I love the 5 Reiki Principles. They embody the essence of living in the best possible way.

The 5 Reiki Principles remind me daily to be grateful, to live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow, to let go of all that anger I used to hold onto, to use all my talents daily and to be kind in thought word and deed.

Gratitude is one of my favorite principles. There was a time when I didn’t feel there was much to be grateful for. In fact at one point in my life, the only time I felt grateful was if the sun was shining. I began to keep a gratitude journal and wrote that down. For months that was it, then I started to notice little things, the color of the leaves changing, someone saying something nice to me. The more I wrote down, the more I became grateful. If this is a principle you are missing in your life, try it. Get a small notebook and start writing things down.

I’ve never been a big worrier myself. I leave that for my husband :-). But I know many are and I recognize the toll worrying about money, the future, the kids etc., can take. I recently read a book titled “Savor” by Thich Nhat Hanh & Lilian Cheung that reminded me to savor every moment of life, especially the little things. Being mindful and living in the moment will release so much of our worry and make life smoother.

I used to be short tempered. The interesting thing is I didn’t realize how much stress played a part in that. Anger had become a way of life for me. Flying off the handle was a daily occurrence for me but only at home. I had to put my happy face on everywhere else. After all, I didn’t want them to think badly of me. I couldn’t speak my truth if someone did something to me I felt was unkind. After all, if I crossed someone or did something wrong “would they still love me?” An old pattern to discuss another time 🙂  So nobody knew except my family, the recipients. It’s so much easier now that I practice forgiveness meditations and let go of all that old crap within days or even minutes.

Honesty means different things to different people and we all have our degrees on honesty. The most profound for me though is when I read about not using our talents being dishonest to ourselves. That had such an effect on me. Especially since my coach had told me previously to quit being stingy and share my talents. So each day I share at least one talent with the world. Today I’m writing.

My mother used to say “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all“. I know many of you can relate to that. Though it also kept me from speaking my truth for a long time, it does embody the principle of kindness. I prefer however, paying it forward. Giving a compliment when it’s deserved, and practicing empathy. Remembering that we each have our cross to bear and that sometimes it’s not visible. Sometimes just a smile can change someone’s day.

Download a pdf copy of the 5 Principles of Reiki.

Please comment and let me know if you can relate to any of these or if you find them helpful.

Claire