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Minutes                       November 2000
11th NZ Reiki Masters� Gathering
held at Lower Hutt 2-4th November 2001

Attended by:

37 Reiki Masters attended this year's gathering. They came from: Auckland = 3; Australia = 1; Christchurch = 6; Invercargill = 1; Leigh = 1; Manaia = 1; Ngaruawahia = 2; Nelson = 1; Picton = 1; Taupo = 1; Upper Hutt = 2; Waihi = 1; Wanganui = 1; and Wellington = 15.
Welcome

After dinner Ann and Whiro Ratahi, the hosts of the 11th NZ Reiki Masters' Gathering, welcomed everyone and then each Master lit a candle and introduced themselves. This years' gathering was the largest held so far in the 11 years New Zealand Reiki Masters have been meeting. We had one overseas visitor, Jude Priest (her spiritual name is S'Roya), who came from Brisbane, Australia.

The format of the Gathering has changed. For many years it was an open forum based on an agenda that was set on the first evening of the Gathering. Last year the Christchurch group introduced speakers. This year the Wellington group continued with the idea of having speakers and planned the agenda before the gathering. They did not call for discussion topics but did allow time for several people from outside the Wellington area to speak about some aspect their Reiki. Discussions were held around and on the topics presented by the speakers. This format for a gathering was well received by all who attended and people tended to refer to the weekend as a conference rather than a gathering.

Talking at the Table

Bayly Tanner was the first speaker to take the floor. He described how he went about explaining energy and how it worked to his students. He then asked that we give each other Reiki treatments and while giving the treatments talk about what was happening. This led to some objections as several people prefer to give Reiki treatments in silence as a way of honouring and respecting the person receiving the treatment. Jude Priest suggested that we look at the treatments we were about to give that evening as a teaching tool rather than as a healing session - an opportunity for Reiki Masters to learn more about teaching students about what happens during Reiki treatments.

The Gathering adjourned to the chapel at Frederic Wallis House where Reiki tables had been set up earlier in the day. Each Reiki Master received a 5-minute treatment while the rest discussed points about giving and receiving Reiki treatments and how they teach their students about treatments. Once everyone had received a treatment a person from each group spoke to the Gathering about what had been discussed in their group. It turned out to be a very interesting session and we all got some Reiki at the same time.

Highlights of a Personal Journey

Gloria Warrender spoke about her journey as a Reiki Master. She described how she teaches Reiki at Wellington College and the WEA (Workers' Education Association) where she teaches to 1st Degree Reiki to groups with 8 or more people. She described two of her Reiki highlights and then asked the gathering to divide up into groups and discuss their Reiki highlights to each other. This generated lots of discussion, as it is the highlights of Reiki that excite us as Masters and make our Reiki practice and teaching worthwhile.

The Beauty of Reiki in a Clinic

Lois Reid is a beautician and a Reiki Master and in her clinic the two come together. Her clinic is Colours, Health & Beauty, at Settlement Arcade, 155 Willis Street, Wellington. Some of her recommendations were:

  1. Display your certificates so that your clients can see them.
  2. Have Gift Vouchers available for Reiki and other treatments so clients can purchase them as gifts for friends and family.
  3. Have Registration Forms available for your Reiki classes.
  4. Ensure everyone in the clinic has done Reiki - this sets up a good vibration for your business.
  5. Case Notes - record all treatments done and whether you gave just Reiki or a combination of Reiki and Massage, a Facial, etc.
  6. References or notes about treatments - Ask your clients for written references and display them for others to see. Or keep a booklet of the stories people have about their treatments. Lois gives her clients their fourth treatment at half price if they bring in notes about what has happened to them during their series of treatments.
  7. Welcome everyone one who comes into your clinic - don't pick and choose who you want to treat.
  8. At all times be professional in what you do.

Lois's inspiring presentation included a very long scroll showing certificates, references, letters, forms, and even a series of drawings by a client who wasn't good at writing and so had explained her journey to healing by drawing how she felt.

