​Executive Director, Celebration of Reiki, Inc.
objectives of a plethora of modern drugs to fight heart disease, Alzheimer’s, MS and other neurological diseases and disorders, to the intense studies of the workings of the mind by Jung and Freud and Wundt which opened the pathways in the West to seeking psychological, behavioral and emotional health, we are peoples consumed with the issues of the heart-mind.
Here in the West we view these areas of heart and mind as two separate spheres. Physically they are separate organs operating at different levels of energy and with vastly different duties in the physical human body. Enter next the study of the mind and emotions, which developed as a completely different field of study from physical health in the West.
In Japanese, there are three words for heart”: shinzou, which refers to the physical organ, ha-to, for the love heart, and kokoro, defined as "heart; mind; mentality; emotions; feelings." In Japanese culture, the heart-mind-spirit is viewed as one entity – not as three entities combined, but as immutably one. Another way of stating Kokoro is: the heart and its functions; mind and its functions; and center, or essence. When we think of the “functions” of heart and mind, all aspects of each become expressed, from the physical to the metaphysical to the spiritual, thus Kokoro encompasses the essence of human experience on all levels.
The ability to understand the Kokoro as integral to our well-being crosses the barriers we have instituted in Western thought and medicine and allows us to understand and work with the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical health and well-being. Treating a physical heart issue or a physical brain issue will not restore a human to wholeness. Treating issues of the mind and emotions as ones that are not connected to our physical health and well-being disconnects the human spirit from the human body.
​The practice of Reiki works with the Kokoro – uniting that which we have set apart and restoring oneness to all aspects of our being.
This year’s symposium continues the work of uniting both West and East in understanding and respecting one another; helping Reiki practitioners to work more effectively with mental-emotional health issues as they appear in their lives and practice and partner with health care professionals in working together for the best outcomes for all. Please join us November 3rd at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA for a day of learning and community.
Haven't registered yet? Here is our Registration for Fall Symposium 2018.
We so look forward to welcoming you there!