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Stonehenge: The Mysterious Stones

By Brad and Diane Masters

Stonehenge is one of England’s most visited sites. Located on a wide sweep of the Salisbury Plain, its builders and its use remain a deep mystery. The stone formations of Stonehenge are sentries of a long forgotten era on a lonely vigil in the middle of a densely populated modern country. This ancient site draws visitors like a magnet to ponder the "why" and "what" of its mysterious past. Stonehenge is one of several prehistoric sites that pepper this area southwest of London. It is a contemporary of the Egyptian Pyramids and its construction techniques are equally as obscure.


Stonehenge is a medieval term that means “hanging stones”. This meaning aptly describes the giant stones that seem precariously perched on other giant stones standing upright to the ground. Yet the shape of the stones has been modified by ancient tools to allow some of these giants to survive five millenniums in their original positions—positions that are astronomically aligned to allow the rising sun to shine through certain openings on the winter and summer solstices. It is obvious that Stonehenge was not the creation of our common perception of prehistoric people. This dispelling of our paradigms of times past is further enhanced when we look at origin and size of the components of Stonehenge.


Many of these monolithic stones were transported great distances. The 80 dolerite stones came from Wales, a distance of 130 miles as the crow flies. The current conventional wisdom is that these blue stones traveled 240 miles via a combination water and land route. The stones at Stonehenge weigh up to forty tons and would be a challenge to move even using our current transportation technology. Once the materials arrived at Stonehenge they had to be hauled upgrade, shaped to fit into the design of the site, and raised to the vertical or balanced on the upright stones in the perfect astronomical position. The creators of the site were skilled in logistics, material handling and science. Were their skills and technology greater than we presume, or did they have outside (extraterrestrial) help? Like so much of Stonehenge, the “how” remains a mystery.


What about the “who”? Again the “who” that created the site is shrouded in the mists of antiquity. For a long time, the Druids were thought to be responsible for erecting the site. Although the Druids may have used the site for a relatively short period of time, the development of Stonehenge predates the usage by the Druids by two thousand years. Indeed, this sacred site had been abandoned for a millennium by the time the Romans conquered England. Although there is little evidence to support what type of activity went on, there seems some agreement of opinions on what the purpose Stonehenge served.


Most theories on Stonehenge agree that the site was not just an ancient astronomical observatory, but rather religious or spiritual in nature. Part of the support for this is a network of burial mounds that radiate outward from Stonehenge. Adding the precise astronomical layout of the site allows some to deduce that the creators of Stonehenge used it for a spiritual purpose, possibly nature worship. But whether Stonehenge was a giant Neolithic observatory or something spiritual in nature, pondering the mystery of the giant stones and the who, what and why surrounding them, makes a visit enticing.


Stonehenge is located just west of Amesbury, about 90 miles southwest of London. There are two primary ways to reach Stonehenge, car and tour bus. Both modes have their strengths and drawbacks. Most bus tours are a bit pricy—the equivalent of about 100 dollars for a day trip out of London, not including meals. In addition, they generally include several stops such as Salisbury and the Roman Baths at Bath, England. The extra stops and the nature of bus tours allow limited time to delve into the mystery of Stonehenge. On the positive side of the ledger is that you let the Brits do the driving. In a land where driving on the left side and dealing with roundabouts are the norm, perhaps the bus doesn’t sound too bad? The car solves the time limit problem but the cost of car rental, petrol and the driving in an unusual traffic setting may tip the balance in favor of the bus.


Either way you arrive at Stonehenge, your meeting with this mysterious place begins in a cleverly disguised parking facility across the road. The admission including parking is five pounds (about 8 dollars). A very informative audio tape tour is also included in the admission fee. We duck under the road in a subway (underpass) and emerge a few steps from the antiquity. About fifty percent of the stones are still intact. During the 18th and 19th century many of the stones were cut up and hauled off to be used in area buildings. The pressure of thousands of curiosity seekers and modern day Druids in close contact with the stones also took its toll. Thus today, touching and walking among stones is forbidden. As further protection, Stonehenge has been declared a World Heritage site by the United Nations. However, the walkway that encircles this ancient venue is plenty close to get the feel of Stonehenge.


Although there were many people sharing the experience, we intuitively felt two things very strongly. There was an overwhelming feeling of sadness, perhaps associated with death. The other strong feeling we had was that Stonehenge had existed much longer than 5,000 years. We linger at each station around the stones and listen to the appropriate segment of our audio tape. A group of Native Americans, dancing and chanting on the ground outside the walking path, provide a spiritual backdrop to the stroll around the stones. We pause one last time before descending into the subway to return back to our car, the thoughts of what it was like 5,000 years ago in this surreal setting still dancing in our minds. A gift shop chock-full of Stonehenge memorabilia draws our attention for a few moments but seems incongruous in the shadow of this ancient site. We leave the parking lot full of questions but enriched for the experience.


Stonehenge is located in close proximity of several historic sites that are approximately the same age. These sites are not on any bus tour. Thus visiting them is only an option if you have a car. Most notable among the nearby sites is Avebury Stone Circles. The Circles are located about twenty miles north of Stonehenge and are at least two centuries older than its more famous brethren.


Located in the village of Avebury, the Avebury Circles have not been protected to the extent that Stonehenge has. In addition, the site at Avebury was heavily damaged by 17th century religious fanaticism. The result is the Avebury site lost the majority of its stones, yet unlimited access to the remaining stones makes Avebury attractive. If you visit Stonehenge via car, tapping into the energy of Avebury is a complimentary addition to a journey to Stonehenge. Also in Avebury is West Kennett Long Barrow, a chambered tomb dating from 3250 BC and Waggon and Horses, a thatched roof pub constructed with stones from the Avebury Stone Circles.


Stonehenge and surrounding sites give the opportunity to get in tune with roots of the long distant past. Like its contemporaries, the Pyramids, it is in conflict with our paradigms about those ancient times. Perhaps like many other things of the past that we thought were true, the truth about Stonehenge would destroy our orderly ideas of ancient history. For now, Stonehenge holds on to its secrets of “who” and “why”. More information can be obtained at www.stonehenge.org.uk/.



