realised how hard I work and how I forget to enjoy my life. I realised how imbalanced I was and how much I needed to take these moments in order to connect fully and live in harmony and balance. I realised just how little I respected the beautiful gift I had been given and I knew right then that I needed to reclaim the sacred and bring it back into my life.

Consequently I went to work the following day and fell ill!! I have been off work the rest of this week, with a blocked chest, blocked sinuses and upset stomach. I have been unable to eat anything but the plainest food and drink. I have been made to stop and listen. I have found the time to really focus on the Reiki symbols, the meaning of Reiki itself and the way in which I want my life to develop. In essence, I am clearing away a lot of old habits and convalescing in a way I wouldn’t have had I been at work. I’d rather not feel this ill, but if I felt better I know I would be running around trying to fit as much into my life as possible - so I know it is meant to be.

This does mean that we may postpone the attunement until a later date, dependent upon how ready we both feel tomorrow evening. However we will let you know and the attunement will definitely occur within the next two weeks. In that time I hope to introduce more to this site (and I hope you are already enjoying some of the new additions I have already made). It is my hope that Roots That Heal will finally grow into the vision I had for it at the beginning - a true resource for all those wishing to know more about the trees, sea, nature and Celtic Reiki as a whole.

With many Blessings,
Amanda xx

My partner T and I have long discussed my attuning him to Celtic Reiki and this weekend, in an attempt to think of ways to boost the energy I put into this blog, decided to set a date. On T’s suggestion we have chosen to attune him to level one next weekend. This is something we are both very excited about.

But even more exciting is the fact we have both agreed it would be a wonderful opportunity for sharing the world of Reiki on this blog. It will be my first attunement (even though I have been a master for quite some time now) and so it will be a new stage in both my journey as well as T’s. In light of this we thought we would document the process in pictures and share them with you.

The thought behind this was two-fold - first it would invite you into our lives and involve you in our Reiki journey and secondly it will give those of you who have no experience with Reiki the chance to see what occurs in an attunement. More and more T is becoming an integral part of my posts on this blog and I am hoping to involve him even further by asking him to post a few thoughts about how he feels during and after the attunement. We both hope that this will add even more insight into the energy of Reiki, perhaps for those of you who may be apprehensive about becoming attuned yourself.

We’d like to ask you to think of us both next Saturday evening (about 8pm GMT) and look forward to posting the photos during the following week. There will also be additions to the blog as I add more pages and meditations to improve the ways in which Roots That Heal may assist and support you on your own journey.

With many Blessings,
Amanda xx

To my shame I have to admit that in recent months I have allowed myself to become so overwhelmed by life’s little intricacies and all that I have tried to fit into my life that I never found time to meditate or heal regularly.

This is a pattern that keep occuring in my life - I find it far easier to shut out the spiritual practises in my life in order to complete the million little (and big) tasks I have set myself. I know I do this because I trust that whatever happens the spiritual aspect of my life will always survive and the finances I need to find, the friends I need to meet up with and the work I need to do might not. But within this equation there is one major flaw - although the spiritual stuff will always be there, I won’t always be able to access and beneift from it if I neglect it.

Too often in my life I get stressed beyond all reason. I make myself ill from excessive worrying and cutting back on the “essentials” I deem to be “less important” such as sleep, time to sit and eat properly (rather than eating on the go) and taking care of my body. As I become more and more stressed my body suffers, my emotions suffer and in an attempt to make everything “better” I fill my life with even more “useless” activities.

Now I’m sure I’m not the only person to do this - but I do know I am worse than most. I am a chronic multi-tasker and achiever… the more I can achieve in the shortest time the better - because it means I can do more and help more people. I am a chronic do-gooder, always wanting to help everybody but never helping myself. In essence, I let my low-self-esteem spur me on and on until I can go no more. And only when I hit rock bottom do I stop and think “this isn’t how it should be”.

This happened to me this weekend. My new boyfriend came to stay and as we moved our relationship from friendship to a deeper level I panicked. My fears, which I had repressed, came rushing to the surface and because I did not allow myself the time and space to heal them I ended up sick in a big way. My body reacted to the fear in a last ditch attempt to get me to pay attention - my hand flared up with eczema (in a way it has never done before) and I threw up.

