My Personal Reiki Wow Story

This is my personal Reiki Wow story. On Tuesday, I had two visits to Western medical practices. One was for a reaction to Moderna’s bilateral booster for Covid-19. The second was for scheduled cortisone shots in my osteoarthritic feet. It was the first time I received treatment for both feet in an appointment.

It Starts with the Booster

I received my first Covid-19 booster shot on Friday morning, five days prior. Although concerned about side effects, since I like to travel, it’s a risk I was willing to take.

Each morning I connect to my Spiritual team of guides, angels, and other helpers from God to set my energy for the day. So I took a second opportunity Thursday night concerning my health. I asked archangels Michael and Rafael to protect me from adverse reactions from the injection, especially anything that would interfere with my upcoming trip on a Viking River Cruise.

Immediate After Effects

The injection was painless; I knew it was done when I felt the pharmacist place the bandaid over the site.

Then I stood up and felt dizzy immediately. It was minor, but I thought to ask the pharmacist.

“Do I have to sit for ten minutes before I do my shopping?”

“Oh no, this isn’t like the first two shots. We were the human guinea pigs then. They perfected it now.”

I agreed with his assessment and carefully returned to the entrance to pick up a cart. But unfortunately, the dizziness stayed with me until I sat in my car. Then it returned as I took my two small bags into the house.

The Next 48 Hours

My symptoms were much less severe than I experienced with the second Moderna shot in the fall of 2021. But I noticed the fever during the night, occasional chills, and a general feeling of malaise.

The injection site became increasingly painful, and I had new symptoms by Sunday. I’ll spare you the specifics, but there were bouts of gastrointestinal distress.

Now I’m Getting Worried

My upper arm was swollen and hot to the touch, and there was a red patch the size of a deck of cards. The itchiness was most pronounced at night, but I felt well enough during the day to take the dog for a short walk and pull some weeds in a shrub bed.

Finally, I called my nurse practitioner’s office, and they scheduled me for an appointment at 8:45 am Tuesday. It worked well since my cortisone injections were at 11:15 am, twenty miles away. And there was a Walgreens in between.

Amidst all this, I’d noticed an apparent sty on my right eye. I was headed out of the country in a week and needed to handle any preexisting conditions. I mentioned it to the intake nurse. Then, knowing that my cup of coffee and general anxiety could elevate my borderline hypertension, I took a few calming breaths and gently closed my eyes as the cuff was placed on my non-injection arm. When I heard 136/84, I was amazed.

Katie Miller, FNP-C, explained she had seen many injection site reactions from Covid booster vaccines in her office. Additionally, she shared it takes her about five days to recover fully from boosters, noting it was primarily minor exhaustion. Finally, she prescribed two ointments; a topical for the itching on my arm and an antibiotic for my burgeoning eye infection.

Rather than feeling let down by my less-than-perfect booster experience, I felt in awe that my spiritual team revealed and addressed my unknown health issue.

And Now for the WOW

In preparation for the dreaded cortisone shots in two hours, I’d arranged for a fellow Reiki practitioner to give me a long-distance session. We texted as I waited in my podiatrist’s office to be called into the exam room. Our reiki connection had begun in earnest as soon as we thought of each other. I feel it now, even in a place of memory.

The nurse escorts me to the last exam room and starts the prep work. She sounded apprehensive when I told her there would be two shots. But by this time, I’m in such a calm state that my reaction is as an observer.

I lower my gaze before Dr. Robinson enters the room. The reiki connection is in full bloom. First, I feel the numbing coolness as a liquid flows over my right foot. The next sensation is the same coolness of a fluid flowing over my left foot. Finally, I sense the procedures are complete and open my eyes.

“Wow. I didn’t feel the needle’s prick, the pressure against my joint, or the discomfort of anything. That’s a first! But I confess. I was using reiki with the help of a second long-distance practitioner.”

Dr. Robinson is usually non-verbal. As a result, some would say he lacks a warm bedside manner. But this time, he initiated a conversation about my upcoming trip, sharing his experience exploring Europe while stationed at an air force base in England. I remember thinking, who is this guy? But, of course, I loved every minute of my extended visit.

