Meditation in Maine

is an excellent way to raise your awareness, mindfulness, so that you can absorb the wondrous energy that all of nature has to offer. Standing near water crashing over falls, or surf spraying high in the air as is crashes against the rocky shore are a few of the things giving off energy that are hard to ignore. Once you allow yourself to open up you find there is so much more that is hard to ignore, regardless of where in nature you are. When was the last time you looked up at the clouds and simply enjoyed their form and delicate beauty, or said a silent thank-you for the warning they gave to you.

In the warmer months of the year I hold connecting with nature workshops in the wildlife habitat surrounding my Center. I lead the way through a small meadow, and woods. This wildlife habitat is only a short distance from the town office and a large country store. This reinforces how absorbing positive energy from nature can happens wherever you are. You can check out the workshops I currently have scheduled one my calendar page.

At the top of the page you see two photographs I took of a butterfly sitting in the palm of my hand. One day in my yard I saw that butterfly in the grass. Because I practice Reiki I feel inharmonic vibrations put out by cells and when I moved closer to the butterfly this is what I felt. I put my hand down, palm up, and the butterfly climbed onto it. I sat for a while with my palm flat allowing Reiki to flow into the butterfly and then I had the idea of taking a photograph of it sitting in my hand. I put my hand close to a sunflower and when the butterfly climbed onto the sunflower I asked it to wait until I went in my house to get my camera. From the time I put my hand down in the grass close to the butterfly, I was offering a flat palm through which Reiki was flowing and the actions of the butterfly were the decision of the butterfly. I returned, put my hand close to the sunflower, the butterfly climbed onto my hand, and that is how the photographs came about. I put my hand back near the sunflower, which the butterfly climbed onto and then flew off. I took the time to allow Reiki to flow into the butterfly, and in return the butterfly gave me the gift of allowing me to take photographs. My lawn was not mowed that day, but it was a day made perfect by an unplanned connection with nature. If you come to my workshop looking for trained butterflies it will not happen, but that is the second butterfly that has crawled onto the palm of my hand, probably because receiving Reiki feels so nice.

Your own backyard has a world of mystery and beauty, if you are open to seeing it in that way. Think of those bold flowers that appear in the most unlikely of places, in weather conditions that seem so contradicting to the arrival of beauty. Think of those garden patrolling toads that look up at you when you lift up a leaf or turn over a piece of sod. Have you ever wondered who dug those tunnels that open into you corner garden? Nature offers the opportunity for you to be knowledgeable of science, to be creative in hundreds of ways, to be spiritual, to refine your senses, and to nourish your imagination.

One of the things that is an enjoyable part of any day is taking time to smile, laugh and enjoy. Nature offers many smiles and laughs that you can receive though any of your senses. Those smiles and laughs can cancel out much of the negative in life. During a Reiki Healing Session I often tell a client how tissues in their shoulders, knees or solar plexus are asking for extra positive energy. In my workshops I teach how to receive positive energy from the earth/nature in many different ways.

For anyone thinking that you might be tired walking around for all those hours, no worry. Stopping and taking time to absorb is a very big part of the day. I have mobility challenges and one of the things I teach is how to draw energy as needed from the earth. This is not a miracle cure all, but a wonderful way to make life happier and easier. There have been times when I simply did not know how I was going to keep my legs moving forward; I tapped into energies offered by nature so that I could reach my destination. Just as Reiki can recharge our exhausted ATP molecules, so can nature, if we allow it to do so.

Nature is both forgiving and teaching. Everything you put into your body and surround yourself with traveled some path to you from the earth. Being omnivores, we obtain energy to maintain the physical body directly from plants, the produces, or other animals.

Each of our lives depends upon nature. Do not your awakening, day's production hours, winding down, and then sleep resemble the four seasons? We do not trap sunlight the way plants do, but have you ever felt “a bit off” during that time of the year when the hours daylight are fewer then night or on some cloudy days? Like plants we also require water. When was the last time you felt better after taking a shower? When the weather is right, swimming can be revitalizing, and so can walking in the rain. The next time when the weather is warm and there is a gentle rainstorm just sit down, under a cover or not, and allow the water to wash away your worries. Or sit in the evening and watch the stars or enjoy the gentle mystery of the moon.