My body was finally saying “make time” and I finally listened. Last night I set up a meditation and healing schedule to make sure I devote at least half an hour morning and night to just being. I started a diary and wrote within it how hard I found it to just be and I hope to see the development of this practise finding me back in a state where I could enjoy taking the time to stop, meditate and heal. I miss my regular healing sessions - I used to make time every Wednesday evening to join up with a group of friends and send Reiki to friends, family and the world. This stopped when I chose to allow my “human dramas” to overtake my “spiritual peace”.

Had I remembered to stop, connect, heal, and pray I might have found my fears dissolving as I allowed myself to feel, release and invite new and more beneficial energies into my life. Instead I made myself miserable. I do that a lot.

I may be a Reiki master but I am also a very typical human and there are times when I just find my spiritual practises slipping. However, since first being attuned to Reiki and having been on a spiritual journey I see in far greater detail just how much of a difference there is between the times when I stop to connect and those when I don’t. This is why I am now making time… time for me, time for spirit and time for Reiki… and in reality, time is something I have in abundance!

I’m sure you’ve all noticed just how sensitive animals are to things that we as humans don’t tend to notice. Just the other day I went to visit my Nan and her dog was petrified by the sound of fireworks so far away that we couldn’t hear them anymore. In the same way I do believe that they are very sensitive to the energies we cannot see or feel consciously. And that’s why I love giving Reiki to animals because the respond so openly to it.

I was out for a walk the other weekend and came across a couple of horses by the river. My friend and I stopped to say hello and one of the horses came to greet us. At first she was a bit timid and edgy - but once we both quieted our voices, reached out our hands and began to send Reiki and love she calmed down and within a few short minutes was dozing as we stroked her nose. It was beautiful and her openness and trust of us - complete strangers - was so moving.

I cannot help but be so touched by the love and trust animals are so often willing to give us. And I cannot help but feel the same openness and trust pouring out of myself when around animals - far more than when I am meeting new humans for the first time. It is as if our society has taught us to be so wary of others, which I find so sad. But when I meet an animal I always feel there is no hidden agenda to be worried about, no trap that is being set out for me,  just a creature who is showing exactly how it feels to me and asking me to do the same.

I love sending a quick hello and a bit of love to the stray cats and birds and squirrels I pass on my daily wanderings. Even if I do not have time for a proper hello I always send a mental greeting and energetic hug or pat to them. And I feel a sense of happiness in doing so.

So next time you’re feeling down, feeling lost in the world of complex relations, or just wanting somebody to practise sending some Reiki to, why not go out and find an animal friend who will be so happy to see you!

Recently I decided I really wanted to explore Christianity in more depth. Having turned my back away from religion several years ago I felt it was time I opened my heart and allow myself to look at life in another way. It was scary stuff! My whole world was rocked because the whole experience required me to look at myself and the world with an honest and seeking heart. It is a terrible thing to question and doubt but sometimes it is only by allowing such occurences to happen that we discover the strength of our own Faith.

It didn’t take long for me to realise that the truth I held within my heart was the truth I felt within the whole of my soul. The experience of opening up to another Faith taught me a lot but did not sway me from my path. And I knew, without a doubt, that the whole experience had been created to allow me to realise the power of my own Faith.

Healing with Reiki can take similar routes - when we first begin we are often aware of such strong energies running through us we cannot ever doubt the power we have tapped into. And yet, the more comfortable we become with our abilities to heal the less indicators we seem to notice. It’s not that the energy is any less powerful, just that we no longer need those indications. And yet, even the most confident healer will at times question whether the healing is taking place when, for several sessions, they are unable to feel any change within themselves during the healing - no hot hands or awareness of the places in the recipient which require intense healing. These are the times when we need to act on Faith and are also the times we might need to look outside of our usual experience(s) to find that Faith. Sometimes it is only through questioning and doubting that we find the proof we are looking for!

So, if you find yourself doubting your ability to heal, try opening your heart and viewing the world from a different viewpoint. You never know how it might affect your healing practise.

