Courage: Reiki's Unexpected Gift with Karen Caig, LRMT

Karen talks about how Reiki helps us find the courage to move onto our life path.  Then she leads us in a meditation to find the courage to do what is in our hearts!  Please join us!

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Karen Caig, Reiki Institute
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Article:  Courage: Reiki’s Unexpected Gift
Article:  Becoming an ICRT Licensed
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Pam Allen-LeBlanc is a scientist, a businesswoman, and a Licensed Reiki Master Teacher with the International Center for Reiki Training.  She is the author of "The Reiki Business Book" and a co

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Transcript

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On this week's podcast, I am talking with my friend, my editor and fellow licensed Reiki master teacher with the international center for Reiki training. Karen Caig. Karen is one of my favorite people in the world, and she recently wrote an article about courage and in titled courage, Reikis unexpected gift. So I asked her if she would talk to us about that today. Welcome Karen. Thank you. Thank you, Pam. Thank you for having me. This is an important topic, especially cause we've been talking about your book and how. How much courage it took for you to publish that. And so I really wanted to dive into this topic because I think a lot of people don't really have a clear understanding of what true courage is. And and it wasn't until I started thinking about how well what, true courage is. And then two, how does Reiki help bring that out? Right? That I thought this is something that I need to talk with people about. In fact, I think I'm going to use this, topic to launch in the fall. A life coaching program for women like me and, you, we are women who have overcome things to follow their true courageous path because we have a lot of gifts. We have things to give, but we, get in our own way things that hold us back from contributing our gifts, that we came here to this world to give. And I'm hoping that we can have a good discussion about that today. Oh, thank you, Karen. I know we can, we're gonna step into it. But first I just wanted to let everyone know some of the things that we have going on at the farm. Of course you can pick up the Reiki business book from amazon.ca or.com from several retailers in the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as the United States and Canada chapters. And You can also order it through libraries. So if it's something that you'd like to have, but you can ask your library to bring it in for you. And I'll, have a list in the podcast of all the places you can get that book. So if you're at all in a place where you dye their light to blend Reiki with a career that you're already doing and that you're already passionate about, or if you'd like to begin a separate career with Reiki I'd encourage you to pick up that book. And it did take a lot of courage to put that out into the world, Karen and, a lot of work, as as, my editor Some of the other things that we have coming going on here is in next week, I'll be teaching online and in person, a Kaurna Reiki class right here at the farm. And it is not too late to register. If you register on Sunday, you can join us. It's 9:00 AM. Atlantic time. We also have an animal communication class, Thursday and Friday next week. And it's both online and in person here at the farm, it is also in the Atlanta. Time zone. And that's going to be the last time I'm teaching it in this time zone until October. I am teaching it later in the summer, but in the Australian time zone. So do join us if animal communication is on your wishlist in, is that Thursday and Friday, the second and third, or is it Wednesday and Thursday? The first and second. It should be Thursday and Friday, Karen? Yes, because I have several people who are interested in that. And I think I wrote the dates down wrong. Sorry, not at all. I just know that it's got to be Thursday and Friday because I'm, teaching Monday to Wednesday covered. Okay. So it is it is the Thursday and Friday. Sorry. Good. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I did have several people that are interested in the animal communication course stuff. It's a great course. And it is the second and third. Yeah. Okay. Thank you the second and third, and also guys, just, if you are interested, if you're in Asia or Europe or even in north America and don't mind getting up a little bit early I do have the. Reiki membership association classes there. That means that we're teaching level one and two followed by masters. And when you take level one and two, and master's from a licensed teacher, you can qualify to become a professional member of the Reiki membership association. So I am teaching that in an Asian friendly time zone. It's evenings in Asia and it's mornings for us here in north America It begins July 16th. And I guess it's that same evening, July 16th in eight. And in Europe, it's actually a lovely time zone because it is a little later in the morning and it's a little bit shorter day. So it's over instead of being over five days, it's over seven days. So that begins on my birthday, July 16th. And it goes until July 22nd and then July 23rd to 25th. And then again, the 25th to 28th are some very special animal Reiki classes. We are, I'm going to be hosting those classes on campus Bello island, and we will be going out to see the whales and the puffins and the seals bells. And it's really interesting. I finally did talk to the captain. Who runs the whale-watching operation on campus Bello island, which is a beautiful little island, just off the coast of Maine. It's about two and a half hours drive from Bangor. And you can also get to it through Canada from, a ferry ride, or you can travel across land through St. Stephen, through Maine and, back to camp Abella, but an hour from St. Stephen new Brunswick and that particular class, that island is magical, but the whale-watching tour actually picks us up just about a five minute walk from. Our house, like from where we're going to be doing the class. So it's going to be really special. And if you do decide to come to that class, give yourself some extra time to check out Franklin Roosevelt's summer home, and it's an international park. It's absolutely free to attend. And there's also an award-winning golf course there's hiking trails. So really would love to have you join us for that animal, that special animal Reiki class. There's both level one and two, the 23rd to 25th, and then the masterclass, the 25th to 28th. So the masterclass starts with a whale watch and the level one and two ends with a whale watch tour. So hopefully you can join us for that. Karen, what do you have coming up? You've got a lot of great classes. And then tell us a little bit more about this class. I teach generally you can just go to my website, breaky, hyphen institute.com and I teach Reiki one and two Reiki master animal one and two, because I had the best teacher in the world pan and animal Reiki master every month. And then I have, I'm adding in a Kaurna Reiki in August. And and then September, I'm going to start, I'm going to probably do it as a group, a very small group coaching program, beginning