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I sometimes
find it is useful to
know
a little bit about a potential teacher - not only his training, but
also
some of his life experience and personal beliefs. It tends to
help
me understand his approach to his work, and might prepare me for a
better
class. Hopefully the following will give you a bit more insight into me.
Reiki
Training
For those who aren't interested
in the
details, or are in a rush, here are the important Reiki links:
My
Reiki Training to date
Reiki
certificates I have received
I've taught quite a few students
to teacher
level and you can find lists of them at these pages:
Threshold
Masters Canada
Threshold
Masters World
Gendai
Reiki Shihan
Komyo
Reiki Shihan
SSR
Reiki Masters
Please feel free to approach any of
them
for
a reference or for Reiki training.
My
Origins
I was born in Windsor, Ontario, the
second
oldest
of 5 children. At the University of Windsor I studied
Mathematics
and Computer Science and this might explain my analytical slant to
things.
I suppose in a way I also studied the art of interacting with others
from
around the world - the local pub, my fraternity (TKE) and side
interests seemed to help
a lot with this. It was an interesting time to be in
school. All through my secondary and university education I held part
time
jobs,
mostly as a "jack-of-all-trades" in a downtown grocery store. This
brought
me face-to-face with the public consumer and the experience of trying
to
understand their needs ("Coffee is in isle 3, Mam.") and it's
where I met my first wife (who worked next door).
During my
university years I dated some wonderful ladies who had a strong
influence on me, one of whom I had known through that part time
job. After a year of
post graduate
work,
she and I married and moved to Toronto in
1972 where she was working on her university degree. Because of a
wrong number phone call one morning, I landed a job as a computer
programmer (an
analytical's
dream at that time) and I remained there for nearly 7 years. Now
I was beginning to
experience
daily office life - quite a change for me at the time - but it was also
an
interesting
social atmosphere. I took up some karate lessons for a time, then
squash and thanks to my ex-wife, I also got involved in hatha
yoga. I think that was the true beginning of my spiritual journey
and thanks to the school owner Marie Paulyn, some other mentors and
some good friends, I began to learn more about the body-mind-spirit
connection.
However, after my ex finished her degree program at Ryerson and began
full time work, she and I began to drift further apart, soon
separating and divorcing. Looking back I can see that this was a
powerful yet necessary experience for me. In 1978 I took a 3 week
vacation driving across Canada to the west coast with some
friends. I was startled and in awe at the look and feel of the
Canadian Rockies at Banff. At that moment the west began calling
to me, and even though it rained all our short time in Vancouver, the
next summer I flew there with a friend and set out to find a job.
I actually landed the first opportunity I read about in the newspaper,
it was exactly as I had visualised and one that would eventually grow
and teach me, open many doors, as well as introduce me to more
interesting people, including my life partner. So it was that in September
1979 I moved
to Vancouver, and life took a
different
focus for me.
Over the next
eleven years I was
a
manager of computer departments and software design teams for three
different
companies. As I moved up in the corporations I found there was more and
more responsibility over my head - it felt like I was moving not up but
downwards
in an inverted pyramid. And unexpectedly I was often acting as a
mediator between the various department heads who wanted the services
of
my staff. I suppose I had missed this in the job description.  Suddenly
I needed conflict resolution skills and knowledge of different social
styles
in individuals - people seemed to have several different ways of
approaching
the same corporate challenge. As well, I began to understand the
responsibility
of managing the lives of others in a working environment, and how their
home experience could have a dramatic impact on their day-to-day
work.
By the end of 1990 I had moved into consulting but I now felt I had
plateaued
in my computer and management profession and was being pushed towards a
new
career.
Looking back, it seems my "research" in the work place was now
completed.
During this
time, I met my "twin
flame"
or "soul mate" in a wonderful and inspiring being named Nadya.
This
is the most powerful moment in my life thus far and I recognised that
my previous relationships had all been preparing me for this. We
seemed to
slowly
drift closer together and in 1981 began to share our lives
intimately.