Recently I took a trip to Glastonbury and whilst there visited many of the area’s amazing places. It was an incredibly rejuvenating trip for me and helped to calm my mind and settle many of the fears I was obsessing over.

Glastonbury has an amazing energy running through it and it is not hard to realise why it has always been considered as a magical and mystical place. On the day of our main meet-up (when those who weren’t staying the whole weekend with us came to spend a few hours in the company of other members from the group) we spent a few hours in Glastonbury Abbey. Whilst there a few of us decided to make the most of the special energy there to boost our healing and I had the priviledge of giving Celtic Reiki to a couple of the group whilst stood within reach of a beautiful tree.

I cannot begin to describe how energising it was to stand with bare feet upon the grass of this sacred ground, to feel the sun so hot it was almost burning my face and feeling the breeze as it blew the leaves of the tree behind me. Giving Reiki indoors has nothing upon giving it outdoors - especially when using Celtic Reiki as you can connect in so many ways to the energy of the trees so much easier when you are in close proximity to an actual tree!

One of the recipients of my healing that day mentioned how amazing the effects were that night and I can only attribute it to the fact that we were outside, experiencing Nature in all her glory, and this added to the healing effect the Reiki energy had.

So, if you get the chance to go outside, in a place which is special to you, I would strongly suggest you try giving some Reiki there once in a while - you never know how much of a difference it might make to you!

With all my love
Amanda xx

A few years back I went through a period in which I could not wear a battery-operated watch - for some reason any watch I wore would slow down by either 5 or 25 minutes exactly or stop completely. Don’t ask me what that means because I still have no idea! But during that time my grandparents all rooted around for old wind-up watches they had previously owned. Most of the ones they found no longer worked and no amount of persuasion was going to get them working again! Thankfully, I can now wear a battery-operated watch, although I rarely do. I prefer to have a timepiece nearby where I can keep an eye on time if needs be, but not need to be constantly reminded of time ticking away!

Yesterday, whilst sorting through boxes full of old stuff in my room I came across a couple of these old watches. Remembering how my Nan had always enjoyed the opposite effect to me - being able to make a watch work which hadn’t worked for years simply by holding it - I decided to have a go at sending reiki to one of them. My Nan is not attuned to any energy healing system, yet she is always using energy intuitively. If she could do it, surely I could too…

Well, you’ll be pleased to hear, I can! I moved the hands to the right positions, wound the watch up and held it between my cupped hands, looking at the trees in my parents’ garden and asking for the watch to work again. And it did - it steadily ticked away for 9 and a half hours - not bad going to say the hands haven’t moved of their own accord for many, many years!

It always amazes me just how much we can use Reiki for and how very often I forget to use it. I’d be interested to hear of the “surprising” ways you have found to use Reiki!

How often do you use other healing tools when you give Reiki to somebody?

When I give Reiki to a friend or family member I tend to just do it as it is usually a request for a quick boost which I am presented with. But when I send distance healings or give somebody a proper session in person I try to incorporate whatever other tools I have to ensure I give a more “holistic” healing.

In person this usually means placing selected crystals around the room and playing soft, relaxing music in the background. If the recipient agrees I will also sometimes burn some incense. All these tools I choose intuitively at the beginning of the session.

When I send a distance healing I also play meditative music and use crystals, however the crystals I choose to use are for a more direct purpose. When I choose crystals for general healings I pick one or two which I feel may benefit the session. In addition to this I always ensure I have a set of “chakra crystals” for my distance recipients. By this I mean I have a set of 7 crystals which I feel relate to the colours and energies of each of the 7 main chakras. I find this is incredibly helpful to me as I hold each crystal in my hand one after the other focussing my mind on each chakra in turn. It gives me something solid to focus on when sending the reiki energy and often helps me pick up on areas of energy within the recipient which may want more attention.

For me, these extra tools, increase my pleasure at sending Reiki as they allow me to fully incorporate all I have been taught. I find it very difficult to concentrate on ritual and symbols I was taught by Celtic Reiki but find that using my own rituals reminds me to use the symbols accordingly.

I consider it to be an important aspect of healing to work intuitively and find your own personal ways of healing. What personal aspects do you bring to your work? Do you use tools or other methods alongside your main medium of healing?