in September to help women uncover their, authentic self, their true purpose, and do some exercises and some some work that won't necessarily have to be Reiki practitioners. Of course Reiki always helps, but do some work to help move them toward they're fulfilling their life. But they really want to do uncovering their true courage and their true passion as'cause, it's hard to get to. If you grew up I think it's true. It's true for most people and not just women so much conditioning. We talk about in our holy fire classes that culturally create itself, that we, it's difficult to find our authentic self and what we really want to do and then have the courage to go pursue that. That's difficult. It really is right. Putting that book out with one of the hardest things I've so people need it, they needed it. They did. And that's what kept me going. That kept me motivated. And I would hear from people like, is your book ready yet? I really need it. But, and it really kept me going, it kept me motivated and, I wish I had a physical copy so that I could hold it up and show the people on video. But mine hasn't arrived yet. I've heard from people that have copies that I don't have mine yet. So we're going to have a, we have a link to your email address as well as your website on the on the podcast notes. And so I'm just going to encourage people to go in and click and maybe connect with you and sign up for your newsletter so that they can stay in touch particularly about this course, if they're ready to uncover their courage. I think that would be fantastic. Karen. Before we start, I'm just going to invite everybody to activate their Reiki. And we'll just start with small in vocation. And then from there, we'll we'll go into this. So I just invite you to bring your hands together and Gassho with your thumbs at your heart. And just recognizing that there is duality on this earth that we inhabit and duality is the existence of both love and fear and that they do not co-exist in the sense that where there is fear, it is difficult to experience love completely and fully. And in today's podcast. We're using the vehicle of courage with Karen's assistance to align ourselves with the love and move past and release or go around the fear that would block us from accomplishing our life purpose. Go ahead and activate your Reiki, energy and invite all of the symbols that you have today to assist you in this purpose. And we activate all of the chakras so that you can listen with every part of yourself with your eyes, your heart, your mind, with your courage. And we invite the light of your authentic courage to flow through you now to assist you and uncovering your true purpose. And we invite the Reiki energy to help you listen to the parts of the podcasts that are important and pertinent to you and the light of courage to assist you in moving forward from here as always. We thank you for being with us today and thank you for being the bright light that you are in the world. And thank you for stepping into your own authentic courage. For taking your place in the great awakening that is happening on the planet as we speak a whole MATOC whale. Awesome numbness day and amen. Asha Shalom. And so it is, thank you, Karen. Tell me what motivated you to write this article and how, what courage means to you? Honestly it was a, question that Kathleen Johnson asked me about how Curry does an unexpected gift of Reiki and how it. It's a, it's an unexpected side effect. And that really got me thinking about because I wanted to know what to say and I thought okay, I guess that is true. So I've looked back to, I started to look back at my life and I thought so what, is courage? Because Pam, you and I were talking about how both of us many people think, oh, you're so courageous because you work with horses and the things that we've done and we're both very adventurous. I've done things that people go whoa you're, not afraid of anything, but when I really stopped and thought about it, I've mentioned a couple of things in the article, one like snorkeling and going into a cave that my friend had pointed out. And without thinking most of the things where people say, oh, she's so courageous or go into being the first person to go to college. I think you were too right. People say, oh, you're so brave. And I realized that most of the things other people interpret as being brave or courageous, I did. Either out of stupidity discover like just sheer curiosity. I'm like, Ooh, what are, that is not really any, thought to it or it was out of maybe just three things. The two that, are really focused on work. I did them out of a need to survive those, sorts of things. I'm sure you've done some brave things with horses where you did it because you had to, or as a mother, the things you do as a mother, for example, you don't think you just jump and it's like an instinct, so that's not really courage. I thought it was not really. And then the other things were things I did to get attention, to get level. To get admiration so that people would say, oh, look at Karen, isn't she so brave and when I'm being honest with myself and, so when I peeled all that back on, I thought what, things have I done that weren't motivated by fear or fear, just fear, right? Fear for my life or fear that people weren't gonna love me. And I realized that the things that I have done that had truly shaken me to my core happened after I did Reiki in 2012. And so I thought, oh, and then I dug in, of course I'm a former English professor and I love words. So I started thinking about the word courage and the root of the word courage. From the Latin Corps. W so in Spanish you get or I think in French is cute. I don't know. Do you speak French? I don't speak French so it's hard. So it's things that are done from your heart, not from fear or it's, something that you do because it's what your heart is telling you to do. Wow. And so then I went into thinking about so, how does this work, why does Reiki empower us to do things that. We wouldn't that we don't do before Reiki. I think just about every Reiki practitioner can get to you have your before Reiki and after Reiki that's how you divide your life. Because I laugh at the fact that I was never going to teach exactly. There you go. Write a book or write a book. That's, teaching on a much bigger level, because you really listen to your heart. So at the beginning of your book, when you were talking about being in Heathrow airport and all that fear, and so Reiki is something that you gave yourself Reiki and you, that's, when you can hear your heart. So in the article, I broke it down, I thought about it and I thought, okay, so you've got really like three steps. The way this works is first and an orb first, you have to let go. I had to let go of all the. The voices in my head telling me what I should do. If I wanted to get attention, if I wanted to get love, I had to let go of all of the, gap or so holy fire people would talk about, I had to really let go of this culturally created itself and I had to start feeling my feelings. So the first part of the process is that letting go. And then I thought about my clients and how they release sometimes they're there on the table. And I don't know why I'm crying because they're just releasing this that cage that they've put around their