Jikiden Reiki

Jikiden Reiki is the Reiki from its birth place, Japan.
Nothing is added or amended from its original teaching from Mr. Chujiro Hayashi, one of the 20 students of Mr. Usui, the founder of Reiki.

30 Nov 2010

Digital Blog vs Manual Blog


"I started my Blog, please visit !"


This conversation is very new to me.

But my friend has been blogging for 5 years.
I remember my co-worker in 1994, he told me that
he was writing on his website, and I think back,
it was his blog.   It was 16 years ago!
Blogging is popular, am I the one being slow ???

To tell the truth, I started my blog 2007 October,
and it was both in English and Japanese.

But I only wrote twice and gave up.
My excuse is that 
I had 4yrs, 2yrs and 6 month old babies and 
I had no time!

However, inspired by my friend, I gave it a try again.

This time, I am having lots of fun writing!

Then this made me think back about my father, 
he used to do a similar thing with blogging, but more manualy.
Even before I was born.

My father passed away when I was 4 years old by a medical accident,
I don't remember too much about him.
But I think I know him very well, because of a monthly magazine, 
"Coral".

It is not the coral that is in a ocean, but a monthly magazine
between my fathers friends had been issued for many many years.

After he was graduated from University, his Judo team mate
were keeping in touch with each other by writing letters.

Instead of writing letters each other, they decided to send 
letters once a month to an organizer of the year.
The organizer made copies and mailed it to the each team mates.
This magazine's name was
"Coral".


This is a Manual Blogging, isn't it ?!?!

However, my father passed away when he was only 39 years old,
thus he was able to write only about 15years while other team mates
had kept writing until few years ago, and they celebrated
the 500th issue as the last issue.

Why this "Coral" helped me understand about my father?

At the 1 year memorial anniversary of my father's death,
his team mates got together and pulled all of my father's
writing in the "Coral", typed up and publish a book called
"Yosetsu (passing too early)" as a memorial book of him.

The book was too difficult for me to read as I was only 5 years old.

It was still difficult for me as a teenager.

I moved out from my hometown to go to a college in Tokyo,
 and I brought the book with me as a charm. (not for reading,,,)

My father used to do Judo and trained very hard.
When he broke his right arm during the training, he started to
practice the left arm trick, then he became expert of 
the left arm trick of Judo.

This story is written in the book. 

It was very inspiring for me as I was also training very hard in
gymnastics team and almost wanted to escape from the hard training.
But by reading his story, I thought

"I am his daughter, I can do anything!"

Eventually, the age of the father in the book and my actual age
was becoming closer, and I started to be able to read his book 
finally.

The book was always with me as a protection charm.
By the time I came to Canada 1999, the book was wore out, the pages were falling out, so I had to have elastic band around to hold it together.

One day, I was very tired of being a "mom", the moment of break down,
the book was in my sight and started to read.

At the beginning, I thought
"This is a very difficult book.  I will not be able to read again as usual, and I would fall asleep."

But, I could read.


I could understand, finally !


Finally, I was able to understand
what my father wanted to write.


Then I realize that my actual age was already older than my father's age when he wrote his articles.

I was touched....


Finally, I was able to understand why my father's team mate and my mother wanted to take effort to publish this book, because they wanted us (3 daughters) to know what our father was like.


Maybe, in a future, my children will enjoy reading my blog
but not the near future,

Because, 

I just know that when they enjoy reading my blog, 
I won't be in this world.



25 Nov 2010

Reiki Share meeting

Was cancelled last night.  




It's super cold, it's super windy, 
and it's super dangerous to drive in this weather!

It's not only the weather that makes the road dangerous, 
but it's 
the people 
who are driving with 
super stress 
in this weather!

I think these are the reason that many people could not make to the Reiki share tonight. 


That was totally fine by me!


Because I still got to exchange a healing session with my friend !!!

Instead of 15 minutes of group session (6~8 hands work on one body !), 
we had one-on-one session for 30 minutes each.  
Uhhh~, Ahhhh~, fabulous!


I was in la-la-land~~~~!


Reiki is so relaxing, I just LOVE receive Reiki session.


During the session, I know when my voice comes out like "kwaaaang...zzz..."  somewhere between breathing and snoring and maybe a bit of growling.