Nature speaks to us in a very basic spiritual way. A better understanding of this comes from reading my article, “Life . . . It's Beautiful”.

My workshops begin by my herb garden beside my Center. From there it is absorbing smiles and energies that we sometimes walk past. In my workshops sometimes people see wildlife and sometimes they do not. However, I ask people not to walk off the trails in case they unknowingly step into someone’s home. This area can help you to appreciate the wonder of even the smallest of backyards. It is a day of learning how to experience and embrace all that nature has to offer without traveling to any designated wilderness.

The life giving sun, the calm of the moon, and the wonderment of plant and wildlife is around us always. Some wildlife does have us overpowered on the teeth and claws front, but no worry about that in my workshop. It is a day to put aside those scary things that have dotted pages throughout history and flashed across the screens in our homes. It is day to remember that our backyards were once the front yards of some amazing animals, birds and more.

Think of the enchantment of a calf that stands such a short time after birth. Remember the soaring Seagull in Richard Bach’s book “Jonathan Livington Seagull”. Think of any wildlife you have seen from your home or car window that has taken you away from life’s down side for even just a few minutes. An older woman once told me if ever I had any problems all I had to do was sit quietly in the woods, and if I cleared my mind and listened the winds would carry the answer to me from the trees. Some people call that meditation, but it matters not what you call it because it simply happens if you allow it to happen.

Some wildlife demands our respect because of the way in which their defenses have evolved; you can learn from those you respect merely by observing them – at a safe distance. While I would never think of a polar bear as a pet, I am in awe at their strength in living in an environment that I could not manage for one day without technical assistance. The wonderment of how those cute bundles of white fluffy fur turn into such powerful forms is a bit overwhelming when you stop and think. Being in Maine, I have no polar bears in my backyard. I am lucky to have deer and their fawns and turkey and their chicks allowing me to see them as they sprint playfully across my lawn. On my Reiki Sessions page is a photograph I took of a deer and young fawn still with its spots. There is much we can learn wherever we are, simply by looking out the window. If you look up you might be surprised at what you see crossing in front of the fascinating forms the clouds create.

As you allow yourself the time to observe nature your stresses can be relieved. If ever asked my opinion of the “perfect couple” I would produce a photograph of a pair of mallard ducks that often visit my yard. They take turns in looking out for themselves and for each other in perfect balance.

Different individuals are drawn to different plants and wildlife for no logical reason, but what harmonizes from the universe is not always by-the book logical. Through my herbology studies I have been lucky enough to read books written by different Herbalists that recognize the spirit within the herb. While learning such things as the doctrine of signatures and properties is important in introducing any plant into your system, learning how to connect in spirit with an herb has an importance of another level.

Life is beautiful if you take the time to push aside those dark thunderhead clouds and see the promise of sunshine. Not Gendai Reiki-ho, Komyo Reiki, healing with herbs, meditation, or connecting with nature fall under in either the columns for faster or easier, but they all group under, “to bring balance into your life”.

I am an avid reader. Some authors fascinate me with the imagines painted by their words, and some I respect the angles from which they view life. In one of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s books he says, “You can’t hurt another person without hurting yourself, nor can you help another person without helping yourself.” This is one of those beliefs that is like the cell that fits perfectly into the receptor to anyone having learned Usui Reiki Ryoho. This is also one of those beliefs that does not only pertain to humans. When you look at any ecosystem, you see how any endangered piece endangers the whole. Both science and universal law agree that when you help any part of nature/wildlife you help yourself. Remember, Little Red Ridinghood is just a fable; wolves are a beautiful part of nature needed to keep that wondrous beauty in balance for our grandchildren to enjoy. As I wrote over thirty years ago, “Stop and think, is there anything more precious than life in any form?"


	In today's fast-paced life we are sometimes too busy to listen to that voice within us that can create masters in the arts and the Einsteins of the world. Also, taking time to connect with nature is rewarding. Every natural system requires energy. Reiki, a unique form of energy not requiring touch, is perfect to share with nature. Especially when the visitor landing on our hand has those delicate wings that should not be touched *If you would like to know how the photographs at the right came to be go to the Connecting with Nature section. "While Reiki, and mediation can help you find happiness looking within, you can also find happiness looking outside."	Perfect Balance Reiki and Nature