Two realities seem apparent.

    1. The calming effects of reiki can alleviate pain by changing our physical and mental focus.
    2. This effect extends to others nearby.

An Invitation for You

Did you like my personal reiki wow story? Would you like some of that, too? Here’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss.  Signup for my newsletter and I will offer you, my reader, an exceptional 30-minute reiki experience for $22. Hurry because this offer expires on May 11, 2023.

With loving compassion,
Dawn

Follow the Dance of Your Dreams

Follow the dance of your dreams. Then, when everything seems to block your path, take a deep breath and strengthen your resolve.

Follow the Dance of Your Dreams

Allow your path to flow around obstacles, thanking them for helping you see the importance of your desire to follow through to the next crossroad.

My path includes dipping my toe into my community. So when a new friend told me about contra dances, it was an obvious inroad to meeting people while enjoying a fun evening.

What is a Contra Dance?

First, I wanted to know the answer to this question. A search for “contra dances near me” returned the Boone Country Dancers. It’s almost impossible to describe the experience. The most important fact is that genuine joy permeates the dance hall.

A contra dance is uniquely simple yet deeply complicated. All dances in my area offer a minimum of thirty-minute pre-dance instruction. The caller led us through the basic moves without music, gradually added some live music, and by the end, we flawlessly executed a contra dance.

Perhaps This was a Test

After understanding the concept of contra dancing, it was time to find one. The next dance was the following Saturday night at the Blowing Rock American Legion, 30 minutes from home. As you may have read last week, I was overdoing so much that Spirit stepped in to help. With my energy so scattered, it wasn’t surprising that I experienced a severe, short bout of dizziness on Thursday afternoon as I started to step into the shower. As my week calmed down, there was more room to consider adding something fun to my life.

Perhaps the dizziness contributed to the next stumbling block to attending my first contra dance.

As I sat waiting for my hairdresser Friday afternoon, I searched for a funkier short hairstyle. The results included a photo of Jaime Lee Curtis. I’d admired her bold short style for years but pointed out a less severe option to my hair stylist.

We talked as she snipped, and before I knew it, the floor was thick with my hair! Was this another reason to chicken out of the contra dance?

The Theme is Fun

A bout with dizziness and an unexpected pixie haircut would not keep me from my plan.

I put a raincoat on, left 10 minutes early, and parked close to the front doors with an umbrella poised above me. It had been raining for over two days. But I wasn’t going to let the weather stop me now.

I paused undercover before the front door, shaking the rain out of my umbrella. As I hung up my coat and stashed my umbrella, I reached into my pocket for the ten-dollar bill, my final requirement for admission.

One of the Volunteer hosts welcomed newcomers and first-time contra dancers (like me) with smiles, encouragement, and a special button to wear. In addition to friendly faces, the button guaranteed helpful tips from experienced people while I danced. There were no mistakes. Instead, those experienced partners helped me catch up quickly as we flowed back into the moves.

My first partner during the pre-dance instruction was an experienced contra dancer in her late thirties. Many more experienced dancers came early to help the newbies. After a few dances, people filled the hall, and I sat down for a breather. Soon, a young man asked me to dance. I was back on the floor, remembering more and more moves.

The dances became more complicated as the night wore on. Then, taking a break, I filmed the feet of the dancers in this short video of the dance. The violinist had switched to a recorder, which he delivered beautifully.

My Takeaways

Even though I was one of the oldest women in the dance hall, three men asked me to be their partner. Two were young enough to be my sons. The smiles on their faces added to the joy radiating from both my face and my heart. My last partner was George, who was near my age. He has been contra-dancing since 1980 and calls dances in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Their first dance is next Tuesday night. So I’m spreading my wings next week too.

Many small steps brought me to my first contra dance. You can do this too.

  • Reach out to a new friend
  • Listen to their suggestions to meet new people
  • Find an event near you
  • Step over each hurdle placed in your path
  • Follow through to the event
  • Walk through the door

How did I manage this when I’ve not followed through so many other times?