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Finding Spirit at Findhorn

By Brad and Diane Masters

Quantum Physics tells us that there is inter-connectivity between all things. The Findhorn Foundation (pronounced Finn Horn) at Findhorn, Scotland has been exploring the frontier between humans and plants for four decades. This tiny foundation has incorporated communication with plants into a harmonious lifestyle with their environment. This living in concert with nature is practiced daily by the 150 permanent and 4500 temporary residents per year at the foundation site in northeast Scotland.


The Findhorn story started in 1962 when Peter and Eileen Caddy along with Dorothy Maclean moved into a small caravan at Findhorn Bay Caravan Park. A caravan is the British name for a mobile home. From this humble beginning, the work of the Findhorn Foundation evolved. Short of funds, the trio started a garden to help feed themselves and Peter’s three young sons.


Using Eileen’s inner guidance and Dorothy’s conversations with the intelligence of nature, the garden produced amazing results in the sandy soil and the cool salt air of Findhorn. Peter’s hard work translating Dorothy’s guidance from her contact with the intelligence of plants into action created a bumper crop of huge proportions. Dorothy’s contact with what she called ‘devas’, the higher intelligence of plants, gave her insight on how to maximize the productivity of the garden. This partnership between the animal and plant kingdoms produced behemoths of cabbages scaling forty pounds! The cornucopia of vegetables, herbs and flowers produced by the spiritual connection between flora and fauna began to attract people interested in seeing and learning about the phenomenon.


Over time a community began to grow around the principles of communication and cooperation between plants and humans. The still tiny community of like minded people took a quantum leap forward with arrival of a young American named David Spangler.


Spangler realized that there was something significant going in this far corner of Scotland. He helped to formally establish a curriculum using the activities of what was already taking place. The seeds that Spangler planted have sprouted into a learning experience that attracts students from seventy countries. Today’s workshops and classes feature a unique mixture of learning and hands-on experience at the foundation. The consciousness at Findhorn has attracted a bevy of internationally known presenters that include Sandra Ingerman and Caroline Myss. Findhorn’s educational outreach includes an array of books about Findhorn that can be an inspiration to those who cannot journey to Findhorn.


After formally incorporating in the 1970’s, the Findhorn Foundation acquired the Cluny Hill Hotel in 1975 in nearby Forres and the original Caravan site at Findhorn Bay in 1983. These two sites constitute the epicenter of the foundations activity. Let’s visit the original site at Findhorn Bay as it looks today.


Located five mile northeast of Forres, Scotland, the original site is flat and unassuming. Tucked between a Royal Air Force base on the south and the village of Findhorn to the north, it would easy to whiz by the entrance unaware of the activity and history going on inside. Pulling in the driveway, the immediate impression is a sharp contrast to the ubiquitous castles, palaces and cathedrals that pepper the United Kingdom. Findhorn is not about massive structures, it is about the connections with non-physical intelligence and energies that surround us. The buildings are small in stature and uninspiring to the eye. We curve to the left and pull on to a road call ‘The Runway’. Shortly after entering the Foundation, the Visitor’s Reception building appears on your left. We find a parking space on The Runway and duck inside the diminutive building. A Visitor’s Guide is purchased and a fist-full of interesting brochures are gathered. The Visitor’s Guide contains a self-guided tour map and is chuck full of information and history about Findhorn.


With map in hand, we trek to where the spirit of Findhorn began - the original garden and the tiny caravan where the Caddy’s and Dorothy Maclean began this spiritual odyssey called Findhorn. On the way to the vibrant garden, we pass the rambling community center and Cornerstone, Eileen Caddy’s home.


As with all the gardens at Findhorn, the plants seem surreal with their size and intense color. It’s obvious that the communication between and plants and man produces a fruitful relationship. A part of garden is left to grow wild, a request that the plant devas passed on to Dorothy Maclean. This tradition of leaving part of the garden wild is honored in gardens throughout the foundation grounds.


As we stand in the original garden, the vibrancy of the garden is palpable. There is something special happening here. The combining of non-physical energies with organic practices has created an outcome far greater than the chemistry of man can produce. The emphasis on the non-physical continues with the adjacent Main Sanctuary. Here Dorothy Maclean shared her communications with plants with the rest of the tiny community. Today the Sanctuary serves as a busy meditation center for the foundation.


We move on to Universal Hall, an aesthetically pleasing-looking multi-purpose building. Built over a nine-year period, primarily with the labor of thousands of volunteers, the building hosts various workshops, conferences, and community meetings as well as theatre, music and dance events. The building contains a five-sided auditorium which seats 300 people and a café that serves light meal and snacks. We exit the Hall and wander across The Runway passing houses constructed of various materials using straw bales, old whiskey barrels as well as modern building materials along the way. Each home is designed to conserve precious resources and live in harmony with the environment. Our journey continues past a cluster of buildings containing studios for weaving, pottery, and art along with offices for an outreach program for reforesting the mountains of Scotland.


Our tour ends at the Living Machine, a huge greenhouse that houses an ecological waste treatment system. A combination of plants and bacteria break down the waste water of the equivalent of 330 people per day. The Living Machine is a fitting punctuation mark to our tour of a community that integrates Body, Mind and Spirit into a comprehensive living style. This is a community that ‘walks its talk’ of living in harmony with all aspects of our environment, visible and non-visible.


Findhorn is located 625 miles north of London. Reaching Findhorn is not easy or convenient. The Findhorn foundation is geared to those interested in participating in the many programs offered instead of the casual visitor. The Findhorn Press publishes a bevy of books that can give insights into Findhorn and its core beliefs. If experiencing Findhorn appeals to you, by all means embark on your quest. Almost all programs at Findhorn suggest or require taking the hands-on "Experience Week" as a prerequisite. It is also possible to live on-site on a long-term temporary basis without taking any classes or workshops to experience the Findhorn consciousness. Whether you want to pull up stakes and move to Findhorn, export part or all of the Findhorn Consciousness to Mid-America, or just be an armchair visitor, the place to start your visit to this remote part of our world is on the internet at www.findhorn.org.