Lois and her staff gave free 15 minute Reiki Treatments on 15 August as their tribute to International Reiki Day. They were busy all day. Only three people of all those they treated didn't come back for further treatments.

At Colours, Health & Beauty a full hour's Reiki treatment is $65 and a half hour treatment is $35. Lois recommends 4 Reiki treatments, the second within 48 hours, and the 4th a gift at half price if they write a report of what has happened to them during their treatments. She recommends that her clients put themselves first at least once every month and some of the ways of doing this is to have a Reiki session, massage or beauty therapy.

Saunas, Massage & Reiki

Clive Rivers' involvement in the health industry began 8 years ago when he bought Health Mensana at 80 Tory St, Wellington. Mensana is Latin for healthy body/healthy mind. The business originally came into being after the 2nd World War when a large number of Europeans, who were used to having regular saunas and massages, immigrated to NZ. Although Mensana is known for saunas and massage there are four people on the staff who do Reiki. Reiki sessions cost $60. Clive also does Reiki at Raumati on Tuesdays.

Clive stressed that it is very important to be professional at all times. This includes keeping client records and treating clients with dignity and respect.

Anatomy & Physiology

It has been suggested by Reiki NZ Inc that at some time in the near future Reiki practitioners may be expected to have a Level 4 Anatomy and Physiology qualification. Marie Angelo reported to the Gathering that she had investigated several institutions around Wellington offering Anatomy & Physiology classes and found that not all of them were up to the required standard and most were expensive. If you are looking around for such a class she recommended:

  1. Query whether they are NZQA registered.
  2. Discuss the institute's prospectus.
  3. Check that the course will comply - ie: is to Level 4 standard.
  4. Check that the institute is a signatory of the NZ Natural Health Practitioners Charter, and what board of the Charter they come under.
  5. Don't sign any forms until you know exactly what you are going to get for your money.

Marie suggested that we all share info with each other about the classes available.

This topic generated quite a lot of discussion. Sue Finlay pointed out that the NZ Homeopathy Society, which is NZQA, runs an Anatomy & Physiology class - but you will need to do 100 hours of practice.

You may also be able to study the anatomy & physiology component of a nursing course run by Polytechnics around New Zealand. It would pay you to check this out when you are deciding to do an anatomy & physiology class.

There was also some discussion about whether Reiki practitioners need to do an Anatomy & Physiology class - after all we do not need to diagnose with Reiki and we can just let it flow to where it is needed. However, Martin Cockitt said that it would be a requirement set the NZ Natural Health Practitioners Charter and we will have to comply if we want to be accredited by the Charter.

Chia Magner said she discovered that the biology paper she took at university was enough to cover the Anatomy & Physiology required by the Charter. Martin Cockitt advised that it would pay to check with Reiki NZ Inc first to see if some training you may have done in the past such as nursing, massage or a university biology paper for instance will satisfy the Charter requirement for an Anatomy & Physiology qualification.

Taking Reiki to Work

Marie also spoke about taking Reiki into the Corporate Sector. She works at the Head Office of a large bank and has the Reiki Principles up on the wall by her desk as well as a picture of Mikao Usui. This prompts people to ask what they are all about. She now gives Reiki treatments in the boardroom during part of her lunch break. While she is in the boardroom she has a large notice on the door that says "Reiki in Progress". She has also put information about Reiki on the notice boards around the building and in the canteen.

Reiki is needed in the corporate world. It can be used to reduce the stress levels of the staff and management. Problems such as colds, headaches, sinusitis, posture problems caused by chairs and computers, sports injuries, trauma such as grief and relationship break-ups all occur in the corporate world and need healing. Sick building syndrome is another problem found in the corporate world. Reiki can be sent to the building, phones, air conditioning, windows, chairs, and to generally improve the flow of energy around the building.

Any Reiki practitioner can take Reiki into their place of work. They just need to feel confident about talking about Reiki and letting people know that they do Reiki. The Gathering discussed teaching Reiki students how to talk about Reiki - to describe it and to feel confident about doing a Reiki treatment in an office or canteen when asked.