Going with the flow allowed my natural inclinations and strengths to ease me down the road to joy.

  • Connectedness – realizing the synchronicity throughout
  • Harmony – taking the time to listen to my friend
  • Input – the more information I gather, the easier it is to understand
  • Responsibility – showing up and walking through the door
  • Positivity – I saw the haircut as fun

It’s rewarding to look at my top five strengths from my CliftonStrengths assessment and see how they show up when I follow the dance of my dreams.

The Gift of Sleeping Late

Today I harvested the gift of sleeping late. In general terms, I’ve also heard it referred to as the gift of procrastination. Regardless, for us perfectionist types, this is counterintuitive.

Before the Gift of Sleeping Late

The day before my appointment to install new tires on my Subaru Forester, I was in my usual busy mode. First, the dog had a meeting with the vet at 11 am. Then I planned to bring some artwork for reframing to an establishment in Blowing Rock. Next, I would hurry home to catch a group Zoom meeting for animal communicators. Finally, I planned to participate in a Power Hour of Recipe Organization with Alexandria. TV’s Team Organize.

How do you feel after reading this paragraph?

It doesn’t feel good for me, either.

Of course, it didn’t happen exactly like that.

I hurriedly left home on Wednesday at 10:30 am. Less than a mile from home, the tire pressure light comes on. My heart sank into my gut as I looked for a driveway to pull off the road. As I moved around the car and inspected the tires, the rear passenger tire seemed slightly lower than the others.

I eased back into the driver’s seat, closed my eyes, and asked, “Do I continue to the vet?”

Immediately, I received a gentle ‘No.’

Heading home, I weighed my options. Then I texted my new neighbor, Andy. He volunteered to stop by in the late afternoon and take a look.

The Energy of the Day Changes

Now I had time to consider how I wanted to spend my day. First, I took the dog for a short walk. Then I got my hands dirty planting the sixty Iris reticulata bulbs and the remaining handful of daffodils cooling in the garage. Finally, I gathered up fallen maple leaves for my compost pile. These grounding activities had been weighing on my mind for days. Then, as if to prove the worth of this change of pace, a gentle rain fell as I retreated into the house to rest.

The helpfulness of the day continued when my neighbor, Andy, asked if I still needed his help with my tire.

I replied, “Yes, please.”

Next, he noted that he was headed into town to drop an employee off. “Do you need anything from the grocery?”

“Could you pick up a small container of whole mushrooms?”

I had time to prep the Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe, and Andy would bring the missing mushrooms. He was happy to stay for dinner. The tire would hold with the air from the compressor I bought last year.

The stew exceeded my expectations. Andy enjoyed a home-cooked meal before heading cross country on Friday to be the groom in his upcoming wedding. And I felt relief that my tire would make it to the garage the following day.

Back to the Gift of Sleeping Late

I still needed to learn my lesson. So, although I considered setting the alarm to make my Thursday 8:30 am appointment, I chose otherwise. Expecting to arise at 6:00 am, I awoke with a start to see 8:31 am on the clock.

After a brief conversation with one of the sons of Eller and Sons, he changed my appointment to 2:00 pm. I quickly canceled my workout at 1:30 pm and emailed Matt to let him know I wouldn’t make the 2:15 appointment. Matt called me back, and we rescheduled for Monday; I took a deep, cleansing breath.

I thanked my Spiritual Board of Directors, for giving me the gift of sleeping late. As a result, I had the opportunity to slowly go through a morning of much-needed self-care.

What Did I Learn?

Joy comes from living life in the now. Filling our lives with commitments reduces our happiness. No one benefits. Take time out to relax, regroup, and return to what brings you peace.

Repeating the Reiki Precepts aloud makes my heart feel open and healed. Perhaps you will feel the same.

With Love and Compassion,
Dawn

The Reiki Precepts

For today only,
Do not anger,
Do not worry,
Be humble,
Be honest in your work,
Be compassionate to yourself and others.