The 5 Reiki Principles & you

When you learn First Degree Reiki, you are introduced to the 5 Principles. The more I spend time with this healing modality and the more I speak with friends and family about life situations, the more I realize that the 5 Reiki Principles have a place in everyone’s life.
As a reminder or a way of life, the principles give us an outline of how to live in the moment and how to obtain peace, happiness and serenity.
And isn’t that what we are all searching for?

Just for today, do not anger: Anger is powerful energy. It is often a reaction to unmet expectations. There is no need to feel guilty about anger, we simply need to recognize why it has surfaced in the first place and deal with it appropriately without causing harm. We need to give ourselves permission to release feelings of anger, it is a strong Earth emotion and has a respectful place in our life if used with caution.
Ask yourself “What am I REALLY angry about?”

Just for today, do not worry: We often worry about our past, present and future. Things we do not have any control over. Worry is linked to our fear of the unknown and can have an effect on every aspect of life.
Worry is a thought pattern and comes from negative beliefs that lead us to not trusting ourselves and our inner divinity, wisdom and power.
Ask yourself “Is it peaceful for me to worry?”

Just for today, be kind to all living things: Being kind and honouring one another is something we have forgotten how to do. With life becoming so fast paced, we forget to respect and be kind to those we meet along the way.
A smile for the cashier; a thank you to the man who holds the door for you. All of these things seem like common sense, but really how often do you experience or offer them throughout your day?
When we take part in actions of kindness, however small or large they may seem at the moment, we are nurturing our inner wisdom, our true nature, that of loving, kind human beings.
Ask yourself “How have I shown kindness today?”

Just for today, be grateful: I believe the key to happiness lies within gratitude. When we become thankful every moment of every day for each and every thing that life provides for us we will find true happiness.
What have you done to show your gratitude? How about writing your child’s teacher a personal note of thanks for doing such a tremendous job at helping you raise a confident child. How about thanking the sun for shining and the moon for glowing. Thank your house for keeping you dry, warm & safe. Be grateful for the penny you find on the sidewalk or the shoes on your feet and you will soon be singing a tune of contentment.
Ask yourself “What am I grateful for in this moment?”

Just for today, work hard/earn your living honestly: Being honest with yourself as well as carrying out your work as well as you can is the basis for this principle.
Honesty to the self is a doorway into knowing your true nature.
When we work at a job that gives us no satisfaction, goes against our morals or has no positive impact on our lives, we are not being honest with ourselves. True honesty comes when we can recognize when something needs to change, if we are earning money just to earn money we may begin to see lack come into our lives because we are not aligned to our truth. When we are working hard at a job that is aligned with our truth, we attract abundance.
Ask yourself “Am I being honest with myself?”

And finally, the idea of each of these principles applying “just for today”. Living in your moment of now and not consuming yourself with the goings on of the past or future is an important step in finding true happiness.

When we can “live where our feet are” we notice that all things are well in the moment that we are living them.