Marie recommended that by doing Reiki on yourself regularly, being full of integrity and always doing Reiki treatments professionally you will not be frightened of showing others Reiki or talking about it.

Reiki NZ Inc

Two committee members of Reiki NZ Inc, represented the Society at the Gathering. They brought along information about the Society and also had T-Shirts and Sweatshirts for sale.

Several members of the Gathering wanted to ask questions about Reiki NZ Inc activities such as why there have been changes to the standards for accreditation, why a second Reiki organisation is now a signatory of the Charter, why Reiki has to fit into conditions that aren't applicable to the practice of Reiki, etc.

It was stated that the Reiki NZ Inc AGM is the forum to discuss the activities of the Society and not the Reiki Masters Gathering.

Guest Speaker

The 11th NZ Reiki Masters' Gathering was privileged to have Green MP Ms Sue Kedgley as their guest speaker. She is the Green Party spokesperson for Health.

Ms Kedgley said that the World Health Organisation define health as a "state of physical, social and spiritual wellbeing." This means a shift away from a complete focus on conventional, drug based health. It means a change to promoting the body's innate healing. Conventional health care doesn't have all the answers and has little to offer in the way of preventative health. It also doesn't treat chronic illness; it treats symptoms but not the cause and treats people after they get sick.

The budget for health in NZ is $7.4 billion. $1 billion of that goes to the Pharmac budget with almost nothing spent on preventative health, nothing on nutrition, some on exercise and some on electromagnetic safety.

Within the Ministry of Health there was not one single person focused on Complementary Health Care. The Green Party proposed to the Ministry of Health that a Complementary Health Committee be formed (this was done this year). Now there at two people with the Ministry of Health dealing with complementary health and it is the first small step to getting complementary health integrated into orthodox medicine. It is hoped that those two people will develop into a whole department. The Green Party would like to see complementary health recognised, be offered in hospitals and be available at health clinics - working alongside orthodox medicine.

As more people turn to complementary health practices the pharmaceutical companies and the medical establishment become nervous. They are not really interested in reducing illness and see natural health as a threat. Ms Kedgley predicted there would be a backlash against complementary health care in NZ. She said that it has already started with the forming of the Health Fraud Council. There are already flourishing institutes by this name in the US and England. They particularly target acupuncture and homeopathy; claiming that homeopathy is a cult. She told the Gathering that we should not give too much energy to these people. However, she did say that they might turn up as pretend patients and then try to take charges against the complementary health practitioners. Ms Kedgley referred to this opposition to complementary health as a phoney war.

There are requests that New Zealand bring its dietary laws into harmony with Australian laws. At present the Australian laws are far more restrictive. All dietary supplements are classified as medicines and medical devices, which means they must be proved safe and amounts used are restricted. New Zealand law assumes that dietary supplements are safe and so classifies them as foods. The Green Party is implacably against harmonising.

The government is looking at complementary health. The Health Professionals Bill is expected to be introduced into Parliament next year and the Complementary Health Committee is looking at integrating complementary health into the NZ health system.

Ms Kedgley recommended that we have a lobbyist to keep everyone informed, to keep our modality in front of everyone, and to ensure we get what we want for Reiki over the next few years. She said we would need to do this ourselves, not rely on others to do this for us.

The Gathering also discussed vaccines with Ms Kedgley. Her presence as our guest speaker was very much appreciated and was a highlight of the weekend. She was an impressive speaker and was well informed about complementary health. It was a pleasure hearing her point of view on the subject.

Happy Birthday

Sue Finlay celebrated her birthday during the weekend and the Gathering was happy to wish her well for her birthday year and sing the Happy Birthday song to her.

Marsha Racey also sang Happy Birthday to demonstrate how long it takes to wash your hands until they are free of pesky little germ gremlins - ie use soap and wash under water for as long as it takes you to sing the song Happy Birthday.

Reiki Treatments

Part of Saturday afternoon was spent giving and receiving Reiki, walking the labyrinth that is in the grounds of Frederic Wallis House, or chatting to each other.

