At the time, I had no idea that writing this article would make me see how actually writing the book, Reiki's Highest Potential, had a really positive effect on my personal healing journey. It was quite the eye opener for me. I hope you enjoy the article below.
The Process of Writing Reiki’s Highest Potential
Writing Reiki’s Highest Potential was an idea that I had had for a few years, but I hadn’t made the time for it. Then the first Covid lockdown began and as most of my clients preferred one-to-one treatments, my work completely slowed down. Having already compiled the three Reiki degree manuals which I gave to students for my Reiki courses, I naively assumed that I could just put the three manuals together and that would be the book. However, writing Reiki’s Highest Potential became a journey of re-discovering my roots with healing and establishing in a way, my healing foundations.
The title, Reiki’s Highest Potential, comes from the angle I wanted to take with this book. When I was much younger, I read somewhere about waking up each morning and seeing the potential in each new day, and it became a part of my routine. Seeing the potential of what Reiki healing can do, allows you to open yourself up to that potential. I found the title inspiring, and I hope it inspires others.
As I had the basic manuals, bringing them together into one book was easy enough but I wanted it to be more than just a manual. Reiki isn’t something you learn just from a manual and having the attunements. It’s experiencing the healing, a journey that takes time, and takes you through everything you’ve been through. For some of us, it’s a roller coaster ride and for others a paddle in a warm pool. To show this, I knew I had to make it personal and honest, and that is hard for someone who is quite private.
One difficult thing to contend with was what image do I want to give out? I wanted this book to be personal, to reflect the real me, but I was unsure how to balance that. Do I show myself as a sunny happy spiritual Reiki healer? What about my inner witch, which isn’t so sunny all the time? Then there’s the very logical side of me which constantly fights with my peri-menopausal side? Often confusing and conflicting character traits. The thing is, Reiki is all. It’s light and dark, emotional and peaceful, and so am I. As are we all.
The hardest parts were writing about my cleansing experiences, and my journey through the Reiki degrees. Thinking back, I remembered what I was going through during each degree and saw where I am now, how things have evolved, how I have evolved. This book did not start as a personal journey through healing for me, but it ended up being that way.
For the reader to feel a connection to the journey of my growth, to find that common ground, I felt that I had to be honest with myself about my journey before I could really be honest with the reader. And so, it became more than a manual. Writing through the Reiki Degrees allowed me to remember, feel, relive and process trauma that I thought was dealt with. It opened wounds from my past and gave me an opportunity to heal them from an older, more experienced me.
I re-wrote many parts because I had left out details and somehow the words felt false, like I was hiding a manner of flaws from the reader. It feels right to be honest about who I am now and who I was in the past. It shows how I’ve evolved without even realising it. I began to find my direction and felt more comfortable about giving details about my life and healing journey that were personal and important to me.
Another stumbling block was, who is the reader? Who am I writing for and who will want to read it? I knew I wanted to keep the manuals simple and easy to follow, each Reiki degree having its own chapter, with just the basic knowledge and a few good pointers. It was important to me that the book was practical and useful for Reiki Practitioners, and to other healers or novices. I decided that I wanted this book to be open to all who want to learn about healing themselves and even if they don’t want to be Reiki Practitioners, they will still learn how to meditate and maybe learn more about themselves by using The Five Principles of Reiki to guide them. Putting in the kotodama and symbols with explanations on how to use them seemed like the natural thing to do. I know this goes against what many Reiki Masters believe, but I really believe that the world needs more healers, and my book may inspire some people to find their inner healer.
I wanted to find a balance between the spiritual and science elements of Reiki, so readers don’t feel like they need to take a particular path which is not true to them. Reiki is both spiritual and scientific, the readers should take what feels right to them. Most of all, I wanted the reader to be given a foundation which they will build on, somewhere to start their own healing journey.
Now to me, the book is more. I read my book when I’m looking for guidance or when I’ve forgotten something due to brain fog. I read my words, remember and find inspiration to pick myself up and carry on. The process of writing this book took me on an unexpected journey and ended with a little friend in book form.
]]>
4 weeks to go….
