RWP Episode #195: Insights from the Radiance Series + RWP Fundraiser!

We are entering our fourth year of the Reiki Women Podcast and stepping into 2026 with clarity, intention, and deep gratitude for this growing global community.

✨ If this podcast has supported your journey within the system of reiki, we invite you to help sustain it in 2026.
Support our GoFundMe here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-reiki-women-podcast-in-2026

Your contribution helps us continue amplifying women’s voices within the system of reiki and producing conversations rooted in integrity, lineage, and lived experience.

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In this episode, we reflect on the impact of our Radiance Series, especially the powerful dialogues around Animal Reiki practice and the ways women continue shaping the evolving culture of the system of reiki worldwide.

This past year has reminded us how diverse and specialized this field truly is. From practitioners serving animals and elders to teachers, mentors, and space holders, we are witnessing how collaboration strengthens the system of reiki far more than competition ever could.

We share updates about our individual paths, our commitment to inclusion and conscious healing spaces, and what we are visioning for the future of Reiki Women Podcast.

As we grow, so does this circle.

Thank you for walking with us into Year Four.

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💛 Support Reiki Women Podcast in 2026

This podcast is independently produced and community-supported.
If these conversations have inspired or supported you, please consider contributing to or sharing our fundraiser:

👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-reiki-women-podcast-in-2026

Every donation and every share helps us:
• Continue the Radiance Series
• Elevate women within the system of reiki globally
• Sustain production and editing
• Keep this work accessible and community-rooted

We are deeply grateful for your support.

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#ReikiWomenPodcast #WomenInReiki #SystemOfReiki #ReikiPractice #AnimalReiki #EnergyHealing #SpiritualPodcast #HolisticHealing #WomenHealers #ReikiRyoho #Reiki #TraditionalReiki

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About the Podcast
Reiki Women Podcast shares the voices of women-identified Reiki practitioners from around the world. Through stories of healing, lineage, and spiritual practice, we explore the culture and community of Reiki practice.

Join hosts Bronwen Logan, Carrie Varela, and Michaela Daystar as they reflect on the system of Reiki and the women who shape its path.

Meet the Hosts
🌿 Bronwen Logan —  @reikiwithbronwen
🌿 Carrie Varela —  @reikihealingsociety
🌿 Michaela Daystar —  @heartscapesreiki1496  

🎧 Listen on Spotify, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platforms
💛 Support us on BuzzSprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2217494/supporters/new

📲 Join our Facebook group: facebook.com/reikiwomenpodcasts/groups

#ReikiHealing #WomenInReiki #ReikiPodcast #ReikiLineage #ReikiCommunity #SpiritualPractice

Transcript

Speaker 4 0:00

Buy women's things, invest in women who are healers because that is what the world needs right now. We really need that more soft, feminine approach and balance and we can really clearly see those gender dynamics within the reiki community of who gets roles of leadership and so forth. And we really try to bring light to that. And I'm very proud of all of the shifts that have come from just having these conscious conversations.

Speaker 3 0:28

I love this idea that we have with this podcast, that we lift that up and we give women voices and we don't make it ridiculous. We don't put it up or down. We just do it because it's not about being different to men. It's just about being there, having women's voices there.

Speaker 5 0:49

I have long been fascinated with this metaphor of the landscape. As a way to describe, not only how we create our aesthetics, such as with tattoos, but also the way that we investigate our internal experience and how we navigate our own internal space with integrity and courage. And then bring that out into the world in a way that is authentic, that has integrity. And that really takes a look at the spheres of influence that we have in the world and how we can make the world a better place in tiny ways, in big ways, whatever are our ways to do that. Hello, friends. Welcome back to the Reiki Women podcast. Happy New Year. We are excited to be back with you after foray into the world of animal reiki with our recent radiant series. We're gonna be talking about that in a bit, but we wanted to really welcome you back to this space. We're so excited to be in our third year of offering, this podcast, these ongoing conversations, and at the beginning of the year with a new look with new, support in the backend that we'll talk about for a bit, but the same. Steady, reliable, valuable conversations about the system of Reiki from its Japanese origins that you've come to love and hopefully, enjoy and benefit from from this space today as we step back into our regular recording of the pod, we wanted to just take a quick look back at the Radiant series that just concluded. Hopefully you've been able to join us for those five episodes. Interviews with animal Reiki practitioners, across a wide range of specialties. And so we wanna just debrief that a little bit. as we step back in, we wanna share some exciting updates and resources for the podcast moving forward and invite you into supporting this space, making sure that we stay strong in this third year with a fundraiser that is currently going on. And then finally, we just wanted to kind of reintroduce ourselves to you, just to let you know what's coming up in each of our spheres of influence. and just, some updates about, about who. We are as Reiki practitioners, as we step back into this space for 2026. But first, let's take a look back at the Radiant series. We had so much fun recording that series, connecting with really amazing practitioners. That definitely opened my eyes to the wide range of ways that Reiki and the Lives of Animals intersect. So we just wanted to mention a few of the highlights, the things that stood out to us, as we looked back over that series. And Carrie, I'd love for you to start us out. What stood out to you, from the Radiant Series?