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Dr. William Tiller on the Bridge From Science to Spirit

By Brad and Diane Masters

William Tiller began more than 40 years of scientific research with a doctorate in physical metallurgy. From this scientific discipline rooted deeply in the physical to the nebulous border between Spirit and Science, Professor Tiller has published 250 scientific papers, written three technical books and garnered numerous honors. Dr. Tiller has also published 80 additional papers on “subtle energy,” authored three books on subtle energy, and is one of the founding directors of Institute of Noetic Sciences. It is Tiller’s stature in both communities that gives so much credence to his work in what we call “healing energy”.


Dr. Tiller created a device that can measure energy being generated through the hands with intention. In Tiller’s experiment, a person puts their hands on either side of the measuring device, and then focuses their attention on sending energy to the device. Professor Tiller found that the higher rates (more powerful) that were recorded in the tests were by the more focused and more experienced participants. The experiment was mimicking how practitioners of Reiki and other energy modalities channel the energy of the Universe to the recipient. This observation supports several widely held beliefs in the Reiki community that focused intention and frequent practice makes a powerful Reiki practitioner.


Tiller’s experiments have been duplicated by a more sophisticated and powerful version of Tiller’s device developed by Dennis Dibartolomeo. Dibartolomeo has dubbed his device SANDRA (Subtly Affected Non-ordinary Discharge Recording Device). With SANDRA’s help, we are creating understanding on how the unseen world of spirit manifests in the physical realm.


One of Dr. Tiller’s beliefs is that we can see only 10% of the Universe. Tiller goes on to say that the visible Universe is supported by the energy of the invisible 90%. Through his many experiments using scientific methods, he has given a huge body of documentation to support his theories and what energy healers have been saying for millenniums - that there is an invisible healing energy and that it can be directed by intent to heal the human body.


In the early 1970’s a man came to see Tiller about photographs that he had taken with a simple Kodak camera. The pictures this man gave to Dr. Tiller had remarkable optical effects in addition to the expected images. Most of the pictures were taken at religious shrines and at spiritual events such as lectures or concerts. The subject of the study would get a certain feeling in two vertebrae before taking pictures that had the unusual optical effects. The only intention he sent before taking the pictures was to reveal God’s Universe. Over a fifteen-year period this man called Stan was able to create this effect over 5,000 discernible times in 9,000 pictures. Tiller was able to duplicate the effect with the subject in a controlled test with two identical cameras. One camera was given to the man to “energize” while Tiller kept the other. Tiller loaded and unloaded the film in both cameras and the subject photographed the same object with both cameras. The energized camera consistently showed a different image. Indeed, this invisible energy did reveal itself at the intention of the photographer just like energy reveals itself in the physical world as healing at the direction of the energy practitioner. This also indicates that the energy can be directed to a “good purpose” other than healing such as is done in creating a positive outcome of a future desire. Many Reiki Masters teach this sending of energy by distance or absent healing methods to a future outcome.


Tiller also followed other researchers’ work in subtle energy. Elmer Green at the Menninger Clinic did one experiment that he wrote about. An accomplished energy healer was hooked up to devices to measure her energy. As the healer “extended” her energy (sent), the instruments measured her energy as 30-300 volts, 100,000 times higher than normal! Her energy was even recorded in the surrounding walls. A thirty-minute healing session produced 15 large energy pulses. Thirteen of the fifteen pulses came from the area of the woman’s second or Sacral Chakra. This experiment indicates that a focused and experienced energy practitioner can be a conduit for an extraordinary amount of measurable energy. In addition, this corroborated research done by Dr. Tiller and others about the existence of points on the body such as Chakras and Meridians that have different electrical characteristics even though no physical difference in the cells has been detected. Tiller says that although we are in the dark about how the transformation of energy from the invisible to visible occurs, we can measure the energy it produces. This parallels the belief in the Reiki community that how Reiki works is nebulous, but it does work.


The body of evidence that supports the existence of an invisible, non-physical energy is growing rapidly. As the lines between science and spirit blur, we can be thankful for pioneers like Dr. Tiller for being on the frontier of discovery.


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Reiki and Science: Coming Together in the River of Healing

By Brad and Diane Masters
(Part 1 in a series of 5)

After decades of separate parallel paths, alternative healing modalities such as Reiki and Qigong are being integrated into traditional medicine. This marriage of radically different concepts of healing and health has been facilitated by a shift of thinking in traditional medicine. In his book, Reinventing Medicine, Larry Dossey, M.D. says that modern medicine has evolved over the last 150 years from the concept of our bodies being a mindless machine to the Body-Mind-Spirit connection. This change in the basic philosophy of the medical community has made room for the integration of the concept that we are more than our physical body espoused by ancient healing techniques such as Reiki.


Until about 1950 Medical Science operated on the theory that the body was a machine and should be treated just like we would repair any machine. The Mechanical body was repaired with surgery, chemistry and radiation. However, this did not explain the cause of psychosomatic and stress-related illnesses. This led to the Mind-Body philosophy that said that our thinking could impact our health in a positive or negative way. During this period of 1950 to 1980, the Mind-Body concept steadily gained acceptance, but fell short of explaining certain medical phenomena, such as healing done by Reiki and other energy modalities. In the last two decades, the philosophy of Mind-Body has expanded to include the discovery that not only can our mind impact our own health; it can improve the health of others. Dossey calls this interconnectivity of living beings, “Non-local medicine.” It is this realm of the non-physical that Reiki and other energy modalities work.


Having its roots in Tibet, Reiki was brought to the West by Mrs. Hawayo Takata in the 1930’s. The most important elements of Reiki are intention on the part of the person sending Reiki and willingness or openness on the part of the person receiving the Reiki energy. Reiki practitioners transmit or channel Reiki energy by placing their hands above or lightly touching energy centers on the patient’s body. This 2,500 year-old healing and stress reducing technique can be easily learned in a short period of time during the three traditional levels of training.


In a recent cover article in Radiology Today titled, “Reiki Rising Star in Complementary Cancer Care”, author Kate Jackson outlined how Reiki has been incorporated in the treatment of cancer patients at two leading eastern hospitals, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in New Hampshire and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City.


At MSKCC, Reiki is used to improve the quality of life and relieve symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation for patients. Reiki has been found to relieve anxiety, pain, fatigue and stress from cancer and its traditional treatment methods for patients. In a study covering 1,200 patients presented by MSKCC in June of 2002 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, patients reported that their most bothersome symptoms were reduced by an average of 50% with a single Reiki session. In a follow-up contact two days latter, the same patients reported that the symptoms had not returned to pre-Reiki treatment levels. Encouraged by the results, a randomized trial of Reiki treatments for pain is underway at MSKCC.


