Living is more than just breathing . . .

How willing are you to live? I mean really live! To be alive!

To really be alive means to direct your life the way you desire. To have goals and reach them. To be involved with yourself, your family, your community, and feel fulfilled in  each day that passes.

Good health is more than just the physical. Good health means being well physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And, to be truly healthy, you must begin with the spiritual.

Any one, on any spiritual path, can be healthy spiritually, if they have faith. Faith in something/someone greater than themselves and faith in themselves as well. Having faith in yourself is of primary importance because if you believe that you can do something, you will make it happen. The key to success is one word: believe.

If you have trouble believing in yourself, I suggest that you give yourself a gift. Picture a beautiful key in your mind's eye. This is your key so you may have it look any way you want. Mine is an old fashioned gold filigree skeleton key. Whatever your key looks like is fine so long as you can picture it in your mind. Now picture that the word BELIEVE is engraved on it. This is your key to success. Whenever you have doubts, pull up your key in your mind's eye and tell yourself, "Yes I can!"

Next comes emotions and they are directed by what we tell ourselves in our internal dialog. Having a healthy emotional attitude in life goes hand in hand with mental health. You direct the course of your life by what you tell yourself about yourself.

Finally there is physical health and we all know that having a healthy body goes a long way to feeling good emotionally and mentally.

Face yourself and your problems . . .

. . . and you can heal. To heal emotionally you must face reality and take responsibility for your own healing.

One of the ways to help yourself heal emotionally is by doing mirror affirmations. Take 60 seconds in the morning after you brush your teeth and look yourself  in the eyes in your mirror. Tell yourself that you love yourself and that you are worthy of living well. Look at your inner beauty. Maybe Hollywood isn't about to come knocking on your door, but this isn't what true beauty is about. True beauty lies within and when we discover it, it shines forth from our faces. Tell yourself you are beautiful. You are. You are human, and all are beautiful.

If you are nervous and worried about an exam or a job interview tell yourself that you will be successful. Having a successful attitude goes a long way in getting what you want. Others will see it in you when you believe in yourself. Your body language will tell them so.

Tell yourself that you can be anything and can do anything you want. You can, provided that you believe you can. By taking responsibility for your life, you truly can achieve anything you want. We do create our own realities.

Physical healing by healing the emotions can . . .

. . . give us a new outlook on our lives. Our physical diseases are often caused by the underlying non-physical causes. The emotional stress or problem must be treated as well as the physical. If you are experiencing chronic problems in an area of your body, figure out what emotional stress you are denying that is affecting you physically. Discover the "roots" of your disease and treat them as well as the physical.

Guilt and fear are two emotions that can be devastating on our well-being in the physical. By taking responsibility for our life and recognizing what secrets we are keeping from ourselves we can successfully heal emotionally which often will lead to a physical healing. The following two examples are true. I personally know both women and their life stories.

The first woman was sexually molested as a child and became sexually promiscuous as a result. The guilt she felt over her promiscuity led to irregular menstrual periods, of long duration. She went through a series of medical procedures none which helped for long. Her physical problem always returned. After suffering this way for a decade, her doctor suggested a complete hysterectomy. Terrified of having an operation and of losing her ability to have children she refused. As she says, "I was more terrified of the operation than my emotional guilt and secrets. I admitted to myself that it was my shame and guilt over my childhood abuse that was the cause of my physical problems. I then sought professional help, and within a year my periods became normal and I conceived with my first child." She now has three children and is a grandmother.

Another woman I know, suffers from chronic throat problems. She is a kind and considerate person, who would never hurt anyone by word or deed. The root of her suffering is fear. She is afraid to speak up for herself. Afraid that she won't be loved if she expresses displeasure with others, particularly her mate. Until she realizes this and faces her fears, she will continue to have throat problems.

The dis-ease of addiction is . . .

. . . the only disease that tells the sufferer that they are not ill. If you are lying to others about what you are doing, you have a problem. Are you self medicating with over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, street drugs, alcohol, food, exercise, sex, gambling, cigarette smoking, or anything else?

Addiction to anything is a dis-ease of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The disease of addiction is rampant in our society, and many people do not, or will not, face themselves honestly and admit it. If you have an addiction problem, your recovery begins with you by admitting to yourself, that you do have a problem. You are only as sick as your secrets and your recovery is your responsibility. Face your disease and get help.

The disease of addiction isn't something you can hide and expect to be rid of by yourself. If you hide a bottle of booze in the back of the kitchen cupboard or the bottom drawer of your desk, you need to seek help through Alcoholics Anonymous. If you are buying prescription drugs from more than one pharmacy using different names, or by  going to different doctors or buying drugs on the street, seek help through Narcotics Anonymous. For those who are gambling, there is Gamblers Anonymous. In the rooms of the Anonymous programs you will no longer be alone and you will find yourself.

The ancient healing art of Reiki is . . .

. . . a "laying on of hands" healing that you can use for yourself and others. In Reiki we are taught that we cannot heal others until we are healed ourselves.

Reiki is divided into a three degree system. Reiki I deals primarily with self-healing.  A Reiki I healer can also heal another person who is physically present. Reiki II adds the power to direct the healing sessions and the tools for doing healings for those not physically present. The first three Reiki symbols are taught in Reiki II, so that the practitioner can use them consciously. In Reiki II you learn to channel the energy required to pass attunements as a Reiki III.

With Reiki III you experience a further increase in your ability to channel the healing energy and two more symbols are taught as well as the method for passing the attunements to others.

Not everyone goes on to become a Reiki Master. The Reiki III level requires serious time and effort. Once one becomes a Reiki Master, the universe has a way of calling you to heal, sometimes when it is the least convenient for the healer.

Reiki isn't something you can learn from a book. You must receive the attunements from a Reiki Master and it can be expensive. If you wish to learn Reiki, visit a Holistic Health Fair or check your phone book under Holistic Health services.

Healing in the craft . . .

. . . for a coven member or someone outside the Craft is often done during an Esbat, when the Cone of Power is raised and directed toward the individual. This can be very effective and I have seen amazing results using the concentrated power of the group. Remember to only send this type of healing to someone who has requested a healing. To do otherwise is to tamper with a person's life and karma.