hearts. They begin to release in it. Those emotions begin to flow. So that really is the first step to courage is crying. It's letting, the, you have to feel so that's the first step and that's what Reiki helps us do. It helps peel off. All of that yuck. And then the second step is to listen. Listen to yourself, listen to, once you get rid of all the, other voices, not that like I have multiple personality disorder, but you know what I'm talking about, those that inner critic voice, the once Reiki helps get rid of that. And once, once, you have that silence, then you can hear, I said I didn't follow my heart because I didn't know what my heart wanted. I was such a people pleaser. I was such I mentioned in the article that I am an empath on many Reiki practitioners are, I'm a highly sensitive person. I grew up in a really violent alcoholic home. I said, it's like I said, I can tip toe around a volatile situation with the grace of a deer. It's true. But. What happens when you do that? You're so focused, outward on everybody else that you, your true heart, it has to just sink. You know what I really feel. I didn't didn't have time to feel what I was feeling. I had to either act intervene in the violence, or I had to just, I had to do other things, not what I really wanted to do. Yeah. So once you clear all that, and then you start to listen, then you can hear I think I want to write a book. I think I want to, I don't think I want to teach English anymore. I said that was the bravest thing I ever did. In fact, I was just talking with my friend last night and she said I didn't want to tell you, she didn't read my article either. I was like, I already wrote about that. She said, I want to tell you I really thought you were nuts. So I'm so glad you're happy now. Because it was five years ago. I quit my job. I just quit flat out. Somebody I'd been taking care of my mom. I took her, my dad, he died. I took care of my mother. She, died in February of 2017. My only child graduated from high school in may of 2017. And I paid off my debts. I have had an old car. My son had an old car, but it paid off. And I did. I just quit my job because it was sucking the life out of me. I love teaching. And I know that's what I'm here to do is to teach, but it was the grading of the essays and the administrative stuff. And like I want, I love teaching people who want to learn. And unfortunately the education system in the United States, isn't always all about that. It's more about measuring test scores and stuff like that. So it was sucking my soul dry and I needed to leave, but I was too scared. So I had been working with Reiki at that point for five years. It's an interesting for five years. And I listened and I heard jump, even though my friends were like, you're going to do what you're sure. And I said, even my brother and my brother is my rock. He's been my rock through my entire life. And even he didn't say, he didn't say what, but he didn't say anything. And that was scary. He didn't say good for you or are you nuts? But, and my son said, mom, if you keep teaching for the university of Arkansas system, I can get tuition, half price. I'm like, I know, but you know what? I can't, I just can't do that anymore. And I, so what I'm trying to communicate here probably ineffectively is that I was meeting a lot of resistance to what my heart was telling me to do. A lot of resistance and. You were telling me about a very risky thing that you did when you were with the government and when you were pregnant and why don't you share that story? Because that's what I'm talking about. It, was, I guess it was similar in a way, Karen the government made a very poor decision and I was president of the Institute of agrologist, which is our scientific association. And we had a code of ethics that said that people's safety and the interest of the public had to come first above even our employer. And it was specific to that. And even even if it didn't have that code of ethics it's, also how I felt. But the government beta made a very bad decision. They were getting rid of 198 out of 212 positions. Okay. They w it was announced on Wednesday, the that people were coming in to do the separations and stuff on the following Monday. And I was seven months pregnant with our son and I had to my heart, I just, and we had just bought this farm and we were mortgage. We were in debt up to our eyeballs, and I had to as the president of the Institute, I had to step in and have a press conference and say, this is a very bad decision. This fits a lot of people's safety at risk. And And there was a reason that we had a department of agriculture in this province and in knowing, and I was one of the, I was one of the 12 people that wasn't losing my job. That's why your voice needed to be heard perhaps. Yeah, I get I was one of the ones that wasn't losing my job and my husband, I know I didn't sleep much that night and it was a really, it wasn't a difficult decision. I knew that I had to do it, but it was difficult to execute and it had a lot of moving parts. Just getting the press conference together because we knew that it was going to happen so quickly. That it, there would be no undoing. It was how it was orchestrated by the government, by my employer at the time. And in the end I wound up holding the, it was announced on the Wednesday. I. Met with my counsel on the Thursday, Thursday evening until midnight, I met with somebody to help me put together the messaging, because I didn't know anything about how to do that. And the opposition actually helped me. The official opposition helped me put, they put together that meeting for me. And then Friday morning I held a press conference with a couple of the members of my council with my seven month pregnant belly. They're in the news, my neighbors said, oh you were on the front page of the newspaper. You're not going to like the picture for you, but you're not going to like it. And I laughed. I really could care less. I forgive you followed your heart. Because I followed my heart and I remember very clearly at five o'clock in the morning here at the farm. This was in the year 2000 and we had just bought the farm. And this was April of 2000. We had just bought it August of 1999. And my husband 5:00 AM. I get up to go in and, get ready get things ready for the press conference. And my husband said, do you really have to do this? Because I would be blacklisted. And this is a very small province. It would be very difficult for me. With going into a maternity leave with a new baby, it was going to be very difficult for me to find work here. Once I was blacklisted for doing this and he said, do you really have to do this the night before we went to bed? And I said, yes, I really have to in the morning when I get up to go in, he said, I understand. He said, I know you really have to do. He said it's we'll figure it out. We, weren't going to be able to keep the farm with one salary in the end though. I didn't get fired. I wound up with promotion and we did turn the government's decision around. And so it, but it was hard. It was one of those things that was really like heart-stopping difficult to do. And, probably one of the things that I'm the proudest of, and that's the thing. So I would invite your listeners to when they're faced with something or they're, thinking