News
Nov 6, 2009
Notes From Australia
Phyllis Furumoto
It is November 6 here in Australia and I am reading the paper with tears pricking at my eyes. I wonder what these tears are about! Musing over this for a few minutes I realize that my heart is touched and this place that has been in me for all my life is remembered: this place where I felt not accepted and this place where I was proud of being an American. This place where I was ashamed of our history of slavery and attempted domination over other men, other species, and other forms of government. This place where, even after fighting for oneself, someone can see the other as having been a worthy opponent. Many different levels have been touched with this election of Barack Obama.
Over the last weeks, I have been attempting to finish this newsletter and the schedule of traveling and teaching have brought me to this timing. So here I am in Australia, having "watched" the presidential race from the interesting perspective "downunder." The news reporting of the financial downturns, the campaigns, and the hopes and fears of another country being affected by what we do has been fascinating. I have been holding my breath!
So...here we are, Americans on another brink of hope. And the greatest challenge that I see is one that I have learned from my practice of Reiki. Can I participate with President Elect Obama so he has not just my support but me? He cannot do this alone. We will, one and all, need to be conscious of our financial actions and how what we do affects those around us, our students, our colleagues, and our clients. How can I be financially clear and sound both for myself and for my students? Tough questions are: Have I been caught in the glamour of being a Reiki Master? Am I forgetting that the money for First and Second Degree is not connected to the value of the teachings nor to the intrinsic value of who I am as a person or a master? Can I reduce my carbon foot print on my own? Can I be an advocate or, even more, instrumental in decreasing my community's carbon footprint? Is it possible for me to look seven generations ahead as a make decisions about what car to drive or whether to walk? How can I incorporate the non-violent communication practices that create co-operative communities rather than the verbal violence that is eroding our possibilities of community? Is it possible to stay in the present without nourishing the fear of tomorrow or the guilt of yesterday? So many questions and now I am on the burner!
Sometimes I have asked, why do I have daily practice. Now is a time when I can say, it is to prepare myself for the present moment. If we wish to make a difference, as one person, as a community dedicated to healing, as a country that is a part of the global community, then I must use all that I have learned and apply it now.
We are a part of the crisis…each of us. Whatever crisis we connect to, we are a part of its creation and its resolution. I have dreamed of being on the front line of a battle field applying Reiki to those around me. Here is my opportunity. I ask for your consideration of your opportunity. Let's do this as a way of participating in the healing of our global community, inspired by the election of a idealist as the president of the United States. A change has happened. Let's see if we, Americans or not, can sustain it. It is up to us. He has done the work to reach the top of the hill made of despair, greed, and corruption. Now can we turn the tide?