At DHMC, the Reiki program used a single Reiki practitioner per patient for the first seven years of the program. Based on an ancient Japanese model, a second practitioner per patient has recently been added. For patients receiving radiation, a minimum of five sessions are scheduled to ease the symptoms from the radiation treatments. Reflecting the basic philosophy of Reiki, the goal of the Reiki program at DHMC is not to cure cancer, but to support the healing of the body and mind of the patient.


Recognition of the benefits of Reiki has now occurred at the national level. The American Cancer Society acknowledges that anecdotal patient reports say that Reiki speeds healing, increases their physical, mental, and spiritual well being, and reduces the frequency and intensity of side effect symptoms from chemotherapy. This anecdotal information was compelling enough to spur the beginning of significant research concerning the benefits of Reiki at the National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine and at the University of Saskatchewan under a grant from the National Cancer Institute of Canada. The star of Reiki is indeed rising.


Reiki energy is always available and does not need to be given in a formal clinical setting. This flexibility allows Reiki to be delivered where it is needed, when it is needed. Almost anyone can easily be taught to self-administer Reiki. The only requirement is a willingness to participate. This empowers the patient to take part in his or her own healing. By eliminating or reducing stress and pain, our body has more energy to heal itself. The incorporation of Reiki into the mainstream of healing can help us tap into the Body-Mind-Spirit connection. Reiki does not replace or supplant other healing traditions; it is complementary to them. The new model to healing includes interconnectivity and cooperation.


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Healing At a Distance

By Brad and Diane Masters
(Part 2 in a series of 5)

Last month we wrote about the use of Reiki in an integrated cancer treatment at two hospitals. The Reiki in the treatment programs was given in the presence of the patient. Yet many energy modalities such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, and Qigong routinely use energy to heal when the patient is not in the same place as the sender. Author Larry Dossey, in his book Reinventing Medicine, describes this aspect of energy as “Distant Healing Intention”. But is healing at a distance as effective as when done in the presence of the patient?


Although scientific research has been very limited, the answer appears to be “Yes”. Distant Healing Intention has been extensively researched by Princeton’s Engineering Anomalies Research facility (PEAR). PEAR began research in the mid-1970 on how computer operator’s intentions could influence the outcome from a Random Event Generator (REG). The REG is called an electronic coin flipper that over a period of hours, days or weeks will produce predictable results. However, when the operator directed their intention of their mind to the computer, the REG’s usually reliable output was changed. This led to trying the experiment at distance. The researchers found that the power of mental intentions was as powerful even when the intention was sent from the other side of the planet. PEAR’s researchers then tackled the factor of time. They found that the output of REG’s was altered by intention whether the setting of the intention occurred before or after the REG’s program had run! During the next two decades, the researchers at PEAR conducted millions of trials on distant intention impacting some distant physical phenomenon. The database from the trials supports PEAR’s early suppositions. Among the other findings in PEAR’s research is that group intentions can be even more powerful than those of a single individual. This and other studies brought distant healing into the thinking of the mainstream medical thinking.


This ancient wisdom of healing of “No time or space” was brought into public spotlight with a conference at Harvard University in 1997 called “Intercessory Prayer and Distant Healing Intention: Clinical and Laboratory Research”. Over 100 researchers from medical schools and universities participated in the conference. One of the presenters at the conference was Elisabeth Targ from California Pacific Medical Center.


Targ led a study involving a group of advanced AIDS patients. Using a group of forty healers from all over the United States and Canada, the patients were divided into a control group that received no distant intentions and a group that received healing intentions from both religious and secular healers. The healers received a picture of the person being sent intentions, but otherwise had no connection with the patient. The picture deals with the familiarity aspect of Cleve Backster’s theory called “The Backster Effect”. Backster’s research showed that a degree of familiarity such as a picture or personal object from the person being sent distant intentions impacted the level of success of the intention. The group that received distant healing had significantly reduced symptoms, number of serious illness, number of hospitalizations, and the number of new AIDS-related illnesses. Even though the patients did not know whether they were being sent distant intentions, the group that was sent distant i ntentions had a better emotional state of mind. The test also showed that the method of sending distant intentions was not a factor in determining the impact on a patient. Thus whether it was a Christian, Jewish or Buddhist prayer, or secular such as Reiki or Qigong, the success was the same. Studies at Duke University and other institutions confirmed the efficacy of all manner of distant intentions.


There are hundreds of studies involving the use of distant intentionality involving cells, plants, animals, microbes and biochemical reactions. At first it may seem odd to use these as the test medium when there is much healing to do in humans. However, the absence of the placebo effect and the less complicated measuring requirements in non-human testing allow such studies to be highly reliable. In fact, preliminary testing of new drugs routinely uses non-human testing. Considering the lack of history in distant healing testing, it makes perfect sense to build a foundation of studies using the already existing scientific methods. Most importantly, they all confirm the interconnectivity of all life in the Body-Mind-Spirit Connection.


Our numerous personal experiences with Distant Reiki and other forms of distant intentionality suggest that there is something far greater than coincidence occurring. The case for distant healing through scientific testing continues to build. In the forward to Daniel Benor’s book, ‘Spiritual Healing’, Larry Dossey said, “There is compelling evidence that there is some aspect of mind that cannot be confined to points in space, such as brains or bodies, or to points in time, such as the present moment….Non-locality as currently conceived in science implies infinitude in space and time.” We could not agree more.


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Good Things Come in Small Packages

By Brad and Diane Masters
(Part 3 in a series of 5)

We recently uncovered a small book that eloquently advocates the integrating of Reiki into all aspects of health care. Although Reiki Energy Medicine was written in 1996, its message remains valid nearly a decade later. Authors Libby Barnett and Maggie Chambers have used their experiences as pioneer Reiki teachers of traditional medical practitioners such as nurses, doctors and physiotherapists as well as Reiki practitioners to weave a powerful presentation of their case. Stories of their experiences show that Reiki is one medicine’s brightest hopes for a more compassionate future of healing and comfort.


