Letting Go and Letting Flow

Earlier this year, right at the end of winter when everything was still bare but rumblings of the oncoming spring were felt, I was visiting a friend and her newborn baby. As we caught up on what was happening in each other’s lives, the conversation began to focus on how the more we step out of the way and simply witness life’s events as they unfold, the more deeply we can enjoy the things that bring us pleasure and the less difficult the challenges seem to be. The conversation went on for a while as we shared in this concept of our “job” being to allow life to happen through us without attaching ourselves to any of it.

This idea has come to mind over and over again these past few months as I’ve watched nature blossom into spring and now prepare for summer. In New York City, spring this year was exceptional. We actually had an extended period of mild temperatures and the flowers seemed to bloom with more steadiness and intense color. It was the kind of spring I was accustomed to while growing up in New England. Something that struck me as I watched nature do her thing this year was that while I judged it as extra beautiful, nature probably wasn’t phased by any of it. Whether or not her flowers were extra pretty or her birds’ nests extra full, nature was just doing her thing and the end result was not the reason for any of it.

When I did my spring cleaning, I decided to take the water fountain in the living room apart and wash it. I thought about how my primary job, just like Mother Nature’s, is to clear the path for life to breathe and flow through me. Everything else is secondary. I took my time as I rinsed out all the parts of the fountain, feeling blessed for all that has happened thus far and receptive to whatever may happen to flow through my life in the future, all the while being at peace just for today.

This is not to say we should just stand by and do nothing about our lives or just let life happen to us. This kind of acceptance is about letting go of the swirling thoughts in our heads that the ego creates. These are all the “should be’s”, “should do’s” and “should have been’s” we carry around like a heavy backpack on our shoulders. In letting go of these thoughts we allow room for the true intention of our soul’s purpose to reveal itself. In his book, Courageous Dreaming, Alberto Villoldo writes:

“Will is the mechanism through which we try to force the world to conform to the way we think things should be, while intent is the mechanism by which we dream creatively and courageously. And while will corrects and fixes things after they’ve manifested, intent shapes things before they’re even born. Both are important, but dreaming can only happen through intent.”

When nature springs forth every year, she shows no resistance. The world goes from cold, gray and bare to warm, colorful and fragrant with such ease it can’t help but seem magical and that is what we as humans can experience in our own lives the more we let go and let flow. That’s when life takes on a renewed sense of joy, light and inspiration.

Have a beautiful summer everyone!

Peace and Light,
Jean

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Jean Bromage, Reiki Master
Dancing Light Candles
www.dancinglightcandles.net
646-522-6100

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LATEST AT DANCING LIGHT CANDLES

Chakra Candles at the Open Center

I am thrilled to announce that Dancing Light’s Chakra candles are selling like crazy at the New York Open Center’s Bookstore. http://www.opencenter.org. Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood and check them out.

These candles are great for yogis, energy healers, masseuses and anyone who is looking to connect with their energy body through the Chakra centers.

Some of the blends have been tweaked recently. Here is a brief overview of the seven Chakras and the blends I’m using for them.

Root - Red – Patchouli, Peru Balsam & Vetiver –Element of Earth
Sacral - Orange – Geranium, Sweet Orange & Cardamom – Element of Water
Solar Plexus - Yellow – Coriander, Bergamot & Lime – Element of Fire
Heart - Green - Ylang Ylang, Palmarosa & Tangerine – Element of Air
Throat - Blue – Eucalyptus, Basil & Cypress – Element of Ether
Third Eye - Indigo - Juniper Berry, Rosemary & Lemon
Crown - Purple - Frankincense & Lavender

You can read more about these candles on the aromatherapy page at http://www.dancinglightcandles.net/aromatherapy.html

Dancing Light Candles will be at the Sunday Green Flea Market on Columbus Avenue and 77th Street on June 8th and 15th. For more information on Green Flea go to www.greenfleamarkets.com

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LATEST REIKI NEWS

Summer Offer for First Time Clients
For first time clients, I am offering 3 one hour Reiki healing sessions for $225. Anyone interested in this offer will need to schedule their 2nd and 3rd sessions within 4 months after their first session. This offer does not apply to RAC students who are looking to fulfill a requirement for their Reiki studies.