In the mid 80's Nadya gave birth to our 3 beautiful daughters and in
the
early 90's she returned to full time work while I remained home as care
giver - "Mr. Mom", as the movie goes. Family life now added
heavily to
what
I would call my "Life Resume" - giving me a greater "feel" for the
challenges
and joys a parent often faces outside the work place. No wonder
my
staff who had children were always so emotionally challenged (and
tired)
at work. All those diapers and playgrounds! But, all those
uninhibited
hugs!
On the "Life
Work" scene, at this
time
I was attracted to the concept of "Do what you love and the money will
follow" and began to think about what kind of things I enjoyed doing.
However,
it was to be a couple years before a true solution presented
itself.
And it did indeed come from the area I had thought of as my hobby - my
metaphysical and new age interests.
Nadya
and Richard
(from the '90's)
Richard Today
(Nadya is behind the camera)
Entering
the
"New Age"
Back
in my university days, I had
become
interested in martial arts and eastern philosophies. I studied and
taught Japanese
Judo (our "sensei" was not available to us
very
often) and I was club president for a time. Surprisingly enough, in
2002 I learned that Mikao Usui, the man given credit for Reiki, had
been a student and friend of Jigoro Kano, the founder of
Judo.
In Toronto I learned Korean Karate and Tai Chi. Then I became immersed
in Hatha Yoga and Meditation techniques. Yoga helped me grasp the
concept
of the mind and body working in harmony. This is something required by
all martial arts, but the understanding of it had previously eluded
me.
There seemed to be a deeper aspect to all the oriental disciplines -
one aspect
I later learned was called "mindfulness". I also learned that
Yoga
offered useful techniques for relaxation.
Philosophically,
it was in 1975
that two
friends loaned me a copy of Jane Roberts' book,
"Seth Speaks; The Eternal Validity of the Soul". (thanks Pete and
Karen.) This greatly
challenged my analytical way of viewing the world, but in a fashion
that
wouldn't let me just ignore the book. It launched me into a
life-long
quest to study metaphysics and dramatically altered my concept of life
and the nature of our reality. Over the next decade, in the process of
reading all of Roberts' books, I began to unwind my
analytical
self and slowly allow the creative side to emerge. At the same time I
felt
like I was back in school, something like a metaphysical
university.
Now, after over 40 years I have learned much about the process of
creating
our own reality, and the many techniques we employ to do so. What
is now surprising to me is that many of these concepts - available in
print
for over 100 years - are now being presented to the Western public by
such
notably teachers as Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, James
Redfield
and many, many others. Even more surprising has been my discovery
that the heart of these old teachings also exists within the original
Usui-Do
teachings of Mikao Usui.
With Nadya as
my catalyst we have
also
explored the teachings of Jach Pursel and Lazaris,
Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer (and Orin
and DaBen), The St. Germain press material, Esther and Jerry Hicks
(Abraham),
and a host of other metaphysical and "new age" material. This is
by no means the only reading we do, and I also enjoy collecting hard
cover
versions of the books of my favourite fantasy and science fiction
authors.
One particular
area that had
intrigued
me even in the late 70's was psychic healing. Several times I had come
across people who had taught themselves (after much time and effort)
how
to heal themselves and others, and I studied some of these
techniques.
Discovering
the
World of Reiki
And so it was
that In 1992, at a
Vancouver
psychic fair, my life path once again took a dramatic turn. I met
a Reiki practitioner named Sterling Sexton who was in the process of
taking
her Reiki Master's level from Harue Kanemitsu (a Reiki 1 and 2 student
of Hawayo Takata, and master student of Wanja Twan and Barbara
Brown).
Intrigued by the concepts of Reiki, and tired of just being an informed
spectator on the metaphysical sidelines, I enrolled in her first class.
I then began practicing Reiki on my family and friends. I became
anxious
to learn more so I began reading different books on Reiki.
