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The Five Reiki Principles in My Life’s Journey

RHA Member Bridgid Ruden, RMT, documents how her understanding and appreciation of the Five Reiki Principles has evolved over time in light of life’s ups, downs and unexpected challenges

“…For me, self-acceptance has been a huge part of learning to let go of worry. I continue to work on the acceptance of my disabilities, which include epilepsy, cognitive impairment, aphasia, memory loss, fatigue, and balance issues.The mental impact of continual fear can swirl, enter, and thus invade our mind, body and spirit’s natural flow. I provide Self-Reiki daily to enrich and nurture my soul with love and gratitude – which is a priority before I can truly give healing to others. Self-care initially was a huge endeavor for me to understand and apply. But Reiki has empowered me to love and accept myself as it has deepened my connection to the Divine….”

I will let go of my anger today

Recently this Reiki Principle has tested me a little, as I have faced several challenges in my mission to spread Reiki education in Linn County, Iowa. Disappointingly, the religious community overseeing a local Retreat Centre told me that I wasn’t able to practice and run workshops there, as they felt that Reiki lacked valid research and didn’t support their beliefs.

Although I tried to send more information to the leaders of the church, to show the many healing benefits of Reiki, I was met with more blocks and barriers.

While this experience has made me more resolute to continue to honor, provide and educate on the value of Reiki, I did have a lot of anger that I needed to let go of following these frustrating challenges. I stomped my feet and screamed into a pillow to let the fury leave me. For I know I cannot be a vibrant channel of healing for others if I let this anger stay within me. Stepping back from the anger, I can find the silver linings and be grateful for the new motivation this experience has stirred within me, to share the truth about the value of alternative therapy with the world.

I will let go of my worry today

There has been worry in our world for centuries, but even more so since the eruption of Covid. I have learned over time, to release worry and fear, especially since I maintained a severe traumatic brain injury. A lot of people worry about death – but I no longer fear the end of life after experiencing several near-death episodes. Sure, it takes practice letting go of the fear of things we can’t control in our life, but it allows us to focus on the things we can positively impact.

For me, self-acceptance has been a huge part of learning to let go of worry. I continue to work on the acceptance of my disabilities, which include epilepsy, cognitive impairment, aphasia, memory loss, fatigue, and balance issues. The mental impact of continual fear can swirl, enter, and thus invade our mind, body and spirit’s natural flow. I provide Self-Reiki daily to enrich and nurture my soul with love and gratitude – which is a priority before I can truly give healing to others. Self-care initially was a huge endeavor for me to understand and apply. But Reiki has empowered me to love and accept myself as it has deepened my connection to the Divine.

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I will do my work honestly today.

Honestly is defined as being fair, honorable, and sincere. When I provide Reiki, I receive Divine messages about the client. In the beginning, I often feared being fully honest with them. I worried about their expectations. What if I’m wrong and could potentially hurt the client emotionally? I was so hard on myself. Once again, I had to learn to let go of worry and self-doubt. I had to trust my intuition, trust my voice and believe that the Divine was truly communicating with me. Over time, as more of my clients confirmed the precision and truth of my messages, I learnt to trust in myself and speak more openly. When I stopped self-censoring and started working from this authentic heart space, I could release the fear around using my gifts and in turn serve my clients better.

I will be grateful for my many blessings.

When I survived the brain injury that made my brain regress from forty-four to just four years of age, I unsurprisingly questioned “Why God am I still here?” I was a mother of three wonderful children, in a fabulous marriage and loved being a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. What on earth is my purpose now?

It took years for me to re-learn reading, writing, speaking, and walking. I still struggle with cognitive issues, severe fatigue, and epilepsy. It wasn’t until I began publicly sharing my miraculous story nationally and internationally, wrote a book, and provided Reiki to so many, that I finally realized that I still have an important life’s purpose. I can continue to help others heal! And I remain fiercely grateful that I am alive to pursue this calling.

Certainly, life can get busy and it’s easy to forget about the many blessings that come our way. So before I fall asleep each night, I like to check in with myself and reflect on the miracles the day has brought forth. I begin by taking at least three very deep, long breaths in and out slowly. When I breathe in, I feel such peace transcend in my heart and when I breathe out the challenges of that day burst outward. I often find myself stopping after one or two breaths as my mind begins to wander. I eventually come back to the simple breath and resume from the beginning all over again. Once I reach those three breaths, I pause and reflect on the events of the day. From there, I smile and begin to praise the Divine with a heart full of gratitude.

I will be kind to every little thing.

Generally, I’ve been kind to everyone since I was born. I am the oldest of eight children and helped my mother immensely, which I am so grateful for. She is by far the most amazing earth angel that I know. Tenderness to others is a deep piece of my soul. Horrendous people and places are very challenging to accept and support but without forgiveness and love nothing changes. Today, based on all that I’ve learned in my life’s journey which includes the education of Reiki and Shamanic healing, I am kind to everything — including spiders, weeds, scary animals, and evil people. Sending you all so much love and blessings in your journey.

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Pin this for later! The Five reiki principles in my life journey

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