That's the healing moment!


If you do not know about Reiki, you should just experience the Reiki treatment !!!




click here to find a Reiki practitioners in your area.



Anyways, 
Reiki share is one of the few things that I take it very seriously.
My mission is to create a quality practitioners, not the numbers.


Quality practitioner who understands what is Reiki.  If people understand what is really Reiki, they remain humble, there will be no ego, "I am healing you." type of ego.


Quality practitioner who can offer Reiki treatments with a good confidence at local organizations like Hospice Society as a volunteer.




I teach Jikiden Reiki.  When I teach, I enjoy so much and put all my passion and energy to the class, just like I play piano.


But what happens is that when people finish Reiki course, they usually don't have too many opportunity to use their wonderful new skill, Reiki.


If they don't use it, they lose the confidence.


Once they lose the confidence, their excitement for the Reiki starts to fade out.






Then they even feel shy to do Reiki and then slowly....done....






For the newly became Reiki practitioner, it is hard to explain what is Reiki. 


People don't know what is Reiki.

People tend to think Reiki is koo-koo.
People tend to think that 
"how can Reiki be 'a healing work' just by placing hands on the body?".
Some people even think that it is some kind of cult religion thing. 




It is hard to get people on the massage table or even on a couch without explain what is Reiki.




click here to find a Reiki practitioners in your area.


Anyways,
I did not want this struggle to happen for the people who learned with me.  I think that the follow ups are very important part of teaching.






At least once a month,  
if there is a safe, comfortable place 
that the Reiki people can gather and 
share their Reiki hands together, 

wouldn't you come ?









24 Nov 2010

1000 hits already ?!





If you look at this blog and go towards the right, there is a number showing
989views.


That means ever since I started this blog, that many visits are here.




Yes I know there are some super blogger who has so many views for their blog site, but I am just so happy and proud of myself that this page had


1000 hits!!!


In fact, I re-started this blog on October 25th, 2010, and I only wrote 18 stories.




Congratulations, Mari !!!!


If you are the 1000th viewer, please email me!!!

Laugh Out Loud vs Lots Of Love

LOL.



Since I have started to enjoy Facebook, Twitters
I have seen "LOL" at the end of the conversation a lot.


I asked myself 
"What does that stand for?"


But I could not ask for a long time.  Because so many people use this mystery word "lol" so often and it looks like "common word" that everyone should know. 




I thought it means,
"Lots of Love".


But as I read, many sentence end with LOL as "Lots of Love" does not make sense.


I really wondered,


"What is LOL ????"




I never thought of Googling it for some reason.







I finally asked people, and it stands for "Laugh Out Loud" !!!

I am so glad that I did not use without knowing the true meaning!!!




My friend told me the critical mistake that a lady made, because she also thought LOL means Lots of Love.


A family member passed away and everyone is saying, "condolences" etc, on facebook, and his mom posted,
"You will be missed, LOL."
Everyone was shocked! He called his mom and found out that she actually thought LOL meant "Lots of Love".




Anyways,


My mom always told me to laugh a lot and eat well to keep your health.




When is the last time you laugh out loud like my son does all the time ?

Click here to see the true laugh that 
makes you laugh !






Let's LOL everyone!!!

Lots of Love,
Mari


21 Nov 2010

Piano is also my teacher

I love playing piano.



I tried many things in my life. 

I did gymnastics for total 10 years, 
Mari on the beam.

I raced windsurfing for 5 years,
Mari doing windsurfing. 


I tried body building (!!!) for maybe 1 year.
This is not me. 




I am also a pretty good knitter, I learned by watching my grandma knitting everyday.


But I think piano is my longest run hobby, so far 33years, and I still enjoy it, and I will enjoy until my hands would not work.




Did you know piano is not only just a musical instrument?


For me,


It is a life teacher.




"Patient"


Piano taught me to be patient.
How?


To be able to complete one music book, I have to read the notes, transfer to fingers, then play and play until the fingers memorise which keys to hit.


No one can play perfect from the beginning.




If I be patient and trust that I will be able to play this music and keep playing, I will get there.


I applied this teaching to my life.


