Amazing intuition of children.

I just love my Reiki Room.

This is not the subject that I want to write, but 

I want to give a little back ground of this room!

Bare with me !

This space is so so SO relaxing.

When I have a low energy day, I just come to this room

and have a power nap.  In 15minutes, I would be waking myself

up with my own snore.

32 minutes later, I am so refreshed and 

be ready for the rest of the day!

It used to be a very small room.  

If I did a Reiki class with 6 people,

it felt like inside of a crowded bus.

A space of one massage table, and I can walk around.

In 2008, while I was in Japan with my three children

for three weeks, my husband took a wall off and 

expanded the Reiki Room in a double size!

Renovation in progres

With Sauna, Reiki room looks like a mini spa. 

Yes, my husband is very good at 

"surprise gift" !!!

But, again, this is not a point of today's story.

Amazing thing happended in my Reiki Room !!


But I have to write a pre-story, again, OK?


I teach my children how to read Japanese, 
at least a simple alphabets called
"Hiragana"

I love you, in Japanese is
Ah ee shi te ru


in Hiragana, it looks like
あいしてる


Then, if it is mixed with Kanji (charactors)
愛してる


My oldest son and daughter is OK with most of Hiragana.
(I have to keep up with them, otherwise they will forget soon!)

OK, back to the AMAZING story.

One day, I was getting ready for a Jikiden Reiki Certificate class
in my Reiki room.


I put out a white board and pens.


Children came in to the room, and trying to help me, but 
instead, they started drawing on a white board.


My son started to write a Hiragana.


The first Hiragana was 

”み”　(Mi)

I just looked at his "Mi", and did not care much about it.


Then he wrote,

”か”　(Ka)


I thought, "Ummm, this is kind of interesting,
would he keep writing or not?"


He kept writing more and the last Hiragana was,


”を”　(Wo, pronouce "o")


At this point, my heart jumped.


Do you want to know why?




Because, the name of the founder of Reiki is
"Mr. Mikao Usui"


Yes,

"Mi ka o"


I asked my son,
"Why did you chose みかをー Mi ka o, out of all 51 Hiraganas 
you have learned ???"


He said
"I don't know.  I just wanted to write these Hiraganas."


I asked,
"Well, do you know the founder of Reiki?"


He said
"What do you mean by "founder of Reiki."


He did not even understand what my question was.  He was only 7 years old,
and I did't remember teaching him the history of Reiki.


He does not interested in reading my reiki books.


That means, he does not know who is the founder of Reiki.

His intuition picked up Mr. Mikao Usui's name in 
my Reiki Room without knowing about who is 
Mikao Usui.  


In addition, Mikao is not a common Japanese name.

Don't you think this is amazing ???

Well, I do.

　Quickly, I took a photo of his drawing. 

み　か　を

Anyways,,,

Every time when I do Reiki classes, my children come in
and check if there is a white board.




      and leave lovely notes like this.

まま　   だいすき   　いつも　  だいすき
Mommy     I love you    always    love you

My daughter is good at writing Hiragana.

but it always amazes me that she

writes Hiragana amazingly

backwards !

Kid's writings are so cute.

Backwards writing like in a story of

"Whinnie the Pooh"

I might correct the backwards writing if 

they are still doing when they are 30 years old.

But, for now, I just enjoy their

amazingly backward writings.

Because they are so cute!

Blink for Yes

I am teaching Jikiden Reiki Shoden (Level 1) class today and tomorrow !


I just LOVE teaching Jikiden Reiki classes, and, of course, 
giving Reiki treatments.

One of the participant for today's class is severery disabled. She was told from her doctor that she would not live until 3 years old, but now she is 26 years old.


She is on a wheel chair with a head support and good padding around legs and arms. 


She can not walk nor talk, but her mind and understanding is completely clear, if not, clearer than many other adult.


She is going to be a perfect Reiki practitioner for sure!!!


She has this "Zen" moment in her mind.

The way she makes communication is

"Blink" for "Yes"

People around her make conversation with her by asking questions and get answers from her blinking. 

If she does not blink, that's means "no", so people keep asking question until she gives her 

"Yes."

I only spent 5 hours with her today, but I felt like my telepathic communication skill was greatly stimulated.


We should adopt more of this 
telepathic communication skill, 
so then this world will become more 
compassionate and loving place!

I felt so small today.

She needs help for every movements. 

She does not complain, she only ask us to ask her some question

so then she can solve her problem.

I can move my hand to flick off a mosquito, 

I can move my butt if I sit too long.

I can walk to anywhere I want to go,

I can talk and tell my feeling.

