TAROT+REIKI EXPERIENCE
Deets:
The experience consists of a recorded distance tarot reading and a distance Reiki treatment. The tarot reading will be delivered to you through a YouTube link, just like all my other readings. The Reiki treatment will not be recorded, because there’s nothing to look at and it would double the size of the file, taking it longer to edit, upload, and get to you. You’ll be given a physical signal to use as part of the reading that will activate the Reiki treatment when you’re ready to receive it. (It is typically placing your hands on your heart for about 30 seconds, but some readings may inspire different approaches—so I’ll give you all the details after the reading as part of the recording.)
Expect the delivery of the video link within seventy-two hours of booking, unless I have a question for you. I will contact you via Etsy messenger in that case. When that happens, look for the reading with in seventy-two hours of you answering my question and my confirming I understand. (I typically aim for within forty-eight hours, but these do take longer to do.)
There’s no shelf life on Reiki, but readings are very present moment dependent, so I’d recommend watching the reading as soon as you’re free.
What you’ll need: about forty minutes alone with a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down. Also, internet access and something to watch the YouTube video on.
Optionally, you may want to find a sound bath recording on YouTube (or elsewhere) at the Frequency that I will choose as part of the reading. The frequency will be a solfeggio tone that is selected intuitively through the reading/Reiki treatment and can enhance your overall experience (though it is not necessary). Headphones would be beneficial if you choose this.
Expect the delivery of the video link within seventy-two hours of booking, unless I have a question for you. I will contact you via Etsy messenger in that case. When that happens, look for the reading with in seventy-two hours of you answering my question and my confirming I understand. (I typically aim for within forty-eight hours, but these do take longer to do.)
There’s no shelf life on Reiki, but readings are very present moment dependent, so I’d recommend watching the reading as soon as you’re free.
What you’ll need: about forty minutes alone with a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down. Also, internet access and something to watch the YouTube video on.
Optionally, you may want to find a sound bath recording on YouTube (or elsewhere) at the Frequency that I will choose as part of the reading. The frequency will be a solfeggio tone that is selected intuitively through the reading/Reiki treatment and can enhance your overall experience (though it is not necessary). Headphones would be beneficial if you choose this.
Consent and Personal Autonomy:
As is the case with all my divination and spiritual work, you retain your full autonomy and self-direction. Readings can and will show you viewpoints, options, advices, and/or describe situations. They are usually pretty damn accurate, but life is life and the unexpected is always possible. Further, readers are just people, and so we’re sometimes inaccurate.
Whatever you do to yourself and others following a reading or treatment is entirely your choice, your responsibility, and you are fully accountable for it yourself.
Where readings offer advice, it is up to you to weigh its advisability given your life situation, experience, mental and physical health, etc. Readers don’t have the full context of your experience, and though we try to account for that it’s simply not possible for us to know all about you.
If you ask a reading to tell you about someone in your life and it tells you something that is shocking or upsetting, again that is simply information. Whether or not you choose to act on that is no different from reacting to what a friend or loved one might tell you. Tarot readers, Reiki professionals, and other divinatory and spiritual practitioners cannot and will not be held liable for your choices.
That said, Reiki can only act with your consent—so it can’t and likely would refuse to do anything you don’t want it to. You should not experience adverse effects with Reiki.
Still, you could experience what is commonly called a “healing crises.” It’s (typically) not as bad as it sounds.
Whatever you do to yourself and others following a reading or treatment is entirely your choice, your responsibility, and you are fully accountable for it yourself.
Where readings offer advice, it is up to you to weigh its advisability given your life situation, experience, mental and physical health, etc. Readers don’t have the full context of your experience, and though we try to account for that it’s simply not possible for us to know all about you.
If you ask a reading to tell you about someone in your life and it tells you something that is shocking or upsetting, again that is simply information. Whether or not you choose to act on that is no different from reacting to what a friend or loved one might tell you. Tarot readers, Reiki professionals, and other divinatory and spiritual practitioners cannot and will not be held liable for your choices.
That said, Reiki can only act with your consent—so it can’t and likely would refuse to do anything you don’t want it to. You should not experience adverse effects with Reiki.
Still, you could experience what is commonly called a “healing crises.” It’s (typically) not as bad as it sounds.
“Healing Crises”?