At a class at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, nurses and physicians shared the essence with Barnett and Chambers of what they feel is missing in today’s high tech medicine, the compassionate connection. At the end of the class, they had discovered that Reiki can fill the void of the compassionate connection. Whether the placebo effect, the compassionate connection, or the Reiki energy that fills this void, the stories in the book have a recurring theme of Reiki having efficacy in supporting healing in all kinds of circumstances.


One of the great stories in the book is about Pamela Pettinati, M.D. Dr. Pettinati performs surgery in the Third World countries. When once confronted with a lack of a cautery machine, Dr Pettinati used Reiki as a substitute. “She did not use Reiki to cauterize or stop the bleeding; rather, she used the Reiki and the bleeding was minimal (Barnett-Chambers p. 63).” Dr. Pettinati says, “The consistent success of Reiki for these surgical patients defies the odds of patient selection or of merely being lucky.” The surgeries Pettinati is referring to were conducted under the most primitive conditions. She concludes by saying, “In these extreme of conditions, there is no way to scientifically test the efficacy of Reiki. The stories are necessarily anecdotal, but the sheer numbers and consistency of results are convincing (p. 63).”


While the experiences of Dr. Pettinati are in the realm of where most people expect to find Reiki beneficial, the authors visit two areas that may be overlooked. The first is Hospice. While our concept of healing may have to be rearranged when in the context of someone dying, the use of Reiki to comfort both emotionally and physically the patients, the family and friends of the patient, as well as the staff of the facility is now quite common. Before the first Hospice residence in New Hampshire was opened, Barnett and Chambers trained the staff in Reiki. Reiki at the Concord Regional VNA-Hospice House is applied informally during all activities including combing hair, administering medications, reading and feeding. Using Reiki in these activities transforms them into opportunities for supporting the client through an often difficult time.


The authors share their experiences with Hospice with a number of short stories. In summation, the theme of the stories is that Reiki is comforting to the emotions of the dying, reduces pain and lessens the need for medications, assists in the process of saying goodbye and gives comfort and strength to the loved ones of the client. As a nurse at the facility said, “Reiki goes way beyond being good for people, it really comforts them.”


As a medical social worker, author Barnett combines Reiki with Psychotherapy in her practice. Barnett maintains that quite often there is an “emotional residue” that remains after psychotherapy treatment that still controls the client’s behavior. The inclusion of Reiki speeds the healing process by eliciting additional information and the release of the emotional residue. While the inclusion of touch is still controversial in the psychotherapeutic process, it can be an appropriate tool in helping resolve deep seeded problems.


Psychologist Susan Golden, a Reiki student of Barnett’s, interviewed her colleagues that use Reiki in their practice. A synopsis of several of the interviews is contained in the book. Although the method and timing of how the therapists used Reiki in their practices varied, Golden found three key threads in all the interviews: (1) Reiki provided a deepening of therapeutic work and a quicker reestablishment of emotional balance, (2) the imagery and memory of clients improved, and (3) clients were able to make connections on the physical and emotional level that are productive in their therapy. As one therapists said, “Reiki is healing, calming and restoring for me as well as my clients.”


Reiki can be incorporated into all aspects of living. Whether being used as self-care, supporting health with our friends and family or being used as a component of integrative healing, this simple ancient technique is up to the task. All that is required is our intention and openness.


Our prime purpose in teaching Reiki is to incorporate Reiki into all aspects of our culture. Because of their stature, we believe that health professionals have the opportunity to lead the rest of our society into the consciousness of Reiki being part of integrated healthcare. With this in mind, health professionals, especially nurses, now comprise a large majority of our students. We believe they are the key to bringing Reiki into our area.


We believe that the simplicity of Reiki makes it particularly valuable as self-care. A sufficient skill level for self-care can be acquired in two days of training. We do not advocate that Reiki be the only modality used for health care. Instead, we believe that it supports homeostasis when a person is healthy and a myriad of healthcare modalities when a person is not and can be practiced in any setting without special equipment.


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Integrating Reiki and Other Wellness Strategies Into Our Lifestyles

By Brad and Diane Masters
(Part 4 in a series of 5)

Our aging population and diminishing healthcare resources are on a collision course with our nation’s high tech, high cost medical treatment strategy. With our business community being squeezed by global competition, employer-provided healthcare benefits are in full retreat. HMO’s and insurance companies are beginning to look at alternative or complementary modalities as a low cost option to the increasing high cost of traditional medicine. Even ultraconservative HMO Coventry has covered acupuncture treatments that we have received from our chiropractor. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we believe that the wellness mentality of Reiki and other modalities can go much further in reducing our nation’s massive healthcare costs.


We believe the answer lies in incorporating a combination of tools from the toolbox of non-traditional modalities such as Reiki, yoga, Tai-chi, meditation, shamanism, and Qigong into our daily lives. Like diet and regular exercise, these and a myriad of other similar disciplines can be used to create a positive environment for homeostasis. Whatever template of non-physical disciplines we choose, a daily practice of techniques such as Reiki can help us live an energetic, healthful life.


According to American Psychological Association, somewhere between 75 and 90 percent of all visits to physician’s offices can be attributed to stress to some degree. Stress is a factor in the six leading causes of death. Stress is internally generated by our thinking, emotions and beliefs. The good news is that the process of thinking that caused the stress can also be to relieve stress. Even better is the news that not only can stress be reduced by our thinking, but one of the primary benefits of the “energy techniques” of Reiki, yoga, Tai-chi, etc., is stress relief. According to a study by Dr. William Tiller of Stanford University, clients receiving Reiki listed stress relief as a major benefit.


Our bodies spend a considerable amount of energy dealing with stress. When our bodies are spending energy on stress, there are fewer resources left for our immune system. Although a healthy immune system is fully capable of defending our body, a weakened immune system can allow disease into our body. Thus any technique that reduces stress can be a great benefit to maintaining good health. This is not to say that stress is the only factor in illness nor that stress relief is the only benefit of these energy techniques. But the fact that we can use techniques such as Reiki to help maintain our health is very empowering.


The beauty of energy techniques is they help us take charge of our health. Most are relatively simple to learn. For instance, the basic skills of Reiki can be learned in as few as two days of training. Furthermore, the more we practice one of these disciplines, the more proficient we become. We are not advocating that energy disciplines be used exclusively, but rather that we use energy tools to supplement traditional beliefs and practices. This is taking what has become a significant trend in healthcare another step.


