Mercury Retrograde and Comet Elenin Transit - August 2-26, 2011

Current Mercury Retrograde Effects for All People during Comet Elenin Transit

During this Mercury retrograde, and due to Comet Elenin currently transiting through our vicinity, I used sidereal astrological calculations, as well as Starry Night Pro 6, to determine real-time (current) energies involved during this Mercury Retrograde. The effect that Elenin may have during this retrograde is an increase in severity and intensity of personal and public issues. Elenin will also be conjunct Mercury in Leo so this may add even more to what will already be occurring. Mercury goes retrograde August 2, 2011, in the constellation of Leo.

Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially those who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, consultants, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, salespeople, teachers, travelers, tricksters and thieves. Mercury also has an occult side, so healing, astrology and the transmission of spiritual knowledge are also in his area.

Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry. Public transit, i.e. air, bus, etc., law enforcement activity, and social unrest may be affected and/or increase during a Mercury retrograde.

It is not exactly wise to make important decisions while Mercury is retrograde, since it is likely that such decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. Make sure you pay attention to the small print!

The conjunction of Mercury to the Sun, which is the heart of the retrograde, will also include Venus. The days leading up to and just after this date are good for the deepest contemplation of your attachments. A time to look at attachments of the heart vs. attachments of the mind. Do you think you love this person or do you really love them? What is love anyway?

With Elenin conjunct Mercury, while Mercury is retrograde, communications, travel, computers, and all forms of electronic communications will be affected dramatically due to the added pressure from Elenin.

Additional Retrograde Effects to Aquarian, Leo, and Gemini People Only during Comet Elenin Transit

Aquarius

Aquarians may be affected intellectually as well as emotionally. Aquarian plans in process will be more difficult to complete due to the strain to think clearly, which leads to emotional frustration. Communication with networking groups, non-profit organizations, and other groups may be very frustrating due to the increased pressure to look within, re-evaluate, and to consider other people’s needs as opposed to the needs of the group only.

During this retrograde, it will be good advice for Aquarians to mind their diet since their circulatory system has a tendency to be affected more than other signs in the zodiac. All things that usually flow for Aquarians will be slowed and/or restricted for re-evaluation. Intuition, awareness, and patience are the main focus for Aquarians.

Leo

Leos may be affected in their ability to be creative and their love for being social center pieces. Leos may also not be able to feel appreciated no matter what is offered to them. Irritability, anger, frustration, and episodes of lashing out at loved ones may be the normal day-to-day events occurring for Leo during this retrograde. Be aware of high stress because this may have a very dire affect on your heart. Leos have a tendency to experience more stress in the heart than other signs in the zodiac.

Gemini

Gemini people should consider their local and distant traveling very carefully during this time since air travel may also be affected more dramatically then in previous Mercury retrogrades due to Elenin being present. Gemini people may appear very ungrounded, flighty, and extremely flirty to the point of being obnoxious. Their need for travel to local and foreign places will feel stifled due to life forcing you to be introspective to see what personal work needs to be done for your personal and spiritual growth. The effect of Elenin transiting through our area at a high rate of speed gives Gemini people the feeling of being a rock that’s been thrown and skipped on the surface of a lake.

Lungs are susceptible to stress for Gemini. Allergies may have an undesired affect, which could cause Gemini to feel choked. In general, a feeling of drowning, choked, restricted, increased chest pressure, and/or any other feeling of restriction during respiration may be prevalent during this retrograde. Slow things down, breath deeply and slowly, and be patient because this retrograde, as with all retrogrades, will be short lived.

Since Elenin is unpredictable and mysterious to us, these traits may transfer over to the affected parties as well. Remaining aware and present will help develop patience and understanding. For all of us, breath, remain present, and accept things as they come without judgment will help during this time of high-speed change.

Blessings,

David-Uriel "Eagle Heart"

Reiki: A History of Healing

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.

Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.

While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.

While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.

Reiki Ideals

During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the five principles of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value.

The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind

 - Usui Mikao


Reiki In Japan

The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai

Dr. Usui discovered Reiki during a mystical experience on Mt. Kurama, a sacred mountain north of Kyoto, Japan in March, 1922. A few months later he started a Reiki organization called the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai which means “Usui Reiki Healing Society.” He also opened a Reiki clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, Tokyo. There he taught classes and gave Reiki treatments. After the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 the demand for Reiki was great and it was at this time that Usui began training other teachers.

Usui was the first president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. After he died, he was followed by a succession of presidents: Mr. Ushida, Mr. Iichi Taketome, Mr. Yoshiharu Watanabe, Mr. Toyoichi Wanami, Ms. Kimiko Koyama and the current successor to Dr. Usui as of 1998 is Mr. Kondo. Contrary to what has been said by some in the west, there is no "lineage bearer" or "Grandmaster" in the system of healing started by Dr. Usui, only the succession of presidents listed above. While Dr. Hayashi was a respected Reiki master and made valuable contributions to the development of Reiki, he was never the president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.