Give the Gift of Healing
Looking for a gift for someone special? Why not introduce them to Reiki if they’ve never tried it? Gift certificates and session cards are available either alone or along with a candle gift set.

For more information call Jean at 212-496-5287, email reiki_essence@yahoo.com or go to www.dancinglightcandles.net/reiki

Breaking the Resolution Habit

A couple of years ago when people asked me what my New Year’s resolution was, I said it was to drink more water. Usually by New Year’s I am tired from the end-of-the-year hustle and bustle and the idea of making any big changes in my daily routine felt a bit overwhelming. As this New Year arrived, I decided that I can’t really make drinking more water a resolution again because that mission has been well accomplished. So I asked myself if I were to make a resolution this year, what would it be and could it be something bigger? I considered how this experience of making a small modification in my everyday life taught me that changing a habit can be a much more fluid (no pun intended) and effortless experience by simply shifting the consciousness around it. Sometimes when the focus is put on the smaller aspects of change, more and even bigger transformations will follow with ease. For example, in drinking more water, I found myself consuming less sugary beverages and this happened without giving it much thought or effort.

Often times when people make New Year’s resolutions the focus becomes so concentrated on the outward goals and accomplishing them with immediate results that the purpose of these resolutions get lost. Resolutions often times conjure up images of working out at the gym even if we hate it, eating foods we don’t like and giving up foods we do like in order to lose weight or toughing out the cravings when the nicotine or caffeine fits take over. The resolution process seems to entail nothing but hard work and sacrifice when usually the purpose of a resolution is to have a greater sense of wellbeing in our lives. One aspect of leading a healthy, well balanced life is to experience joy and pleasure, so why do we make the changes that are suppose to be good for us such a chore?

In Reiki, we have a protocol that offers healing for the release of an unhealthy behavior or habit as well as a protocol for sending support to personal goals. In working with clients, I’ve found for some people the results manifest immediately and for others it is a more gradual process. Either way, Reiki offers an opportunity for the client to release the emotional and energetic charges that no longer serve their needs and desires and creates a space for them to plant the seeds of change. Often times in a session we will also work with an affirmation that helps to reinforce the positive aspects of releasing a habit or reaching a goal. This enables the client to experience the higher vibrations of self love, nurturing and joy which in turn transforms the lower vibrations that initially encouraged the unhealthy habit or discouraged the manifestation of a goal.

Change can also mean letting go of something old in order to make room for that something new. When we let go of a long established habit, it can feel like there is a void or space left in the energetic and emotional layers of the body and that can be a challenge for many people. So as a one lets go, it can often times be helpful to explore how one feels about this emptiness. Is it okay to just be with this newly emptied space for a while? Is there something specific that one desires to bring into that space? When I want a shift to happen in my life, I often times manifest this emptying process on the physical plane by clearing out my living space of any unnecessary clutter. It is my way of synchronizing with the universe and giving it a cue that I’m ready - bring it on!

This year however, I think my resolution is to break the old resolution habits by letting go of my inner judge and my inner task master that set me up for failure. They are the voices that tell me I have to work hard for this or else it has no value. Instead, I am setting the intention to simply allow the changes I want in life to unfold effortlessly, to allow what I need to come to me instead of seeking it out.

Everyone has a unique relationship to change and whether or not the outer results happen immediately are, in the end, beside the point. It is more important to experience joy in the now and then weave into everyday life the changes, big or small, that seem most possible at the time.

Have a blessed and joyous 2008!