Speaker 4 4:55

Well, I really loved all of the conversations, and I think, as a whole, I just walked away from that series just having a deep sense of gratitude for, This world of in the Vedic world view dharma is called selfless service. And I just felt there was this selfless service that all of the animal reg practitioners really exemplified, them giving their time, their energy. And although it, it, it was reciprocated back to them, right? But not in the traditional capitalist sense of dollars and cents. it was really just they had this heart of service to animals and that really shown through and I just. It made me really feel more grounded in the web of life. that every single one of us has a passion, something we care about, and when we follow that passion, it's no little animals left behind. There's somebody out there today volunteering at an animal shelter, helping an animal in need, and feeling that love and desire. There's other people out there who are, protesting immigrant rights in Minneapolis and really standing up for that cause that's something that they believe in right now. There's other people, working to solve the. Texas sized, trash dump in the ocean, things that. So it's just that's what I, one of the main things I left with was wow, there's these people who have this heart of service, we're animals. And it's something that I feel I can sense and feel, but it's not something that I have the time or energy or devotion to. and it renewed my sense of purpose around those things that I have, a sense of this is my service to the world and to other people. so reflecting back on our first conversation with Kelly and I just, I love the diversity of the stories that she shared and that she had some experiences working with elephants. And then we all, it was our first conversation, so we all shared a lot about our own experiences working with animals or having, wildlife experiences. that was the conversation where I talked about the whales. and I of course was deeply moved by Janet's, conversation and I think, after the fact, most of you who listened to the podcast though, that my dog passed away two days after that conversation. And, so I felt the whole conversation was for me. It was the whole series just to set up giving Carrie the support that she needed as I, let my 13-year-old companion go and, do what, life invites us to do, just to live and to die. but, that was so, that was a gift. It was just a real gift to me and my pet. And I'll never forget that. Never forget that. And,

Speaker 5 7:45

well, and Janet was speaking about end of life, right? For animals of, of being with them and reiki and their, their elder years and towards their end of life. And yeah, the synchronicity of that, that conversation happening at that time was really powerful, I think, for all of us.

Speaker 4 8:01

Yeah. That was, wow. That was just such, and I don't know, I'm just reminded, but that is how Reiki helps us in so many ways. we think of, I dunno, there's these synchronicities that happen that I just, I can't deny that that happened. And I feel that that was some sort of. Universal benevolence, the universe shining her beautiful light in into my world, into, the light of so many, our podcasts. We don't know what the ripple is of our podcast out into the world. And so, I just felt really deeply supported in that, and touched, and as I walk away from the Radiance series, I have my remaining cat who, has been also going through a huge life transition. And so I did some animal communication with her and healing. And then, I recently moved into a new house, as you can see, new dick's behind me. But, I've also been really just so much more in touch with her, in touch with what my cat needs. And she's 14 and so there's just this real tender, frailty for her. we've gone through a huge round of pet visits or vet visits 'cause she has, some kidney disease issues that's been pop popping up. And so, yeah, anyways, they've just been, it's been really helping me be in her shoes in many ways and see the world, her world from her perspective and see how I can support her better and that so, just the rest of her days are the best of her days. So that's what really stuck with me after the Radiance series. What about you, miss Bronwyn?