Sometimes people who go for energy treatment, especially if they’re new to it or it’s been a long time since a treatment, will experience seemingly adverse effects after a session. These typically are cold-like symptoms and they will last not more than a few days. This happened to me after my first Reiki session. The energy will sometimes “shake loose” stuck junk that will be released from your body. Before it leaves, it has to go through your body’s network—in the way that all things that need to be released from the body are released. If you are concerned, or if the symptoms last longer than, oh, three or four days, absolutely see a healthcare provider. There’s always the possibility that what seems like a post-treatment purge could be something else. These days, literally anything is possible. Play it safe if you possibly can.
So, like . . . What actually is Reiki?
Simply put, reiki as a term is a Japanese word for what in English is often translated as “universal life force energy.” Reiki as the capital-R proper noun we know today is a type of energy-based healing that was discovered in Japan between the wars. It is a non-invasive, hands-on or hands-off technique that relaxes the body and allows it to reset and reconnect with its own healing abilities. The Reiki practitioner is not a healer, counselor, or medical pro; we are conduits for Reiki energy. We are attuned to, or connected to, Reiki energy through our certifications—but “all” we do is allow Reiki to flow through us into the client. Reiki cannot harm; it acts only for your highest good. It cannot be used to hurt or cause damage, and it cannot be offered to someone who has not consented to receiving it. (So, unlike tarot readings, I cannot send Reiki to your friend or loved one. They must seek it out themselves. That said, we can send Reiki to events, relationships, experiences, and things in the past, present, and future.)
Distance Reiki? Really?
It’s always been part of Reiki, in fact! It works! (See more in the FAQ’s, below.)
Distance tarot? Really?
If you don’t believe me, check out my reviews!
Before you book:
DISCLAIMER: By booking a Tarot+Reiki reading with me, you are tacitly consenting to full personal responsibility for your actions—regardless of what the reading offered or what you experienced during the Reiki session. This is for your own safety as much as mine. Do not become dependent on a reader to tell you what to do. You are fully responsible and accountable for your own actions.
If you are concerned that for some reason you cannot be accountable for your own actions following a reading/treatment, DO NOT GET THE READING. Contact me—you do not need to explain why—letting me know that you have booked in error and need a refund. I will refund you as soon as I see your message. In this case, you must seek the help of qualified and trained care providers. Neither Reiki nor tarot can help much in that instance.
If you are concerned that for some reason you cannot be accountable for your own actions following a reading/treatment, DO NOT GET THE READING. Contact me—you do not need to explain why—letting me know that you have booked in error and need a refund. I will refund you as soon as I see your message. In this case, you must seek the help of qualified and trained care providers. Neither Reiki nor tarot can help much in that instance.
FAQ’s:
- What is Reiki? What we know today in the west as Reiki is an energy healing method discovered or received by Mikao Usuui in Japan between the wars. (The term both as a name for energy and as a healing existed prior to this version; this is just the one that caught international fire, so to speak.) It arrived in what is now known as the US through Hawaii by a Japanese-American woman, Mrs. Hawayo Takata, who taught the first westerners. It is commonly described as a method of relaxation that puts the body in a state of rest that allows it to activate its own healing abilities.
- How does it work? I don’t know, but I know it does. In fact, it’s changed my life (after making it a part of my regular practice; one session won’t have that impact). Reiki, which in English is often dubbed “universal life force energy,” is present and available to all of us, though a Reiki practitioner does need an attunement from a teacher in order to access it.
- How can Reiki (or tarot, for that matter) actually work when we’re not in the same place at the same time? Isn’t Reiki hands-on? Surprising though it was for me, distance treatment has always been a part of Reiki as built by Usui. In fact, many energy healing methods recognize the power of distance treatment. In Reiki, level two practitioners are attuned to a symbol that bridges the practitioner and client. But a better way to think about it, as I heard described on the Reiki Radio Podcast, is that the symbol “dissolves the illusion of separateness.” Distance Reiki and tarot work because there’s far less that separates us than unites us. We’re right here next to each other, somehow, just as we’re miles apart.
- Does Reiki heal? Can it get rid of my chronic illnesses, etc? This is where we get into tricky territory, mostly thanks to the all-powerful eye of the AMA. Reiki can heal, but it’s best to think of it for our purposes as a treatment that—with repeated use—can place the body into a consistently relaxed state that allows our bodies to heal themselves. Reiki practitioners aren’t healers. We don’t “do” anything other than follow where Reiki guides us. It’s easy to think of Reiki as electricity and the practitioner as a transformer or conduit. Reiki practitioners allow Reiki to pass through our bodies, into our hands (or eyes or breath or, really, anything we need), into ourselves or others. Reiki is the power, not the practitioners. It’s called a complimentary treatment, because it’s best thought of as a partner to medical care, mental healthcare, etc. As I’ve heard said by Eileen Day McCusick, who developed a different form of energy healing (Biofield Tuning/Sound Balancing), we’re always better off with a team. Reiki can be part of your wellness team.