of taking some courageous step to question, like why and, just get quiet and feel in their bodies. Like where do you feel it? And usually it'll, be something either. It's something happening, like what you're talking about. And they may feel that in their gut this is just, wrong to do it. I just have to, yeah, I just, I have to do this. This is like it's dear to my heart. Like I said, Reiki helps clear so that you can feel what you really want. What you that's. I call it that still small voice inside. Because it's usually something also that it's like, it's not that big of a deal. Like when I was doing Reiki on the side, Teaching Reiki on the side doing Reiki on the side, but I still had my full-time English teaching position. I go that's just something Karen does it's not right. Or, I'm sure you probably got Pam, is it really that big of a deal? Is it that important? You're just one person. But if there's something that the listeners are, thinking about, know that it may not be important to anybody else, but me and it may look stupid to anybody else. Or you may have that voice of who am I to write a book? Who am I to do that? It's gonna have to give you, it was hard to start teaching. It was hard to put yourself out there. It was hard to write a book. It was hard to write the first article. Yes. But those are the things that are the most courageous. I think that when. You have to believe in yourself that you're just like, no this is my, path. And what the article I said, there really were three steps. So the first is to let go and start to feel your own feelings. So when you even know what it is you want to do, because I was so used to doing what other people wanted me to do, even without them asking, they didn't have to ask. I just knew what they would, what would be better for them or what they wanted but not me. So you have to clear that, let go, and then you listen. And then the third thing I said, then you lean in and it's just a process of you. You let go, you listen. It's this, is it. And so you just lean into it. This is what I'm going to do. And then things are going to come up. It's not like you lean in and then boom, there you go. But the unit you're going to hit resistance and it, each thing where you start to doubt or feel that then, you have to go back again and go okay, I need to let go. I need to feel this fear. I need to feel the shame or whatever it is for me, it was shame a lot. Like I'm not good enough to do that. You have to feel it. You gotta to really feel it and then let it go. That's why we have Reiki so we can Reiki ourselves and it solved through it and let that go. And then listen again okay. Cause, cause you're going to hit crossroads it's took a lift to go, it was, you don't want to go all the way back to it might even do the right thing and you may, and then you listen and then you lean in. So it's a process like. Karen just, I know it's, simple. And I'd like to hear examples from your life, but the reading, the book, the first book proposal I wrote and submitted to a publisher was a year ago, this month and or a year ago, June. And you were with me for that. And I, when I submitted it, I wanted to go throw up. I didn't cry, but I was awfully close. And when I submitted it, I wanted to go throw up. And that I think is that leaning in and it didn't feel comforted. At all, it felt very risky. It felt like I was really putting myself out there and who do I think I am too to write a book, even though in my heart, I knew it was going to help people. There was still a lot of that doubt and, it was anybody ever going to even read it. And all of those things that happen and yet you, do it. And I think sometimes that uncomfortable feeling, that's what tells you it's really important. Yes, you're right. You, cause I've always heard too oh, courage is feeling fear and doing it anyway, but it's, not that quite that simple. It's. It's really cause it's going to come back again and it goes up and down then you get the book proposal turned in and you're like, oh, I did it. And then you think you're like, yes I can do this. Yes. And then you're up here and then something else is going to happen and you go oh, what was I thinking now? I just, then I have to write the rest of the book. Exactly. It's oh, it's accepted now. I got to ride it. Yeah. By the publisher. And it was such a weird feeling too, because it was like, oh my God, I hope that they accepted, oh my gosh, I hope they don't accept it. It's a process. Because I think people, they think oh, some people are courageous and some people aren't, no, we're all courageous. We are. And the way to measure it is like, how true are you being to, to your heart, to what's your heart, once your hearts desire, following what you know. That's what you're here for. Cause I think we all do once we get quiet and we heal some of that, but I quoted, I said I quoted Hemingway. Okay. Ernest Hemingway. Yes, I am American. And yes, I'm an English professor he, there's a lot of stuff with Hemingway. I don't agree with, but I said, I think he's right. When he said courage is grace under pressure. Yes. Yeah. And that, what is that grace? That grace is Reiki that's because we're not, none of us are out there living smooth. Nobody's doing that. We were social media. You're looking like, oh, their life is perfect. No, it's not. They're just showing you the good parts so you know it, but it's, having. That grace, because you feel the pressure and the pressure mainly comes from yourself society, but it comes, the biggest comes from yourself. Yeah, it really does. Yeah. At least for people, I guess I'm sure. But no, I think that's probably true for everybody. Don't you think I do the hardest on ourselves. We are the hardest on ourselves and you've done a lot of things that have required courage. Karen, why don't you tell us some of those things, because we've talked about a book, but there's a lot that you've overcome. Yeah, but like I said, it was so much of okay, raise a child by myself. That was terrifying. That was probably the most terrifying thing I've ever done. And like I said I didn't take this big leap until he, he got a scholarship and he was on his way to, college. He got up, it wasn't a full ride, but he got a scholarship and that. He can feed himself. It's going to be all right now. If I end up homeless, all the things that run through your mind, it's possible you could end up homeless, right? Pam, would you let me come live with you? You're a little, you're a little cabinet there now, but all those fears but raising, my child I think was, and trying to start a business. So Pam, I think we became friends because you've been such a great mentor to me on, I didn't know anything about business. Like I could tell you about German, romantic poetry like profit and loss of, I don't know. I have no idea. I didn't know how to network. I didn't know how to make a business and Reiki. I just wanted to help people It's I live in Arkansas if you can imagine, like this little woman running, I'm like, I have healing hands, but she likes them. Would you like seven? They're like, hell no, get away from me. No, I didn't know how to do any of that. And, still I, knew that because of Reiki, I knew that there was going to be some way. I just couldn't see how and so that's why I said also it's a process of you you