Speaker 3 9:36

Yeah, I, I sort of have similar issues with an old cat of mine as well and it's, it is good to be able to talk about it. I feel it's very grounding too. Just connect through to the world of animals. all the discussions that we had with everybody, actually, they, I felt really, I had, those aha moments where in all of them where I, I sort of remembered things about how I felt about being with animals and around animals, and it brought up lots of, personal stories, that I don't normally think about and, just reminds you of, of what a deep connection we all have throughout our lives, whether we have pets or don't have pets. Just our connection, especially with wildlife and that, so we had Kelly talking about that, and there, there, Nick Toro, who, she's a former attorney, and she's done a lot of work with. Ethics around animals and that really interests me. And I think, how we are with animals and how we see them in our world is, is, is changing. We've sort of gone through a period as humans where we don't, we went, what sort bullshit about, do animals have feelings or some crap? I was just always whatcha talking about? Right? I mean, if you look at the animals and how they respond to things, happiness, sadness, jealousy, I mean there's all these feelings that are just so obvious and it's not us trying to make them more human. I mean, there's this idea that we are personifying animals by actually. Listening to them and feeling connected in their worlds. I love what you said, Carrie, sitting in their shoes, So the ethics around, how we are with animals, how we treat animals, us also being animals. So very interesting. I love that interview particularly. And, the other one that I, I just got such a kick out of was Theresa's Theresa Albo. And she had, tails, T-A-I-L-S from the shelter and such joy in her working with animals, that love that came out with what she was talking about. And, I felt great having that conversation. It made me laugh, even though there were sad stories. Of course, it's a shelter, but, the joy that she brings to that. I think for anyone who's interested in working with animals at a shelter, there's some really great tips there and a great attitude, how to approach it and to keep yourself feeling strong and healthy I really love that too. I enjoyed all of them. Absolutely. But I did get a kick out of those. How about you, Mikayla?

Speaker 5 12:20

I was really struck even when we were first planning this series with the, the wide range and the diversity of topics. And I have to admit that I, I was a little surprised by that. I think I had a, a, a little bit of a narrow mind as far as what are gonna be the range of specialties here. Shelter animals seemed an obvious one, but as you've already said, we got to talk with folks who specialize in end of life care for animals in, working with wild animals in both rehabilitation and just in the wild. working with, as you say, the, the ethics of, in, being a human in relationship with animals and, and I believe Therese also talked about, our reiki practice as being a steadying force for us when we're, navigating something as difficult as animal cruelty cases as a lawyer or, end of life situations with beloved pets. And just really, kind of broaden my mind with how we can think about the, the general topic of animal reiki. And one of the ones that really jumped out for me, was talking with Christian Michaels about pet sitting. And I was surprised at the way that that one stuck with me. And I know that part of it is 'cause my teenage daughter has been pet sitting for about the last year. So, we've gotten to have these experiences with, with cats and dogs in our neighborhood. And some of the things that Christiane shared were really kind of eyeopening and made me think about that experience in a completely different way. she talked about the fact that when we are coming into the home as a pet sitter, the animal. Ha does not have the context for why their, their family is gone and maybe the family left under duress. Maybe they, they're gone because there's something challenging happening, or even something exciting brings a lot of different energy into the space that the animals can't necessarily interpret. And then their family is just gone and this stranger is coming in and their just routine is disrupted and they're not getting the attention that they're used to. And, all of these layers, or, being brought in as a pet sitter to cover, the pet's needs when there is something traumatic going on in the family. And the whole energy of the, the household is charged by that. And of course, animals are just soaking that up. and so that really helps me to have much more compassion with, this job that my kid is doing, where she's going into those kinds of situations. And, I think it, it's almost embarrassing to say that I just hadn't really considered how disorienting it is for animals who are being pet sit, because that's such a normal part of life. You have a, a pet, you're gonna have to leave the house. Sometimes you'll have a sitter come in. and so I really was appreciating the application of reiki in those circumstances. And, she was talking about the way that she's, that's not something she necessarily talks to clients about almost ever. In fact, I think she talked a bit about wanting to lean more into being more explicit about that as an, as an offering that she can offer. But that for the most part, it's just part of who she is, right? We talk about being reiki all the time. She is stepping into this, profession that people aren't, hiring her because she's a Reiki practitioner, but that's something that she is bringing into that space that undoubtedly matters and impacts the way in which, those animals ha experience that, that time of their life. so yeah, there was just a lot of deepening of appreciation for the intersection of this practice of ours with animals in ways that I just hadn't considered in detail. It made perfect sense once we heard them. but because it's never been a specialty of mine, it just kind of hadn't really sunk in how many layers there can be to this. And of course, as you both mentioned, I have my own pets as well. And I have a cat who's, who's. Got a bit of a neurosis. she's a bit of a neurotic cat, and she is my favorite animal I've ever had in my life. we're super bonded and she causes problems with her behavior. And so it's really helped me to think in a different way about how to be with her around some of those things. and how to be in deeper compassion with the parts of her that are challenging. and to really even from a spiritual perspective, examine my relationship with her in this kind of duality of we're so bonded and so connected. And she is such a problem in our household sometimes. And just kind of having a more unified experience with her as a sovereign. Little being who has her own life and belongs to herself, doesn't belong to me, has her own needs that I, as much as I love her, don't always understand and can't always meet. and so I, I suspect that I will be much more attentive to the way in which my Reiki practice is a resource for that situation and be more intentional about that, which felt really sweet.

