A Spiritual Journey

Although I have been interested in the spiritual for quite a while, little did I realise my journey would lead to instigating a new form of Reiki for the New Age of Aquarius – Astra Reiki.

My journey started in the UK when I visited a clairvoyant for a reading, looking for some direction in my life. The tape of the reading came with a pamphlet about Reiki, which was a mystery to me at the time. During the reading, I was told I was a healer, so I was interested in reading about Reiki but put the pamphlet aside till a later date. I felt I would know when the time was right, and that time was 24th November 2001, the date I received my attunement for Reiki First Degree. This was an amazing experience, and I knew this was the start of my Spiritual journey. My Master, Alison Bennett, told me that Archangel Michael & Archangel Chamuel attended my attunement, which was a great honour.

There was a feeling within me to help people but I didn’t know how or where. One day my son, Aaron, asked “What would I do if my Guide asked me to step off a cliff?” And I said that my guide wouldn’t ask me to do that as he wouldn’t put me in danger…. missing the point completely.

Later Alison had organised a Spirit Guide Artist to visit for a day, and when my guide, Maui, came through, he told me we are brothers in spirit, and I needed to go to New Zealand. My Grandfather also came through saying the same, only more like “Get your backside onto that plane!” It was only then, when I took that flight from London to Auckland I suddenly realised I had indeed stepped off the cliff and landed in paradise.

Before I left the UK, Alison attuned me to Reiki Second Degree so I would be a practitioner when I arrived in New Zealand, and Alison’s husband, Steve, called me their Rainbow Warrior, which was a wonderful honour. As Alison’s company was called “Rainbow Reiki Organization”, I named my company “Rainbow Heart Reiki” in honour of my teacher and good friend.

I landed in Auckland and eventually settled in a small town called Orewa, which I believe to be my spiritual home, and certainly a small piece of a paradise that is New Zealand. I started practising Reiki from home at first and then at Spirit Fairs where I met so many friends, some of which are still in my life to this day.

A Reiki Master, Mary Hayes, approached me at one of these fairs as we had a similar logo of a rainbow in a heart. We became good friends and she felt it was time for me to take my Reiki Masters Degree, which was something I never thought of at the time, just happily doing my thing as it were.

I approached Alison about this, and she agreed, sending me a Reiki Third Degree manual, asking me to study it and then use the symbols on myself, writing down my feelings and experiences of each symbol. I did as she asked, and the feelings coming through with each symbol were amazing. Not realising what was happening to me, this powerful force surrounded me that was beyond my understanding at that time.

On visiting the UK some months later I asked Alison to attune me to Reiki Master, whereby she agreed, but while she was teaching me I asked about Reiki 3 attunement. She said she had already attuned me through Astral Travel, and I knew it was while I was using the symbols from the manual.

On April 14th 2004, exactly 2 years after I left the UK for New Zealand, I became a Reiki Master Teacher. From that day on my life changed even more than before. My spiritual work increased beyond any previous understanding. Do we ever know what to expect when we follow our spiritual path?

Between the time of my Reiki 2 attunement and my exodus from the UK, I attended an Angel Awareness course held by Alison. During this course, we had a “Fly with your Guardian Angel” meditation, but as I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, I found it difficult to maintain my balance. I kept falling backwards a bit, and eventually, I overcorrected and fell forward. Eventually, I found my balance and settled into the meditation. The idea is to ask my Guardian Angel to make him/herself known to me and to fly with them. But I saw no one, although I seemed to be flying over palm trees and mountains, which I now know to be New Zealand. Afterwards, I described this to the class with puzzlement, and Alison said the reason for my unbalance was that my wings were weighing me down, and when I moved forward the weight pushed me further. She also explained that I wasn’t flying with an Angel but that I was an Angel. This revelation surprised me somewhat and found it a bit difficult to grasp, but humbling, to say the least.