lean in and you move forward a little and something happens and then you go, oh, okay. It's like a continuous process. You like to continuous process. Yeah. And then you lean in and then you let go of some other stuff and listen and then go. And who knows? So my, so I, now I have I did have an office I'd opened an office and I was teaching. And then when the pandemic hit. Great now. And then William said, we're going to teach online. I was like that's partly why I quit teaching. I didn't want to teach online. And then it turns out that my business exploded because now I'm teaching online and the classes are to me are better. Which totally surprised me. Totally surprised me. I did not see that one coming neither. And I, so that took a lot of courage, even for us to leave. I was terrified of technology. Yeah. That took courage, terrified of technology and to start teaching online and it's one of the best things that's ever all of the things. To courage in my life. I've wound up being the best thing ever happened to me. I even go back to meeting my husband and just that relationship that it takes courage. I look at that now I look at people who are, divorced or who are dating. And I think, oh my goodness, that takes so much courage. I don't know. I haven't had the courage yet. I had enough courage for that in my twenties that I don't know if I would have enough courage to do that now. And I, but I even think about how much courage it takes to trust another person that much to go into a relationship. And when I did have that courage back in my late twenties, when my husband and I met and just the amount of courage it took to step in. Relationship. And it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me, the courage to have children with with such an uncertain future around us and stepping in and, it happens anyway. And I look at Reiki and when Reiki entered my life and started guiding it, started guiding us, doesn't it. And I, yes, I decided to surrender to the guidance of Reiki. I said Reiki you, have the big picture. And I just know what's happening to me right now today. And what's happening in the world. I know just a snippet of what's happening in the world. Why don't you lead and I'll follow. And, I decided to, go the way of Reiki, William Rand calls it the way of Reiki, letting Reiki lead. And I find it keeps leading us into these opportunities to show real courage. And that is real courage to, to follow. Cause I couldn't surrender. That's why I said the first step is the letting go you're right. Yeah. And then when we dropped on my head too many times that I couldn't, I just couldn't but Reiki it's it was like, chiseling those walls down slowly, and some people I think. Yeah. But once you get to that point where you do let regularly, like you said and you go okay, yeah. So they encouraged her. They're pretty hand in hand aren't they? Yeah, they are. And it seems to lead to the best things in our lives. It does seem to take us someplace uncomfortable to do it. Like I think of everything that Reiki has led me to, I remember saying I will never teach now. I love teaching. I remember how terrified of teaching online. I remember how nervous I was to apply for the licensed teacher program. Oh, me too. I thought I remember telling Karen Harrison. I said, oh, I'm going to flunk the psychological test. I'm crazy. Or I'm not going to want to I just had. But that's the best thing I did. The best thing I did aside, I say, aside from my husband and the children, the licensed teacher program is the best thing I did. And actually, since we're talking about that, in addition to putting a link to your article on courage, I think I'll put a link to my article on becoming a lesson. And just in case, some people are getting that little nudge as we talk about that. And so it's so interesting when you do use your steps, when you let go of where you are and you really do have to let go of where you are to get to where you're going, and then you listen to where you're going and then you lean in and just follow it. And just it occurs to me that Reikis guidance has never steered me wrong. Has it ever? No, and that's what I think I said at the end of the article with the leaning in that it, just, it becomes a process. So when you hit something and you, and it gets easier and faster, you're like, okay no, that's my mom. Ah, that's just society telling me, blah, blah, blah. And then you listen and then there's no, all the anxiety goes away. Once you listen and you go, oh, okay. You, call it like a nudge because you're so good. You've been doing it long enough. I'm not gonna say you're good at it. So people who are listening, the more self Reiki you do, the more you work with the energy, it just gets faster. So you'll get like a nudge or you'll be like, oh should I do this? And you'll hear like a very clear yes or no. And then you're not staying up all night going to make the right decision. Gee, I don't know. Because it's just okay, yeah, this I'm doing this. And then you do it and it looks like courage, but it's really just. Stepping in stepping into to your own power, to your own heart space and just going. Yeah. And it's not easy to do. It's not easy to step into simple, but not easy. And we should be clear to Karen. We said you hear yes or no. And that hearing sounds like a lot of different things. Like it might in your body, you might actually hear a yes or a no. If you're clear on your audience, you can tell, so you actually hear it for me. I'm Claire and I have Claire empathy. So for me, it's just a feeling. I get a feeling of my son does that. We do that. And he'll, I'll say how, because he feels it in his stomach. I do too. He'll be like he goes and he will literally take it. He'll go. And that's how he knows. And, I've talked to him. I said, so listen to that son, because you're always right when you're getting. And he used to do that when he was younger too. I say, you want to go to this and go and get, because he didn't. I'm sure I messed him up in all other kinds of ways, but he's pretty in touch with like pretty good kid. I just, these are my feelings. And so, I was, and this is what I'm passing on to. I'm hoping your listeners are getting like you just have to get quiet and then you give yourself Reiki, clear off whatever you need to listen. And then listen. And it may be like, no, that's not it. If you're feeling fear, it's that recognition that the fear is blocking you from love. So it doesn't mean fear doesn't mean you shouldn't do something. You're means it's important. And it's important to your path, isn't it like? I, really feel, I know that I just wrote the book. I know that listeners are just getting out there and reading it. And by the way, anybody who sends a review through Amazon, thank you. Or through whatever, wherever you got it that's appreciated, but I really believe it's going to help people. And so I feel that it was important, but goodness, looking back at how frightened I. At so many of the steps and then I had to learn, I had to write it. Then I had to learn to edit it. And, you learned to like new software to learn. That's the thing, when you really start following your path, that's what I meant when I said you're going to hit something. Yeah. It's never simple. And you go oh, I don't know how to do this. And then you, but