Reiki and the Check Engine Light
A holistic practice adapted for modern day life
When I left work last Saturday, my car sounded funny. I can’t say why, but I knew something was off. Then the steering wheel began vibrating. Not good! And then the dreaded Check Engine light appeared. <whomp whomp whomp>
Great. Well, my mind did that thing that minds do and jumped to the worst-case scenario. I’ve had a series of financial challenges recently, leaving resources somewhat depleted. Not that there is ever a good time for such a thing, but this was definitely not one of them.
Then I realized that I was really lucky. I was close to home and arrived without incident. I texted my trusty mechanic, knowing he’d respond soon. I knew AAA would tow me to the garage, and I could at least find out what the problem is without any expense. And if this car was kaput, at least I hadn’t renewed the registration, changed the oil or bothered with the state inspection as my calendar says I need to do next week.
So maybe it was the best possible timing for this? I have plans to go to the beach the following day with a friend and do a releasing ritual by the ocean. Happily, we’d already arranged that she’d drive. (Maybe some part of me sensed this was coming?) I wasn’t scheduled to work the following day and would have the time and energy to devote to sorting things out.
This shift in perspective was really helpful, but my nervous system was still activated, and the doomsday thoughts continued to swirl. I knew I’d need to intervene if I wanted to sleep instead of tossing and turning all night.
Reiki to the rescue! A few minutes with one hand on my heart, the other on my belly, chanting the name of the mental/emotional symbol and a plan emerged.
1. Nervous system regulation. I was experiencing a physiological response equivalent to meeting a bear in the woods. There is no arguing with or suppressing adrenaline once it’s released, so I got up and MOVED my body. The Reiki continued to flow while I bounced on my rebounder for about 10 minutes while gazing at the power symbol that I’ve displayed on the wall for exactly this type of thing.
That really took the edge off, and I was able to sit and proceed to the soothing portion of NS regulation- deep exhales, stroking hands (with Reiki still flowing) down my torso from chest to abdomen, repeating the word “safe”. Aaah… I gained access to my cognitive function and could move forward with reason rather than panic. No good decisions ever come from panic.
2. Thought loop interruption. I know from past experience that trying not to think about something is pretty darn impossible. Instead, I wanted to choose something beneficial to rest my thoughts on. An appropriate affirmation would be something like, “My car is safe and reliable.” Only that is obviously not true. I read online that driving could be quite dangerous (the word “combustible” came up a few times!) and no way was my body-mind going to get behind a complete lie.
I zoomed out, curious about the essential qualities that a safe and reliable car represents. Freedom and ease. Aaah… yes, that resonated and it’s impossible for the subconscious to argue with simple words. By repeating “freedom, ease”, I was able to feel freedom and ease blossom in my body. This helped me shift my attention away from catastrophizing and place onto that which I wished to experience.
3. Clear the obstacles. Since I didn’t yet know if this would be a cheap repair or something much more costly and perhaps not worth the expense given the age of the car, there wasn’t much sense in trying to juggle finances yet. The obvious and immediate obstacles were my limiting beliefs.
This is where my spiritual practice comes in. I chose to surrender that which is beyond my control to the divine. I don’t know how to fix this; I don’t even know exactly what “this” is, so I handed it over to a higher power. I remembered that Ganesha is the deity associated with removing obstacles, found a recording of the mantra, said to be his essence condensed into sound, and chanted along.
4. Meet the emotions. It’s easy in situations like this to either suppress the rising emotions or to let them snowball. Both of these (usually unconscious) strategies are problematic. I like to imagine my feelings as small children; I want to listen and acknowledge them, but not give them the power to make decisions. I take on the role of the kind, wise woman and allow all the feelings to come forward and receive a Reiki blessing.
I sat in a meditative state with Reiki flowing and let all the stuff come up. The worries, fears, sadness, shame, distress, everything. My response was along the lines of: “Hello. I see you. Thank you for sharing. Here’s some Reiki for you. I’ve got this. Have a nice day.”
5. Stabilize my energy. I find that flower essences compliment Reiki beautifully and help to clear unwanted energies. I keep Star of Bethlehem on hand for treating stress and grief and figured why not? A few drops in my water, enhanced with the power and mental/emotional symbols could only help. Reiki on its own would have eventually produced the same effect, but I’ve found that plant medicine can move things along nicely.
6. Take action! Finally, to appease the part of me that wanted to DO SOMETHING, I Reiki’ed the heck out of the car itself and the situation. Holding the car, the malfunction and upcoming repair in my mind along with what these things mean to me, I surrounded it all with an energy bubble, dropped all of the symbols in there and filled it up with healing energy.
I have to chuckle that the same week I decide to begin a blog about how to use Reiki in a variety of circumstances I am provided with an amazing opportunity to work through a challenging situation and share the experience.
Yay me!
I am wondering if I might like to pivot and start writing about kittens or rainbows or something a bit easier, but really, how fulfilling would that be?
It did take me a bit longer than usual to fall asleep and when I woke up at 5:30, the thoughts were waiting for me and prevented me from sinking back into slumber, but I’m quite pleased that I managed to log 6.5 hours when I expected two. A pretty good return for a 30-minute investment of my time.
It’s unlikely that any readers are facing this particular issue, but I imagine you can all relate to the gravity of a situation that threatens your sense of harmony and well-being. I hope the overall approach of meeting the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and energetic elements with compassion, awareness AND Reiki provides a basic blueprint.
No doubt that simply activating this powerful healing energy would have been beneficial. Yet I do feel that understanding and utilizing complementary systems increased the efficacy. I call this approach “Reiki Plus”. A combo of holistic and metaphysical practices with Reiki for a synergistic effect.
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