by Laurelle Gaia
What an honor it is to be affiliated with the Center at the time of our tenth anniversary. I have seen much growth, change, and healing take place for many people as a result of our work together. It has truly been an adventure and a blessing to be a part of it all.
William started the Center in 1988, even though it had no physical location. He did Reiki sessions at home and held classes in rented workshop space. His first Reiki workbook, which he used in classes, was published in 1990. Soon he expanded the workbook and "Reiki the Healing Touch" began to be sold in bookstores. (The current version was recently expanded and revised to contain the latest information on the story of Reiki, see page 20.) This created interest in his classes and he began traveling.
Next, William published his first newsletter, which became the "Reiki News". The first issue consisted of four pages and was mailed to about 200 people. Today, the newsletter has grown to 40 pages and a circulation of over 60,000!
As he continued to follow the guidance Reiki provided, everything expanded and improved. A physical location for the Center was found in 1993. About this time the Certification program was developed and this is when I became involved.
It has been fun to watch how Reiki has guided and directed the Center’s growth. As an example, six years ago, I was looking for a different Reiki teacher. I told the Universe that I would like to study with someone who had the same love for Reiki that I had learned through my experience with the energy. I hoped to study with someone who was compassionate, knowledgeable, and truly dedicated to Reiki. I affirmed that I would find this teacher, and voila!
It was funny how it happened, I had been asked to read at a psychic fair, something I did NOT want to do, but somehow knew it would be important for my growth. So I agreed. During a break, I browsed the metaphysical bookstore. My eyes were immediately drawn to a book with a royal blue cover that was literally glowing. I picked it up, and my whole body began to resonate with the energy I was feeling. I realized this was a REIKI BOOK!!!! I thought Reiki was strictly an oral tradition. I was ecstatic. This was an early version of William's "Reiki, the Healing Touch".
I opened the book, and learned that there was actually a Center for Reiki Training. I called the Center and spoke to William and two months later I traveled to Michigan to repeat Reiki I & II with him. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Center for Reiki Training was William's two bedroom apartment with a card table that contained a few products. What a change to walk into the Center today, and see the busy office staff, large classroom, offices, and inventory of healing tools, books and tapes. The staff of eight is soon to be expanded, and the office is moving into a new larger facility.
I loved that first class. I was told by my guides during my Reiki II attunement that I would complete my Reiki Master Training in June, and to align my energies to help the Center grow. I had no idea what that meant, but checked the training schedule and discovered that William was holding a Reiki Master class in Naples, Florida on the summer solstice ("coincidentally" my mother lives in Naples). So off I went driving 22 hours for that training.
At that time William offered a basic certification program to others who would like to align with the Center's Philosophy and Purpose, and to teach the Center's Program. I was guided during my attunement to begin the certification process.
It took about a year to complete the requirements. During that time I gained experience teaching Reiki. I eventually shared with William that I was constantly being guided to help the Center grow. Together we decided the first place I could help was with "Reiki News." Another "coincidence" is that we found that we had nearly identical computer and software setups and even used the same desktop publishing system. We also connected to America On-line. This made it almost effortless to create a virtual office between our locations in Michigan and Kentucky. We found we could work efficiently and still maintain our focus of getting Reiki out to the world in greater ways.
We knew that if we were to effectively get Reiki out to people, we needed more licensed teachers. So we expanded our Teacher Licensing Program, and began to focus on developing it into something to help us get Reiki out to health care practitioners and others. Today, we offer CEU’s for our classes and have 70 people in our licensing program. Our teachers share the wonder of Reiki all over the U.S. and many travel around the world.
We are continually guided with new ways to share Reiki, to improve our programs and to heal.
The Karuna Reiki® Training was developed in 1995 and has had a significant influence on the world of healing. Since its beginning, the Center has trained many thousands of students and because of the large number of teachers in our classes who also teach, we have been indirectly responsible for training well over 100,000 Reiki healers. Our web site, started in 1995, has 125 pages of helpful Reiki information, free to everyone and has received over 130,000 visits!
During this time also, the Reiki community has gone through some powerful changes which William mentions in his article "Reiki, A New Direction" on the front page of a recent newsletter.
A beautiful thing about being part of the Center is that we have worked through many kinds of challenging situations relating to business relationships, program expansion, and managing our growth, and we do this with our daily application of Reiki. We each maintain our personal Reiki meditations and practices. The Center's growth has come because of our focus on Reiki and our commitment to serve others.
There is an unlimited potential for Reiki in the world, and there are wonderful things in store for us as we continue to allow Reiki to express through us. We are thankful to God and all those who have helped us on our way. May the love of the universe bless everyone as we work to complete our personal healing and the healing of the Earth.
In the Light of the Creator ... We See Only Love
