BETWEEN THE MAIDENHAIR AND ME
Kevin and I were in the woods of W Ohio for a long weekend over our anniversary. We were staying in the lodge where I had first been attuned to Reiki and where the original founders of Yoga on High held the first Yoga and Reiki weekends before Yoga on High opened and the memories were flooding back. Beloved plants and trees surrounded us and lined the path to the parking lot. Each time we left the lodge I let my hands linger over the white flowers and green leaves of the white snake root. The energy was palpable—my hands tingled with the felt potency of the life force of those plants. As I felt their potency, I also felt the offering of my gratitude and Reiki for their presence with us that weekend—a joyous collaboration in Life itself. Each time I connected with a plant or a tree that weekend, I felt energy flowing between us—it was somehow both magical and completely ordinary at the same time.
Later in the weekend on our final hike to our favorite sacred trail, we continued to touch trees and hover over plants. To our right was a flowing stream, to the left, high rocky limestone cliffs with tiny singing plants growing out of the rock. Somehow that day, all the plants seemed to be making melodies as they danced along the rocky path and cliffs. That did not feel ordinary, but joyous and special. As we moved down the trail, my husband stopped to connect with a particular tree that called to him, but I saw my beloved maidenhair ferns up ahead, so I moved to them. Maidenhair ferns love the moist, rocky soils along sun-dappled and shaded creeks and though I have tried to grow them in shady nooks in my home garden, they have never thrived. I don’t try anymore; now I let them live where they are happiest and visit as often as I can. As I stood there with my hand hovering over the fronds of the fern, I felt a gentle and kind energy—the melody was sweet, calming and uplifting. This was not the fireworks energy of the snakeroot but something much quieter, yet no less potent—a very different flavor of Life flowing. As I stood there, the sense of my friend was suddenly with us. She had reached out to a group of Reiki colleagues the Friday before and asked for support for her brother, who was undergoing surgery that day. It had already been a long haul as he had been in ICU for the previous 10 days.
As I stood there, I realized that while I had sent Reiki to her at the time of her request, I hadn’t thought of her since that time, which is unusual for me. Generally, when someone asks for support, I continue sending daily to them for a while. But here she was in my mind and heart now and I had the thought to send to her again. Then I laughed as I realized that she and her family were already here in this magic going on with the maidenhair. I didn’t have to DO anything more—just invite her in and intend for her to be receiving this beautiful, calm, sweet and loving energy that was flowing between the maidenhair and me. In these moments of deep loving presence, time and space disappear and my friend was right there with us in the midst of this melodic dancing energy. The whole experience probably lasted for a couple of minutes and then we continued our walk, infused with the joy of such deep connection—not only with the plants we love but also with my friend. I felt joyous and awe-filled all day, and as I type this experience now, the feeling is back, shimmering through my body with delight.