When I first got diagnosed with Lupus, almost 10 years ago, I remember going to see a chiropractor in some small town nearby, and she also gave me what she called an energy – balance treatment. She was Christian, and coincidentally, her mom was a secretary in the chaplain office that I had volunteered for years earlier. I remember her praying for me and her hands waving over my body as she prayed. And, I remember leaving her office feeling peacful and filled with energy. Although I did not know it then, she was practicing Reiki meditation and prayer.

Last Friday, after I was told that I have fibromyalga too, I tried hard to remember that chiropractor’s name and the city she was in. I could see her office and the little parking lot behind her building. But, for the life of me, I could not remember her name. But, I remembered her telling me that what she did was a technique called Reiki.

I was on a Ravelry discussion board, talking with others with fibromyalga who were taking the drug I am supposed to start this week. One of the women in the discussion told me she uses Reiki to help her. I was going to try to find a Reiki practitioner to get some more treatments, but she suggested that I get trained to be a Reiki practitioner and learn how to give self-treatments.

I looked up classes in the area – and there was one listed nearby that began the next day. I was worried about the costs for the class and whether I would have the energy to take the two-day session. I called the Reiki master to get more details, her name is Jessica Miller. And, she really wanted me to take the class, even if it meant I had to take a nap in the middle of it.  She even offered the option of just taking one day, and taking the second half of the class on another weekend. I told her I would sleep on it.

That night, I was telling my good friend Mary about my conversation with Jessica Miller and how the class was this weekend. Mary generously offered to pay for my class without any hesitation. “Take the class, you will have the check Monday,” she said.

As I did research on the subject, I read  that several hospitals on the east coast now incorporate Reiki into their treatment plans. Reiki doesn’t promise any cures, but it has helped with pain management, emotional “balancing” of energies, and for many, helps lessen the side-effects of medications.

So I decided to start practicing Reiki- an ancient form of healing meditative prayer that helps balance energies around a person’s body. I spent two days getting treatment while learning how to practice Reiki on myself and others. It was an amazing experience. I had more energy on those two days than I have had all year. I had never been good at meditating -too much thinking in my head - but praying for others comes naturally for me. The techniques I learned helped me meditate without struggling, to focus my energies as I prayed for myself and others. Reiki is about blessing others with positive energy and removing blockages so that energy can flow and maintain balance in the body.  

What is Reiki like? It is similar to the practice of laying of hands in Penetecostal prayer circles, but there is no laying of hands, speaking in tongues, or religious dogma required. There is no religious affiliation to practice Reiki, but there are many Christians who practice Reiki.  The ancient Japanese techniques are simple to learn. The person remains clothed. There is no need for the person receiving the prayer to believe in the results. The Reiki practitioner does not need to work at believing either, although that did help me as I asked God to bless each person.

But learning Reiki has given me an unexpected gift – it has given me faith again to believe that God hears and answers prayers. It has given me the faith to believe that God knows his plans for me, and that these plans are for a good. This weekend, God reminded me that I can’t run from my destiny of helping others and bringing healing prayer in their lives, even if the results are not always the miracles that we want.

So, Reiki is not a new direction for me afterall.  Learning Reiki this weekend has brought me back to the road I left years ago when I stopped practicing ministry. I still don’t know exactly what my future holds, but I know it will be good. I will probably still have a “regular” job, but I know I will also have a healing ministry. For that, I am truly grateful.

So send me your prayer requests, and I will pray. We may never meet in person, but I will pray.