According to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), nearly one half of American adults see an alternative health practitioner at least once a year. Since virtually all of these visits are not covered by insurance or HMOs, it appears that the American public is increasingly voting with their pocketbooks for a more integrated healthcare system. As Dr. John Astin of Stanford University School of Medicine, author of the JAMA article, said, “They find in alternative therapies an acknowledgement of the importance of treating illness within a larger context of spirituality and life meaning. The use of alternative care is part of a broader value orientation and set of cultural beliefs, one that embraces a holistic, spiritual orientation to life.” Our experience in teaching Reiki and practicing many other spiritual healing techniques fully supports Dr. Astin’s findings. But we believe that this trend to alternative or complimentary healthcare should be taken to the next level.


We often tell our students that we teach Reiki because we believe that it is better to teach a person to fish rather than to give them a fish daily. Even regular visits to an alternative practitioner can produce a dependency on the practitioner. While this should not be construed as negative, it can be easy to give up responsibility for your health. It is a given that the more active and positive role you take in your health, the more likely you are going to experience good health. Many Reiki and other alternative health practitioners tell us that a high percentage of their clients become their students. We believe this is a positive development. Thus, just like eating the proper diet and exercising are an important part of a healthy lifestyle, having spiritual techniques such as Reiki, Qigong, Tai-chi, etc., are just as important in dealing with the whole person. Although there is still much to learn about the non-physical components of our being, we believe that regular use of a discipline such as Reiki can be transforming in your life. We encourage you to incorporate an energy discipline into your daily life.


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Reiki in the Year 2030

By Brad and Diane Masters
(Part 5 in a series of 5)

In 1980, there were 22 Reiki Masters in the West. In less than a quarter of a century the number of Reiki Masters has grown to an estimated 200,000 Reiki Masters in the West. While twenty-five years is just a pinprick in the 2500-year history of Reiki, this ancient wisdom has grown from the tradition of secrecy and introversion to the precipice of widespread acceptance by traditional medicine and to a lesser extent the general public. With the quickly expanding awareness of Reiki in the last 25 years, what will the next two and a half decades bring?


We believe that we are already seeing glimpses of the future. The integration of Reiki into traditional medical practices and the studies underway to test the efficacy of Reiki are evidence of where healing is headed. Numerous medical schools have classes on “complementary” healing modalities and a significant number such as the University of Michigan have complementary schools of medicine. On a national scale, the National Institute of Health has the Office of Alternative Medicine and the Office of Medical Applications of Research to evaluate and validate modalities such as Reiki. The mindset of the medical establishment has made a radical shift from totally dismissing modalities such as Reiki to being open to the possibility of their validity.


We see Reiki becoming an increasing part of a multidimensional therapeutic system that blends the art, caring, and ancient wisdom of complementary healing with the scientific and technology of conventional medicine. This integrated partnership would offer a wide range of treatment options for all conditions and a corresponding range of costs. Such a diverse cooperative system would use the strengths of all modalities to create an easily accessible and comprehensive health-care system that assists the individual’s healing process. The key word is assists the individual. The mentality of healing professionals must shift from benevolent dictator to mid-wife. The role of those desiring healing will shift from spectator to participation to responsibility. The realization that the ultimate responsibility for healing is with the patient will be the greatest shift in thinking during the next twenty-five years.


This ultimate responsibility of healing that each of us must claim is not limited to proper diet, exercise, and personal habits. These are all focused on our physical body. We must be tuned into dealing with the other parts of “us.” This includes our mental, emotional and spiritual (causal) aspects. The belief that our non-physical components are intertwined with our physical being, indeed the foundation of our health, is a core belief of Reiki. Just like we take care of our physical bodies, we must tend our non-physical aspects with the tools that deal with them. These tools include Reiki, yoga, meditation, and Tai chi. Each of these modalities can be performed by the individual. This allows the individual to be empowered to deal with all aspects of their being. These techniques help us to possess the most powerful anecdote to ill health, what Dr. William Tiller calls “right thinking.” The more that we delve into how much our thinking and feelings impact our health, the more the title of John-Roger’s and Peter McWilliams’ book, You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought rings true. The Placebo Effect is not a fluke. Our thinking does impact our health. The sooner we realize this as a collective consciousness, the closer we come to optimum health. The use of Reiki and its “complementary health” cousins as a regular individual practice is another trend that we see helping in the quest for the balance of homeostasis of our bodies during next 25 years. This development will be as important as the integration of complementary health care into traditional medicine.


The final trend that is taking root is the spread of the practice of Reiki into all aspects of our society. This includes psychotherapy and prisons. Reiki is already being practiced in these seemingly opposite ends of our society. Yet the dealing with the whole person is key to the healing of those in our society that need it the most. The use of Reiki in this arena can treat the parts of our culture that are most troubled that traditional medicine and our correctional system have failed to do. Our prison population has exploded and mental disorders such as depression have taxed our ability to treat all that need treatment. As one inmate at the Hampshire County House of Corrections said, “It (Reiki) helps me deal with everything I encounter.” While this statement is news today, it appears that it will be commonplace in the near future.


Reiki has emerged from more than two millenniums of obscurity. It has been a mercurial rise in a time of dramatic advances in the Science of Medicine. Yet all the science has not stemmed the tide of crisis in our healthcare system. Perhaps the alliance of traditional and complementary medicine can forge resurgence in healing. As Author Dossey in his book Reinventing Medicine concluded, “In a sense, medicine is burning, as old ideas and methods are fading on every hand. But medicine’s fires are purifying: new life is emerging from the ashes, as it always does. The re-inventors are stepping forward, and healing is in the wind. The rebirth has begun.” We could not agree more. The next twenty-five years will be exciting for Reiki and its complementary health cousins.


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Reiki - One More Healing Modality

Nurses learn the art of healing through energy, spirit and intention

By Lisa Waterman Gray
Contributing Writer, Nursing News

Although the concept of body-mind-spirit medicine has only been prevalent in Western culture since the 1980s, it has existed in Oriental and Indian cultures for more than 2,500 years. And recent scientific studies have verified that we can measure very low magnetic or "subtle" energy.