- What’s the benefit of a single session? For most people, it’s incredibly relaxing. I typically ask the Reiki treatments I offer through this method to be available for repeat over the course the week following. So, if you want to, you’re getting really 2-3 treatments (more, potentially—I’m curious what people’s mileage is!) All the client needs to do is place their hands on their heart again (or other gesture, as explained in the video reading), as for the first treatment, to repeat it. Either way, more Reiki is better than less Reiki—and so if you really want to see the kind of dramatic results people tend to remember, get sessions regularly. Honestly, I highly recommend getting attuned. Truly. You don’t need a practitioner once you’re attuned! (Although I do like getting Reiki from others; it is nice to be cared for in that way.) I don’t practice on myself every day, but when I go too long without it, I feel myself becoming angry, sluggish, depressed, cranky, and short-tempered. When I give myself the gift of regular Reiki, I feel stable, un-phased, even, and generous.
- Why tarot and Reiki? They’re actually not that far apart. Mikao Usuui, who found the version of Reiki that we know today, practiced divination. And divination has never been foreign to Japanese culture (though, of course, tarot isn’t native to Japan, cards were invented by China, which heavily influenced Japan’s language and cosmology). While most Reiki practitioners don’t include divination, there’s no reason not to.
- How will the session go? Prior to beginning the recording, I’ll ground and offer Reiki to the deck I’m using. Then, I’ll hit record and we’ll begin with a little intro. If you have a particular topic you want me to explore, the cards will address that topic. Typically, though, I ask the reading, “Reiki, what is your message for [Client]?” And I read accordingly. In the test readings I’ve done, I can tell you they tend to be far “bigger” in topic than my readings typically go. These readings seem to focus on big life questions, often including soul purpose. Following the reading, I’ll generally pick a tuning fork to work with during the Reiki portion. I do this by laying out the forks, closing my eyes, and passing my non-dom hand over the array—which is what we do during Reiki treatments, too, to find areas that want attention. I’ll share the frequency so that you can listen to it during the treatment if you would like to. (You don’t have to, but people report great experiences when they do it—and you can find free sound baths in those frequencies on YouTube. They’re all part of the Solfeggio scale.) I’ll then end the video, because there’s nothing to see. What I’ll do is next do a twenty-minute distance Reiki session. As I did with the forks, I’ll pass my hand over your surrogate (an adorable stuffed animal), and Reiki will tell me which chakras or other areas want attention. I will intend that when you’re comfortable (sitting or laying down), you’ll place your hands on your heart for about 30 seconds, and the session will begin. You’ll get the video recording and watch when you’re ready. Make sure you’ve got a good 4o or so minutes for that—or longer. I typically need a nap after Reiki. And that’s it!
- Are tuning forks traditional for Reiki? No, but I find them useful—especially if I’m experiencing a particularly “stuck” pocket that needs care.
- What will I feel? That is weirdly impossible to answer, because it’s different for everyone. Most people will feel themselves drifting into a deep state of relaxation. You could feel any number of things, including “nothing.” I tend not to feel very much from Reiki, particularly when I’m doing it on myself. I can feel my hands get hot, but sometimes that’s about it. Other times, I’ll suddenly feel deep waves of joy, love, appreciation, gratitude, etc. Sometimes I get ideas to solve things I’ve been puzzling over. Sometimes, and this happens more than you’d think, I burp. Reiki is autonomous. The practitioner “listens” to Reiki and it guides our hands to certain places, but Reiki goes where it needs/wants to, and it knows what you need for your highest good. Reiki can only act for your highest good; it cannot harm. The practitioner is really just a vessel. The recipient doesn’t need to “feel” anything for it to be working. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice things changing in the days that follow. The more you receive the treatment, the more powerful it becomes.
