2007 CARO National Reiki Convention "Reiki: Unity in Community" Report 17th-19th August
Honouring our Past~Examining our Present~Aiming for our Future
From as early as 3pm on Friday afternoon attendees for the convention began to arrive and to settle themselves into the brand new shared accommodation at Manyung on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne in Victoria. They were greeted at the registration desk by CARO members Tony Carroll and Elizabeth Thuan. Over 80 attendees arrived for the weekend by car, bus, rail and plane from all over Australia to join together in community to celebrate the CARO inaugural Reiki convention; coming together as One with a national Reiki voice. The theme of the weekend, “Reiki: Unity in Community”, expressed what was about to occur in a nutshell.
This was the first time in Australian history that Reiki Organisations had joined hands, putting aside differences, to create a National organisation, and a subsequent convention, that would represent them and their members.
That first Friday night was informal, allowing attendees to mingle with one another and make connections, new and old, to follow through with over the weekend. Many took the opportunity to take a stroll along the beach and breathe the fresh sea air, clearing their minds and souls for a relaxing, yet invigorating, weekend ahead. Others spent the time pouring over their comprehensive CARO attendee packages. Many also took advantage of the Reiki Precepts/Ideals meditation held by Sue-lake Harris as a thoughtful opener to the weekend’s practical elements. Reiki treatments, organised by Robert Thuan were provided by and for attendees. Everyone was preparing themselves for a jam-packed CARO Convention.
Saturday morning shone brightly as the attendees breakfasted and made their way to the convention room where imposing flower arrangements framed the stage. Projected proudly onto the wall was the announcement CARO National Reiki Convention Reiki: Unity in Community. Throughout the weekend there would be an eclectic variety of guest speakers, who epitomised the focus of the convention Honouring our Past~Examining our Present~Aiming for our Future. It was, however, not only the guest speakers that would leave an impression on those that attended - there was more in store for everyone.
To begin with the CARO Chair, Sue Lake-Harris, spoke to those present of the reason for CARO’s beginnings and then opened the floor for groups to form and to discuss these major points relating to the theme of the event “Reiki: Unity in Community”:
1. What Unity means to you
2 Find areas of agreement to enable speaking with a unified voice
3 What is Professional Reiki Practice and what does a professional Reiki practitioner need?
Each group presented their thoughts to those present. These ranged from:
- Having commonly agreed standards, codes of practice
- Intention
- Usui System (without add-ons, unless clearly indicated as such)
- Hands on or near the body etc.
CARO’s first guest speaker was Margaret Gargan whose power point presentation showcased her work as a developer of Cancer Care centres and the integration/acceptance of Reiki into these centres. Margaret expressed her thanks to CARO for the great work it was doing in bringing Reiki organisations together in Australia. Margaret was the first of the speakers to receive a CARO certificate thanking her for her presentation and support.
Following on from this was a discussion facilitated by CARO board member Bronwen Stiene regarding integrative healthcare in Australia. Attendees shared their personal insights as to where the Australian Reiki community fitted into this picture. Many attendees already worked in hospices or other healthcare facilities and spoke of their experiences and how they felt this should and could develop in Australia. There was general agreement that Reiki treatments would be valuable within the healthcare system.
After lunch the face of Reiki past was initially highlighted as special guests Valerie Ives and Frank and Lorraine Mitchell spoke of their experiences of the system of Reiki in Australia (and their respective teachers Martha Getty and Beth Gray) in the early1980s. There was also a letter read out from Dorothea, a Western Australian Reiki practitioner from the same era who could unfortunately not attend. Photos and memorabilia were provided by Frank and Lorraine Mitchell of the early days in Australia as well as by Shirley Rose Rowe and were poured over by attendees throughout the afternoon. Attendees enjoyed the passion that arose from retelling their personal stories.
The past naturally influences the present and this was reflected in the following guest speaker. Frans Stiene, who is a critically acclaimed Reiki author and researcher, spoke in detail of the system of Reiki in Japan. Frans’ powerpoint presentation emphasised the ramifications that a greater awareness of the system’s Japanese origins are having on the system of Reiki as we know it today. Frans’ material was definitely a conversation starter for many of the attendees, providing much food for thought. Also made available for viewing were Japanese Reiki books from 1933 onwards.