A Heart-felt Reiki Journey

Cilla Henry spoke about her journey from 1st Degree to Reiki Master. She also shared some of her views of teaching Reiki. Cilla expressed her love of Reiki and the power that Reiki can be in our lives as it moves us along our spiritual path and as we heal ourselves. She also described how Reiki is being welcomed among Maori as a natural healing therapy that complements their spiritual beliefs and their own way of natural healing.

Using Reiki

Wim de Jong went over some of the ways of using Reiki that he recommends to his Reiki students. One interesting technique was that he tells people who are coming along to a 1st Degree class to check their petrol use for a week or two before the class and then to check it again after the class - invariably they discover they use less petrol after they have done a Reiki class. He also recommended using the SHK to reduce accidents in the workplace.

An Aussie Story

A very eloquent speaker, Jude Priest entertained the Gathering by describing her Reiki journey that began with a search for some way to heal her mother who had a long-term chronic illness. Needless to say the search brought both Jude and her mother into Reiki and they both became Reiki Masters. As with any spiritual journey Jude has found there is no end - just more discoveries and more journeying.

Reiki Books

Maureen Kelly pointed out that there are now a large number of Reiki books available. This is obvious when you see how many are available at the Internet bookstores such as www.amazon.com (195) and www.barnsandnoble.com (125) as well as www.healing-touch.co.uk (20) which also has book reviews of the three latest Reiki books.

Maureen recommended four books for all Reiki Masters to read - Reiki Hawayo Takata's Story by Helen J Haberly; Living Reiki Takata's Teachings by Fran Brown. These two books describe how Mrs Takata brought Reiki to the West, how she taught Reiki and gave treatments. Her history is still a very valid aspect of Reiki History because if it had not been for Mrs Takata Reiki would not be available outside of Japan. It would have remained a well-guarded secret. The other two books - Reiki Fire and Reiki The Legacy of Dr Usui both by Frank Arjava Petter contain the biography of Mikao Usui, translation of his tombstone and information about the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (the Japanese Reiki Association) that Mikao Usui started. This information is also an important aspect of the Reiki History.

There are numerous books that introduce you to Reiki or are for people when they first begin Reiki. One book that many Reiki Masters at the Gathering had was Reiki Universal Life Energy by Bodo J Baginski and Shalila Sharamon. This book has remained a favourite and was fondly recalled by many as their first Reiki book. Several books claim to be the 'complete' guide to Reiki. Maureen didn't believe that anyone could write a book that covers the complete system of Reiki because the energy is not finite. There will always be more to learn about Reiki. No one person knows all there is to know about it.

Of all the books available there are four books that are for people who had done Reiki and would like further information on using Reiki. These books tend to look at Reiki from a specific point of view. They are: The Original Reiki Handbook by Dr Mikao Usui by Frank Arjava Petter - for those people who would like to include more hand positions into their Reiki practice; Reiki Energy Medicine by Libby Barnett and Maggie Chambers, which was highly recommended by several people at the Gathering - for those who are interested in doing Reiki in hospitals and hospices; Abundance Through Reiki by Paula Horan - which looks at using Reiki to help change attitudes; and Reiki and the Healing Buddha by Maureen J Kelly - for those interested in the background of the Reiki symbols and the symbolism of the Reiki Story.

Maureen felt that the latest Reiki books Medicine Dharma Reiki by Lama Yeshe and Spirit of Reiki by Lubeck, Rand and Petter may be the last books about the history of Reiki for a while and that in future we will begin to see books based on the results of research into Reiki or theses written about Reiki.

Observations (By Sue Finlay)

Homoeopathy is all about observation, and matching the pattern of those observations with a remedy that can produce similar symptoms in a healthy being. When the similar remedy is applied, the healthy being will be energetically stimulated to begin to cure itself. It is a lot like Reiki, the difference being that Homoeopathy uses energies rooted in the physical world; energies of plants, minerals and animals.