then you just listen again to go, okay. Yeah, you learned a lot doing that. I learned a lot. And now just before the podcast with Karen is we worked together so well and you're the best editor I ever could've hoped for. And I so appreciated you working through my pain, helping me through my panic attacks, all of that, like when I was not working against deadlines and thing and just helping when I was so last minute with, things at times And yeah it I, said at the beginning, I said, you're probably gonna think I'm crazy, but I'm sending a book proposal for my animal communication in a couple of weeks, but you've already learned a lot. The second one will be simpler, but that's how I feel like, I think about what a huge obstacle it was to write that first book proposal. And now the second one, I'm like, oh yeah, I can do that. I know how that's how it works. That's how, that's what I want your listeners to know is that you, when you can, when you step into what you're supposed to be doing, what's your heart says for you to do. It gets easier to new to do the next right thing is Oprah says what's the next right thing that I'm here to do. And it's, I think that's, the key to living an authentic life and to being happy, not that it's going to be easy and perfect all the time, which would be boring anyway, admitted. It'd be boring if everything was perfect all the time but this is, but it's exciting. So that's, I think that's why, and I came from such a mess, oh my gosh, I'm going to be 59 this year. Yeah. That's the other thing like you realize I don't have a whole lot of time left. I better get serious about what am I, here to do after all? Because I don't think grading essays was, it, that was I was good. I was good at that, but see what, the key was I realized the best part of my job and where I really was. My authentic self was when students were in my office asking for help about a paper. And then I have no boundaries. I'll be like okay we've got to find what you have to say. So I just jumped by so were you ever sexually molested as a child or I would just dive right in there and they'd go actually. Yeah. How'd you know, so we, that was really healing was my, passion and my path the whole time, even when I was teaching English it's no, this is an introductory adverb clause and you always place a comma after an introductory adverb clause. That really, wasn't what I was here to do. Although I'm happy that you can do that. So I guess what I'm saying to your listeners is that you have things that you're doing that you're good at that. It's not, you'll feel this pit in your stomach of this is there's, got to be more, this is not my heart. It's got to be more, or you'll get a little bit of working with students who come back and say like, a couple of years later, it's like, Ms. Kara, you changed my life. It's no, I didn't. But, then will tell me the story. Like when you told me, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, in your office, then I went into. Oh hell I guess I did. You know that we're all here, what is wrong dossier? We're just all walking each other home but it's when I was in my authentic space, that's when I was doing the best work. And so what was my point? There was a point. Yes. I think Karen is just to move into that authentic space. And, here's a question for you. How do you get there? Because it's been my experience that it's often been what I resisted the most or what frightened me the most. So by looking at what am I afraid of that's even, with with, taking on the government. In with I wound up not getting fired, but I wound up with a promotion eventually when I came back for, I had to take my maternity leave early so that I didn't get fired and that worked out it, it, was nice to have that time with my, it was my second child. So it was nice to have time with my first, before the second came along. But I was afraid of losing the farm and losing my job and not having my profession and, purpose. And yet I wound up being named the outstanding young agrologist for Canada for, doing that. And not only that, but I felt that our province was left a much safer place, and my colleagues were able to remain in service in work that they were very passionate about. But I, was sure you're really afraid. Yeah. I think what if listeners are wondering like how do you know it's when you see something or you hear something and and you get a little bit of excitement, which is immediately followed by a crushing, you can't do that. That you're not good enough, or that's too scary or that's dumb, or that's crazy. Or but, it always starts with that. Like probably with yours, you probably felt oh my God, that's terrible. But then you're like what if we, tell people about it, you get that. And then you'd probably get but then I could lose the farm and I could lose my job and I could lose this. But but that's when it's important. So when there's a like a it's precipitated by this excitement, but then a crushing, no, you can't do that. Or you shouldn't do that then that's probably what you need to be doing. Yeah, we'll get well. And Karen, you actually have some specific things that our listeners can do, right? Yes. I wanted to, just remind people. So I say, you've got Reiki, use your Reiki, but you may be thinking like how, what specifically? So I thought, okay, so if you're listening and you're a level two Reiki practitioner for your level one, but did you just give yourself Reiki? When you are feeling that fear and that doubt and that you can't do that, and you're too dumb and, oh my gosh, you must have lost your mind. You can just give yourself, if you're level two, it's remembered with Reiki, it's all about your intention. And then you have different frequencies of Reiki. The higher you go, the more Reiki you, study and get attuned to. So if you're level two, you could start by. Using the power symbol. Use the power symbol and intent that is powering you up. It is grounding you. It is connecting you to the Reiki energy to the earth and connecting you to yourself. You're powered up that you're grounded and then add in the mental, emotional symbol with the intention that you are bringing yourself into harmony, your human panicked self with your higher divine self you're coming into harmony. And you're releasing all of that panic and that doubt and set that intention use the distance symbol to, to connect to your higher self, to connect to the Reiki energy, and ask for guidance. Help me find the right way what's the next right step. That's, probably the best you can do with, Reiki too. If you've got the just the Usui master symbol or the holy fire master symbol, use it to it's best qualities are purification athletes. Like just purify me. I want you to. Peel off all of these voices of doubt that are not mine. They're coming from my teachers, from my colleagues, my friends, my parents. I want you to just purify, peel that away. I want you to heal that part of me that thinks it's not good enough. And I want you to empower me to fulfill my divine purpose on earth. And I want you to guide me because that's, what the holy fire masters symbol is about. Purification, healing, empowerment, and guidance and, ask it specifically to help you find the courage to follow your heart. And, if you've got the Sufi master symbol, it means can I say what it