A year later I
was drawn to Reiki
Master
and channeler, Dr. Anne McMurtry, to take my Level II. (Anne was
a student of Carrel Farmer, who was taught by Phyllis Furumoto). I was
intrigued at the increase in energy that the attunement and symbols
gave
me and started to look for books that discussed them. I was beginning
to
think that perhaps Reiki might be something I would enjoy practicing
full
time, so I tried to find out how to attain the Master's Level. I was
very
dismayed to learn that it would cost me up to ten thousand dollars to
do
so. However, my inner voice was telling me that there was a less
expensive
and more informative way for me to progress.
1998
Aura Photo - Indigo Kid?
I came across
William Rand's book "Reiki:
the Healing Touch" and learned that his school, The
Center For Reiki Training, offered well informed courses at
affordable
prices, and at various locations around the United States. After
talking
to William I decided that I wanted to teach Reiki using his manuals and
techniques as my foundation. I began to use some of his Reiki
techniques
for goal setting to figure out how I could get to one of his classes.
Within
a few days I found out that one of the graduates (Elizabeth Gilberg)
from
his Master's class was coming to Vancouver to teach Reiki. Elizabeth
needed
some help advertising and organizing the class here and offered to give
me a discount on the her classes if I would assist her in the
preparations.
On September
18, 1994, I received
my Master's
Level and set out to teach my wife and children Reiki, thus
establishing
myself as a Reiki Master/Teacher. It was my children who now
taught
me the simplicity of Reiki, as the only way they would sit still and
give
Nadya a treatment was if their favourite video was playing. After
laying their hands on their mother they then turned to the TV and
completely
ignored her for the next hour. I actually had to move their hands
to a new position as Nadya found one or the other's hands getting a bit
too hot or too strong for her liking. It was as though the girls
had turned on an electric device and just assumed it would stay plugged
in and so turned their attention elsewhere.
My First Attunement Practice Subjects - My Family
By year-end I
began hearing about
another
school of Reiki run by K. Milner. Her name seemed to come up
continually
and when a Detroit teacher named Glenn Derrick shared some additional
concepts
from that school with me one day, I decided to phone Ms. Milner.
So it was in March, 1995, I found myself in her Reiki training (later
called Tera-Mai
Reiki.) Her energy had been shifted by her spirit guides, but also
had a surprising electric-like quality to it, one that I later learned
was possibly the embedded energy of Seichim (Milner had received a form
of this training at one time). Seichim was originated by Patrick
Ziegler and does not feel like Reiki, yet is equally
effective.
Discovering
the Roots of Reiki
January 1996
turned out to be
another important
time in my Reiki experiences as I signed onto the Internet and met a
group
of Reiki practitioners from around the world on the alt.healing.reiki
email
list. I posed the question as to whether anyone had heard of original
Reiki
still being taught in Japan. I received an answer from Dave
King who had visited there often and worked with teachers of old
and
newer Japanese schools. In July 1996 I took master level instruction in
Traditional Japanese Reiki from him. Dave, and his colleague
Melissa
Riggall, had recently spent time in Japan with Dr. Hayashi's 12th
senior
level (shichidan) student, Mr. Tatsumi (his training was from 1927 to
1931).
This latter training served to shed new light as to how Reiki Ryoho was
originally presented and used by the students of Usui-Sensei.
Since that
time, I have learned
Dave also
trained in 1971 with a student of Toshihiro Eguchi named Yuji Onuki
(1926-1930),
and was now working with a still living student of Mikao Usui called
Tenon-in
(born in 1897). A Buddhist nun, Tenon-in and 4 other nuns had
worked
daily with Usui Sensei from 1920 until his passing in 1926, and she
explained
that Eguchi had been the senior student of Usui (1921-1926). I have
continued
training with Dave in older forms of Usui teachings called Usui-Do
and Usui Teāte, thus
getting a better understanding of Usui's original ideas.
In 1998,
thanks to several
internet
friends (mainly Yukio Miura, Tom Rigler, Andy Bowling), I connected
with
a member of the original Usui
Reiki society
in Japan, Hiroshi Doi-sensei, and
some
of his students. Through his teaching I discovered more of the
origins
of Reiki and how this old society continued to practice Reiki after
Usui
Sensei's passing.