Peace and Light,
Jean

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Jean Bromage, Reiki Master
Dancing Light Candles
www.dancinglightcandles.net
646-522-6100

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LATEST REIKI NEWS

2ND ANNUAL REIKI SYMPOSIUM
Reiki and Your Creative Spirit
February 18, 2008 - 9:30 am to 8:30 pm
at The Open Center – 83 Spring Street, New York, NY
Note: There will be a Reiki Healing Circle open to the general public from 7 to 8:30 pm
For more information go to:
http://www.reikisymposium.com/
http://www.opencenter.org/

I will be leading a presentation entitled Dancing with the Chakras at this year’s Reiki Symposium. In this workshop, we will explore how dance and movement can be a healing and invigorating way to experience and transform the vibrations in our energy field. We will begin the workshop by calling in the Reiki as a group and experiencing its energetic flow together while using guided imagery to take us through the seven chakras and the different energetic qualities each one offers. From there we will explore how the qualities of each chakra can be expressed in our bodies through dance and creative movement. For each chakra, we will have a chance to move together as a group and then to improvise as individuals allowing us to experience the Reiki energy and chakra vibrations in different ways. As we dance our way through each of the seven chakras, music that resonates with the vibration of each energy center will be played for inspiration as we find our creative voice through movement. No previous dance experience will be necessary. Just come with the desire to dance and experience the joy of movement.

The Reiki Symposium will also be featuring the following workshops:

Reiki and Puppetry: Divine Connection Between Healing Art Forms with Yvette Edery, M.A., Reiki Master, founding Director of ArtistrYE Productions

Mandala: Drawing Out Your Creative Spirit with Natasha Shapiro, LCAT, ATR-BC, Advanced Reiki Practitioner, visual artist

Write from the Heart: Developing Your Writing Skills with Reiki with Bronwen Stiene, Reiki practitioner, teacher, internationally acclaimed author

Reiki, Sacred Imagery and Your Creative Life with Faith Linda Weissman, astrologer, storyteller, Reiki practitioner

The Reiki Symposium is open to Reiki students and practitioners of all levels. The Reiki Healing Circle at 7 pm that evening is open to the general public and is a great way to be introduced to Reiki if you have never experienced it.

For more information, go to the following websites:

http://www.reikisymposium.com/
http://www.opencenter.org/

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Change in Cancellation Policy for Healing Sessions
Please note that my cancellation policy has changed. Any cancellations made 36 Hours or less before a scheduled session will incur a $25 cancellation fee. Any cancellations made 24 Hours or less before a scheduled session will require payment for the session in full.

Offer for First Time Clients
For first time clients, I am offering 3 one hour Reiki healing sessions for $210. Anyone interested in this offer will need to schedule their 2nd and 3rd sessions within 4 months after their first session. This offer does not apply to RAC students who are looking to fulfill a requirement for their Reiki studies.

For more information call Jean at 212-496-5287, email reiki_essence@yahoo.com or go to www.dancinglightcandles.net/reiki

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LATEST AT DANCING LIGHT CANDLES

Chakra Candle Set is Finally Here!!!!!

These candles are great for anyone who is looking to connect with their energy body through the Chakra centers. They are also great for yogis, energy healers and masseuses because they are easy to transport and have a lid to cover the candle when the session is over. As one breathes in the natural aromas of each of these candles, it is helpful to relax and take note of what areas of the body respond. Do you feel calmer or more stimulated? Are you made aware of any tension in your body that begins to release? Does a certain memory or emotion come to you?

Here is a brief overview of the seven Chakras and the blends I’ve used for them.
Root - Red - Peru Balsam Oil & Patchouli –Element of Earth
Sacral - Orange - Geranium & Cardamom – Element of Water
Solar Plexus - Yellow - Coriander & Bergamot – Element of Fire
Heart - Green - Ylang Ylang & Tangerine – Element of Air
Throat - Blue - Eucalyptus & Hyssop – Element of Ether
Third Eye - Indigo - Juniper Berry & Lemon
Crown - Purple - Frankincense & Lavender

Dancing Light’s Chakra candles can be purchased individually or in a boxed gift set. You can read more about these candles on the aromatherapy page at http://www.dancinglightcandles.net/aromatherapy.html

We’re taking a break from the flea market for the winter but will announce spring dates in the next couple of months.