The Reiki Raconteuse

I finally got around to watching “First Knight” on Netflix yesterday. As a kid of the 80’s and 90’s, I’m kicking myself for not watching it sooner. I adore a good period piece. The accents. The costumes. The complete immersion into a world different from my own. Also, can we give a nod to these fabulous actors, including Miss Sabrina herself, Julia Ormond? Richard Gere…hot. Sean Connery….hotter. I’m sure you all are wondering, “Is this a blog about Reiki or film reviews?” I’ll get to that in a minute. When King Arthur gathers at the round table with his knights, he begins with an invocation. “May God grant us the wisdom to discover the right, the will to choose it, and the strength to make it endure.” I had to pause, scroll back and listen again. I didn’t do a double-take just from Sean Connery’s voice (ok, maybe just a little) but I had to hear those words again from the way they landed. As a former Catholic school good girl, it resonates similarly to the Serenity Prayer. “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Striking similarities, yes? It also struck a chord because it also sounds similar to the 5 Reiki Precepts I focus on each day. This prayer gets said a few times in the film which makes sense with how the plot unravels ultimately leads in the end. I started thinking that perhaps these words could become a new guideline for daily living for myself in addition to the 5 Reiki Precepts. I decided to put my own little flourish to the initial words and set it as a seal on my heart:

“May God grant me the wisdom to discover the right way to live each day, the will to choose it, and the strength to make it endure.”

There is something beautiful about limiting a focal point to each day. As someone who frequently gets mired in the “fog of the future”, it is easy to become confused and uncertain where to venture next in life. To focus on each day makes the future much more relevant. The fog of the future is in the distance, but I can still see the next 10 steps ahead. It’s all about taking the next “right” step in the way I handle so many things of my life. How I take care of my body, mind, and soul all have their own individual “right” steps. How I handle my money, clients, and business(es) will determine my levels of financial abundance. Everything has cause and effect. It is a choice to live well. Each day I make the choice to focus on the individual steps I must take to achieve the well-being I not only desire, but deserve. That is living well. Living well is today, which will create ripples of well being that stretch into my later years.

Dear Reader: What are you doing right now to assure your own well being? What are you doing right now to limit your own physical, emotional, mental health? Here comes the hardest question: What narratives and excuses are you actively subscribing to each day that help you sabotage your own goals to live well? It all starts with your mind. Pay attention to your thoughts. Listen to your self talk. You are the only thing standing in the way of living the life you want. The life you want can begin today with the choices you make that will augment or amplify your well being.

Live consciously.