Reiki for Life (And Stress Relief!)

I tend not to blog about Reiki because it is so simple. That simplicity fools me into thinking there is not much to write about, but maybe that is where its value lies... 

Reiki is a spiritual healing technique that was discovered by Mikao Usui in pre-war Japan. Reiki healers draw on Rei (divine intelligence) and Ki (life force energy) bringing that energy through their Crown and Heart Chakras, down their arms and out their palms. Once we are attuned to Reiki, it switches on whenever we need it - "Hands On, Reiki On" - we don't even have to think about it! 

Giving yourself or someone else Reiki is so simple that it is sometimes (sadly) mocked by energy healers that have invested a great deal of time learning complex healing modalities (like the one that I also studied and practice) but I have to say that the simplicity comes in handy when you're in a pinch. Just this week, I have been saved by Reiki twice!

Scenario 1: Stressed Out Pets

I had been dreading our yearly trip to the veterinarian for 11 months, three weeks and six days, ever since my two-year old Yorkie lost it at her last check-up: clawing, growling and biting with heart beating a million miles a minute. Let's say this dog and needles are not friends. We can't even walk past the vet, let alone go into the building. Then came the day when her vaccines were due and this time, I decided to fill my pockets with crystals to see if she would chill out. I also carried her all the way there, giving her Reiki on the way and again when we were in the vet's office. She did snap at me once or twice but it was nothing like the nightmare we had last year. 

The cool thing about Reiki you don't have to think about what you are doing while you are channeling Reiki, so you can hold onto a squirming and scared dog without having to put yourself in a meditative state! 

Scenario 2: Reiki In Traffic

If you have ever been to Mexico City, you'll know that traffic jams become an Olympic sport when rain is involved. Last week we had a downpour and what would've, could've, or should've been a 20 minute drive turned into THREE LONG HOURS. For a while I had been wanting to focus on healing my "lower chakras" and I did just that, Reiki-ing my Root Chakra for an hour, my Sacral for another, and my Solar Plexus the rest of the way home. The funny thing is that by the time I got out of the car, I was in the best of moods. Reiki has always felt like a burst of sunshine, cheering up my day. 

The other fantastic thing about Reiki is that being so easy to teach, children pick it up very quickly. Once a child has been attuned to Reiki they have it for life, and they can use the "Hands On, Reiki On" concept to calm their nerves through their stomach, or to fall asleep peacefully by placing their hands over their hearts. At that age we tend to be curious and adventuresome, which helps the process immensely. 

Want to Know More?

To practice Reiki we have to sign up for class and be "attuned" to the energy by a teacher, which is just a fancy way of saying that the Reiki Teacher activates the pathways in our Crown, Heart and Hand Chakras so that we can give ourselves and others healing. The attunement itself only takes a few minutes although the class is a full day. Once you have been attuned, I would suggest following up with Penelope Quest's book, Reiki for Life. The amount of information given in Reiki courses can vary and this book is an excellent resource for all Reiki levels (even for Teachers...) 

With time we can also get creative with our Reiki uses. Follow the link to read a funny blog post of mine: Invisibility Spells & Magick {Click Here}; I had fun with this one!

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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to heal yourself. Find her on Instagram.com/reginachouza or on Facebook, as DiaryofaPsychicHealer

> Español: @AngelMedium33

The 13 Original Clan Mothers & The Moon

Six months ago I joined a weekly circle where we meet up at each other's houses and take turns presenting metaphysical subjects that we are into. Its been lots of fun; earlier this year I got to teach tarot and astrology and I am now I am back as a student, which I love. This week we kicked off with a new round of classes on Mayan spirituality, specifically the 13 cycles of the moon, from New Moon to Full Moon and what we learn about ourselves as we start to peel back the layers of the ego. The round of classes will span 26 weeks, I will be working on it into the New Year.     

Exploring The Mayan World View

This week kicked off with a bit of theory on the Mayan "World View" of the human being as a functioning, sentient being that is part of the Universe but not all of it, just like a kidney is a functioning organ that is part of the human body and not separate from it (but also, not one and the same with the whole). The idea was that we each have a function to complete on earth, just like the kidney has a specific role, and that by fulfilling that function all of our needs would be met. This contrasts to our modern world view where the belief could be that we are competing with each other for jobs, money, resources, promotions, etc - and that through that world view, we have created a system that validates and reinforces those beliefs. I'm not sure how this fits in with the 13 moons, but the idea was intriguing ... 