Much later, after I had been attuned to Reiki Master and returned home to New Zealand, I visited a Spirit Artist, Debsi, as I wanted to get to know my Higher Self. The drawing she gave me was of an Angel flying over palm trees!! As you can imagine this was quite an affirmation for me, considering my minimal spiritual experience it was difficult to understand compared to some of my friends who had been “Spiritual” most of their lives. As my son once said, “Dad, you used to be as psychic as a brick, now look at you!”

Later I asked for his name, and the letters came into my thoughts like ticker tape, “Xavier”. Which I said out loud, “Exavier”, but the message came back “It’s pronounced Zavier!” So, now I know!!

My journey followed a teaching and healing path, and although I hardly advertised outside of pamphlets, business cards, and sometimes enquiries at spirit fairs, people were guided to me.

As my clairsentience grew, other avenues presented themselves to me, including giving Oracle Card readings with my friend Iris Kelly at spiritual evenings she organised for a while. I was petrified at first but it was a wonderful experience, and I was amazed at the positive feedback I was getting.

I was also asked to help with a “lost spirit” that was causing some distress to the owner of a house she was trying to sell, where he died a hundred years previously. Using Reiki, I could cleanse the house, help the spirit heal, and find his way back home to heaven. As always, Archangel Michael was standing by, giving me the confidence to carry out this task. To say the least, it was quite daunting but I trusted, and knew I had the guidance of spirit.

Little did I know that the sale of the house was being followed by the TV program “Location, Location, Location”, and the producers asked me to demonstrate the process, and they also interviewed me for that programme.

I have always focused on Reiki and believe it to be my Soul being. I have also been told by friends that I don’t just practice Reiki, I live Reiki. Little did I realise the true meaning of that statement.

Every so often I am guided to have a card reading from my dear friend Iris Kelly and try to follow the advice given. The advice this time was to turn my path into what I would call a six-lane motorway. To say the reading was mind-blowing is an understatement, to say the least.

Iris told me that I was to bring a new Reiki to this planet, A Reiki for this new age, the Age of Aquarius. This, as you can imagine is a massive gobstopper, to say the least. Here I am, a humble Reiki Master, doing what he loved most, and told to follow in the steps of his master and Reiki founder, Sensei Mikao Usui.

Both Iris and I were in tears as the energy of God Consciousness flowed through us, telling us that this was my choice in Spirit.

I asked Xavier what qualified me to choose this task, and I was told that when Master Usui was meditating on Mt Kurama, and receiving the symbols, I was a Guardian Angel helping him to receive this knowledge and showing him the way to deliver it to the planet.

Previous to this reading, I was meditating one night when Merlin came to me, saying I was ready now. Although I was honoured by his presence, I didn’t know what the message meant at the time. I do now! Merlin has come to me many times since the reading, showing me this path, encouraging me, and attuning me to this new Reiki, giving me new symbols.

Astra Reiki goes deeper than the present Reiki, penetrating not only the past present and future but also dimensions and beyond all that we have present knowledge of.

Astra Reiki can be used with all present symbols that Masters have been attuned to and enhances the present Reiki energies. As this planet changes and grows, so does its spiritual entity, bringing forth changes to its inhabitants.

Astra Reiki has been sent to help us adjust to the New Age of Aquarius, and all the wonderful gifts it brings. Helping us to move forward more spiritually than ever before, opening us up to the wonders of the new dimensions and the spirit world.

The Age of Aquarius has arrived, and we, as Reiki Masters, have been called forward to guide and heal this planet as never before.

Native American Journey

As I was riding my motorbike to visit a friend, I briefly looked up when I noticed 2 hawks circling high above me. When I looked back, there was a face of a Native American in front of me. He introduced himself as Little Hawk from the Lakota Sioux Nation saying he was my new Guide and that we had been together in a past life.

He then told me I had reached the next level of my journey, which first sounded as if I was playing a computer game, but I knew that all my hard work had moved me onward towards the goals I chose in spirit.

