My Journey to Reiki

I was not spontaneously called to the practice of Reiki. I sought it out of a mindset that I needed to try anything and everything to heal. 

It was 2003. I had just been diagnosed with an extraordinarily rare cancer - a Sarcoma - determined after I barely survived a surgery that nearly took my life. My doctors had few answers and barely whispered encouragement saying that I was young and new treatments were being discovered all the time. I didn’t doubt them but I was also unwilling to leave whatever time I had left exclusively in their hands.

Instead I explored every cancer support program I could find. From vegan diets to yoga, chi gong to ayurveda. Then, I happened upon a Reiki circle. Hosted by the Center of Living Light in Manhattan’s Beth Israel Hospital physician’s library on the second floor, this informal group of practitioners and guests like me gathered hosted by a wide-eyed, poised woman named Randi. She was the first Reiki Master I had ever met. 

At my very first circle, I thought to myself, “what is this?” The scene was like nothing I had ever experienced. There were 30 or more people of all ages gathered in chairs and on the floor. Some were talking, others scribbling on tiny sheets of paper they inserted into an ornate box, some were just waiting quietly taking it all in. The circle began with introductions of those who were Reiki Masters and practitioners followed by guests, an explanation of what Reiki and what we might expect for the evening, we then sang two songs, and heard a guided meditation. 

At this point, practice of hands-on Reiki began in earnest. First guests and practitioners moved their chairs into a tight circle, knee to knee, holding hands with eyes closed. The Reiki Masters present then moved around us lightly touching our heads and shoulders. After this, guests stood off to the side as practitioners arrayed themselves around the room standing behind empty chairs. The guests were then asked to sit to receive an individual Reiki session. 

That was the turning point for me. The moment the practitioner laid their hands on the top of my head I experienced an unforgettable sense of peace and love that I could hardly understand. It was so pure and clear and freeing from all that I was going through. 

The circle ended on a positive high with each person sharing their experience with love and gratitude for the evening. Today our circles - both online and in person are run in much the same format.

After that first evening, I kept coming back and coming back, experiencing something a bit different each time. I brought my friends, my husband, my family when they came to town. Eventually, I decided to take the first level Reiki I training, then the second. I completed the advanced practitioner and continued until I completed my year long study to become a Reiki Master training in 200x. 

It was also the year I was declared free from the cancer and the chemotherapies that had plagued me all that time. Reiki was my path to finally free myself from the burden of having cancer. It was my path to bring the two beautiful children into our lives that we had sought for so long, and to my return to my hometown of San Francisco, California. 

For more than 20 years, Reiki has been my healing, my peace, and my guide in all parts of my life. It is a practice of continuous growth and the journey to Reiki never truly ends. After all of these years practicing for my own healing and for those closest to me, I am pleased to create a special space for practitioners and the curious, who are ready to discover Reiki for themselves.

Love Light Ki was born from a deep calling to share the transformative power of Reiki with the world. This healing energy is our birthright and something for which we have a natural affinity that’s often obscured by the demands of our world. Through our online healing circles and practice Love Light Ki holds a sacred space in a community that is safe, luminous and loving for alignment, restoration and joy. 

Now is the moment for the love and light to shine and brighten the path for all of us. 

Join me and discover Reiki for yourself.

Love & Light,

Candace