I have everything I need.

But, I still complain when I have 

a little headache or even 

a paper cut.

Well, Mari, I have got lots to learn for my life.

Thank you for the wonderful teaching today.


Continued to "Blink for Yes Part 2" 

Honouring souls of the ancestors

I want to write something about Reiki, but I am still going on about Halloween subject.  


Because it is so BIG in this country!


Maybe just because all those shriveled pumpkins are still sitting by the door and made me think of Halloween still.


But when I asked people,


" What is really Halloween means?"


I was surprised that many people don't really know.

I googled it.

I found out that Halloween is actually to honour the souls of the dead !!!

I love it !

It's just not about the candies and costumes !!!

I just love any custom that honour the ancestors. When I do Reiki, I always thank to my ancestors who brought me here.

Over 2000 years ago, the Celts celebrated a holiday they called Samhain (pronounced "Sa-wan"). 
Samhain was the name of the God of Death. 


On the last day of October, (when the harvest season had ended) the God Samhain allowed the souls of the dead to visit the homes they once lived in.


On that night Celts would leave their homes and gather together in a field. 


Once at the field they would build a huge bonfire, 
this fire was as big as a tool shed, to scare away 
all the evil spirits and any ghost, goblins, or any other demons 
that may be roaming around in the night.




The holiday of Samhian was 
an ancestor of the Halloween of today. 




Although it was not called Halloween at first. 


Somewhere around 800 A.D. the Christian church declared 
November 1^st as All Saints' Day to honour all the Saints who 
did not have a special day of their own. 


On this occasion people made their old customs from 
Samhian and the Roman festivals part of the All Saints' Day rituals. 


The Catholic church also made November 2^nd All Souls' Day to honour the dead.


The mass said on All Saints' Day was known as All Hallow mas. 


The evening before, October 31^st became known as All Hallow Eve. 


Over time the name has been shortened to Halloween.

Did you know???

I found it is very fascinating and reminds me the ritual of my hometown, Nagasaki.

In my hometown, Nagasaki, there is a ritual called
"Shoro Nagashi" on August 15th, during Obon holidays.


Obon is the Japanese custom to honor the souls of family's ancestors. 


Every year from August 13 ~ 15, this custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit clean their ancestors's graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars.


"Shoro Nagashi" is part of this ritual that is in Nagasaki. 
It is mainly for the person who passed away within a past year to send the soul to the spirit world.


It sounds beautiful.  You might imagine that the ceremony is heart warming and touching, maybe bring tears in your eyes.


But the day of the Shoro Nagashi is actually VERY EXCITING for people who did not lose loved ones.

My blood bubbles when I hear fire crackers, because 

it reminds me the day of Shoro Nagashi.

The family build a ship looking float. Usually it is decorated with many lantans. 

This float carries a soul of a person who passed away in a past year, and brings it to the ocean to send off to the spirit world.




The family push this float through the town to the ocean.


While they are moving towards the ocean, they use 
significant amount of fire crackers.

video: Fire crackers go crazy

Because of the fire crackers, people tend to think this is a festival, but it is actually a 
Buddhist ceremony.


If you ever travel to Japan in August, please travel down to Nagasaki and have a look at Shoro Nagashi.


Don't forget the ear plugs !!!

Video : Nagasaki Shoro Nagashi

Shoro Nagashi is actually a great dating spot
for high schoolers.
Boy proud of the girl who is in 
a summer kimono.
Hold hands together but no one could see in the crowd.
It is too noisy to make any conversation,
but sharing the same time together.


Ahhhhh, heart warming moments, 
but never happened for me!

Our Halloween tradition

Ever since we moved to this house 2002,

we have a halloween tradition.

Yes, carving pumpkins!

But not in a ordinary way.

We carve our own faces!

We take a photo of our each face and make templates.

Trace the outline face shape, cut out some parts of the face

 to be able to make certain shadows.

Wrinkles are important part of the shadow!

Transfer onto the pumpkin, and start carving.

Gut out the pumpkin as thin as possible.

So then easier to make details.

Use a tiny spiral saw blades.

Tada~~~!  

Let's see how it looks like when we lit a candle inside.

Family!

From the left, Keith, Mayu, Geoff and Mari.

One pumkin was rotten inside, so Brian did not get one this year.

This is Keith.

Keith's pumpkin.

2002, start with family of three.

Keith is only 9month old.

Brian           Mari
Keith

Then, Mayu joined.

Mari     Brian
Mayu         Keith

Then Geoff joined !

Geoff
Mari    Brian
          Mayu Keith

Now we carve 5 pumpkins!