Yesterday's overarching theme was relationships - our relationship with the world whether it is a human being, a tree or an animal. The teacher encouraged us to sit in meditation and connect with plants and animals to receive their guidance. We did this in a short meditation where each of us was guided to meet one of our power animals, and to connect with a particular kind of tree and ask it what kind of healing it could give us. The tree that came to mind for me was the Eucalyptus, and it told me that we could receive its healing by chewing on its leaves. Afterwards, our teacher told us that Eucalyptus trees were about taking a breathe and resting, if you will. With regards to my power animal, I saw three: a spider, which I ignored and asked my intuition to give my something else. Then came a flying squirrel, which I saw as a cartoon character from the Sword in the Stone. I also got the lyrics to Seal's Fly Like an Eagle, along with a visual of an eagle flying over a lake and diving into to cool down. 

After the meditation we discussed what we'd seen - the spider represents creativity so I guess it says something about my current creative process when I ignored the spider and waited for it to move along. The squirrel I think was about finding freedom, stretching your wings and also finding a bit of magic in our daily lives. Finally I'm not sure what the eagle represents and my homework was to connect with its energy in my daily meditations. It was pretty cool overall. The class we are taking is based on books by a woman called Jaime Sams, who has written extensively about Native American spirituality. I believe this specific course is based on the material in her book, the 13 Original Clan Mothers. She also published a set of Medicine Cards that I have been eyeing for years: The Discovery of Power Through the Way of the Animals.

Relationships As Reflections of Ourselves

The first moon's overarching theme is relationships as mirrors; how what we dislike in other people is often something that we are disowning in ourselves. And what we like in others are often qualities that we like in ourselves. So our relationship with the world is largely dependent on our relationship to ourselves, and in order to soften those triggers, we need to look within. Here's an example, let's say I'm super annoyed by people who show off. Is there a part of me that wants to show off but doesn't? Or is there an aspect of my life where I can't help showing off? 

Along the same lines, when we think about what it is about a person that makes us like them, could it be that we have that same quality and it is one of the things that we like about ourselves? So for example, I am drawn to people who are happy and smile a lot (aren't we all?) and its usually people who are uncomplicated and happy that I like spending time with. Though it may be an aspirational mirror as I am quite  happy and uncomplicated, but I could probably have more sunshine in my life. I think that is why I'm so drawn to Reiki, it is like a burst of sunshine in your mind's eye. 

Our homework is to try and be more aware of what it is that draws us to other people (or away from them) and how those traits could be a reflection of ourselves. This is a theory that I was already familiar with, especially with regards to opposites in astrology. For example, as an Aquarius, I can be put off by Leo's drive to shine but really, it is just the opposite side of my coin. What I see as separate from myself is part of my disowned shadow. Let's think about what that means...

Update 2025: The class I took emphasized the Mayan tradition - Jamie Sam’s book is on Native American spirituality. Por si las moscas … 

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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition. 

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> Español: @AngelMedium33

So You Turned 50 This Year (or Whenever...)

I watched a great video by Gary Vaynerchuck a few weeks ago, and it got me thinking about astrology. It is about age being relative, and how we are a lot younger than we think - younger than our parents and grandparents were at the same age (you can watch it below). With modern medicine, we're going to live longer and healthier than the generations that came before us. The milestones that we grew up with are irrelevant. In Gary Vee's words: if you are 50, don't wrap it up, start it up. Your whole life is ahead of you. This idea also resonates 100,000% with astrological timing ...

Here is why:

There are a number of cycles that we track with astrology. If we look at the movement of the planets through the zodiac, every so often, they return to the same place in the sky as the moment of our birth. This happens every month with the Moon, and every year with the Sun. And with Saturn, every 28 or 29 years, a phenomenon that is known as our Saturn Return. Saturn is the Lord of Karma so if we have been straying from our soul's path to personal growth and fulfillment, Saturn will send an event to get us back on track. It isn't always pleasant; many a divorce has happened on a Saturn transit. Saturn sends adjustments every 7 years when he completes 25% of his orbit, and an overhaul every 28-29 years. We can get ahead of the curve with a bit of introspection, especially by assessing our priorities and addressing any issues ahead of time before any changes are forced on us.

So how can we try to figure out what our life purpose is? Our natal chart can point us in the right direction, especially when we look at our eclipses, and the placement known as the Moon's Nodes (Sound familiar? We covered them here.) Today I'd like to focus on the Moon's Nodes; the placement that speaks to the beliefs and comfort zones that we need to release before we can find our bliss on the other side. By pinpointing the zodiac sign that our North Node is in, we can identify the behavioral patterns that will help us find that bliss, even though it may be uncomfortable at first. We have all of our lives to resolve these issues, although life will send us a pressure test every 19 years (at the Node's Return), where we are pushed out of our comfort zones. We can see this as an opportunity to grow. My first return was pretty cool; I'm looking forward to the second one when I turn 38 in 2018!