Speaker 3 17:17

I just wanted to say something there as well, just about, I know that Christiane, we were encouraging her to, embrace the idea of, working with Reiki and pet sitting and bringing those elements together. 'cause I was saying, who wouldn't love a pet sitter who does reiki, right? So she's just opened up a new website, so, we'll, she'll have that link on her, radiance, interview. And, the other thing was that, Janet, who did the End of life, interview with pets that she, did a recording as well. So, if you want to actually, practice sitting with your pets who are near the end of life or who have passed on, then I would suggest that you drop by Janet's, radiance interview. And there is a link there for the recording as well. We've done it. It's great just to sit in that space with your animals and really feel that energetic connection through and whether they're here with us now or they've passed on.

Speaker 5 18:21

Yeah, absolutely. And I believe you also dropped that, practice in the Facebook group too for people who have chosen to join us over there.

Speaker 3 18:28

Yeah.

Speaker 5 18:28

and we would love to have you join us over there in our Facebook group. And, go ahead, Carrie.

Speaker 4 18:34

Oh, and I just wanted to mention, Therese, she had this special event as well as a symposium for, animal rights activists in New York, which is super niche. And, we really wanted to celebrate that offering and, try to get the word out best we could with that. But I just wanted to encourage anybody who's listening to the Radian series or listening to this that might have a specialty in animal rights or a legal degree to really just connect with Therese and see if there's some places where your, your practices can con connect because I'm sure she would really appreciate those, opportunities for networking and community building.

Speaker 5 19:10

Absolutely. Absolutely. And, and of course my little soulmate problem child decided to, visit with us here while we're, she's you're talking about me, mom. and these opportunities to connect through, of course, the interviews themselves through our Facebook group. Through, these conversations in the comment section is really important to us. And, as we're entering, we're already in the midst of, I can't remember, I've lost track of time, our third year, offering this podcast. we have really thought about what the, the future of this space looks and feels really exciting to be entering this third year and to really feel that renewed commitment to continuing to bring these conversations forward and to acknowledge that we are, we've grown in our size of our community and what we wanna offer. We wanna be sure that the Radiant Series continues and perhaps expands into the future, that we have ways of, bringing other things that are on our heart to our community. And we had to come to the, to the reality that we need a little support in getting all of that done because we, three of us. Also run our own reiki businesses, which we'll just share some updates on in a little bit. and we wanna be sure that the quality of this space continues to, to be what we want it to be. And so we wanted to just, let you know that we have brought in some backend support, for our editing, for our, sharing this out. And in order to sustain that, we are turning to you, dear listeners, to our community to be part of the water that rises the tide of this, space. And so we have launched a fundraiser. the link for that will be down below. We will continue sharing that. And that is, specifically geared towards, supporting the production of this space. We're in this kind of odd place that people who create free content for the world, sometimes get into where we are. We're in deep, we're committed. We love it. We want it to keep on going. We've gotten great feedback. We know that you want this to keep going, and yet it has not yet grown to the point where we have fiscal sponsors or a lot of, advertising dollars coming in. And while this has never been about making money for us, it does need to sustain itself if we're gonna continue. And so as many creators do, we are creating ways for you, our community to support this space. and I'd love to just, See what, what, the two of you think about, in terms of this offering and what other words of encouragement you would to share.

Speaker 3 21:48

I think we should, I, there must be someone out there who'd love to sponsor us. What a great idea. McKayla, you could do, Reiki pet food. I don't know. I'm just thinking of the radiance. Take the radiance one, but, yeah. Yeah, I don't know, but, Hey, I, I'm up for doing a funny ad. Come on guys. We could have a laugh. but yeah, it would be really helpful because, from my perspective I was editing and each time, and, it's just takes so long to do and it's, it's a beautiful thing to do, but it's time consuming so, so joyful this year that we have taken that amazing step to get someone in, to give us a hand. I'm really happy about that. And, yeah, if you could give us a hand, financially, that would be just perfect. Really. Yeah. Mm.

