When I first started this biography in 2004, I didn't think there was much to write about so my earlier adventures are not as
descriptive as the last couple of years. You may feel this section is a bit wordy, or even self-indulgent but for me it is
my journal a record of the moment, and that is part of what Reiki is all about.
My youth was spent being raised in Hamilton, Ontario.
It was pretty uneventful really, went to school, rode a bike, when to family functions that kind of thing.
Sometimes we lived in areas where there were trees to climb, and open grass parks to play in.
Appreciation for open spaces started early.
The impressionable teen years were spent in Victoria, British Columbia.
It sure was different than being in Ontario. The people were friendlier, the weather milder - next to no snow,
and the mountains were definitely higher. Beacon Hill park was a favourite place to go almost anytime,
except during the rain. Peacocks strutted in the park, lots of flowers, and winding paths.
It was here and at Princess Point that my connection to nature became even stronger. If ever I need a quiet moment or
feel homesick for
those majestic snow capped mountains in Washington State. I just close my eyes and remember the view. Awesome!
It was while in Victoria I decided to study Physical Anthropology once out of high school. As we had moved back to Ontario by this time, the University of Toronto had an excellent program to apply to. Life in Mississauga at the U of T's Erindale Campus was the best of both worlds. Close to the city shopping malls and out in the undeveloped suburbia.
As I came from a rather conservative family, taking the mandatory social anthropology subjects exposed me to different thoughts and cultural ideas that changed how I viewed the world. It was here at Erindale where I had my first Out of Body experience. Connecting with nature in the woods next to the College, I
traveled to the home of a friend who lived nearby. When verifying the experience later, it seemed as natural as breathing. I have yet to repeat that experiment, while in the conscious state. Coincidences, deja vu, and those kinds of things happened but not any out of body experiences. Eventually, I earned a B. Sc. in Physical Anthropology. To become an archaeologist would require grad school and a
Ph.D. I just wanted to get on with something other that school. Yesh!
Moving back to the city of my childhood (Hamilton) was a wise choice. It was here that I met and married my life partner. Neither of us were actively seeking a mate, as with some folks it just happened.
From Hamilton we moved to Toronto and after a couple of years we settled down in Barrie, Ontario. We have been blessed with two healthy boys, and while motherhood is a challenge it has it's rewards too. As with other new moms I became interested in health, nutrition, herbs and stuff to help keep us all healthy. Reading the Alive magazine (published in BC) talked about all kinds of issues. Which then sent me off to the local public library to research some of the topics discussed in the complimentary field. (i.e. reflexology, astrology, iridology, Chinese medicine, etc.) My journey down the complimentary path started with a stumble but rapidly turned into a run. So much to learn, so little time.
My partner was working in a factory and standing on concrete floors wearing steel toed construction boots about seven and a half hours a day most day's when he came home his feet and back ached and was sore. Baths, and massages were helping some but he needed more. That need to help find "more" was what lead me to a wonderful lady by the name of Nancy Bradley. Nancy used to live in Barrie, but is now volunteering her time at ashrams in India to help orphaned children. Or off to Ecuador to help with ecological
centres, then there was Australia. After having a mini reflexology treatment at mom's and tot's group I brought the brochure home as it might just be the help I was looking for.
The sessions did seem to help, but Nancy also suggested a number of things including orthotics as it might give the feet the support they needed. After a number of sessions my partner brought a brochure home for me on a body work (hands-on energy) system called REIKI.
The timing for taking the introductory class on Reiki was perfect.
Being a family of four on a tight budget there was not much money for extras, so I used my birthday money. It was a gift that would be hard to forget. I was so excited and nervous not knowing what to expect, that day in 1994, now it seems like one big blur.
Nancy's older sister was also what is called a Master/Teacher and she helped out with the class. There were eight other women including myself and we all had different experiences. Some were: hot, cold, ungrounded, crying and others felt no change. Nancy explained that there were two other classes or levels if we were interested. In the level 2 the students received symbols and mantras that helped to increase the connection to Source. The last level was to become a Master/Teacher.
I
remember saying Level 1 was all I needed, the others were too much
to even think about. I had enough on my plate trying to keep
my ego from thinking it was a supreme and powerful being. Yes,
some of my fellow Reiki partners could feel the energy coming out
from my hands and helping them feel better. But I had to learn
that the energy was coming from Source, to whom I was connected that
was actually doing the work.