I thought I would give you an extract from Reiki’s Highest Potential, so you can have a little read before your very own copy arrives. Obviously I’m hoping you lovely people will pre-order a copy on-line or buy one from a book shop when it’s out on Friday 27 May 2022.
I chose this particular extract as most of the book is a manual, and I wanted to share a couple of pages that explain how Reiki has become such a big part of who I am today. How it’s lifted me and grounded me and been my guide on my many travels through life since I was first attuned. Life for all of us, regardless of who we are and what we have, will always bring ups and downs, positives and negatives, joy and sorrow. How we deal with the challenges of just being alive, really matters if we want peace, if we want to look at ourselves with respect, love and kindness.
You don’t have to be a Reiki Practitioner to read this book, it is for all who are interested in healing, well-being, mindfulness and cleansing. There are many meditation exercises and guidance on how to live a life that is more suited to you, as an individual. Reiki is for the self, first and foremost, and when we start to heal ourselves, things start to fall into place in a way that is most suited for us. But we have to do the work, and self-healing is work, it doesn’t just magically happen.
I hope you enjoy the extract.
Love Sarina x
….
Reiki’s Highest Potential by Sarina Korotane
Pages 134, 135 & 136
What I’ve found throughout my personal Reiki journey is how resourceful Reiki actually is. Whenever I have troubles, a physical issue or feel out of sorts, I turn to Reiki. Whenever I feel negative energy in a situation or a location or with a group of people, I turn to Reiki. Whenever I need lifting I cocoon myself in a Reiki bubble. I give myself 21-day Reiki cleanses whenever I feel a need to connect on a deeper level or if I’m dealing with pain or dis-ease. It’s now in my psyche as the go-to resource. Reiki in many ways is my companion, my teacher and, to be fair, my reality checker or arse kicker.
However, and I cannot stress this enough, if I need to see a medical expert, I do, and I will take any medicine that the doctors see fit because they are the medical experts. Yes, I include Reiki in all or any healing that I need. I believe that Reiki will benefit any healing required, by clearing away any blocked energy, and that it works hand in hand with medicine to improve my health and well-being.
Reiki is, however, more than just a companion to any medicine I receive. Reiki has given me the tools to really accept myself and, alongside the Five Principles of Reiki, has taught me to evolve and grow whenever I’ve needed to. The Five Principles of Reiki have taught me that self-love and self-discipline go hand in hand together. Loving and taking care of myself is something that I still battle with, but it has also made me very aware of the fact that I alone am responsible for my actions, words, life. Without the tools of Reiki, I have no idea where I would be right now, but I do know that I would probably be living and working in toxic environments and still have toxic relationships. Reiki has allowed me to remove the dis-ease, the drama, and the behaviour patterns that kept me in trauma.
At each point of my life since I first learned Reiki, I have had to grow to be the person I needed to be at that particular point in my life. I’ve had to find my highest potential at that moment in time and it’s not been an easy ride, but it’s allowed me to see who I really am, flaws and all, and that has given me the tools to grow into what I needed to be.
Reiki has allowed me to slowly but surely remove all the layers that I thought the world had put on me to conform to. Reiki has allowed me to see that I only belong to me and I am responsible for me. I love my partner and family, but they don’t belong to me and I don’t belong to them. I and they are our own unique little cosmic beings with our own unique paths. Reiki has given me the tools to recognise myself, accept myself and fall in love with myself and to treat all others as I now treat myself – with respect, with love, with kindness.
But also I’ve come to realise that I no longer fear walking away from anything or anyone that feels negative to me. I no longer feel guilt over putting myself first and being selfish in such a way as to keep negativity away from me. I no longer look for acceptance, because I’m not afraid any more of being different or standing alone. Of course I do still get the odd doubt now and then, but I have the tools to overcome that.
Now, I’m in a place where I’m growing again, where my body is changing and I physically feel older, slightly broken, but it’s OK because I still feel young at heart. I’m learning constantly about the world around me and also about me, how much I’m changing as I come to another era of my life, and I look to what future I have with a keenness I never felt before – probably because as we age, we do stop caring so much about what others think or do. I just want to live out my life with my partner in a quiet, happy space, on my terms, and I’m willing to fight for my terms.