Speaker 4 22:37

Absolutely. Yeah. Well, I thought I mentioned too on the fundraiser, which was something, my little pet project here on the podcast was to get that up and going, but, you can be a monthly donor to that fundraiser. So just something to think about and even a small amount would make a huge difference for us. we really estimate that it's, 40 to $60 worth of labor to get one episode out there. Just to put that in perspective of, our time, our commitment, and just, having, doing it as a selfless service for so many years. We are seeking some help and that's really about how much it costs to really produce the podcast, at this level. and of course we wanna continue to see it expand and grow. So we are open to those suggestions and just really open to how, the goodness comes around and, Certainly one of my aims for the podcast was, to elevate women's voices and, my offerings as well. So I, I'll put it out there, that wasn't completely selfless. I just, I want, to create more community about what I think are really important and beautiful offerings in the reiki world. And so that's also another really wonderful way to contribute is, participating in our Reiki shares and our, conversations beyond this podcast. And, and then also of course, investing in our services and courses as well is a huge support too for us. as content creators. I never really thought I'd put that on my cv, but it, it does feel it's becoming that, so

Speaker 5 24:15

I feel it's. We're there, we're there we're content creator.

Speaker 4 24:18

You

Speaker 3 24:19

I don't wanna be,

Speaker 5 24:19

well, I,

Speaker 3 24:20

I don't wanna call myself that.

Speaker 5 24:22

You don't have to, you don't have to. it's funny, I think, Carrie, that's a really lovely segue into just sharing a bit about what's coming up in each of our, personal spheres for the year. I don't know that we've ever really kind of fully introduced each of our, businesses. We kind of talk about things that we have coming up. but I'd love to just give you, each of us a chance to share a little bit about the perspective of each of our businesses, our specialties, and then of course, things that are coming right up that folks can engage in. and I'm gonna pitch it back over to Bronwyn to get us started with that.

Speaker 3 24:58

Hmm. Yeah, I just wrote a little newsletter this morning, just a little one. And, I, I've had such a kick just in us talking, because, what I wrote was three things that came to me that helped to make a successful career as a reiki practitioner, teacher, whatever. I didn't think about it much. I just let it just sort of flow, and it's kept coming back in this last hour that we've been talking. Amazing. First one was commitment. Yeah. Mikayla, you just said before, you gotta have the commitment and the love. The second one was love, right? And the third one is you, so we can't do this without other people, it's about. Community. And, I think that community that, that we create through this is really special. And, one of the love things that I put down was that I really love Mm, oh, this is gonna sound weird, but I, I love being a woman. Right? And, I love this idea that we have with this podcast, that we lift that up and we give women voices and we don't make it ridiculous. We don't put it up or down. We just do it because it's not about being different to men. It's just about being there, having women's voices there. And, I just find that so important. And I noticed I've got a course that I have been working on for over a year, and it really will be my main course that I ever do in my life. And, it's called Shinpiden Plus, and it's a mixture. It's a, a self-paced online course. Plus, the students also come to, live teachings with me online. And what I noticed was that, a number of the people who are coming along and, there's men and women, but a number of the women who are coming along actually said to me. That they are coming because they want to be more in the energy of the feminine. And I just thought, wow, it's not something that I talk about a lot, but it is something that is really meaningful for me. And us doing this, the commitment of doing this is a part of that. And, I feel with my website Reiki, with Bronwyn, I try to always put images of women and not women that look Yoga Babes, but sorry Carrie, you look a beautiful yoga babe. But, also women that might look me, what I mean? All different sorts of women and just that idea that. It's about just being who we are and not trying to necessarily be something else and not be in, that male energy, which does tend to dominate the Reiki community. Especially at the moment. I see a lot of that and, it's incredibly competitive and, and, and hard, and I'm loving the idea that we can actually embrace. Being women and bringing that into the world of the system of reiki and bringing it in for men and women, not just for women. It's for, for everybody. So for me, that's a really important thing. It's really beautiful. I love it. It means it's a freeing of the self. It means you can bring your whole self to something instead of holding back and, really allowing yourself to be who you are. And that's really what the system of Reiki is about. Anyways, so that's my joy. And, so my commitment, it's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it because you do it because you love it, right? And it's so good to be here with all of you. So that's what I'm up to this year. And come and join me on Chiton Plus.

Speaker 5 28:48

I love it.

Speaker 3 28:49

Yeah.

Speaker 5 28:49

And yeah, I kind of, I heard two of your expertises in there. One is writing, you're an incredible author. You write articles regularly, you've written books. You've got re-release of some of those books coming out. incredibly important, voice that you provided in the reiki world and the written form. And then mentoring, mentoring students beyond the classroom, if you will, beyond that initial experience of learning the system of Reiki. How do we stay supported as we, take that into our lives? And you've really created a special place for that. so I love, I love seeing that. What about you, Carrie? Introduce us to Reiki Healing Society.