Richard
teaching a channeling class in Osaka, Japan (Nov. 2000)
Meanwhile, in
order to expand my
abilities
with energy, in 1995 I took an “Awakening Your Light Body Course” (Sanaya
Roman and Duane Packer) and since then (with the help of friends) I
have completed most of their graduate programs. I also learned their
"Opening
to Channel" technique to consciously channel higher guides from the
"Light"
to increase my spiritual knowledge and growth. I now offer courses in
these
techniques, since they are as easy to learn as Reiki, and I optionally
include some of this in my master level Reiki classes.
Expanding
My Reiki
Experience
Over the past
decade and a half, many Reiki
friends
from around the world have shared knowledge and training with me
including
several Seichim Reiki and SSR styles, Karuna Reiki, Tera-Mai Seichem
Reiki,
RAI Reiki, Ascension Reiki and most important, original forms of
Japanese
Reiki and Usui teachings. I have also experimented with other
healing
energies including Magnified Healing and StarLight. All of these
techniques
have succeeded in expanding my abilities with energy work, but more
important,
have helped me understand the diversity of Western Reiki and
alternative
energy healing. I now know that there is no limit to our ability to
increase
our healing skills, as well as our own personal growth.
I also
participated as the
administrator
of a large internet based group of over 1000 volunteer healers from
around
the world. Formed in 1996, the Distant
Healing Network receives over
200 requests each week for healing
energy
via its internet web page, and I continue to assist with this sharing
project.
In 1997 I was
thinking of forming
a Reiki
organisation in my province when I discovered the Canadian Reiki
Association (CRA). Since they had already created a good
template
for a Reiki group and had obtained a federal charter, I decided to join
them instead. Later I was to learn the CRA was very new and that
I was only the 20th member. However, the CRA began to grow and was
intended
to be a voice for Reiki in Canada. In 2001 as the original board
of directors neared the end of their term, the CRA president, Linda
Caplan,
asked if I would be interested in taking over. I found some
volunteers
in my student base from across Canada and we formed the second
board.
I preferred someone else be in charge as I was more interested in
helping
things run, and as some board members left, I took over their duties
like
newsletter and membership. After a couple years I found that some
of my students wanted to remake the CRA into a more professional
oriented group,
in spite of the fact that over 95% of the members (and the Reiki world)
practiced Reiki as an avocation (i.e. not their main source of
income.)
Since I already had a large student base, a growing information
oriented
web site and Reiki contacts around the world, I realised that I was
already
performing a much larger service to the Reiki world outside the CRA,
and
the CRA didn't really have anything to offer me. So I left the
group
in 2003 in good hands and went on to other Reiki interests.
For
about a decade or more Spirit had me
involved in what seems to be an
on-going
project to explore the roots of Reiki and the life of Mikao Usui.
Even now the information continues to drop into my lap, and I try to
share some
of
this with the world-wide Reiki community on my web pages or my own
student
base. My connection with several like-minded friends in the UK,
USA
and Japan led to the interaction with Mr. Hiroshi Doi-sensei and his
work
to discover the origins of Reiki. I participated in 4 of his
international URRI
workshops (hosting 2 of them) and in November, 2000 I received
master
level training in his Gendai Reiki-ho school, as well as membership in
his Gendai Reiki Ho Healing Society.
URRI 1999
Doi-sensei
received Reiki
training
from Western sources, but more intimately from 2 non-Western schools of
Reiki in Japan (through Kimiko Koyama and Hiroshi Ohta). In
November
2000 when I visited Japan, I climbed the holy mountain of Kuramayama,
where
Usui-sensei reportedly fasted, I walked the streets of Usui-sensei's
home
village of Taniai, and I meditated at Sensei's grave site at the
Saihoji
temple in Tokyo. I was also fortunate to teach Reiki in the
beautiful
city
of Kyoto (and Osaka.) These experiences, as well as the wonderful
people I met there, helped me to gain a better understanding of
Japanese
culture and the roots of Reiki.
