What do Art & Reiki have to do with each other?!?

Isn't Reiki some kind of energy healing?  And art is...art.  So what in the world do they have to do with each other?

Someone recently (and more politely) asked me this question. I was giving a presentation and talking about my monthly Calm in Chaos group, which combines reiki (RAY-key) healing with making art in community.  I use the two modalities together so often that it had not even occurred to me that not everyone would see the connection. 

As an artist and a reiki master, I use them both almost every day.  For my work, yes, but also in my personal life and for my own healing as well as for my clients.  There are two main reasons I like to use them together:

They are both healing modalities.  

Reiki is energy healing.  A reiki practitioner channels life force energy through their hands to the client, which can clear energetic blockages.  This reduces stress and supports all sorts of healing: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. 

While making something beautiful is one possible outcome of making art, the process of creating is healing in itself.  And while any form of art-making can be cathartic and healing, process-based art is especially good for getting your emotions out and working through them.  You may have guessed from the name that process-based art is about the actual making--whether painting, tearing, making marks, or whatever else you may be doing--rather than the end result.  You may end up with something cool or you may end up with something you'd like to burn, but either way it was the actual act of creating that was the point and where the healing happens.

Reiki can help you connect more quickly and easily with the Muse.

After my first reiki class, I immediately felt that using reiki with my art would be incredibly powerful.  I was right!  I began experimenting with giving myself reiki before I started to paint, sending reiki to my art supplies and to the substrate I was painting on, channeling reiki when I was stuck or unsure where to start or where to go next with my art...you get the idea. 

I found that the more I used reiki, the more quickly I would connect with the muse and the more easily I would slip into a flow state.  I have even tried sending reiki to clients who hired me for a commission and have found that it helps me to connect more closely with their vision for the piece I'm making for them.

Now I use this in my groups and workshops so that my students and communities can experience similar results.  It works for any and all creative endeavors--painting, writing, singing...

My offerings change from time to time but you should be able to find them all HERE if you'd like to try art and reiki together for yourself.