I won’t always be a professional Reiki Practitioner, but Reiki will always be my go-to resource for any cleansing or healing I require. Reiki allows me to love, to give, to be grateful, to recognise my strengths and weaknesses, and to understand myself and my place in the universe. Reiki will be to me what I need it to be, always for my highest good, to be my own unique highest potential.
]]>
This is exciting and terrifying at the same time. My first book, Reiki’s Highest Potential, is being released on Friday 27 May 2022. 5 weeks from today!
I’m sure I’m feeling the same as every first-time author, a little bit sick, and excited, and anxious, and definitely excited and definitely a little bit sick. However, and this may seem strange, but when the anxiety starts, I find myself picking up my copy. I find that reading through various parts of the book feels like a hug and gives me comfort. Other times I feel like I’m getting a kick up the bum, and a mental tug towards the ‘be positive, you have nothing to feel anxious about’. I must also admit as my memory deteriorates with age, it’s the perfect size to carry around and get the information I need straight away instead of having to wait 5 minutes for my brain to catch up.
I’ve been procrastinating (Yeah, really, have you read my past blogs?) about the whole PR and marketing, because it’s not a strong point for me at all. I’m really good at putting off social media posts etc. But I have to finally get on with this, so I thought the best way to introduce you to the book is to give you an introduction haha. This is the official book intro which has been sent out to magazines, bloggers etc. I hope you find it interesting, and maybe pre-order your very own copy.
….
Reiki’s Highest Potential is an open, honest and informative book which explores the origins and healing practices of Original Usui Reiki, both Eastern and Western philosophies. It follows the method/practice that was developed, used and taught by Mikao Usui, and how Reiki learning has evolved into what is now taught globally. This book teaches the reader how to use Reiki healing to cleanse energy blocks which cause dis-ease and imbalance within the physical, mental, emotional and energy/spiritual bodies, and takes the reader on a journey through the three degrees, giving them the tools/techniques taught in the book to heal themselves, and to find their highest potential.
The author, a Reiki Master herself, wrote this book for all those interested in Reiki healing, from new comers who don’t know what Reiki is, to Reiki students and Reiki Masters, and to people who have been attuned but have not practised in a long time. This book is also useful for people who are interested in well-being, mindfulness, mediations or breathing techniques to calm the mind when anxious or going through trauma.
Each of the three degrees, Shoden – 1st Degree, Okuden – 2nd Degree, and Shinpeden and Shihan Master Degree contain both the Eastern and Western philosophies and practices, all the basic information, meditations, exercises, and practical uses for that particular level of Reiki. Included is how the cleansing process works after being attuned to each degree, and how this cleansing can literally change your mind set and release hidden trauma and dis-ease.
Shoden teaches the reader about self-healing and how to begin the journey into healing, where emphasis is very much focussed on first being connected to the Reiki energy and learning how to conduct self-treatments. The Five Principles of Reiki are explored and shows how bringing those into your everyday routine, can free one from negative emotions and thoughts, a way to retrain your brain to think of positives and not the negatives. Shoden is very much about self-healing, about investing in your own physical, emotional, mental, and energetic/spiritual self.
Okuden teaches how to connect to different Reiki frequencies via Kotodama and symbols to heal on the deeper levels of the emotional and mental bodies, and how to build a cosmic bridge to send Reiki over long distances or different time periods. This level also looks at the all the practical elements of working as a professional Reiki Practitioner, such as how to prepare for clients, how to conduct professional treatments, and how to work within the limits of the law, with integrity, ensuring that the treatment is always for the clients’ highest good.
Shinpeden and Shihan Master Degree teaches how to connect to further Reiki frequencies via Kotodama and symbols which heal much deeper on the soul/spirit body, the process and how to conduct Attunements and Reiju Empowerments, enabling Reiki to be passed onto others. This level also looks at all the practical elements of teaching Reiki to others, such as how to prepare, price and time your Reiki courses for students. There is also an emphasis based on the Master Degree being the beginning of your soul healing journey, and that Reiki learning does not end with the Master Degree, but is something that we constantly relearn throughout our lives.