- How will I know it “worked”? Especially if I don’t feel anything unusual? And if I listen to the sound frequency, how do I know it’s not just that? Here’s the thing: you may not know. Reiki is subtle and it treats what is known as the “subtle body,” or the energetic body. It’ll depend a lot on what’s going on in your life, what you need, and ultimately what’s for you highest good. Reiki cannot harm; it always acts for your highest good. But it also isn’t interested in putting on a show for you and different people have different levels of sensitivity to it. You’ll likely know it worked if you follow the advice that answers the next question.
- What should I do after the reading? Pay attention. Truly. Listen to your body, listen to your life, listen to yourself. In the days and weeks that follow, you’ll likely start to notice things you’re not interested in doing, things you suddenly want to do, people you don’t want to see, people you do, and foods you will and won’t want. You’ll often start to see that life is offering you a chance to edit, revise, and reflect. I found after my initial Reiki treatment that there have been some foods I just can’t deal with. In my case, my body gets really angry at super acidic foods (too-strong coffee, tomatoes, citrus, alcohol). You’ll likely start seeing a chance for adjustments. Take them. Listen. It’s up to you to take the chances or make the choices presented to you. Reiki won’t do it for you; but it will put you in a space where you can see/feel them and ideally make the right choice.
- If I’m not happy with the results, can I get a refund? No, that’s impossible. Typically I refund readings when clients aren’t happy, but those days are coming to a close. I did the work, wether you liked it or not. My track record speaks for my abilities. When it comes to Reiki, if you open yourself to Reiki’s energy, it’s happening wether you feel it or not—or whether you accept what it offers you or not. (It will not violate your consent and it won’t act on your behalf; you have to do the things that need doing.) These readings take twice as long as my non-Reiki readings. I can typically only do one of these per day, given my own resources. (Reiki doesn’t drain the practitioner at all, in fact it helps us. But I’ve only got so many hours to devote to capitalism every day.) There are zero refunds offered on this, I’m sorry. You’re paying for my time, not a preconceived notion of what this experience should be.
- Will you do this session live on Zoom? I’d really like to explore that, but my life doesn’t allow for that right now. Soon, perhaps.
- What qualifies you to do Reiki? I’ve got level two certification in Usui/Holy Fire III Reiki®. (The owner of the trade mark requires its use.) My cert (which is under my legal name) is available to view if you want to see it.
- What’s that name and ® symbol about? Once Hawayo Takata (who brought Reiki to the “US”) passed away in the 80’s, splits happened among her students. Two Reiki organizations came into being. One is known today as The Radiance Technique® (it was one time arrogantly named “Real Reiki.” Yikes.) and the other is now defunct. Following that split, others occurred, as inevitably happens when the human ego supersedes our loftier aims. Today, there are many branches and lineages of Reiki. I didn’t really understand any of that prior to signing up for my class. I just signed up for the teacher I could find nearby. The branch that I’ve been attuned into is Usui/Holy Fire III Reiki®, which is a registered trademark of its developer, William Lee Rand, who is the founder and head of the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) at Reiki.org. It’s just the branch/lineage I was taught in; just an accident of availability. All Reiki is Reiki, though some branches stick closer and or go father from its original techniques. (It is worth knowing that Mrs. Takata changed some things about Reiki dramatically for it to make sense to an American audience. That continues with each new lineage, branch, or path. Reiki seems to curate its own development in the world.) In fairness, the use of the trademark symbol is designed to provide students with a consistent experience and the ability to take accountability against anyone misrepresenting the work of the developer. There’s no copyright protection for systems. But names of systems can be trademarks.
- I want to be attuned to Reiki! Can you do that for me? I’m scheduled to complete Reiki teacher training in December of 2025. I’m considering offering training to others online after that time, perhaps with an eye particularly to diviners who would like to share additional services with clients. But that will not happen until next year. Either way, go do it. Seriously. I went from my first Reiki treatment to my certification in a matters of weeks. I just had to know more. When Reiki calls to you, which it seems to do, it calls you. There’s a lot of ways to get training. For a long time, people thought that you could not get a distance attunement. That makes no sense if distance treatments work. Today, you can be attuned online, through books, and in person. Some of the attunements involve the teacher physically touching the student’s hands and crown; others are done as guided meditations; others still with the breath and the eyes. I don’t know what happens in the attunement, but what I think happens is that we turn on what was always there and probably once had access to without needing attunement. We’ve forgotten our power, and so we get attuned to “remember” it.