Speaker 4 29:27

Oh, so, oh, I just, the Reiki Healing Society is, It is something that took birth in me about in 2013 or so after learning a lot more about the history of reiki and learning about, Yasui ga Kai, his healing art society that was either created at the time of his death or prior to his death or by his students after his death. And, you might be familiar with the history of the Ga Kai, that it's a very closed society and, they have fairly rigid rules around how you can train other people on reiki, whether you can charge for Reiki sessions and so forth. And I guess there's, there was this kind of exclusion feeling for me that because reiki has been my spiritual practice, it's been something that came into my life and changed my life dramatically. and is the reason why I'm here today, with you all. And, so I felt that this whole notion of having. A connection and a community amongst Reiki practitioners was really important. And at that time I really felt the Reiki community lacked that. And, so I took the generic name, Reiki Healing Society as, as is as my torch of just reigniting the spark of community that yasui, created at the time of his death. And I really respect the Ga kai, my organization, my, business, how I operate has really nothing to do with the ga kai, but really is more just an op, a space for community amongst modern day practitioners. How do we come together in a world where we're self-employed individuals, we're building our own practices can be very self isolating. And that was one of my experiences as a Reiki practitioner, where I felt very isolated. I really had this draw and inspiration to create more community. And so, the Reiki Healing Society. I rebranded my business in 2020, just a few, maybe a year or so before we started this podcast. And I've really seen it grow and it's been so exciting. My, my group is about, my Facebook group is about to go over a thousand people soon. And, it's just been a real vision realized. and I think I'm at this kind of awkward place where, there needs to be some continued reworking of my vision and, expanding the, the notion of the Riki Healing Society and really distinguishing it as something, that it wants to become. but really a, a big part of the Reiki Healing Society. Some of my core ethics are community, of course, creating more community and, and being here on this podcast has been a huge part of that, and certainly something that's. Probably connected more community and I helped the overall Reiki community a little bit better, not just three of us. but then the other f foundation of value of the Reiki Healing Society's collaboration. And I really think that this is such an important part of being a reiki practitioner, is really finding, ideal collaboration partners we found here between the two, the, the three of us. and in other ways that when we can come together and create meaningful, conversations or content or workshops or, McKayla and I, one of these days we're gonna do a retreat. It's gonna happen, that we have this really, we, we can continue that work of collaboration. And it's not so much work for the individual as well because, it's one person you can do a lot. You can only do so much. You really can only do so much. You can, you only have so much time in the day. And for me, in my business right now, the hours of my day are, are fairly limited. I can't make an extra day of the week to get more stuff done. But, so that's a little bit about the Reiki Healing society. And as I've grown, I've really felt also this heart to offer mentorship for Reiki clients and students who really want to become practitioners. How do you feel supported in that journey? You take the Reiki courses, but it's a really kind of rough, frontier as a reiki practitioner to go from a reiki level three course and then just dive in to being a practitioner. I really see there's a huge gap there, that people need support in that transition and, need support. Learning more about how to work with reiki, how to share Reiki professionally to ensure that's a component of what you're offering to Bronwyn. So. That gave birth to the GoPro with Reiki program. I'm currently working with a, a current class and just graduated a class. I'll probably be offering another cohort sometime this year, but I'm not really sure when. the things that I've been really working on right now is, oh, I guess another part of the Reiki Healing Society is really offering reiki from a perspective of decolonization, in, in, inherently bringing decolonization principles forward in my reiki practice. So I'm gonna be offering, a workshop called Decolonize Your Reiki Practice at the end of this month. And it's been really exciting to share this work because I think it's so timely and needed. it's also connected with me with some, lots of really cool academics in the field. as well. This person named Frederico Scotty, I've only just sort of, familiar with him, but he's been also doing a lot of more anthropological work on decolonization and also speaking more about reiki, creating more legitimacy for the Reiki path and the reiki practice. And that's also something that I really believe in and want, to continue to put effort towards is creating a space where, reiki is more legitimate in the integrative medical field. And, and just in our lives, I don't know how much I've had to confront the legitimacy of what I do, but it's definitely something that. I have to stand in that fire a lot. and I think that's unfortunate because we know how profound, the practice of Reiki really is. So anyways, I am also teaching a bunch of Reiki courses right now as kind of the other thing on my plate. But, aside from all of that, I'm taking actually some, some internal steps back and really envisioning what I wanna create this year and seeing it more as an opportunity to really, get a little deeper about what the Reiki Healing Society wants to come and, try not to put so much out there, but everything that I do put out will be, just something that feels really meaningful and aligned and important. so I can't wait to hear more about what you've got going on, Mikayla.