This book does contain the Kotodama and symbols with explanations on how to use them, ensuring that all the information a Reiki practitioner needs is to hand. These are not commonly printed or shared with people with no knowledge of Reiki, as we are taught that the Kotodama and symbols should be viewed as sacred and secret. This book explores how being open and honest about Reiki practices, welcomes more people to come and learn without committing. The basis being that they will come to Reiki when they are ready, with an open mind and a willingness for healing.
But the book does not end with the Master Degree. Throughout each degree, the author writes about her personal journey through each Reiki Degree, how the cleansing process changed her view of herself, and how it guided her to discover who she was and how to reach her highest potential at a particular moment in her life. The journey continues with her becoming a professional Reiki Practitioner and Reiki Teacher, using her experience to give an honest account of how to grow into these positions with confidence, whilst making a few mistakes along on the way.
The book finishes with additional symbols that the author connects to and how her Reiki healing has continued since taking her Master Degree ten years ago, allowing her to continue growing, evolving and finding her place in healing.
This book is a guide on how to use Reiki to heal yourself – be it your mental and/or emotional life to improve your career or personal relationships, or physical issues, or your personal energy/spiritual life to gain more perspective on who you are on a deeper level, so you may reach your highest potential.
….
Next week, I will publish an extract from the book, so keep your eyes peeled for my blog.
Love Sarina x
]]>
I’ve finally completed my 21 day Reiki cleanse yesterday! Even though I had to restart the whole 21 days after the first week. This, I think, has been the hardest 21 day Reiki cleanse I have ever completed and as a Reiki Master with over 10 years’ experience, that’s quite a statement to make. It’s so strange to me that I was procrastinating over self-healing, when giving myself Reiki is something that I normally enjoy. I must be honest, the Reiki treatments I was giving myself for the first week were only short, and not as long as I would normally do, but at least I tried. I asked the universe to guide me and help with my motivation to continue with the Reiki cleanse, because you know, procrastinating over healing is an actual thing…
So you’re aware, I suffer from a condition called temporomandibular disorder and, I also think trigeminal neuralgia, both of which cause extreme headaches. There’s not much that can be done for these conditions other than facial massages and exercises. Muscle relaxants do not agree with me so I can’t take them and painkillers do not work when it’s bad.
So as I said, I was having problems motivating myself to carry on with the Reiki cleanse, asked the universe to help and then the universe decided half way through the Reiki cleanse that I was due the headaches again. I spent the rest of my Reiki cleanse with my hands constantly on my face and head and Reiki was flowing! I ended up doing Reiki on myself at least 5 times a day just to cope with the pain. The universe really does have a dark sense of humour at times. But hey, if you ask the universe for help or guidance, it answers, though not normally as you would like it to…
However, it’s not just the headaches that I experienced with this Reiki cleanse. During the last week, my mood dropped so low and I started crying, a lot. I felt as if all the little issues/problems I have were suddenly mountains that were impossible to climb. I felt restricted and unable to move forward, though I was still giving myself a lot of Reiki due to the headaches etc.
I am well aware that this is quite common when cleansing and releasing hidden trauma and dis-ease. To be able to release the negativity we hold inside, we must deal with it. We have to acknowledge the dis-ease, the trauma and negativity and the reasons why we’re angry, fearful, worried, or holding onto ego and pride. We have to let these things go so the negative spaces inside us can be filled with love, healing and the need to move forward and overcome issues.
It is very common for us as humans when dealing with old traumas or dis-ease, to bury it deep inside ourselves, suppressing it, hoping that it will magically disappear. But it doesn’t. The deeper we bury our dis-ease, the more damage it does in the long term. It can make us physically sick, it can cause mental health issues, and it basically poisons our personal energy. It needs to be released.
Reiki cleansing can be brutal but it results in letting go of the stuff that is holding us back, the stuff that no longer serves us well. Crying is healing and I needed that. I also needed to ask for help and though it took a few days, I did, no longer allowing pride and ego to hold me back.