- What’s the difference between Reiki Teacher and Reiki Master? There really isn’t one, at least in the “US.” I just don’t like the word master. That term isn’t used in Japan, though Usui Reiki isn’t well-known there, thanks primarily to the occupying US forces who re-configured Japanese government in the years after World War II. Reiki practitioners were required to register as massage therapists, and so the students of Mikao Usui went underground and created a private club that only allows people in by membership, and typically will not allow anyone in who is not Japanese-born. “Reiki Master” seems to have arrived with Mrs. Takata, likely to create a sense of prestige. I find the term problematic, so I avoid it; though it’s the more common phrase, at least here.
- Reiki is Japanese and Buddhist, right? So it’s kind of cultural appropriation for non-Japanese people to practice it, right? Reiki emerged from Japan and from Buddhist and Shinto practitioner, Mikao Usui. It is influenced by Buddhism, and arrived to us as a method of reaching what we in English call enlightenment. Usui, though, felt strongly that the world needed Reiki to heal from wars, climate change, and other social ills, and so rather than keeping it in his family (which would have been the traditional thing to do), he began offering it to others and developed ways of attuning others (in Japan, the term is reiju). One of his students, Dr. Hayashi, both taught and created Hawayo Takata a “master,” so that she could bring it into the so-called US. Takata made a lot of changes and simplifications to the practice primarily to suit American tastes. This included dramatically shortening the time it takes to go from level I to master/teacher—but also involved a $10,000 price tag on master-level training (to make it worthy of respect, we’re told; teachers were not allowed to charge less). Luckily that has evolved once more. Again, I think Reiki curates itself. The Reiki we know in the west today is not the Reiki Mikao Usui found and developed, and much of what we understand today is not included in traditional Japanese Usui Reiki. The use of chakras, sound, tuning forks, crystals, and other concepts came once Reiki arrived in the states. Reiki is open to everyone and, in fact, I’m a champion of everyone who can and wants to learning it. If we can collectively move our bodies from “fight or flight” or “rest and digest,” we can start healing ourselves—and that means we can then start making space for and healing each other and the planet.
- Are there any contraindications for different health issues? I’m not a medical expert. Reiki practitioners are not doctors, nurses, or counselors. We are told that Reiki cannot harm. So, no, it should not be a risk for anyone. Further, these Reiki+Tarot experiences are focused more on spiritual issues than physical health (though the two can be related). Anyone under medical care for any reason or who takes prescription or homeopathic medications would benefit from speaking to their providers prior to receiving Reiki, because some physicians or practitioners won’t want you mixing the two—especially if they’re trying to find a treatment regimen for you. For example, they’ll want to know if the effects of a drug are the actual pill or the Reiki, or both. If we work with a treatment team, make sure to get their guidance before doing Reiki. (That said, it really should cause you no adverse effects; Reiki is, in essence, love. Sounds weird coming from me, but it is.)
- WTF is a “Healing Crises.” A bit of a dramatic name for the detox some people experience after having an energy treatment of some kind (though you could also see this with massage, acupuncture, diet change, etc). Sometimes junk that gets stuck inside us will be shaken loose by Reiki (or other methods) and it has to be flushed out of our bodies in the way all things are flushed out of our bodies. Waste. In the meantime, we might feel cold-like symptoms or similar for a few days following a treatment—particularly if we’re new to it or it’s been a while. These should not be severe. In fact, if they are severe, that’s likely a sign something else is going on. In either case, see your healthcare provider if you’re concerned. If you’re worried about this prior to booking a treatment, ask your doc or provider. Reiki is more common in mainstream healthcare than it used to be, so many doctors are familiar—and some hospitals even offer it.
- I’ve heard that Reiki can screw up your personal relationships or make you break up with your partner. Is that true? Reiki can’t make you do anything. Treatments may give you new insight into your relationships, though, or your job, your eating, your sleep, etc. So, yes, you may want to make major changes after treatments—but whether you do or not is entirely up to you. Reiki will only do what is in your best interest, though, so pay attention to the changes you feel yourself wanting to make. That’s likely a sign Reiki agrees with you that’s it’s worth making the adjustment in your life. ? Reiki can’t make you do anything. Treatments may give you new insight into your relationships, though, or your job, your eating, your sleep, etc. So, yes, you may want to make major changes after treatments—but whether you do or not is entirely up to you. Reiki will only do what is in your best interest, though, so pay attention to the changes you feel yourself wanting to make. That’s likely a sign Reiki agrees with you that’s it’s worth making the adjustment in your life.