Keith            Mayu          Geoff           Mari

By the way, Brian also made this awsome costume

for Geoff.

Let's see how it turns out.

He is already pretty happy!

Shark, Bunny, Dementor and Harry Potter!

It was such a fun Halloween!  

Phobia, Reiki and pet fruit flies?

I have a phobia. But it is getting better.

I have a caterpillar-phobia, it used to be really extreme.

I can grab cockroach, beetles and spiders, but not caterpillars...

I like organic veggies, but they tend to have little creatures

living under the leaf ....

Until, maybe, last year (2009),

When I found a little inch worm in between cabbage leaves,

I would through the cabbage into the sink, just like 

a rugby ball player, and,

    "Arrgggrrr !!!!"

scream and run from the kitchen to the corner of the house,

and ask my 4yrs old son (now he is 8) to take it outside.

I would avoid to read "A very hungry caterpillar" for

my children as much as I could.

When I did a Savary Island Reiki & Yoga Retreat,

I was asked to do a Reiki session for one of the attendance.

I was so happy to be able to still give Reiki session while 

I came to teach a class!

BUT,

There was a caterpillar in the beautiful Reiki room in the woods.

  "Arrgggrrr !!!!"

I am a Jikiden Reiki teacher, I am teaching people about

Anjin-Ryumei, the state of complete peace in mind.

I am teaching,Gokai, the Five Principle of Reiki.

"Just for today, do not be angry, do not worry

be grateful, do your duties fully, be kind to others."

But I am the one being panicked by just a little 

caterpillar!

Mari, it is time to get over it....

But it is from my childhood trauma.....

One night, when I was 7 years old, I put a fresh washed pajama

and went to bed.

I felt itchy around my belly, but I did not care.

I just scratched and went back to sleep.

Few minutes later, again, I felt itch around my belly.

I just scratched and went back to sleep.

Few minutes later, same again, 

I felt itch. I thought it was an ant.

Well, that's enough, you ant!

Stop keeping me awake! 

and I stood up from my bed.

Thump.  Something fell on the floor.

" Wahhhhrrrrgggg!!!! A caterpillar was in my pajamarrrrrrgggg!!!!

The big black hairy one with an orange head inched away as fast as it could, 

and left a big hives all over my soft little belly.

Ever since, I have a caterpillar-phobia.

But I decided to get over it.  How?

I used Jikiden Reiki and did self-treatments.

People who learned self-psychological treatment with

 Jikiden Reiki,  they would giggle, just by imagining how I do.

Then, I started to use a word "caterpillar" during my Jikiden Reiki class.

I use a butterfly's life as the example of our life's transformation.

egg-caterpillar-cocoon-butterfly.

I still feel hee-bee-gee-bee when I see a word "caterpillar",

but I am OK, I breath.

It has been over 1 year since I became more concious about

getting over this silly phobia.

I am now proud of myself that I enjoyed a science experiment

with my children.  

  

   We had pet fruit flies.

It started with those annoying fruit flies all over my

clean kitchen, making my kitchen looks like a dirty place.

My friend, Marilyn, at Hemingway Cottage on

Savary Island told me how to control those annoying

fruit flies.

A piece of banana in a small container and put a clear wrap over,  tight seal with a elastic band.    Poke few holes with a tooth pick for fruit flies to get in.                  Well, they are smart enough to get in, but dumb enough not to get out.

Then, I noticed that there is a little maggot squirming.


Normally, I would scream and run.


When I see a maggot, it reminds me the story of Bare foot Gen.


I used to be terrified by the story of
"Bare foot Gen" and the role of maggots in the story were horrible.

But I noticed that I was more fascinated.

This is my transformational moment!


Yes, sorry, it is grouse. 

By the way, I am from Nagasaki, and I grow up with those horrifying stories around atomic bomb.    "Bare foot Gen", was one of those story in animation for kids to read.

Mean while, the fruit fly trap is catching so many flies!  

Every few hours, I would let them free outside.  

I am not killing them ! This is a guilt-free trap!

Then I noticed that the little maggots turned into cocoons.


"Wow, kids, look! It turned into cocoons, did you know that ?!?!"


"Yeah, mommy, OK...."


       Not so interested.

I thought if i keep the hole open, I would not know 

which was was the new born fruit fly.

So I even changed the clear wrap to be able to

celebrate the hatch.

 

I did not know the newly hatched fruit flies

are transparent, and it was actually cuter than

others, because I witnessed its birth!!!

This was the story about Reiki and Phobia.

I hope my kids will enjoy reading this story when they are older.