So I was watching Gary's video on turning 50, and it dawned on me that not only should we be thinking about starting it up when we are in our 50's. We also have two big growth spurts to look forward to, the second Saturn Return at 57-58, and the third cycle of the Moon's Nodes at about 57. You could say that the 50's are the place to be, that 60 is the new 40, and 100 will be the new 80. Life is changing, we are all a lot younger than we think. Watch the clip below; my Diary of a Psychic Healer Facebook Page LOVED IT =) And apologies in advance for any curse words ... 

Watch Gary's Video Here

So I hope you enjoyed the video - if you'd like to explore your natal chart for a bit of guidance please get in touch. Natal astrology readings are available too.

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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition. 

Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Youtube

> Español: @AngelMedium33

Can Your Intuition Keep You Alert?

I always ask that my angels keep me safe and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. This extends to my family's well-being but also the hassle of having something stolen, especially when you are on vacation in a foreign country and losing your wallet or your phone would be a major pain. A few weeks ago I was traveling with family and we went to one of those country fairs. The kind where you see ferris wheels, cotton candy and lots of kids and teenagers running around trying to win prizes. After an hour or so and a delicious Nutella waffle, it was time to go and we made our way to the exit. 

We were walking and I had my purse slung behind me, a purse that I love using on these trips because it has so many compartments that it would be really hard for anyone to find anything in it. Still, you don't want anyone snooping around in there, and I suddenly had an image of a hand flash through my mind - that hand was reaching for my purse. I instinctively pulled my purse around to the front of my body where I could keep a hand over it, but I didn't think to say anything (like, girls, keep an eye on your things!). 

Luckily nothing was stolen, but my sister felt like her purse weighed more than usual, and when she turned to look, a small hand was pulling the zipper back every so slowly. A six or seven year old hand, which was the worst part, as we soon discovered. We turned to see a gang of kindergartners with an older boy (or teenager) and they had their hands in all our purses. Beyond the cringe-factor of a gang of pickpockets using little kids (who would be less likely to get in trouble if caught) to steal things, we were spooked by the occurrence. And my sister still tells me that I should have spoken up. Its just that intuition can be so faint that when you get used to it, you respond without really thinking about it. 

Have you had an instance where your intuition kept you safe? Please share in the comment box!  

           A Meditation To Access Your Intuition 

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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition. 

Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Youtube

> Español: @AngelMedium33

How Can Natal Astrology Help Us?

Anyone who knows me would tell you I'm quite the shopaholic when it comes to books and crystals. That one-click option on Amazon is my downfall. Sometimes I will buy a book long before I have time to read it (or before I have any chance of understanding it). 

That was the case with Jan Spiller's Spiritual Astrology: A Path to Divine Awakening, which turned out to be a fantastic read and I'm now kicking myself for not reading earlier. I bought the book in 2009, re-gifted it, and got it again last month. It opened my eyes to a new way of working with astrology. But first, let’s look at some of the more traditional ways that a Natal Astrology reading can help us.

Studying our natal charts can help in several ways:

1) Getting To Know Yourself

What does it mean if a person's Sun is in the fiery sign of Aries, their Moon is in Libra. The Sun rules our core, our essence, what our soul is here to accomplish. The Moon is about how we feel, our inner world and emotions. Other planets such as Mercury, Venus, and Mars and might indicate what our thought processes are like, what we value in life and how we go about attaining what we want. On a psychological level, we can use astrology to understand ourselves and what makes us tick.

We can also look at the balance of elements in our natal charts, for example, how many planets are in Water, Earth, Air or Fire signs and how does this make-up influence our personality. A person with lots of Air might have great ideas, but if they don't have enough planets in Fire (drive) or Earth (logic) they may never get traction. We can work with crystals and other healing tools to balance out the mix.

2) Goal-Setting With Astrology

We can also work with astrological transits to set goals when we are more likely to meet them. By transit, we mean the movement of the planets through the signs (the moon was in Leo on Monday, its in Virgo today). The energy that the planets send our way take on a different shape as they move through the signs. They also influence different areas of our lives as they make their way around the sun. We can study these transits to see where we are more likely to gain momentum in our lives. For example, the past year or so I have had the goal of 'getting back in shape' on the back-burner. I went to the gym and ate healthy more often than not, but I wasn't interested in putting in the effort to shed the last few pounds.

