May We Set Our Intentions with Love and Conviction
For today’s post, I was planning to write about the first step you take during a reiki session: Setting your intentions. But yesterday’s post about “the Force” in the Star Wars universe got me thinking about the wording of my own mantras, so I’m finding myself reworking parts of the post at the last minute! It’s OK, though, because the whole point of this Month of Mays is to delve further and to deepen our understanding of reiki. I want to highlight the fact that there’s always more to learn and growth never stops. I want you to know that we each have a guide who will reveal new truths at the right moment.
Anyway, back to the topic on hand, setting your intentions.
How to Set Your Intentions
When you begin your reiki session, you first set your intention to connect with reiki. When you take the second level of Usui Reiki, you’ll learn some symbols and mantras that make this process faster. But I want to emphasize that they are not necessary. Your intention to connect is the most important thing. As you get more confident with practice, you might feel some tingling or a subtle warmth in your palms at this point.
Once the reiki energy begins to flow, you’ll say some specific intentions that applies to the person you’re sending the reiki to, or you might have some “go-to” mantras that you’ve come up with on your own. I have (or I used to have!) several mantras that I always say in my head, including “May I be an instrument of love” and “May I absorb the pain/fear and transmute it to love.” Right now, I’m debating with myself whether I should take out the word “May” from these phrases.
What’s the Real Purpose of the Mantras?
In the past, I was told that when you set your intentions, you let the universe know what your preference is, but you’re leaving the final decision up to a higher authority. As humans, we just can’t know for certain if what we want to happen is actually for the highest good. So, our intentions are meant to be requests rather than expectations. We are to have a clear vision of the future but still remain open to all possible outcomes. That’s why having the word “May” in my mantras made sense to me.
But what if intentions were not meant to be a request, but a reminder? What if the true meaning of “May the Force be with you” is not “May the Force be on your side,” but “May you always remember that the force is with you”? The “May” is there not because I’m at the mercy of an outside entity. It’s there to let me know that I have a choice to believe in my own abilities. This shift in my perspective is dramatically changing the way I relate to reiki.
As we set our intentions, we can let the universe/higher self know our desire to help. At the same time, we are to feel reassured that the universe has our backs, just like a supportive friend. Then the relationship we have with reiki will have no hierarchy. Neither entity has the power to veto the other. The relationship will be a collaborative one between equals. It might not resonate with everyone (which is perfectly OK, too!), but to me, this new perspective feels closer to the truth.