Energy work has fundamentally changed the way in which I experience the many unknowns of life. At Instituto Xilonen, I have had the opportunity to start expanding the way in which I experience Reiki, an ancient Japanese energy healing modality I have been practicing for over a year now. In my experience, Reiki sessions look different to everyone. Each practitioner brings a little bit of their own flair to the practice. At the beginning of my Reiki journey, I intuitively started incorporating different elements into my sessions; breathwork, meditation, and even pulling an animal spirit card at the end. At Instituto Xilonen, I have had the opportunity to expand my practice to include crystals. These crystals have amplified the Reiki energy in ways that I didn’t know were possible.
At the beginning of the CoronaVirus crisis, the Co-Founder of Instituto Xilonen, Mayra, graciously allowed me to borrow a crystal to work with during quarantine. She encouraged me to select a Citrine, a crystal known for its uplifting and joyful properties.
In order to select a crystal, I always like to take a moment, close my eyes, and connect to the Universe and the energetic frequency of the crystals around me. I ask myself, “Who would like to come with me?” A crystal immediately jumped out. It was a tear-shaped, honey-colored Citrine. While gorgeous, it was a bit smaller in size compared to some of the other Citrines. I started to question my intuition as my ego took over, encouraging me to select one of the larger crystals. I decided to walk away for a moment. Over the next hour, I returned to the Citrines three separate times as I tried to quiet the ego in my mind.
Finally, I made my decision. I knew I needed to trust my initial intuition. I grabbed the tear-shaped crystal off the shelf and brought it over to show Mayra. Right before we left, she asked me for the crystal’s name. I turned the crystal over and discovered its name; “Corona,” I replied. Mayra and I both burst out in laughter. The irony of choosing a crystal named Corona to work with during the CoronaVirus crisis was not lost on us.
I learned Reiki to help people, just as it has helped me. I have had the opportunity to perform Reiki on my grandmother for her 90th birthday, on a woman who just lost her mother, and as my way of amplifying Black voices as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement. I have done hands-on Reiki while in the same room as my client. But I’ve also done Reiki when the client was in a country halfway across the world, and even whilst they were flying thousands of miles above the ground. The crystal, Corona, has been a welcome addition to my Reiki practice, fulfilling the destiny of its name while assisting me when I worked on a community of people during the CoronaVirus pandemic. Through all of these experiences, I’ve seen first hand that working with energy allows you to transcend all types of physical distances and connect on a deeply human level.
Life is full of so much uncertainty. These unknowns have been intensified given the current state of the world. Some of the experiences that I’ve had with energy work are beyond what my brain can rationalize. Working with crystals is very similar to working with Reiki. You push past your physical, ego-self, and become a channel for something to come through from the Divine. It is easy to let the ego take over and give into ever-present fear. When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to tune into the energy of the Universe. Use a crystal to help you. Just as the crystal, Corona, helped me, you may find not only strength but also some sweet humor.