To help Reiki practitioners gain a better understanding of the cultural and philosophical past of the system of Reiki, Tendai Priest, Reverend Jiryo, spoke of Japanese history - especially during the founder’s lifetime - and of Japanese Arts and Ways. Interestingly this was also fun as attendees were required to interact with one another from a Japanese perspective and that was harder than you might think. As an extra treat Reverend Jiryo offered to share his evening blessing and prayer with those who wished to join him. Many took him up on the offer and felt that it enriched their weekend experience.
Before the day finished, Melissa Matthews and Cheryl Redgen from OAMPS insurance spoke to the professional practitioners present about legal requirements for professional practice, the importance of record keeping and how a company such as OAMPS can support practitioners. This was greatly appreciated by those present.
As the sun set on the Mornington Peninsula the time for the Gala Dinner drew closer. Attendees dressed in appropriate evening wearwere pleasantly surprised as they entered the dining room to find a whole new atmosphere had been created by the CARO crew.
The dining room tables were set with linen tablecloths, champagne and wine with matching flower arrangements of sweet smelling orchids. In a corner of the room a woman, attired in a gorgeous Japanese kimono, serenely played the koto. There was a great atmosphere of companionship and sharing and the night would have gone through to the wee hours if everyone wasn't required to get up at a reasonable hour the next morning! Brief speeches were provided by CARO board member, John Coleman, as well as the CARO Chair Sue Lake-Harris. John entertained one and all while Sue made the important announcement that CARO will be supporting the self-regulation of the Usui system of Reiki in Australia with CARO sponsored and recommended training. There was a general cheer in response to the speakers and a call for a follow-on CARO Convention.
For the early risers on Sunday morning there were two pre-breakfast alternatives; Sue Lake-Harris continued with her Reiki Precepts/Ideals meditations and Reverend Jiryo performed a Medicine Buddha meditation. This definitely catered for the variety of tastes that were present at the convention.
The formal convention on Sunday began with a discussion facilitated by Sue Lake-Harris on What You Need in Addition to Reiki to be a Resourceful Professional Practitioner. To start this off a BBC film was shown of British Reiki practitioner Graham King. Graham is a Reiki healer employed at University College London Hospital (UCLH) whose work is part-funded by the NHS. The film showed Graham as he worked with Reiki on children in a cancer ward and which sparked enthusiastic discussion.
Attendees were then given the opportunity to either join Suzanne Newnham for a practical Tai Chi lesson and energy work discussion or take part in a practical discussion facilitated by Bronwen Stiene. Suzanne provided Tai Chi sessions designed to emphasise the energy components, with attention to how Reiki can enhance the experience. Many attendees wished she had been able to offer many more sessions! Bronwen's discussion related to how Reiki is utilised in a variety of ways by individuals. Attendees divided up into groups of two and shared this information at a personal level. They then returned to discuss this subject at greater length within the group.
An early lunch meant that everyone was ready to listen to the engaging speaker Anthony Turner who spoke on the topic, Your Practice-Your Business. Anthony shared his important points with attendees via a powerpoint presentation and made a great impact on all present. Anthony’s Heal Your Healing Business Workshop has recently become one of CARO’s endorsed courses as CARO aims to support self-regulation within the Australian Reiki community.
A final discussion was held with all present dividing into small groups to discuss/suggest/input points relating to the future of CARO and Future Directions in Australia, or more casually, "Where to from here?". Each group was facilitated by a CARO board member and the points were noted.
CARO feels that it is achieving its aims by openly bringing the Reiki community together as equals and offering the opportunity to discuss its past, present and, most importantly, its future. Discussion played an integral role throughout the entire weekend, whether it took place formally in the convention hall or within the realms of a friendly cup of tea in the dining room.
The success of the 2007 National CARO convention could be seen in the valuable feedback which 75% of attendees filled in for CARO reference. Others preferred to give verbal feedback which was welcome, constructive and positive. The overall feedback was that of satisfaction and enjoyment.
CARO looks forward to seeing the Australian Reiki community at the following CARO National Reiki Convention.
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