If I be patient and trust that I will be able to achieve my goal and keep taking action toward the goal, I will get there.






"Expression and understanding"


Piano taught me to express myself through the sound, understand the feeling through the sound.


Love and loneliness, joyful and frustration, happy and anger.


They are not only the expressions through the voice and face, it can be through the sound.




If I really put my heart to express my love through the sound, I know people will feel it.


I applied this teaching to my life.


If I really put my heart to express my love through my work, Reiki, I know people will feel it.




A month ago, I was asked to play piano from ladies who came to my place to learn Jikiden Reiki while we were waiting for other class mates.


I said "Yes, with my pleasure!"


I played.


I played terrible!


My hands were stiff, fingers were like sticks.


Rusty.....

"I was better than that!"


Motivation!

I practiced a little bit, and seems like my fingers are coming back!

Yeah !


Thank you for the motivation!

I am spending more time in front of my piano,
than the computer!




I adore this art ever since I was little.
Click here to view Mari in practice !




One of my dream is to do a fundraising mini piano concert
for Hospice Society and Schools.

If you don't mind skipping & missing keys here and there,
you are all invited !


20 Nov 2010

"L" or "R"

My English is my second language.


In Japan, school students start to learn English from junior high school, around 13years old.


Nowadays, many elementary schools have English program, but not in 1980s.


The biggest challenge for Japanese people is the difference between "L" and "R", and also the pronunciation of "TH".


Japanese language does not have the pronunciation "R".


It is hard for Japanese people to roll up the tongue for "R", 





or bite your tongue for "th" , its really hard !







My name is Mari, but the Japanese pronunciation is more like "Madi" or maybe "Mali", not "Ma-ree".  


If people have hard time pronounce Japanese way of saying "Mari", I prefer to be called "Mary" instead of "Mah-ree" .  Mah-ree does not feel good, for some reason.




ANYWAYS,


When I came to Canada in 1999, I spoke very little English.  


I was able to understand what people were saying if they spoke slow, but the challenge was the speaking part!


Best sentences that I could say very smooth were, 
"May I use the bathroom?" (very important)
"Can you speak slowly please?" (even though slow speak does not help)
"Pardon me ?" (just to keep the conversation going)



Well, I was a gymnastics instructor when I came to Canada in 1999, and I had to teach Canadian kids!


I did not know how to say "bend your knees", "tuck your head", "point your toes" etc.


How could I teach while I could not speak ???


I had to write down all the sentences that I would use during the gymnastic class, and practice how to say over and over at home.


"tuck your head,,, tuck your head,,, tuck your head,,,"


I think back, I was pretty brave...




Kids were the best English teacher there too!


I would say 
"Grab your uncle!!!"
In Japanese : "あなたのおじさんつかまえて!!!!”


Then the kids would say
"Its not uncle, its ankle!"
In Japanese ”おじさん、じゃなくって、足首よ、あしくび!”





This is just a little mistake, but R and L can make embarrassing mistake! 
I made so many mistakes because of the R and L !






My host family asked me what kind of food I like.


As a Japanese, I proudly answered,



" I love lice! I eat lice everyday!"
In Japanese : ”わたしはシラミが大好きです! 私はシラミを毎日食べます!”


"OK Mari, lice is the bugs that live in your heard and itchy.  You don't want to eat those buggers."





Oh, OK, its "R", not "L".




Another time, I was telling gymnastics kids loudly and joyfully,


"Crap your hands, kids! Crap your hands!"
”みんな〜、お手手にウンチ! お手手にウンチ〜!”


Kids did not know what to do. The smart girl who always corrected my English whispered in my ear, 

"Mari, you really should not use a bad word like that."






Then, another time,
I saw a wedding and the groom was so handsome!





I said
"Wow, the broom is so handsome!"
”わ〜! あのほうき、かっこいい〜!”



Yes, I got the "R" right, but I did not get "G" this time!


Grrrrr!




The most embarrassing mistake was when the government election was happening.

Yes, eLection.





I was in a car with my boyfriend, and asked him


"I wonder if he is erected?" 

In Japanese : ”あの人、勃起してもらえたかなー?”





"P,Pardon me?"


It must have been hard for him to hold from laughing, while shy, quiet Japanese girl (back then) asked a very vivid question. 




