I pulled up to the familiar building feeling confident, because I had frequented the hair salon downstairs many times, but after my third circuit of the property on foot, and not seeing any signs or window decals, I was stumped. It took a couple of text messages to find the entrance where a friendly guy wearing comfortable-looking clothes and a therapist vibe led me up the narrow staircase to a single room with a massage table in it. Out of habit, I took off my shoes before entering, and then hesitated when I noticed only two chairs. I was the only student. This was unexpected. I had constructed a full classroom in my mind, and was at first uneasy about being the lone student all day.
The room was very warm, cozy and not uncomfortable. The walls were completely covered with tapestries depicting spiritual symbolism and nature scenes; I recognized the chakra system and several other images. Incense burned in the corner. I noted the crystals (obsidian?) discreetly tucked into the four corners of the room on the moulding. For the next four hours we talked. The time flew by, and I was unaware that I hadn’t eaten or even moved from my seat, because we were so involved in our conversation, turning the pages of texts and digesting information as we dipped in and out of ideas, weaving together the diagrams laid out in front of us, taking notes, taking side bars, telling stories and exploring the knowledge we both brought to the table. It was wonderful to be intellectually challenged, to be heard and understood, to delve into subjects not often discussed in social settings, to have deep discourse on enlightening topics. I felt very much in my element.
Mid afternoon it was time for my first attunement. My teacher had me sit upright in a chair in the center of the space, with both of my feet on the ground, my palms pressed together in prayer in front of my heart, and my eyes closed. As he mumbled sacred words to himself, his hands pressed gently into the back of my neck, the top of my head, my shoulders. He traced sacred symbols into the palms of my hands and blew into them, raised them over my head then closed them in front of my heart again. I felt my inner heat rising to almost uncomfortable levels, like fire inside. My face and the top of my head was like lava, his fingers on my spine like embers, I was burning up. I did not feel the urge to escape, but rather a melting or softening inside, like a white heat had scorched something open in me. It buzzed.
We remained in meditation for a few more moments after attunement, and when I opened my eyes, my first thought was “go outside.” I had a driving need to taste fresh air and look at the river rushing behind the building, to take in the trees and the sunshine. I needed to dispel this newly charged heat into the air and breathe deeply. When I slipped out into the cold parking lot, it was like breaking through a pane of glass into the world; my skin tingled with energy and I watched the sun glittering on the water for several minutes while I gulped cool air deep into my lungs. I felt very alive.
The remainder of the day was for practice; scanning with the palms of my hands, feeling energy changes, guiding energy, becoming a better conduit. My teacher expressed chagrin that there weren’t other students for me to practice on, but we worked well together as I learned and gained confidence. A brief final attunement, void of the heat rush, ended the session, and I came home bursting with new knowledge and excited to practice. Luckily I already own a massage table for sound healing sessions, so I dragged that out of storage for easy access. In the evenings, I practice on the dog. I practice with myself and my family. I am getting in touch with it, dialing in on my energy, familiarizing myself with my own aura and the energy that rises off of others; this is not new work for me but I am bringing new knowledge to it, integrating my reiki attunement into my already-familiar energy practices.
I am looking forward to what lies ahead.
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