the 5 Principles of Usui Reiki:
- Just for today, do not be angry
- Just for today, do not worry
- Just for today, be grateful
- Just for today, work honestly
- Just for today, be compassionate to yourself and others
At the heart of each Reiki precept is the concept of "just for today" which is so much more important than we first think it is. Within the Precepts we find great tools to overcome the upheaval caused by change. Each of these Precepts relate to a specific key to peaceful interactions as we walk through our lives. All of them have one thing in common: Just For Today. By choosing to live mindfully in the present, we can work on our lives one day at a time.
Realize that "Just for today" only works when you live in today.
Getting stuck in the past:
Our perceptions of our past can be tricky. They can propel us to greatness or hold us hostage.
It makes me sad that so many of us are fighting with the ghosts of our old demons. The actual demons are long gone, yet we allow the memory of them to terrorize us by dragging us back to an old pain or trauma.
Sometimes the scars left from the past house these ghosts and when something or someone picks at them, it triggers an instant memory of what it felt like to get that scar. Sometimes we remember the actual occasion or instant that we were hurt, but usually we only remember the awful feeling it left behind.
When we don't remember the source of the pain, what happened and why, we're left reacting to situations happening now with feelings about an event from our past. We can't feel better and we can't learn from it.
I do it. It drives me nuts when I catch myself. I'll have a visceral reaction to a random comment or action and I react defensively. I'm usually over reacting. Over the years I've learned to recognize the signs. Often the sign is the perplexed look of the person I'm directing my confusing behavior towards. Then, I breathe. I slow my mind down. I think and I gradually come to the realization that I'm wrestling with a painful memory not a current issue.
That allows me to calm down and release the pain because it's not real and doesn't actually pertain to what's going on. I can separate the pain from the present if I can recognize the trigger or catch myself before I get swallowed by the ghost and react to the past.
Getting caught up in the uncertainty of the future:
The past isn't the only pitfall. The many "what ifs" about what's to come can slam dance in our brain and be mind boggling. The unknown can be frightening, and fear can color our decisions. At its best, focusing on the future can give us direction and goals to strive towards. At its worst, putting all our focus on the future can cause unfounded fear. Our fear filled imaginations can cause us to become paralyzed and unable to make decisions; we may be lead to suffer from anxiety; or this fear can make us choose what we perceive to be the path of least resistance, whether it is the best path for us or not. Just as our past is made up of memories of events long gone, our future is not real yet. All of our perceptions and ideas are just that, perceptions and ideas. They are not facts, they are not yet reality and they have no direct impact on the present, unless we act on them.
Learning to live "Just for today":
It takes practice and a willingness to face your past demons and your fears about the future. For me, this process was, and still is, not easy. It took years of looking at my inappropriate reactions and runaway fears, turning them over and questioning my thoughts and motives to get to a point where I could see the truth most of the time. Yes, this process takes time, and ultimately it is incredibly liberating!! Freedom from the hurt of the past and endless worry about the future is bliss. Take it one step at a time, one deep breath at a time. Write your revelations. Read and reread what you've learned about yourself. Do the work.
This self work is important and the rewards are well worth the effort.
Remember, to truly say "just for today I will..." you need to embrace and live in the reality of today.