  

Then came the Mars - the planet that rules ambition, drive and our ability to get what we want. It takes Mars about two years to make its way through all the signs in the Zodiac. A month and a half ago it entered the zodiac sign that (in my natal chart) rules health, habits, fitness and work ethic. I suddenly found myself with plenty of energy at the gym as well as the motivation to lay off the chocolate bars and crisps. Those kilos came off quickly despite the fact that I went on holiday for two weeks and ate lots of pizza, pasta and Italian ice cream (but I did hike a lot, too).

Of course, when it comes to weight loss there may be other issues at play, whether it is emotional or stress related. And we all come in different shapes and sizes so it's more about finding the size and shape where we are comfortable, happy and healthy rather than trying to fit into an ideal. For more on sustainable weight loss and healing from the inside out, please read this article of mine with Tiny Buddha... 

3) Predicting Events With Astrology

This area I am not as familiar with, but we can study the movement of the planets through a person's natal chart to predict when certain events are more likely to happen. For example, when are you likely to get a promotion, to get married, to meet your soul mate, etc? These transits tell us when something is more likely but we still need to put in the work to take advantage of the opportunity (though some may fall into your lap - it depends on the transit). 

So for example, if you knew that your big chance to meet a soul mate is coming in 2017, you would work on healing and releasing past relationships before then so that you would be ready for the new one. we can also take it one step further by combining our knowledge of planetary transits with magick to bring the planet's energy into our lives in a more focused and conscious way.  

4) Finding Happiness With Astrology

In Spiritual Astrology, Jan Spiller talks about falling in love and how the feeling has less to do with the person we are "in love with" than our state of mind. That bliss can be found when we plug into our Heart and stop caring about the trials of daily life. So the bus was late, who cares, we're in love! Eventually, our consciousness exits the heart and goes back to our mind/ego. That warm fuzzy feeling may fade - if we want to stay in that place of love it's an inside job. Jan tells us that we can fall in love with life and with ourselves by turning to our stars for guidance. 

The book is amazing; the empowering bit comes from studying the placement of each of the planets in a natal chart, and how their placement in the signs influences our feelings. We can manifest a planet's energy constructively, or destructively - within the confines of its sign in our natal chart. 

To give you an example, when I was born, Venus was in Aries. Venus rules love, relationships, social activities, what we value in our lives, and where we find our self-worth. Aries is an independent sign that leads impatiently and can leave people behind. Nothing moves fast enough for Aries. The sign is ruled by Mars, a very competitive planet (and one that I'm not entirely comfortable with). 

If I were to plug into the impatient, competitive or self-absorbed attributes of Aries, my social life and my relationships would suffer. Instead, Spiller suggests that I work Venus to my advantage by leaning into the sign that sits opposite Aries on the Zodiac. Libra is a team player (unlike Aries), it values every human and wants to make sure everyone is OK. According to Spiller, a healthy expression of Venus in Aries involves empowering others so that they can lead, achieve their own goals (with Aries as a kick starter). The book shines a light on where we might be sabotaging ourselves. 

5) Discovering Your Soul's Gifts

The other big theme in Spiritual Astrology are prenatal eclipses (the eclipses that happen when we are in the womb). Most of us will have experienced two eclipses in the womb, one rules the gift that we have to share with the world in this life. The other one rules the gift or opportunity that we are given as a reward or a treat. I was surprised to learn that my "treat" eclipse is in Pisces (the sign that rules intuition) and that in exchange for me agreeing to come down to earth, I was given the chance to develop my intuition. It is what I am here to enjoy, and I have the most of it! I did however, realize that I haven’t been channeling the gift that I am meant to be sharing with the world (not so directly); that is something for me to work on in the future …

There are also several websites that generate free natal astrology charts. AstrologyClub.org was my favorite early on because I could relate to the interpretations. Of course, I also offer astrology and tarot readings through this blog; I'd be happy to explore your natal chart with you. Readings last an hour and we might not have time to go through everything on this list, but if you let me know what you are interested in, we can zoom in on a specific aspect and take it from there. 

If you would like to learn more about Astrology, let me know and I can include a reading list in my next email. There is a sweet little book by Amanda Starr that I would recommend: The Joy of the Zodiac. The author does a great job explaining the qualities associated with the various zodiac signs. She also goes into subdivisions for each sign (career, relationships, family life); those descriptions will be relevant when we have a specific sign on the cusp of the house that rules that sphere of life. 

So for example, if you were looking into a new job, you might look at the sign of the 2nd House Cusp (income), 6th House Cusp (work) and the 10th House Cusp (public success and achievement). If you have never seen a natal chart and would like to know more, Click here for an introduction and a case study. Hope it helps! =) 

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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition. 

Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Youtube

> Español: @AngelMedium33

 

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