I have found though, that I’m definitely a little more pro-active, and not re-active, and that makes a difference. I’m also very aware of the fact that the cleansing will take time and I may not see the full benefits of this Reiki cleanse for a good few months. I’m going to try to enjoy this journey to get over my procrastination issues, face it and face the stuff I need to do. I’m doing this for myself. I owe myself good things.
I should say, self-healing is something that we all really need to invest in, and it’s never a one off situation. As we go through our daily lives, no matter how well things are going, our energy can become stagnant or blocked or attacked by negativity and clearing it is required constantly. Sometimes the cleansing is relaxing and uplifting, and sometimes it feels raw and painful. I’m so glad I have the ability to give myself Reiki whenever I require it. That I have the Five Principles of Reiki to guide me. I’m very glad that I found Reiki.
Love Sarina x
]]>So I should be a third of my way in with this 21 day Reiki cleanse. I am not. I keep forgetting to do it, and when I do, it’s only for 5 or 10 minutes maximum. This is strange as normally I never have any problems with self-healing but I’m finding it very hard to stick with this Reiki cleanse.
As a Reiki Master with over 10 years’ experience, I am very much aware that self-love goes hand in hand with self-discipline. That if I want to succeed I must put in the time, the focus and the commitment. I must prove to myself that I can do this and yet it has turned into a chore that I keep putting off.
So I’m turning to the Five Disciplines of Reiki to help guide me.
Just for today…
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be grateful
Do your duties fully
Be kind
So I’m not angry with myself. I’m not going to worry about this. I am grateful that I have the ability to give myself Reiki whenever I need or want to. I will do my duty fully and commit to this Reiki cleanse. I will be kind to myself. I will start over again and try to commit to the 21 days of self-healing, self-love and ensure that I have the self-discipline to continue till the end.
It is funny though that the one time I really find it difficult to commit to a Reiki cleanse it has to be all about procrastinating…
I am finding though, that once I’m up in the morning, I do have a little more energy. I’m beginning to get that need for urgency in the pit of my belly to complete tasks. So I am aware that the self-healing is still having an effect on me though I’ve not been able to complete it properly. Today I started the 21 day cleanse again and was able to commit to 15 minutes, and so that’s an improvement.
I have a list of things that I’ve been putting off. I have written a book which was taken up by a Publisher and will be available to buy in 2022. As part of my contract with the Publishers I have to commit to some marketing tasks which includes social media and I find social media quite difficult. I find it hard to write posts and connect with this online world, so I always put them off. But writing this blog and putting it up on social media is surprisingly actually not too difficult. Strangely for someone who hides from the social media world, I don’t really mind sharing these personal details with you. Maybe it’s because I can’t see you guys. Who knows…
There’s so many things I need to get done that I just procrastinate over and put off. I’ve been writing stories in my head since I was a child and I started one a few years ago, a fictional story involving Reiki and I’ve only written about a tenth of it. I have the whole story in my head, but getting it out of my head and onto paper is like trying to climb a mountain in high heels, and so I put it off.
Anyhow, just in case anyone wants to know how I conduct a self-healing, this is what I normally do. I always take time out to myself in a quiet room and if there’s anyone around (basically just my partner), I let them know to not disturb me and I put my phone on silent. I normally sit in bed or in my Reiki room (both at the back of the flat overlooking gardens) so I don’t have to hear traffic noise or anything else. I do always play the same music or listen to nature. I ensure that I’m warm and comfortable and go into meditation.
I put my hands in Gassho (prayer position) and ask the universe. ‘Please join me in this healing, let the healing energies flow through my arms and hands and into my being for my highest good. Allow the universal energies to flow through my being removing all dis-ease and negativity, to unblock any energy blockages, remove all poisons and toxins and fill my being with love and healing.’
I will then envision the required energy frequency (symbol or Kotodama). Keeping my hands in Gassho on level with my heart chakra, I tap my hands together 3 times to invoke the power of the energy frequency required. I will then lift my hands still in Gassho to my third eye chakra and again tap and invoke the same energy frequency 3 times and then I move my hands back to my heart chakra and repeat. This allows me to build up the energy in my hands and I then place my hands on my body, normally my chest and allow the energy to flow into my being.