This introduction to Reiki also started my
quest to find out information on Buddhism. What were the
thoughts and processes or even steps did Usui-sensei (teacher) take
to develop this marvelous energy system.
Well, the Universe had other plans for
me. Within six months I had a burning desire to take the
second level course. Even now, I have no real idea as to
why. The course had to be taken and it had to be done now.
It was by practicing with this energy not only on myself but on
others at monthly Reiki shares/exchanges that sensitivity and
sensing skills improved. This was also a time of great
personal growth which lead to inner calm and happiness.
The second level did not seem to have the same impact that the first
had done. That was a bit disappointing but I have learned, not
to attend a class with expectations. Stay in the moment, be
aware of what subtle things are going on and stop looking for the
fireworks.
Events unfolded all around me, and within my circle of friends, we
all had to watch and go with the flow. This required a change
of thinking and developing a sense of faith, (not religious dogma
but spirituality) that all is as it should be for whatever reason.
Strange events started happening with my partner. At the time
we were unaware that his essence liked to travel out of body at the
most unusual times. Mostly while driving to work.
Meditation seemed to calm the experiences down. But my ego
decided he needed to be grounded, so I better take the Master class
and do just that.
While I may have taken the Master class for the wrong reason, in the
long run it was the right decision. Has having Reiki helped
him in any way? Yes, I think so. This may have been the
Universe's way of getting him to start on his own spiritual path.
The Master / Teacher class was a two and
one half day course. There was so much to learn in such a
short span of time. A friend commented later that my aura,
which she does not normally see was a bright sunshine yellow.
Cool. The Universe was helping that day as driving was rather
difficult. I kept thinking that I was lost and had missed the
turn off to Nancy's house. Then there would be a landmark and
things would be fine for a couple of kilometres. Another strange
thing was that the car would not go faster than 80 km.
My adventure to become a Reiki Master started roughly 22 months
prior when I made the commitment to take the Level 1 class.
The saga continues up to and including today.
Teaching others was not an immediate
priority, as it felt like a great responsibility. With strange
events still happening to my partner, he and our oldest son received
Level 1 attunements in October of 1996. After that there would
be no teaching again until March of 2000. Why the wait you may
ask?? Well, I needed to grow into my Reiki-ness. Talking to
fellow masters and peers as to their experiences and attending reiki
shares or exchanges to gain more insight gave me the confidence that
I could teach. Part of this talking was searching the Internet
and finding a fellow Canadian Master Richard Rivard and discussing
things posted on his web site.
Meeting Rick via the internet was like
breathing a breath of fresh air. In the past I had written
questions to a couple of Reiki masters of different lineage's and
received no response. This was very disappointing, in my
humble view if someone writes with questions, it can provoke
constructive dialogue and can promote deeper understanding of the
subject between both parties. That was why it was amazing to
see on Rick's site that he welcomed the opportunity to answer
questions from interested people.
That began a relationship with a new friend
and Master in the fall of 1998. The class material he provided
was a lot more than I had received from Nancy. When I asked
why Rick explained that he had studied with a variety of different
schools of Reiki and combine them into something he called Threshold
Reiki. What interested me the most was the Traditional
Japanese material he learned from Dave King.
It was from this encounter with Rick that I
was made aware of an International Reiki Conference that was going
to be held in August 1999 in Vancouver, BC. The conference was
called Usui Reiki Ryoho International or URRI for short.
What an awesome affair. In total 63
masters from Europe and the Americas attended this first
gathering. It was wonderful to see the Reiki racism (to coin a
Urri member's phrase) set aside in favour of sharing the love of
Reiki with others. The main speaker was Mr. Hiroshi Doi a
member of the Gakkai. As some of you may know the Gakkai is a
Reiki society teaching in Japan. Master Doi has his own
teaching school called Gendai Reiki. Doi-san has combined different
teaching styles into his Gendai school. He has written a book
"Iyashino Gendai Reiki-ho" or "Modern Reiki Method
for Healing". ISBN: 0-9688100-0-4 Printed by Fraser
Journal Publishing, Vancouver Canada. The book describes Reiki
teachings from a Japanese perspective. It is a good book and
easy to read. Each of the three traditional levels of Reiki
are discussed. While no symbols are drawn in the book, they
are talked about.
Om Ah Hung Nancy L. Bradley