Speaker 5 36:05

Yes, indeed. And I wanna just echo, some of the expertise that I heard and that I know you have around collaboration, around, supporting, I love that you named it legitimacy, right? And that the business acumen that we need in order for this practice to be available on a wider level and to be available with integrity. And you and I have gotten to collaborate on, projects around looking at integrity in the field of reiki, and I love your work on decolonizing reiki. Look forward to engaging with that. again, directly and, those are some of the connections that our work has always had. hardscapes, my practice really came out of a lot of those same values. It came out of 15 years working in higher education, supporting students in social justice work and leadership development, and then really coming to. Terms with the fact really running head on into the fact that so many of the people I was working with were coming to that work of wanting to change the world, make it a better place, a less oppressive place because they were coming from deep hurt and they were carrying around a lot of wounds. They were highly dysregulated in their nervous system. They were, in fight or flight mode much of the time as they were trying to go out and do incredibly difficult, work that is, not well supported. And there was not a lot I could do for that in my role in the university. And it was, it felt a complete pivot to this other type of work. But in my heart, it really comes back to the same thing, supporting people to be able to make their precious contribution in the world from a place that is not frantic, that is not coming from, anger and, and fear and, exhaustion, but a place that is coming from grounding and connection and an openness to possibility. And I feel so grateful at this time in the world with the things going on in our country and the power dynamics in our country and in the world being in so much flex. I feel deeply grateful to have that background and to have come to the system of Reiki as the way in which I am engaging the landscape of the world. And the metaphor of landscape has always been central to my work. My name is Hardscapes, which of course is the landscape of the heart. My original name was for the business was Soul Scapes. and then it shifted to heart scapes. And prior to that, in a previous life I was going to be a tattoo artist and the name of that business was Skin Scapes. So I have long been fascinated with this metaphor of the landscape. As a way to describe, not only how we, create our aesthetics, such as with tattoos, but also the way that we investigate our internal experience and, how we navigate our own internal space with integrity and, and courage. And then bring that out into the world in a way that is authentic, that has integrity. And that, really takes a look at the spheres of influence that we have in the world and how we can make the world a better place in tiny ways, in big ways, whatever are our ways to do that. And so in my business, I'm focusing. Quite a lot on teaching, on teaching teachers, which is a great passion of mine. I have a fantastic cohort of teaching apprentices right now who have their own big plans on how to apply reiki into the world of, changing the world for the better. and that is just such a delight to create spaces for that our next generation of teachers to first of all learn the origins of this practice, to learn that in deep relationship with, with, where this practice came from and what it truly is as well as we can know from our positionality. And to blend that with what matters to them in their own lineages and their own life. And then to bring that to their students or their communities in ways that are powerful. And they walk alongside me in the nine month program that is the structure through which I teach the system of reiki to anybody who wants to learn it from this perspective. and that is just such, delight. I've spent. The past three years developing, transitioning my one-off courses in Recu one, two, and three into this integrated nine month program. I've run it now a number of times, number of cohorts, and it is just so deeply satisfying and fulfilling to, hold this more holistic container for people to learn the system of reiki and develop a deep relationship with it in alignment with the specifics of their own life to be responsive to what each cohort brings into this space. and then alongside that, I want them to go into their. Wherever their practice takes them with, equipped to do that in a way that reduces harm and that increases justice in the world. And so, I focus on training people to be trauma informed in their riki practice. incorporating some of the decolonization principles that you go into a much more depth, carry in your class. And, to just really help our community to have difficult conversations about the responsibility that we take on when we step into this kind of work that is intimate and that is powerful and that does touch people in really, important ways, how to do that with, with good integrity and, in a way that, that minimizes harm. there's a lot of challenging conversations that, our community has not always done well. that is changing. There is, there is greater fluency in the kinds of things that. Are sticky, the types of gray areas that we run into, many of which we've talked about on this podcast. and I, and I really love that this space of the podcast and each of our businesses individually is a place to further those conversations and to deepen them and to take an honest look at this work so that it can have the legitimacy that, Carrie spoke of in the world and can really, be viewed as something that makes a difference in the world, which of course, the three of us have always experienced to be true. So that is me. My next offering coming up is, my annual, deep dive into the Book of Joy. absolutely love this class. We take 10 weeks and really explore the offerings of the Book of Joy, which have so much intersection with the system of reiki and incredibly necessary for these times how to meet. The world and our lives with all of the difficulties that it presents. sometimes quite profound difficulties as we are experiencing now. And to meet that with joy and to remove the obstacles that are present inside of us to, experiencing joyfulness in hard times. So that is coming up very soon. and then, then we'll start recruiting for the next month, nine month program. So that's what's coming up for me. And Carrie, I am, first of all, I wanna congratulate you on almost a thousand group members and your Facebook group. My Facebook group is itty bitty, teeny tiny at about 249. And so, join our groups on Facebook. If you're a Facebook person. We'll, good one. That's right. Reiki Healing Society, the Living Reiki Group with Hardscapes, friends of Reiki with Bronwyn, and of course the Reiki Women podcast, group embodying Reiki. We would love to have you in all of those spaces.