Reiki is a generic word in Japan, and is used to describe many types of healing and spiritual work. It is not exclusive to the system of healing based on Dr. Usui's method. The system of healing that evolved from Dr. Usui's method is called the Usui System of Natural Healing or Usui Reiki Ryoho.

Reiki Origins

There has been a lot of speculation about where Reiki came from, but there has been little confirmation of most of these ideas. Some say that Reiki originated from Buddhism or that it contains Buddhist concepts or techniques. I spoke with a Japanese Reiki master who is also a Buddhist and has done historical research into Reiki in Japan. He said that he could see no connection between Reiki and Buddhism and that he felt that Reiki is religiously neutral. While Dr. Usui may have been a Buddhist, he had also studied Christianity and had lived with a Christian family for a time. It is clear he had a very broad background in many religious teachings and philosophies

The clearest and most authentic understanding we have been able to discover is that Dr. Usui originated the system of healing he taught and practiced based first on his mystical experience on Mt. Kurama and then later by making use of his studies in many different areas of knowledge. Usui Reiki has no connection to Buddhism, nor is it connected to Tibetan Buddhism or Tibetan shamanism or any other religion. One of the stories says Dr. Usui discovered the Reiki symbols in a Tibetan sutra, but even though people have carefully looked, no one has been able to find a Tibetan sutra with Reiki symbols in it. This is further validated by Dr. Usui’s own writing in which he says, "Our Reiki Ryoho is something absolutely original and cannot be compared with any other (spiritual) path in the world." (Taken from his Reiki Ryoho Handbook)

During his mystical experience on Mt. Kurama, Dr. Usui received the ability to do Reiki treatments. Later he added the Reiki Ideals, the three Reiki II symbols, hand positions and the attunement process. Following Dr. Usui's request to develop the system of Reiki, Dr. Hayashi created a complex hand position system based on his experience as a medical doctor and from his experience working in his Reiki clinic. He also further developed the attunement process and may have been the one to add the master symbol, although it is possible that the master symbol was added by Mrs. Hawayo Takata. (Note that Dr. Usui and his organization the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai did not use a master symbol)

Reiki in the West

Usui Sensei asked Hayashi Sensei to develop Reiki which he did and Mrs. Takata, who brought it to the west, also changed the way it was practiced. Because of this, the system that has been taught in the west, which has in turn spread all over the world, is considerably different than the Reiki methods of both Hayashi Sensei and Usui Sensei.

Hawayo Takata

Mrs. Takata developed what she called the foundation treatment which is a simplified version of what she learned from Dr. Hayashi. The foundation treatment consists of 4 hand positions on the abdomen area and 3 or 4 hand positions for the head and a few optional hand positions on the back. In addition, she eliminated what we in the west have come to call the Japanese Reiki techniques, which include byosen scanning, kenyoku and gyoshi ho to name a few.

Takata said Reiki is an oral tradition and because of this didn’t allow her students to take notes or to tape record and she had no written handouts; neither did she write anything about how Reiki is to be taught. (We now know she did teach one class in June, 1975 in which she did give handouts and did allow her students to take notes.) Because of this it became difficult to verify exactly how Reiki is to be practiced. This became especially problematic after she passed on.

Mrs. Takata also added a fee structure. So while the lineage is the same, going back to Dr. Usui, and the 3 symbols from Reiki II are the same as Dr. Usui taught, in many ways, the system of Reiki she taught was different than what Dr. Usui had originally created.

The important thing is that her system is effective with the addition of the foundation treatment being her most important contribution to Reiki. Between 1970 and her transition on December 11, 1980, Mrs. Takata initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters.

The required waiting periods between classes were added by several of Mrs. Takata's Masters after she passed on. Actually according to Mrs. Yamaguchi who became a Reiki teacher under Dr. Hayashi, Dr. Hayashi taught that Reiki treatments should be given for free. This is why he taught mostly to wealthy students who could afford to practice without charging money. So, while some say payment must be received, we know that this is not a requirement and that it is really up to the practitioner to decide if they want to charge a fee or not for Reiki treatments.

After Mrs. Takata's transition, a few teachers began making changes in the way they taught Reiki. Most of the changes were beneficial, and included the addition of knowledge and healing skills the teachers had learned from other systems or had acquired from inner guidance. However, some changes were restrictive, making it more difficult for students to progress. Some took the Third Degree and divided it into several small parts, calling each new part a new Degree and charging additional money.

Often, the fact that they had modified the Takata system was not mentioned and when their students became teachers, they began teaching what they thought was pure Takata style Reiki and even calling it pure Usui Reiki when in fact it was not. In this way, many varieties of Reiki have developed with some thinking they have the only authentic version of Reiki when actually what they are teaching is a modified form. Much of the information on the web about the history of Usui Reiki and how it is taught and practiced has not been well researched and people are simply publishing anything they have heard without attempting to find the source or check references.

In the time since Mrs. Takata experienced transition, Reiki has spread rapidly in the West. It is now practiced throughout North and South America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, India and other parts of the world. There are now an estimated 1,000,000 Reiki Masters with as many as 4,000,000 people having been initiated into Reiki throughout the world.