The individual symptoms observed, reflects the dis-ease of the whole being. In this case I took the 'being' as the group of Masters gathered for the weekend. Each one of us reflected a part of the "essence" that makes up the whole group, and a part of the expression of Reiki on the earth today.

I didn't start out to observe everyone, I just wanted to meet new people and have a good time, and I did. But the homoeopath in me just couldn't help it. By late Saturday evening I realised that I had "taken the case" of the group.

This is what I observed:

Firstly, many people introduced themselves by saying "my Reiki Master is..." Now I know what you all mean by this, but the words used are crucially important - after all we are all free individuals and we have no 'master' other than the "Divine". I took this as an indicative symptom, and in our remedy finder - the repertory - this is translated as the rubric "Mind, influence under powerful".

Many of the group were not keen to talk about how they felt, especially when it came to the movement of Reiki towards the Charter. There was also an expression of the desire to 'conform' by putting on a public face for Charter and the Government.

Other 'symptoms' that I observed in the physical realm were those people with sore throats, husky voices, and those sitting with their hands around their throats. A symptom that I observed in myself on the Reiki table was the presence of many past lives where I had been persecuted for "speaking my truth and practising as a healer."

Several remedies came up. Two of them were from the same plant family, the solanacea. One of these was hyoscyamus and the other datura stramonium. I discarded hyoscyamus because it is a really jealous remedy (not observed among the group), and we often use it for children who like to run around naked and show themselves off...(also not observed in the group). I knew from my own personal experience that Stramonium was the remedy. I 'asked' energetically for the correct and most gentle potency (strength); LM1 was the answer.

Then, on Sunday I spoke to the group and told them all this. I asked if they would like the remedy to be applied to the group, to begin to heal what I had observed there. There were questions about what would happen if not everyone was in agreement, I replied that just as it is for Reiki, if you are not in agreement then nothing can happen, you will not take on the energy of the remedy.

Most of the group voted to apply the remedy and asked me to do it for them. Yikes! I hadn't thought this part through - I had a vague notion of writing the name on paper standing a glass of water on it and then meditating on the remedy to get it to energise the water, then everyone could have a sip.... but.... so messy!

"Channel it", they said. Various swear words zapped through my head.
"How?"
Reiki solved it for me.
"Connect to the remedy with the distance symbol." said Maureen.
So I did, and it worked. Of course it worked; it was Reiki. Reiki is our connection to all life.
But what happened afterwards? When do I get to do the follow-up consultation?

This Year and Next Year

Bobbe Free spoke about how delighted she was that the Reiki Masters Gathering has grown from a small group of 8 Masters in 1990 to 37 in 2001. Attending this year's Gathering and seeing so many Reiki Masters benefiting from such a gathering was a dream come true for her. She was also impressed with the number of Reiki Masters who had travelled from the South Island to be at this years' Gathering. When she sends energy to the Gathering she envisions a Rainbow connecting the North and South Islands of New Zealand so that all Reiki Masters can come together in the spirit of Reiki and experience being in Reiki as a group.

Next year's Reiki Masters' Gathering, the 12th to be held in New Zealand is going to be held in Auckland. This is the first time the Gathering is to be held in this city. The date has tentatively been set for the first weekend in November. This may change depending on whether or not a venue can be booked for that weekend. The hostess of next year's Gathering will be Reiki Master Liz Currey. She will lead a group of Auckland Reiki Masters who will come together to plan and implement next year's Gathering.

The NZ Reiki Masters' Gathering is open to all Reiki Masters of all lineages who are either resident or visiting NZ at the time of the Gathering. All are welcome.

The End

The end of the Gathering came too soon. Everyone sat in circle and said farewell and how much they had enjoyed themselves. Comments were made about the comfort of the venue (no-one noticed how it rained most of the weekend) and how good the food was and how interesting the discussions and topics were.

Sincere thanks were expressed to the hosts, Ann and Whiro Ratahi. Their teamwork as a couple and how they had run the whole weekend so smoothly and efficiently was awe-inspiring.



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