Speaker 3 43:17

Absolutely. And Michaela. I need to say what the points are that came up about you as you were talking, right. That I felt were about what you are doing. And for me, when you talk, whenever you talk and you talk a lot, yeah. You're a good talker. Yeah. That must be a skill. That is such a good skill. God, you're good at

Speaker 5 43:36

all. That's the third time y'all have teased me talking too much. I need to self reflect on that.

Speaker 3 43:41

I, I feel I could just put a mic in front of you. I don't even need to say what the subject might be and you just go, you're amazing. Aside from being a good talker, I think that, the words justice, ethics, integrity, that these are things that make me think of you. Yeah. And your teachings. And another thing that I think of when I think of your teachings is generosity. Hmm. Yeah. You might be a good talker, but you're also a good giver. Yeah. And, I appreciate that so much and I appreciate you too, of Carrie, of course. For all the wonderful work that you are doing recently I was looking back through all our podcasts at the different things that we've talked about, and it is amazing to see such a, wealth of wisdom there that people can tap into and feel a part of and join conversations with. So thank you for that.

Speaker 5 44:33

Absolutely.

Speaker 3 44:34

Yeah.

Speaker 5 44:35

Well, I think friends, that brings us to the end of our time today. Welcome back. Welcome to the New Year Friends. Let us know what is, on your heart today, what you would to see us talk about in future episodes of the Reiki Movement podcast. If you have a subject that you would for future interview series, our radiant series, if you would to sponsor this podcast. Do you want us to talk up your brand? as long as we're, we can get behind what you're selling. We'll, we'll talk it up. this lovely mug, for example. just kidding, but also not, and there will be of course, information.

Speaker 3 45:07

Oh, yeah, yeah,

Speaker 5 45:11

yeah. Any, any good tarro decks. Wanna sponsor us? I know

Speaker 4 45:14

we love

Speaker 5 45:15

deck,

Speaker 4 45:15

so good.

Speaker 5 45:16

we will put links to our fundraiser down below. We appreciate any support that you can send that way, including just sharing it around if you don't have any dollars to throw at it. Completely understand, share it. Let folks know. We'll put, all of our social medias and all of the things down below this so that you can check out everything that we've talked about. And we are, we're back baby. It's exciting to be back in conversation with the two of you. So I had

Speaker 3 45:42

a question before

Speaker 5 45:42

we go.

Speaker 3 45:43

Is this our third year? Our fourth year?

Speaker 4 45:45

I think it's our fourth year. Our fourth year.

Speaker 5 45:47

Is it our fourth? You think

Speaker 4 45:48

so too?

Speaker 5 45:49

Should I say that wrong this whole time?

Speaker 4 45:51

Think it's our fourth year

Speaker 5 45:54

time. Be flying people. It does. It does. Okay guys, you heard it here. You're heading into the fourth year Reiki women podcast.

Speaker 4 46:02

The four years of really just amazing, heartfelt conversations. And I really feel that our podcast has, has changed the Reiki community or offered a different perspective that's offered this deeper depth of reflection thought, a woman based leadership model. And I think that's something that you were speaking to Bronwyn, it's just so important, but really learn from women. Buy women's things, invest in women who are healers because, that is what the world needs right now. We really need that more soft, feminine approach and balance and, and, we can really clearly see those gender dynamics within the reiki community of, of who gets roles of leadership and so forth. And we really try to bring light to that. and I'm very proud of all the things that, all of the shifts that have come from just having these conscious conversations. And I think it's really, I hope lit the torch in the light, in the hearts of so many people. and I'm seeing that, and it's also been so great to see the, the community people who come around this podcast. Yeah. And really we deepen in our friendships with you and, yeah, our community. So it's been great. We're blabbering on now.

Speaker 5 47:23

I think that's the perfect note to end on. Alright, friends, catch you in the comments, catch you on Facebook. Catch you next week for another episode of Reiki Woman Podcast. Thanks so much for listening. I love you. Goodbye.