means? Yeah, that's pretty good. It means the great, the treasure house of the great meaning light. So use that to manifest your dreams on earth. Use that to remind yourself that you are. The treasure house of the great beaming light and to use that, to push out everything else that's not your true path. If you've got Karuna, there's a specific Karuna symbol for healing past life issues. Things that may be causing you to doubt what you're doing, that you can use Corrina symbols that are good for unconscious patterns that where you are sabotaging yourself. Pam's helped me with that a lot. You self sabotage. So there's a specific symbol for that you can use. There's actually a symbol for courage and to develop new habits. Yes. And there's another one for determination and completion of a goal you can use. There's a specific Karena symbol to claim your power, to step into your power for peace to heal, like any fear or panic that you're feeling when you're trying to move toward your goal. And there's another one for like specifically for grounding you and yeah. Manifesting goals. So you have all of those, and of course you have the, animal Reiki symbol, which is, that has been, of course that's. I think that may be my favorite. I don't know. It's it's so grant for me, it's so grounding to me and I think Pam, a long time ago, you told me. I think when, I first took the class, you said, I think that for this, for you specifically, this is going to have to do with abundance. Like the great yeah. It's and it does. And ask, so give yourself that symbol and, ask for the abundance that you were here to, manifest on earth. Cause, cause we're all here to do something. We just have to have the courage to step into it, but that's what this is about. Like why do you do that? So, use all of those. Yeah. I love that Karen. And what are some of the things that you're needing to have courage to step into now? What are, where is this all leading you now? Me, I think specifically what terrifies me is creating a coaching program, a life coaching program because I love Reiki and that will be part of it, but I know that. Looking back. I've overcome some stuff. I've have walked a walk that Rocky road, and I know where all the big, like manholes that you're going to fall into and things are going to trip on. I think that I could be a good guide. I know how to ask the right questions to help people get to, and I'm thinking women's specifically because I think a lot. No, I don't think I know. I know I'm here to help women because some of the things I've overcome are specific to women. We have a little bit different path and I raised a son. I said, this has, God's a little joke that I was given a son to raise. And and he's a pretty big feminist actually. But I know that we have different. Not worse or better, but we have different problems than men to overcome. And I really want to, be a life coach. I said it out loud, say, this is what I'm talking about. You say it out loud and then to go, boom, those voices come in and go I've coached. Hell you can't even run your own life. What makes you think you can coach somebody else? All of that, pops up. But, I know when I get quiet that's, what I'm here to do at this point in my life, since I'm 59, about to be 60, I've learned some steps and I can help. But yeah that's, where I'm going and it does terrify me, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Because I know it's right. I love it. And I, said to you before this, I said I, think I'm going to use this topic. This is perfect to tell the listeners where Reiki is guiding me, that terrifies me. And or I don't know about terrifies me, but it definitely makes me uncomfortable. And I've been guided to enter the politics to an extent and work with the green party of our province, which is all about the environment. And a lot of people are aware that the environment is very important to me. And Too little over two years ago. Now the energy nudged me and said you're too run for the green party. You're going to run for politics. And I grew up in a political family. So I'm very aware of, I'm not naive about politics. I know it's very hard work. I know that a lot of people get into the political life in order to help, but find their hands tied once they get into it or it's, very difficult and very demanding work and it's not always successful. People are not always successful. I know that Any politicians that I've met have usually got into it for the right reasons, but then got worn out in the process. And yet Reiki said that this was what I was to do. And I said, okay, right now. And it said, no. But it showed like in the 20 24 election. And this winter, I was reading a wonderful book called the stubborn Optimist's guide to the environmental crisis. I love that it is a wonderful book. I'll, put a link to it in the podcast notes, because I, it was actually written by a politician, an incredible woman who helped put together the Paris accord to try and bring things together for the environment. And my daughter had given it to me actually, it's my daughter's book. And she had recommended it. And one of the questions was at the end of the day, are you able to say that you did everything you could? No, this was specific to the environment, but I think that this, it leads to our question. What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about the environment and. Reiki had me read this book and think at the end of the day, can I say that I did everything I could and I had to look at it and say, no, I haven't. So I did get in touch with the green party. They are excited about the potential for me running in my region. And the 20, 24 election, I probably am going to start a podcast for them just to help feature some of the issues because they don't always make it into the mainstream news. And, podcast is a wonderful way to do that. And I was scared to start a podcast, but to say that was another thing Reiki had me do way back a couple of years ago, and I was nervous to do that. And now we're we're coming up to a year and a half worth of hundreds of episodes of the podcast. I think at this point, my husband said, do you even know how many episodes you've published? And I said, actually I don't, I'm going to have to look that up. I know it's more than 75 because they sent me a note a while ago. Hey, you've published 75 podcasts. And yeah, that's where Reiki is leading me. And one of the things that I want the listeners to know. That when you have Reiki, you also have Reiki as a tool to help you face those things. So one of the things Reiki showed me is that Reiki taught me how to write with a lot of love. Like I used to write just to, out of fear and to get essays done for university and that sort of thing. And Reiki showed me how to approach it differently with love. So that actually, as I wrote the Reiki business book, I wrote it thinking about the people who would benefit from it. That's why it's so easy to read. Really. It's cause it's like a conversation. And that's, what it felt like as I wrote it, it felt like I was sitting down with somebody really important and telling them like, okay, here's something that can help you with your business. And I know you're stuck here, but here's what can help you or here's what can bring more meaning to your life, if you can incorporate Reiki