Celeb-Reiki

This week a slightly different take on the Celeb-Reiki section - we’re going to focus on a Reiki practitioner doing something amazing. Stephen Leslie pictured above with his fiancee Victoria and mentioned in the Reiki and Parkinson's article works as the spiritual counsellor at his local hospice in Upstate New York. The people living there have usually been told they have only 6 months left to live and Stephen and the other staff nurse them through the process. He provides spiritual guidance, music therapy and Reiki when requested. He shared some of his experiences with us.

“Reiki is different for me when people are dying - the idea of curing is not there but sometimes healing might be giving comfort or helping them feel like they’re not alone. Reiki often gives a jolt of energy and people feel more active and can do things but it fades. It’s a very odd job, I have to say, because the idea of curing is not there. If people are actively dying I play my flute to help alleviate fears they might be feeling. It is not so much melodies, for example if their breathing is agitated, I match the flute to their breath. Then I start slowing my playing down - I often find their breathing starts to slow as well. Sometimes they fall asleep, sometimes they then pass away. For myself there is a feeling of sacredness to being there when someone is dying. It is a very intimate moment in your life. There’s birth and death and then maybe having a child or getting married, you are there at a very critical time and it can be very emotional for everybody. When someone is dying an important part of what I do is bringing a clam, meditative presence. For me the boundary between Reiki, Spiritual Care and Meditation becomes blurred. Sometimes instead of ‘doing Reiki’, I simply ‘be Reiki.’”

Stephen would like to connect with anyone else who does Reiki in a hospice. You can contact him at: gofigure2006 @ verizon.net