Several nurses recently learned fundamentals of Reiki - an ancient form of energy work - and received eight continuing education credits during a weekend-long course taught by Brad and Diane Masters, from The Masters Institute in Lee's Summit, Mo. These practitioners have more than 14 years of combined experience in energy work and teaching Reiki.


Reiki (ray-key) means "universal life force." Based on the idea that physical illness reflects a body out of balance, it is a technique of energy work that facilitates stress reduction and relaxation and enhances each individual's innate ability to heal. Reiki practitioners direct energy with their hands, as is true in several other forms of energy work.


Kathleen Heydon, RN, licensed massage therapist and a certified case manager, said she was surprised to learn that she already used a lot of Reiki, without knowing it. "It is one more healing modality, and it's similar to Healing Touch," she said. "Reiki is something you can do without direct manipulation. It doesn't even require touch. It sends healing by way of energy and spirit and intention."


According to Reiki tradition, the body has seven major energy centers, or "chakras," that correspond to the body's endocrine glandular system and regulate hormone balance and the metabolism in different areas of the body. When blocks occur in any of these energy centers pain, illness or disease may occur.


Some of Reiki's many benefits include a strengthened immune system, reduced pain, enhanced recovery following surgery, balancing the function of organs and glands, clearing of toxins, release of emotional blocks and suppressed feelings, and enhanced creativity, meditative states and intuition. Reiki clients have found relief from head and backaches and from other stress-related conditions.


For it to be effective, the person who receives Reiki must be open to it. Use of Reiki is not appropriate when a person is under anesthesia or receiving chemotherapy or when a broken bone has not been set, nor is it used as a diagnostic tool.


Rachel Hill, BSN, has nearly completed her nurse practitioner training. She is also a hypnotherapist and practices Jin Shin Jyutsu - in which she uses acupressure to unblock energy in the body.


"People always asked me if I knew Reiki," Hill said. "I had one of Diane and Brad's brochures, and I saw one of their students working on a woman with a migraine. She was very focused and serious. So I decided to take the course."


During one training exercise, a student lay on a massage table while the remaining students simultaneously offered Reiki at different points of the body.


"I was surprised by the simplicity of it," Hill said. "It was interesting to feel heat moving through my hands, and we were all tuned in together. When I was on the table it was sort of like a daydream, where you don't want to get up and your limbs are heavy with relaxation."


As a Reiki practitioner provides treatment, the healing energy also facilitates balance in her body. Both Hill and Heydon believe Reiki can be an important tool for any nurse.
"In day-to-day patient care, Reiki can help patients achieve some balance," Hill said. (Using Reiki) fulfills our holistic responsibility to our patients. It's good for nurses, too, who often don't care well for themselves because it is symbiotic."


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The Sacred Session

By Brad Masters

One of the basic Principles of Reiki holds that the Practitioner or Master is just the pipeline or instrument for the Universal Energy. As long as the healing intent is present, you could be putting together a grocery list. The healing power of Reiki will flow regardless of what is going on in the mind of the Reiki Practitioner.


While this is true, an important factor is being overlooked. The most important component of this process is the person receiving the energy. The person receiving the healing is drawing the energy. The more focused, relaxed and open the receiver of the energy is to the “treatment,” the more effective the results. So it is very important that the session be as sacred as possible.


So how do you make a healing session sacred? The first step is to honor the person receiving Reiki by doing everything you can to create the perfect environment for their four bodies. For the physical body, make sure that the person is as comfortable as possible. This may include pillows for both the head and under the knees, blankets or fans to ensure the temperature is comfortable, and eye pillows to comfort the eyes. Any physical condition or impairment that the healee may have should be accommodated as much as possible.


While the physical comfort is very important, the emotional and mental aspects are just as important. Carrying on a conversation with a person receiving Reiki energy shows a lack of respect. If you are in a group healing or sharing, conversation with others at the table should be kept an absolute minimum. At best, talking is needless background noise and it can distract the focus of the person receiving the treatment. Meditative music is a much better alternative than discussing the great restaurant you went to last week. In addition to being a potential distraction, idle chit-chat does not honor the sacred bond created during a Reiki session. Unnecessary movements or noise during the session should be limited.


Ambiance such as candles, incense and aromatherapy may also be included to help the receiver feel more mellow. Having the receiver use affirmations can help the treatment process. A prayer is an effective way to begin and end a session. This helps reveal a field of Infinite possibilities to aid the treatment. This also signals the Universe of your intent.


Perhaps the most important thing a Practitioner/Master can do is to move the client into a meditative state. This can be accomplished with a short meditation prior to beginning the hand treatment. Using visualization can also be effective to help the client reach a meditative state. This is especially effective if they have specific area that needs to be treated. Having the healee visualize a healing white light envelope an area in pain is an example. In addition to relaxing the body, mind and emotions, meditation opens up the body that is always First Cause, the spiritual body. It is in the realm of the spiritual body that Reiki does its work. If the spiritual body is whole, the other three bodies will also be healed. This is why it is so important to create a healthy environment for Reiki energy to be received.


This article has just scratched the surface of how to enhance the environment around a Reiki session. Use your intuition to help create a nurturing environment for the power of the Universe to do its work. Intuition is a powerful tool to tap into the Universal Mind. Why not call upon the ultimate source to help with this sacred encounter?


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Reiki Assistance During Challenging Delivery

By Theresa A. Thomas

My oldest daughter Ann had a challenging pregnancy. She developed toxemia during her third trimester and was on bedrest for six weeks prior to delivering a healthy daughter, Lily Ann, a month premature.


Ann first started having challenges with high blood pressure and water retention and was hospitalized six times prior to delivery. During those six weeks I had the privilege and honor as her mother and a Reiki practitioner to be the channel for distant healing for Ann and baby Lily. Ann confirmed that she was able to tell when I was channeling Reiki for her since her blood pressure would lower and stabilize and the baby seemed to calm down also. I would sit in a recliner in our family room and channel Reiki energy for her and the baby both when she was at her home and in the hospital. At times I became so relaxed I would fall asleep and awaken with my hands still on my abdomen sending Reiki energy to Ann and Lily.