into your job in sales or in real estate, or as a doctor or as a researcher or whatever you do, here's what can politician or a politician. Oh my gosh, I totally missed that. That's what I was thinking. As you were talking, the whole thing, the podcasts and everything was like, everything that you've been doing in your whole life has just led you to, is leading you to this. It I think it really is. And, it's important to me. I'm not giving up doing Reiki. It's just buying the, summer home in, in camp. Abello, it's not because I'm getting rid of the horses. It's, an expansion and I'm not giving up doing Reiki. I that's still really important to me. And this podcast will continue and connecting people with their patients. That's what I like to do. And that's what Reiki helps me do, but it really does feel like I need to also take these steps for the environment. And that's what Reiki said. It said, look, you know what politics looked like before Reiki? And it said just like you knew what writing looked like before Reiki, but look at what it looked like after Reiki. And, it's true. Like I saw that transformation, so I didn't want to be a licensed teacher. I really resisted that. I was afraid of that. And it's been so positive and that's the other thing Reiki said, I know you don't want to be a politician, but you didn't want to be a licensed teacher and look how well that turned out. Yeah, Pam, I hate to say it, but I think we're reaching the age where we, have to step into. More leadership roles even, so at our age, we may not feel like we are truly like the wise women but, yeah you're, perfect as a green party candidate to help the environment, that's the apex of everything that you do the healing and the it brings all of your skills together. And then this is what, then I'm realizing that some of the stuff I used to that's for younger women to do that's for younger people to do that's that we have a unique role that we can fill. And, like you said, we know it's the right one, cause it's, scary or you have doubts or you have, so that's where you're supposed to go, where you're supposed to go. I think I love it. Karen, you've got a meditation. I think that's going to help those of us. I do. I do have a short guided meditation I'd like to do with everyone. Wonderful. So let's, go ahead and think about if you've got something that you already know that there's something you want to do, and you may not have even said it out loud to anybody, but think of something that you would like to do, but you just don't have the courage to do it yet. And if you don't, if you're sitting listening to this podcast and you're like, ah, I don't even I don't even know what it is. I want then ask for that. Ask for guidance on that. So if you have Reiki, put your hands in the Gassho, activate your Reiki, close your eyes and began with some deep breaths, deep belly breath. And with each breath in feel that you are breathing in the light of Reiki. And as you exhale, you releasing all the tension in your body and just continue with your deep, belly breath and let your body relax. Place your hands somewhere comfortable on your body and give yourself Reiki. And I want you to imagine that you're walking on a smooth stone path. And it's a beautiful sunny day at just the right temperature for you. And there's a light breeze blowing, inviting you to relax and breathe deeply. And as you walk along, he realized this path is familiar to you. It's smooth, cool, and clean. And you seem to remember walking here sometime before you pass flowering shrubs and trees along the path, and you recognize that. As your favorites from childhood, you can smell the earth and the fragrance of the flowers and the energy of this special place seems to rise up through the bottoms of your feet, grounding and energizing. You. As you walk along, you notice a smaller trail connecting to the stone path. You feel compelled to follow this grassy trail and as you follow. You realize you have been here before as well, a long time ago, you continue along the path curving to the right. And you remember with each step that you have been here before, even though the trees, the plants and flowers are quite different from those along the stone path, that you've always walked before. Up ahead, you see a cave with a heart-shaped entrance at the edge of the grassy. It's dark inside the cave, but not scary. You can see a glowing light. Where's some light comes in somewhere at the top of the cave. You venture into the cave and you feel secure. And at peace, you can hear the sound of dripping water. And to, as your eyes adjust, you notice a small pool has formed below the opening in the ceiling of the cave. As you approach the pool of water, you can see by the light streaming in, from above that water is peacefully, trickling down the wall of the cave and into the pool. It comes from some unknown source and it's warm when you bend down and dip your hands into it. As you're gazing into the pool, you notice the light from above is reflecting off of something shiny and. As you reach your hand toward it. You see it is a beautiful small box. As you pull it from the water, you realize it looks familiar. Somehow you slowly open the box inside the box. You find a special message just for you. You left it here a long, time ago for yourself. You knew you would return here to find. Read the message you left for yourself. Hold it to your heart here. It feel it. Now put all the feelings that may have come up. When you read the message, all the negative voices in your mind telling you can't achieve what you want. Take them and close them up in the box and return the box to the water. Knowing that all the negativity and all the limiting beliefs will be transformed in this water in this magical K stand up, hold your message. Say, thank you to yourself for taking this journey and know that you can return to this special place. And anytime you need to find a message from your higher self, anytime you need guidance or support. Now take your message and step out of the comforting Dem light of the cave back onto the grassy trail. Follow it back to the stone path, but instead of retracing your steps, turn to the right and continue to walk along the stone path. After a while you realize you've come to an open circle of stones with paths that lead back to where you started, or often many other new directions you realize you can choose following your own heart. I'll take a couple of deep breaths. Bring your awareness to your eyes and slowly open your eyes and come back. And I hope you will write your message down or that you won't forget it. Thank you, Karen. That went really deep and I think I'll need to write that to process it. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. I'm just want to thank you for being here with us today and for sharing that and for having the courage to step out and be a life coach for people and especially women who've overcome difficult circumstances, trauma, and so on that you've overcome and being able to use Reiki for that. And I want to thank all the listeners for considering stepping into your true path and for being open to using your own courage to step forward and begin doing what's important to you. I wish you the best of luck as you do that. And we both send you Reiki, blessings, Namaste. Thank you.