Just for today, I will be grateful for my blessings

Today, is the first day of 2025 and I am exploring the Reiki precept, ‘just for today, I will be grateful for my blessings’.

During Yuletide, putting time aside to examine your relationship with the five Reiki precepts, is a wonderful and nurturing experience. This is because it is a time of rejoicing with loved ones, past or present and supporting each other through the darkest months of winter.

Times can become bleak especially when we get caught up in the over commercialised aspect of Christmas. Also, it is a time of slowing down, reflecting on your self-development over the past year and therefore, preparing for the upcoming new year. Doing so brings much hope and renewal when we are aligned with the seasons, and we go with the flow.

So, what have I learned so far when examining my relationship with this Reiki precept?

I will be grateful for my blessings

Well, I believe that I have finally reached a point in my self-development where I am able to face hidden truths. A lot of negative feelings have been rising within me and although unpleasant, I am grateful for them.

This is a remarkable transition for myself as I have recently began recognising that I am grateful for bad experiences. I choose to use them as opportunities for growing my awareness and yes, I will feel those feelings of fear and vulnerability while doing so however, it helps me knowing that this is a part of my healing journey.

I do wonder sometimes if healing can be easier?

Hmmm, I’m not sure if it can be easier but I do know that it becomes easier for me to deal with challenges that come my way.

Most definitely, if I never examined my relationship with the precepts, I wouldn’t be comprehending my feelings of being grateful for my blessings. Moreover, I would not be experiencing those positive, good feelings if I was continually stuck in my head.

I’ve been there!

As a result of constantly ruminating over trauma and catastrophising about my future, I have suffered terribly with my mental health. I don’t wish anxiety on anyone because I know how debilitating the continual scenario of fight or flight can be.

Thankfully though, Reiki continues healing me, and each wave of revelation is growing my wisdom.

It is no wonder that Mikao Usui wanted his students to understand the importance of being present, ‘just for today’.

If you are not in the here and now, how can you see and feel those things that make you smile or feel good?

Rainbow Blessings

Connecting Heaven with Earth through my body.

While starting this Reiki journal, I paused and looked out of my window, and I saw the most beautiful rainbow in a blue sky.

Quickly, I took this photograph and posted my thoughts on Instagram and when I looked again, it had vanished. I didn’t stop smiling though as I began contemplating the magic of life. Upon looking out again, it reappeared briefly, but grey clouds descended quickly. I can still see a bit of blue as the clouds are rolling across.

Life is fleeting and when we spend our time CONSTANTLY in our head, then we find it increasingly more difficult to feel hope and renewal. These dark clouds will soon disappear and the forecast is for sunshine tomorrow.

Reiki is my foundation, and I am grateful for all who have assisted me in my personal growth. This includes not only my Reiki Master, Pauline Mahony, but all my clients and students along the way.

My three-card tarot reading today, will assist me with putting my thoughts and feelings into perspective. Daily, I read my cards to assist with my personal growth and it is not always comfortable. I refer to this as my ‘Tarot and Gratitude’ journal and I always ask Reiki to flow.

My question is: –

What do I need to understand about my self-development and what am I grateful for?

Present Feelings and Situation: The Empress

The Empress couldn’t be more apt for the first day of a new year.

She symbolises re-birth energy and the return of light that dispels any darkness hence, revealing suppressed thoughts and feelings.

My situation is one of nurturing new growth, and I am feeling it. I love being creative with my thoughts and feelings, hence writing this journal.

That rainbow is significant as I see it as a bridge between Earth and the Universe. I can ascend new heights and there’s something else that is causing me to pause and contemplate.

Let us be grateful for our blessings

A dear friend has just lost her son only yesterday to cancer. My gosh he was a fighter, and I am continuing to send him Reiki to assist with his transition. He is free and I do not believe that ones soul ceases. Energy evolves continually and I already know and feel that we keep our loved ones soul alive with our fond memories.

Furthermore, I am experiencing these thoughts and feelings for a reason. Also, perhaps our paths crossed to assist with our growth and development of our profound wisdom?

Dealing with grief

Grief is a personal matter and there is no right or wrong way of dealing with it. Only the other day I was talking to a client about her grief two years on from her husband passing. She also believes that his energy is around.

Fearing death is enough to bring the barriers up in most people because of fear. Well, I see it as a natural cycle, something that comes to all of us. Being in pain does scare me and I am not afraid to admit that, but dying doesn’t scare me. I just don’t believe it is the end. More importantly though, Reiki teaches me to live for today, ‘just for today’. How would I have seen that beautiful rainbow if I was ruminating or catastrophising?

Past Influences: The Chariot

Well, this is my journey of self-reflecting on many aspects of my thoughts and feelings during Yuletide.

There are a lot of personal and close relationships that I am currently navigating that are stemming from past traumas.

Sometimes, I have felt like pushing a loved one away because I cannot bear the feelings of torture.

All I will say is, when you see a loved one stuck in an abusive relationship and knowing that you cannot help them, it bloody well hurts! It so deeply pains me, however, only they themselves can make that decision to leave.

For now, I have concluded that the only thing that will prevail is LOVE. Turning my back on someone is not the right thing to do and thankfully, I haven’t done this. Being there with love and support for when they need it is what is important.

I do not know if this is the correct way of looking at it, however, I do know that things will change. Additionally, family and relationships are what I value above anything else. Most importantly, Reiki is the energy of love and love is what I am feeling now. Also, Yuletide is about looking out for one another, especially in our darkest hours.

Future Influences: Nine of Discs

I am grateful to see this card because it summarises so much for me right now.

Reiki is my foundation of self-care, and this is why, with chaos surrounding me, I can sit back and contemplate my feelings.

Before Reiki, I would have allowed my negative feelings to control the situation and yes, I would have made things a lot worse. We need to be careful of the words we speak, especially when knowing the power they hold.

My practice of Reiki and understanding the true nature of practicing gratitude, will continue assisting my personal growth, while creating feelings of contentment.

Love never dies and understanding ourselves assists with growing our compassion and kindness to ALL living things. Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

The tarot deck featured here is Kristoffer Hughes, Yuletide Tarot. If you love reading tarot and would like to learn about Yuletide, Kristoffer Hughes most certainly explains it well. I absolutley love this deck.

Concluding being grateful for my blessings

I’m so grateful for Reiki in my life!

I am fully accepting that not all blessings are from just good fortune. Sometimes, our journey of deep inner healing raises old wounds that must be soothed otherwise, our way forward will be blocked.

Amanda’s Reiki Journal

Begin discovering more about Amanda and her personal journey of healing with Reiki.

Reiki Journal

My daughter just rang me upset that her car has seized to move and she’s waiting for a breakdown service.

Thankfully, she is aware of how quickly a drama can be created by catastrophising. Although she is worried about money being short, she knows that she will get through this. In her own words, ‘I am at my best when I need to find money‘, and by focusing on her strengths, she will manage.

I’m grateful for my blessings as I see her calling to me for reassurance as love prevailing. Family is important and my way of life is obviously rubbing off on her. It was only the other week that she was terrified driving down the motorway at night in thick fog with her hazard lights on.

Isn’t she lucky that her car didn’t just seize then?