While in Japan,
I took my friend Tom Rigler's SSR class and later began to teach this
interesting system of combined energies. In October of 2002 I
expanded my
Japanese
Reiki training by taking the master level of Komyo Reiki from Rev.
Hyakuten
Inamoto-sensei. His teacher, Mrs. Yamaguchi, studied with Dr.
Hayashi
from 1938 - 40. I met her and her son at the URRI 2000
conference.
Also in 2002 I took the first 7 levels of Usui-Do training (to Shodan)
from Dave King and Laurie Anne King. Usui-Do
is a forerunner to Reiki and was taught by Mikao Usui from 1920 until
1926.
Dave and Laurie Anne are the only known non-Japanese teachers of this
and
are students of the late Tenon-in. She and several other students
of Sensei were still alive in Japan in the early years of this
century.
Gendai Reiki Ho and Komyo Reiki Kai
Training
In the Fall of
2004 I took
another class
with Dave King. This time he shared the first 3 levels of Usui
Teāte, which according to Tenon-in had been Eguchi's 1925
style
of teaching in the Usui dojo under the watchful eye of Usui
Sensei.
At this level it is very similar to Usui-Do, and the repetition
provided
new insight and experiences for me into the original purpose of
Sensei's
teachings.
In recent years
I have
received several
copies of old Reiki books, some dating back to the 1930s, and one is
the
work of a well known URR Gakkai Shihan. With the help of my Japanese
students
I have been able to get translations of these and have shared some
of
the resulting "new" knowledge of Reiki origins with my students and at
my public Reiki pages. It seems my Reiki adventures are not yet
over.
Threshold
Resources
All of the
above are reflected in
my style
of Reiki training that I call Threshold Reiki.
Like Doi-sensei's Gendai Reiki Ho
(Modern Reiki Method), it is a blend of old Reiki and new Reiki, and is
intended to lead the student to discover their own appropriate way of
practicing
the spiritual and healing ways of Mikao Usui Sensei. In order to
retain a wider focus of the practice of Reiki, I also continue to offer
master level training in other styles I have been certified in such as
Gendai Reiki Ho, Komyo Reiki Kai
and Sekhem-Seichim-Reiki.
While I find it
most enjoyable to
teach
classes in person, I have found over the years I have attracted
students
who were unable to travel to me (or bring me to them) and who wished to
receive my classes in a distant
format. While I was reluctant at first, I discovered that
providing
this service caused me to create a better set of training materials as
well as adding in CDs and videos. So while the classes are now
very
much suited to the distant student, the improved and additional
material
provides a welcome benefit and a great source of review for my
in-person
students. I have been teaching distant classes since 1997 and I
actually
find that most distant students spend more time interacting with me
(email,
phone, etc.) and seem to stay connected much longer. Since I enjoy
getting
to know the individuals in my classes, this is a welcome benefit for
me.
And I encourage all students to retake classes (at no charge) in a live
setting with me.
In recent
years, my own healing
and energy
work have moved beyond the boundaries of Reiki and I always involve my
spirit guides in these pursuits. Over the past 2 decades or so my
explorations
in energy work have led me through many amazing shifts and experiences,
sometimes evolving my energy bodies, my chakras and heart centre, and
often
involving the creation or awakening of new energy focuses within me
that
I cannot find any reference to elsewhere. If not for the ongoing
support (and clairvoyant vision) of students, friends and especially my
family, these experiences could be very disturbing, let alone
challenging.
I've learned from my interactions with other energy worker colleagues
that
many of us are having these kinds of experiences, often unique to
ourselves,
as our spirit friends assist us to bring higher and more evolved
energies
to our planet in these changing times. The "future" as we used to think
of it, seems to be here, now. I can't even guess where this will
all lead to, but I know it will not be a dull experience.
Thanks to Spirit, the Sharing never
ends.
Richard Rivard
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