My Reiki Journey

It Started with Skepticism

I discovered Reiki in the early 1990s while living in the north of Sweden. At the time, I was on the board of our local spiritual center. Two of my friends kept talking about Reiki. One of them had recently become a Reiki Master. Funny enough, his wife was the same woman who had done my numerology reading years earlier. A reading I had completely dismissed until I realized how accurate it actually was.

As usual... I was skeptical.

One evening Eimer said,
"At 8:00 tonight I'll send Reiki to you. Just lie down for half an hour."

So I did. And yes... Something happened. He had told me, "I'm going to send you among the stars." That is exactly how it felt. When my husband came in to wake me up, he thought I had fallen asleep. I looked at him and said,
"No... just go."
I wasn't quite back yet.

My Balance

The next day Eimer asked me,
"What is wrong with your sense of balance?"

I started laughing. If you've read my story, you already know I worked at a traveling amusement park when I was young. I rode every ride you can imagine. Then I had children. Suddenly I couldn't even sit on a swing without getting dizzy. Somehow... That changed after the Reiki session. I'm still grateful for that because I still love roller coasters.

Reiki I

Not long afterward, Magnus Ramstedt came to our center to teach Reiki I. Everyone was excited about receiving their initiation. I wasn't.

While everyone else seemed to be having profound spiritual experiences, I was standing there thinking,
"What is he doing?"
"What is he waving behind me?"
"How much longer do I have to keep my eyes closed?"

My logical mind was working overtime.

When I came out, everyone asked,
"What colors did you see?"
"What angels did you meet?"
I looked at them and thought,
"This probably isn't for me."

The Surprise

After lunch we practiced healing. I was placed at one woman's head. I felt completely out of place. In fact, I had already decided to leave after lunch. I was sure I wasn't feeling anything. Back then I was very good at finding excuses. Maybe I'd tell them one of my children was sick (kind of funny when you're attending a healing course).

At the same time I kept thinking,
"Any second now she's going to say that the person at her head doesn't have any energy."

Then she spoke.
"Who's standing at my head?"

I wanted the floor to open up.Then she continued,
"Could that person move her hands just a little farther away? It's incredibly warm around my head."

That was the moment everything changed.

For once... The experience won over my logical mind.

Reiki Today

Today I am a Usui Reiki Master, Karuna Reiki® Master, and Holy Fire® Reiki Master.

I still use Reiki almost every day. Actually... Usually at night. One of the things I teach is how I send healing through what I call my "healing clouds."

Over the years, Karuna Reiki has become the form that feels closest to my heart.

Today I teach every Reiki level except Holy Fire®. Not because I don't love it. Simply because I still want more personal experience before I teach it.

Like everything else in my life... I believe you should never stop learning.

— Ylva