Now I say ‘being’ because it is never just my physical body that I’m healing. I’m healing my emotional body, my mental body and my energy (soul, spirit, aura) body. I also direct the energy to where it needs to go so I’m not trying to put my hands on my body in uncomfortable positions, because that makes me lose focus. However if I do have a physical issue for example a painful muscle, I place my hands on that part of my body as it helps ease pain and discomfort.
There is one thing that I find is the most important thing when trying to heal. Intent. Without intent there is no focus, and so no healing. The intention to heal must be the focus.
So yeah, I had to restart my 21 day Reiki cleanse again, but I’m not worried about it. I’m going to commit again and keep my intention and focus on it. This is self-love, even though the self-discipline is hard, I know I can try and try again.
Love Sarina x
]]>Hello everyone. My name is Sarina Korotane and I am a Reiki Master. I've decided to start blogging about my life as a Reiki Master and how Reiki on a daily basis helps me deal with life's challenges.
So for anyone who doesn't know what Reiki is. Well, Reiki is a practice/method of energy healing developed by Mikao Usui who was a Japanese Buddhist monk. 'Rei' is the Japanese word for 'Universal' and 'Ki' is 'Energy'. Reiki is basically the 'Universal Energy' that flows through everything that is fundamental to life itself, and within this energy force there are lots of different frequencies that heal, cleanse and support life. It is not something that we can specifically see (though I'm sure there will be some people who have an ability to see it), but it is something that we all can feel and connect to.
I'm not going to go into the ins and outs of Reiki itself, but if you want more background, take a look at my website www.thereikistudio.co.uk for the history etc. If however, you have any questions, make a comment and I'll get back to you.
Now here's a little info about me. I'm a perimenopausal woman, 48 years old, Indian heritage but born and bred English, a proud Witch and living with my fiance on the South Coast of England.
I am the biggest procrastinator in the world! To be fair, there may be a couple of people out there who may actually beat me on this, but I'm not far behind them. I started this Blog on the 2nd December 2020, after spending around 6 months thinking about it... but I am getting this damn thing out today!
I was somehow under the impression, for all of my life, that procrastinating was basically 'being lazy'. I believed for years that all my problems and the lack of material stability in my life, came down to the fact that I was lazy and I found it hard to find any kind of middle ground with this belief in myself. Then one day last year, I came across a quote by David Cain.
'It turns out procrastination is not typically a function of laziness, apathy or work ethic as it is often regarded to be. It's a neurotic self-defense behavior that develops to protect a person's sense of self-worth. You see, procrastinators tend to be people who have, for whatever reason, developed to perceive an unusually strong association between their performance and their value as a person. This makes failure or criticism disproportionately painful, which leads naturally to hesitancy when it comes to the prospect of doing anything that reflects their ability - which is pretty much everything.'
This quote, slapped me in the face and said, 'there you go, that's your issue!' All of a sudden, I actually felt a little more understood, by myself. I felt as if something was released, something negative left me, and left a little room for something positive. But learning something new doesn't mean that it's going to change your life straight away. I know, I've been sat on this quote for over a year and I'm only actually today finally writing this bloody blog. It's taken me a year but I've come to realise what I've actually learned from this quote.
It's taken me all this time to find the 'brave' in me to finish this first blog. And that's a strange thing to admit to, to try to find the 'brave' in me. People who know me don't realise how 'not brave' I am. Mainly because I'm a bit gobby and come across as confident in every aspect of my life. Don't get me wrong, I am confident in many areas of my life but I am still afraid of failure when I'm standing alone.
I find putting up posts on social media really difficult because I'm not sure how honest to be about me, I'm not sure of how to present myself or if people will like me and want to connect with me.
Procrastinating has affected much of my life and I don't want it to anymore. So... I'm starting a 21 day Reiki cleanse to help release this from me. Over the next 21 days, I'll write about what I've learned over the past year about my procrastinating and keep you updated on the Reiki cleanse.
Ah and I should mention that the reason for starting the 21 day Reiki cleanse today, Thursday 10 June 2021 is because it's the new moon, which is always a great time to start any projects, etc.
Let's see how this goes...
Love Sarina x
]]>