The First Reiki Principle
When Usui Mikao, the founder of Reiki Ryoho, began teaching, he created five gokai, or “admonitions”, which broke down his path to the state of near-enlightenment that resulted in his Universal Attunement to Reiki. He required all of his students to learn and prove that they could live by these practices before they were ever allowed to be initiated to Reiki themselves. As Usui-sensei led a very eclectic life in the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, it is likely that these gokai were an amalgamation of “best practices” from his Buddist upbringing, the traditional Japanese religion Shinto, a text by Dr. Suzuki Bizan, “Kenzen no Genri” or “Principles of Health/Soundness”, and other tenets of Japanese culture. Over the next five weeks in The Exchange, we will be discussing each of the Five Principles.
The first of these gokai is:
Just for today, I will not worry.
I think we all just felt our shoulders drop as we read those words. Ah! To have not a single worry! What a life that would be!
When was the last time you found yourself completely free from worry and how long did that last? A day? An hour? A moment? How would your life be different if you were able to stop worrying for an entire day? What would you have to DO in order to experience such bliss?
To answer these questions, first we need to know what worry IS.
Worry is the unknown that lives in the future. I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked, I was not a soothsayer and I couldn’t predict the future (although some people may be able to do so). So why in God’s name do I keep trying so hard to predict it, plan for it, and worst of all, WORRY about it? Many psychologists postulate that it’s because the Fear of the Unknown is a fundamental human fear (a fear from which all other fears are born), and as such is so deeply embedded in our genetic programming that it’s nearly impossible to recondition.
So you’re saying I literally CAN’T stop worrying?
Yep. Pretty much. But here’s what you CAN do to greatly reduce the amount of worries that you give energy to, as well as giving you the ability to have a completely worry-free day once in a while:
Stay present. If you’re able to stay present in the moment, RIGHT NOW, you’re not really thinking about the future. And even if you’re making plans for the future, to be present in the moment as you make those plans will keep you from spiralling out in the multitudes of what-ifs that can accompany the plans. This mindset is also how you stop “rehearsing tragedy” during your most joyful moments. For example, instead of looking at your beautiful sleeping baby and worrying about them getting sick in 80 years and dying of old age, you can really enjoy the miracle that they are right this minute.
Use your head. Is worrying about something that might never happen going to change the outcome if you put enough of your energy into it? NOPE. So stop it.
Release attachment. If you can remember that everything in life changes and nothing lasts forever (the law of impermanence), then you may find yourself worrying less about unexpected scenarios popping up, because you will have already built up the mental resilience to deal with that inevitability.
Have faith. Oof. This one is the hardest one for me. To have faith that everything in God’s universe is conspiring to help me grow, to know that every hurt, obstacle, and misfortune has come for my best good, and to believe that all good things are on their way to me is so hard to believe sometimes. But on days when I can manage to steep myself in faith, I am truly able to set my worries down.
I encourage you all to meditate on this first gokai of Reiki this week, Beloveds. Use it like a mantra or an affirmation! Write “Just for today, I will not worry” on post-it notes and put them in your car, on your computer keyboard, on your bathroom mirror--you can even make a phone screensaver with it! Wherever you will read those words the most often is where you should position them in your life. Every time you read them, say them out loud. This practice is powerful alchemy, and it increases your neuroplasticity as you reprogram your brain to strive for a less worrisome life.
Still having a hard time with worry? This could be due to an energy imbalance, but a distance healing session can help with that! Reach out, I got you.