When the obstetrician decided Lily’s lungs were completely formed and Ann’s life was being threatened due to increasing toxemia symptoms, she was hospitalized for induced labor or possible Cesarean Section. When I arrived at the hospital around 7:00 a.m. on the morning of March 8, 2002, I found Ann on “seizure precautions” with the ceiling lights out and a towel over her eyes to minimize visual stimulation. Ann was receiving medications to lower her blood pressure and this medication was also telling her body to stop contractions since the baby was premature. She was also receiving Pitocin, a drug to stimulate the uterus to contract to facilitate delivery.


I asked Ann’s permission to channel Reiki at that time. An hour later I left the room so Ann could converse with several physicians. When I returned Ann stated that “Whatever you are doing is helping me stay calmer. So keep it up please Mom.” I did continue to be one of the two people allowed in her room during that day. I left the hospital around noon for approximately 45 minutes to eat and get some exercise. When I returned I found Ann in tears. She definitely noticed the difference in her ability to breathe through the intensified contractions with the Pitocin while I was gone. She pleaded with me not to leave her again.


I then continued to channel Reiki and around 8:30 p.m. the nurse anesthesist requested that everyone but myself leave the room - saying that Ann had to have absolute silence and she needed to get some rest. Ann and I agreed that our intent would be that she would remain aware to breathe through the contractions yet be able to allow herself to relax and recharge her body, mind, & spirit.


The obstetrician informed Ann at 9:00 p.m. that she was not progressing and he felt it was advisable to perform a Cesarean Section to deliver the baby. (During the C-Section, the doctor observed that Lily had her right arm over her head, thus causing more complications during the C-Section.) I remained as close to Ann as possible during the preparation for and during the C-Section, continuing to channel long distance Reiki for Ann and Lily.


We were cautioned that since Ann was receiving the medication to lower her blood pressure that this medication was also affecting Lily and she would most likely need assistance breathing for the first few hours after the C-Section delivery. Well, let me tell you my granddaughter was born crying and continued to cry during her first physical. She even nursed within 90 minutes after her birth when Ann returned to her room.


Needless to say, this grandmother saw first hand the great benefits of Reiki! The hospital staff commented on the calming benefits for Ann. I am eternally grateful for the privilege to share Reiki with Ann and Lily during this grand occasion. As a Master-Teacher, I plan to share the Reiki attunements with both my daughters and their families. What a blessing for everyone!


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Reiki - The Science/Spirit Connection

By Brad Masters

The word Reiki means universal life energy. It is defined as being that power which acts and lives in all created matter. What is Universal Life Energy? Quantum physics describes the existence of a standardized, perfectly balanced field standing in relationship to only itself, a field of pure intelligence, which brings forth all matter to form the basis of all creation in its Super Gravitation Theory. This coincides exactly with the statements which wise and enlightened men have been making throughout the centuries. They tell us that there is a state of being which contains all creation and out of which all life arose. The energy of this state of being lives in all things, and it is this universal energy which flows though our hands in concentrated form when we treat someone with Reiki.


The meaning of this in practical terms is that Reiki is above all holistic in effect. It reaches all levels of existence and strives to bring these differing levels into a state of balance. The therapist is only a channel for this energy, for it is not his own limited energy which passes through him when he lays his hands on a person, but rather a universal one, which leaves him strengthened and harmonized afterwards. Reiki also makes its own way to the area of the body in need of treatment. It is obviously endowed with a greater wisdom than our own, for it seems to know where and how and to what extent a patient needs it without our being able to add to or subtract from the effect it produces.


Very receptive people often experience Reiki as love. Love is a uniting power which leads us forward to an even greater state of oneness with the whole of creation. The real goal of mankind is to translate this state into reality and to live it out. Love is the original home of the soul, where it returns to be united as a drop with the boundless ocean of being, a state of union encompassing knowledge and wisdom, creativity and harmony as well as self-realization, all-embracing love and eternal bliss.


Reiki can help us to find our way back to this state of health or wholeness. It is a healing method in the broadest sense of the word.


We believe this therapy is an important part of the future of health care. Although deeply rooted in the past, it is especially relevant in today's stressful world. We hope to bring this knowledge to those we touch. By sharing a sacred space with them, we hope to facilitate opening the doors of healing.


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Reiki Healing From Afar

By Thom Beeson

I remember being intrigued by the thought of transmitting Reiki from a distance. The symbol appeared complicated but my teachers had a plan for my success. They told me to put a list of my desires in a box and practice distant healing by using the distance Reiki symbol daily. If I would practice for 30 days, then the symbol would be committed to memory.


I practiced everyday and my list began to evolve. A phrase I added to my list was "I desire a new challenging career in KC soon". I was commuting 120 miles a day to my former job and I had been looking for a new career unsuccessfully for 18 months. Within 1 week after adding that career phrase to my distant healing list, I received a call about a supervisory position. The unusual factor about the call was that I hadn’t applied for the position! I had turned down a job offer for a technical position with the company 10 months earlier, but they had kept my resume active. I now have a career that offers me opportunities to grow professionally, personally and financially!


After beginning my new work position in Kansas City, I added a desire to my evolving list "I desire the ability to buy the home that is right for me". The following Saturday night I was talking to a friend and she mentioned the possibility of buying a house without a down payment. The next Monday I received a postcard from a realtor about an upcoming seminar regarding buying a home without a down payment. The realtor who sent me the invitation name was Thom Baxter. I know Reiki was sending me a message because my name is Thom Beeson. I went out and looked at several houses with my realtor but was unsuccessful in finding my dream home. So, my realtor provided me a web site that focused on my price range and cited 45 listings. Again, the house I desired wasn’t listed. I went to my web site one Sunday morning and checked the open houses. I chose a 90-year-old bungalow that wasn’t included in my web site listing because the home was $40,000.00 below my maximum price. The home is in northeast Kansas City, MO and I wouldn’t have considered it, but I listened to my nephew who said there are nice neighborhoods in that area of town. He was right and I knew I was home when I walked through the front door. I am closing on my house the 18 of July.


In conclusion, there are desires that I Reiki for everyday that haven’t come true yet, but I feel comfort knowing distance is not a factor regarding helping someone in need or the Universe. I believe distant healing is the most potent Reiki of all as I have been blessed by its power and acknowledge the possibilities are endless.


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