Reiki Dharma Newsletter Volume 6, April 4, 2002

Dear friends! It is time again for another ReikiDharma newsletter.
The year 2002 is well on its way and I have been doing quite a bit of traveling. At the moment I am sitting on a plane 10 kilometers above Siberia. It is pitch dark and I can only guess what lies below: uncharted territories, wide rivers that wind slowly yet forcefully towards their destination, endless forests, mountains yet untouched by mankind and its joys and sorrows, and never ending fields of snow.
Some of this year's travel took place in different parts of the Earth. I was seen in India, Malaysia, Germany, Holland, Portugal, England, Norway, France and Belgium. The other and more important part of the journey, took place in my own heart...

This time I would like to talk about the responsibilities of a Reiki- Student- and the responsibilities of a Reiki- Teacher. This is a touchy theme, and before I get into it and let the flow of words carry me away, I would like to remind you that all philosophies, all opinions and all thoughts are merely fog floating above the surface of the uncontaminated self. You are the clear blue sky... remember it!

It is easy to get attached to your concepts, and your habits, both physical and mental/emotional. With your concepts and habits you "try" to control your life to make sure that nothing new, nothing unpredictable happens, and that no one brings you into a situation that you think you can not handle. We tend to fit the future into manageable patterns, born out of the past, and so doing we miss this very moment.

All of life revolves around balance: balance in our families, in our relationships our diet, in politics and in the nature that surrounds us. When one sets out on a spiritual path, this balance is often upset temporarily. The newly born "spiritual person" now thinks that he is better than everyone else... and the trouble begins. At any point of our journey it is always helpful to remember that we are all manifestations of the same stuff.

The Reiki Student

We all are Reiki students, no matter how long we have been working with Reiki. In the light of eternity, we are just babies! Dr. Usui himself considered himself to be a student of the Reiki power and he graded himself on the second rung of the Reiki ladder, leaving space for his own development- and ours. This is a good anecdote to remember the next time you hear talk of grandmasters and great- grandmasters...

Reiki works with us, it flows through us- in spite of ourselves, there is no need to use it for ego gratification. We are small and insignificant, but what flows through us is great and never changing. It is beyond our ideas, morals and concepts. It is life. Once initiated into Reiki, you are walking through a door into the unknown. Neither you, nor your teacher knows what the future has in store for you. The landscape of your search is yet uncharted.

The relationship between you and your Reiki teacher is of great importance. It can help you on your path to self- discovery, and it can be somewhat detrimental to it. Of course, in the long run the river always ends up flowing into the ocean. Putting the teacher up on a pedestal A natural first reaction to your teacher is one of admiration and glorification. Be aware that this is a projection that has sprung out of your own mind. If you put your teacher or anyone for that matter up on a pedestal, it is just a question of time, before you will have to pull him or her down.

To avoid this, you need three things: Self respect, respect for the teacher and respect for the teaching. In a way, the teacher is not as important as the teaching, because the teacher is just a conduit for the teaching. If the teacher's vacates his/her chair, someone else will fill the place, and you can trust that life will bring that person to your doorstep.

The mirror

If the teacher has developed a healthy inner attitude and is aware of his/her connection to the bigger whole, and if he does not follow the small self, being in his presence will bring up issues that need your attention. You may get very angry at him, and mistake your anger for the teacher's fault or weakness. Or you may fall in love with him/her and mistake your own love for the teacher's love! To avoid this, it helps to question whatever comes up inside of you, and to see it for what it really is. When you are angry, go to the root of the anger, when you are happy, go to the root of the happiness and you will always be confronted with your self.

Projections

We tend to project our own difficulties over others. This difficulty can be tackled by going on a mental fast: stop judging the other as well as your self. Primary and secondary emotions There is a great danger for your emotions to get muddled when they are repressed. Whatever happens in this moment has an effect in your being. If you feel and express that emotion the moment it happens, it is healthy. This is a primary emotion. But if you repress the emotion when it comes up, it will resurface later on in a situation that does not require this particular emotion. Then whatever you say will come out crooked. This is a secondary emotion. The easiest way to live true to your emotions is to acknowledge them when they surface, express them if appropriate and then to let them go.

The Reiki Teacher

As a Reiki teacher you have great responsibilities. Because Reiki is a path to self- realization, you will be confronted with your own issues as well as the issues of your students. The best way to deal with both is to be compassionate and loving to your students and aware of whatever stirs inside of your own heart and mind. As a Reiki Teacher you are not immune to growth! Life goes on and you continuously experience the unknown. The interaction with your students may bring up issues you have not had a chance to look in the past. Be grateful for the opportunity. If you have a partner, ask her or him to tell you when you are skidding off the track, and ask her or him for support when you are stuck. One great source of support I encounter a lot is not- knowing. When someone asks me a question that I can't answer, I simply say "I don't know". This way I am not tempted to become someone that I am not...
As a Reiki teacher you are likely to encounter several issues:

Power Games

Because many others think of you as great, it is tempting to believe that yourself! You can avoid it by remaining in your center, by watching your breath, and by remaining dis- identified. When power issues come up, let them go in the very moment they surface.

Money Games

When large amounts of money are involved in Reiki training, there is a danger of becoming too interested in those little pieces of paper. The easiest way to deal with money issues is to charge for your work what you feel comfortable with, whether that is money or something else. The Reiki Teacher's Territory Many Reiki teachers behave just like cats. They claim a territory, walk its boundaries daily, mark it with their scent and will get into the most incredible fights with any "intruder". The easiest way for this feeling to subside I have found is trusting that there is enough for everyone. You do not have to do anything to breathe, to survive, to live. It all happens by itself!

Betrayal

You may feel betrayed when one of your students leaves you to study with someone else, or when he begins to talk badly about you. The best way to deal with that, is to simply be yourself, the blue sky that never changes. Clouds come and go... but you remain forever your self! Wishing you all the best on your path wherever it may lead you, with love and gratitude from Japan, your friend,

Frank Arjava Petter

Copyright © 2002 by Frank Arjava Petter

Frank Arjava Petter
Henri- Dunant Str. 32
40474 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49- 211 50 73 810
Email : Arjava@ReikiDharma.com
URL : http://www.ReikiDharma.Com

Copyright ©2000- 2008 by Frank Arjava Petter