After all these 11 years of English speaking life, I still use the first sentence that I used 11 years ago, 
"Can you speak slowly please?" sometime to my own children.


and I don't mind!



18 Nov 2010

Remembrance day November 11th vs August 15th

Last weekend was a Remembrance day long weekend.


It made me think of my town, Nagasaki.


Todays story will be a bit heavy, but I hope people appreciate to see a part of history.






I joined the Remembrance day assembly at my children's school.  I grew up in Japan, so it was the first time in my entire life to join the Remembrance day assembly!


school children practice for the Remembrance assembly




Oh my goodness, it was beautiful and touching!


I asked my husband, he is Canadian, if he had a Remembrance day assembly when he was in school, and his answer was, of course, Yes.


OK, so it is just "me" being so fascinated by this ritual at the school.


That's OK.






This event reminded me the assembly we had in Japan.


Just like a Halloween and Shoro Nagashi, we have a ritual in Japanese way for the war on


August 15th


I thought,
"How do the world think of August 15th."



I googled it.


Surprisingly, I did not find the information that I was looking for.



It is the day of the World War II was ended, 1945.




If my understanding is correct, 
November 11th the day of the first world war was ended. But the Remembrance day is to honor the souls of soldiers who had fought in the wars in the history,  not only the first world war.  



I found that the ritual for August 15th is a bit different, yet, has similarity to the Remembrance day.  I think it is specific for the World War II, and and it is specific for Japanese people not only for soldiers but also people who died because of the war.


I think it is because of Japan had to surrender after all.




I grew up in a small town called "Nagasaki".








For Nagasaki people, August 9th then August 15th is one of the most unforgettable day in the history, because of the atomic bomb.




I was listening to the CBC radio on November 11th, and at 11:00am I heard the trumpet and my children told me to stop my hands from LEGO.
We went right up to the Radio and joined in standing in silence.




Until my oldest child really understands what is all about Remembrance day, and explained to me, I actually did not know what is really all about.


It was so beautiful to be 
"ONE..." 
with the world by standing in silence.



Every year, August 9th, 11:02am, entire town of Nagasaki stand in silence.  


Not only the radio, but every fire places turn the siren on, VERY LOUD SIREN that every people can hear inside and outside of the building.






Why 11:02am?   


It is the time when the atomic bomb hit city of Nagasaki.


One of the display in the Peace Park Museum that stays in my memory is that every clock in the display are stopped at the 11:02.






When I was born, 1971, Nagasaki had recovered. Japan actually became one of the fastest growing country.


I only heard about how awful it was during the war from grand parents.  


For me, its in a past.  Let's move on.




But I remember in my childhood, maybe around 1981, we were playing hide-and -seek.  We were actually using "bokugo", the hiding cave as a hiding spot. 


When American fighter airplane flew over the town,
people ran into these kind of cave.




I also remember when I had a check up with Homeopath doctor, and she said
" You have awfully large amount of radiation in your body. Just the X-Rays here and there from hospital or dentist check ups would not create this amount of radiation. What happened?"


I said,
"I have not done so much X-rays. SO I don't know why."


She checked up all my medical history and said'
"Oh, you are from Nagasaki, that makes sense, because of the atomic bomb."


I said,
"It can not be.  My family moved to Nagasaki in 1976 and the war had been over 30years before. It is now 2004, so it has been over 60 years."


But I researched about it.


Amazingly, what I found out was that unlikely Hiroshima, the radiation from the atomic bomb could not escape from the land because of the shape of Nagasaki city being surrounded by mountains.  People live on the land can absorb the radiation from the land.


Even 60 years later!!!




Please do not feel offensive about I am bringing up this subject.




But what I wanted to tell to the world is that,



"The scar from the history can pass down emotionally 
and also physically to generation after generation.




If we can stop hurting each other right now, 
small fight between friends, 
big wars between countries, 
and be kind to each other,
we can create more peaceful world in 30years.


I teach Jikiden Reiki.


Reiki's most important teaching is
to live in Gokai, the five principle.




Just for today,
do not be angry,
do not worry,
be grateful,
do your duties fully,
be kind to others.





 I really think the world peace is THAT simple.