The Reiki Cafe 

I am a smoker and enjoy drinking wine from Friday to Sunday(I don't heal over the weekend) Monday to Thursday I heal for clients,self heal and meditate. I was told by a fellow Reiki Master that I am not pure in my habits and this will affect my healing treatments to my clients and my development in my spiritual path. OK, but my intent is pure and I enjoy taking a break from my work - is this wrong??
Please end the dipute.

Thanks for an interesting question.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if I were a more able worker if I quit smoking. And although I've already had this lifetime's worth of alcohol and no longer indulge at all, I don't happen to see social drinking as an "impure habit."

On the other hand, what I do seems to work pretty well.

On the third hand, undue concern about "purity" seems to be, well, not balanced. One school of thought is that the purest diet one can follow is exclusively fruits and nuts. Honestly, who cares to that extent?*

* meant as a comment over purity issues, not a dis to your question

Bright blessings; hail Eris!

goldenisis

Otoharo!

vanillay, you are doing nothing wrong. There is no right and wrong. There is only what works for you.

Smoking is a slow suicide. Do it if you wish, and know what you are doing. You decide.

Alcohol in any form is not fit for the human body. Again do as you wish knowing what you are doing. You decide.

Not self treating on the weekend? You decide.

What works for you is the guage.

finality

Vanillay, I want to add, change of activities and partaking of silliness is wonderful for heart and soul as well as body!

finality

Just so!

[Allegedly] old Celtic proverb: Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.

My take: Never, Ever trust a "spiritual" person who can't have a good belly laugh at him/herself. That's no evolved person, just another wannabe poseur.

Bright blessings; hail Eris!

goldenisis

Hi Vanillav,

I may be wrong here, but since you are gathering other peoples viewpoints to help "settle this dispute", might it be suggesting that you are a bit uncomfortable with your teachers thoughts because they reflect how you feel inside? I'm not saying you should quit smoking or enjoying your wine, but maybe now is the time to tune into you and discover how you really feel about it.

Also on the other side of the coin. Remember your teacher is commenting from her own personal feelings/knowledge. What works for her, may be a great guideline for you, but it is only a guideline. You need to find out what the right 'path' is for you. A real good teacher will help you to ask questions which will help you to discover who you are, and what makes you tick. It sounds like you have such a teacher who is doing just that.

If you're comfortable and happy with the way you currently work Reiki in with the rest of your life, then don't worry about it. If you're not totally comfortable, then maybe this is an opportunity to discover the reasons why and grow with it.

With light and love
Featherpoint

Thanks to you all for your reply. I think that this is interesting to hear your views and that life is so much fun with other peoples feeling and lessons are ever present. My moto is - Look Listen and Learn. If you find that you need to change then do so for your own good.
Have a nice weekend- with or without wine.
Vanilla.

Dear vanillav,

You might find with that schedual your energy or connection clarifies toward the end of the week but then is kncked down a few pegs over the week end.
The begining of the new week the bodies clarify. Then Weds.-Thurs. energy levels are raising but then get knocked down agian over the weekend repeating an energetically limiting cylcle.

Namaste,
Michael

Well my point of view is that in a way this person is right. They are impurities. But you're not expected to be perfect. I smoke myself, but feel that since it is harmful to me it is related to some issue or another that I have. But everyone has some form of issues in their life. Personally I feel over time as you do grow spiritually you'll seek to be rid of these things. But I don't think that you're a bad practitioner or crippling yourself spiritually because you smoke. As far as the drinking, like finality said in the end it's poison.
As far as being spiritual and drinking,it depends on the frequency to me. If you spend your weekend , every weekend with a wine buzz i'd be a little concerned for you. But if that's just the time that you choose to enjoy a glass or two a day no biggie. As with cigarettes , think if you truly wish to become more spiritual than overtime it will just become distasteful to you. The best way to promote health is to be healthy ya know. And keep in mind there are other ways to relax as well. But all in all, while it may not be "pure" I wouldn't guilt trip myself over it. It's just a thing.
I've noticed that the healthier I get the better the Reiki flows for me. I've been excercising for about a week now and can tell a huge difference in the energy I call down. That to me says that if i want to be Reiki then I need to take care of body,mind and soul. Not just one or the other.

Conflaguration:

I totally agree with what you said about how healthy you are the better it flows. After my major stressful month of Dec/Jan, during self treatment, I could not get Reiki to flow at all, my twisted stressed mind was all over the place, I could not quiet my mind. Since all that is over, I feel the pleasure in having it flow again. One night in bed, there was so much, I even treated my husband in his sleep!

I too, smoke. When I am well, physically and mentally, I could not imagine it flowing any better, but who knows? Only I will know if and when I ever quit smoking.

My RM knows I smoke, and never mentioned it interferring with Reiki.

But, thank you for the quick question, this is something I've been curious about as well.

amazed-by-reiki
always.
:-)

vanillav,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- if you are comfortable with how you walk your path then there really can be no dispute.

- if you are not comfotable with all aspects of your path-walking then the dispute still is not with this RM (or any other person)

>:-}}

- however, it does sound as if some sort of tender point has been touched.

- keep in mind too that not all very spiritually developed people are tea totallers

- hope this helps

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

Firekeeper

Good question, Vanillav,
One of my friends smokes quite a bit and drinks alot when she smokes. She seems to take up a lot of energy worrying about it and beating herself up about it at times. That does not seem to get her anywhere spiritually. But lately, she seems to have come to a different place and she says that she feels she needs to do all she can to live a healthy long life so she can continue to care for others spiritually. So, for that purpose, she sacrifices her smoking to regain her health (she has developed hormonal imbalances and lung problems from smoking.) I wish her well in all she does, but I beg her to forgive herself and not worry when she lights up.

I think we do the best we can. Please realize that smoking really does a number on your physical body....especially hormones. Perhaps this was not so before we sprayed all the pesticides on the tobacco. If you can, try to atleast find organic tobacco. I agree with what others have said here...trying to be too "pure" can backfire on you. You are human after all. Allow yourself to progress as you are nudged, realizing that part of spiritual development involves care of the body.
Much Love,
Feather