Later, I felt the need to go on a trip so I could regroup for the next part of my quest. A cleansing and bathing in spiritual energies.

I focused on a retreat where I believe there is a spiritual vortex. On this retreat, there were Tipi’s, which I found very apt considering my new guide. I believe this choice was made for me and I felt guided and excited by all this. There are no accidents!

Little Hawk (1836–1900) was an Oglala Lakota chief and a half-brother of Worm, father of Crazy Horse.

I arrived a week before Christmas and with it torrential rain. It had been raining for a few days but today it seemed heavier. I arrived at the retreat and was told my Tipi was a five-minute walk from the main camp. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem but with the driving rain a large pack and a track that made me feel I was on the first stage up Mt. Everest, was quite a different matter. However, I made it in what seemed like an age but about halfway I felt quite elated and started to laugh out loud. At first, you would have thought I had cracked but the energies were so uplifting I just couldn’t help myself. The cleansing had begun!

There were six Tipi’s, and mine, the sixth, was the farthest and the highest away. I felt the energy source nearby and was located in the centre ground, circled by the Tipi’s.

On settling into my Tipi and getting into some dry clothes, I noticed that I was the only person occupying the campsite and that those who were booked into them had moved to other areas of the camp. Now, maybe the rain drove them away, or they couldn’t handle the energies that were there, and maybe I was meant to be left alone. But either way, I felt blessed in this beautiful place, surrounded by bush, birds and all the beauty that is Gaia.

That night, I meditated in my Tipi and then fell asleep while the rain hammered down outside. The next day, though still wet from the rain, was beautiful with the sun shining and trying to dry everything off. I spent the day just reading, meditating, writing and getting acquainted with my new surroundings. During that late afternoon, I was having some dinner in an open kitchen overlooking the rest of the Tipi camp when I noticed the vision of a large campfire in the clearing in the middle of the main group of Tipis, with Native Americans dancing around it. I felt that it was the location of the vortex. The vision didn’t last long, just enough for me to understand the message. That night in my Tipi was a wet one but luckily only from the outside. As the torrential rain hammered down,  I was snug and warm inside. There was a lamp inside but I used candles as well. Little Hawk gave me the feeling that this was only a slight example of life in a Tipi and they were much bigger than the one I was staying in.

The next day I made my way into the town, feeling my way around, knowing I had certain people to meet on this journey and also I felt I needed to go on a horse trek. While I was in the town I met various people that I felt needed their spirited flame ignited. This was the case and interesting conversations ensued with people that were always interested in Reiki and had experienced or trained in it. I helped them to think again and reignited the flame that had been lost in the human world of busy-ness. I had struck up lovely friendships with the people that will be renewed whenever I go back to that town. That evening I received a phone call about a horse trek for the next morning. This I felt was my next experience guided by Little Hawk.

I rose early to a cloudy and misty wet morning but was quite excited by the thought of a few hours of riding. Something I haven’t done for 40 years or so. After the 40-minute drive up windy mountain roads, I reached the farm that held the trek and was greeted by the lovely owners, chatting a bit while we were waiting for the other members of the trek to arrive, Reiki did come up in the conversation.

I was introduced to my horse called “Tonka”, which means “Great or Big” in Sioux. We got on well together and had a lovely trek around the hills and a good gallop on the beach, however, we found that some of the farmer’s cows had escaped somehow and were wandering around the dunes, so we were asked to “round” them up. So, like something out of a Western movie, we did. It was a lot of fun and after a couple of hours, we were able to get them all back into their field. I quite surprised myself, as it all felt like second nature, but I knew Little Hawk was with me all the way.

All this horsey experience led me to Natural Horsemanship experiences, healing horses with Reiki and learning more about them at a place called Dune Lakes Lodge (click here), which I visited many times over the next 3 years, and meeting my horse, Cracker. (Equine Reiki – click here)