The "Distant Symbol" is often used to send a distant treament. To send Reiki over any distance, and even forwards or backwards in time.

It actually doesn't do this. It simply helps to realise that time and space are an illusion. We experience them but they are not real.

The same symbol is, more adequately, often called the "Connection Symbol". Because it deepens our connection to other people. And, in meditation, can even used to deepen the connection to our true self.

Well, again, it doesn't actually connect us. It merely helps us to realise that dis-connection or separation is an illusion. That the feeling of isolation, of individuality, is only a temporary experience. We have never been disconnected in the first place.

The best name, therefore, is "Oneness Symbol". Because this is what it ultimately stands for: We are all one, all part of the same energy, all from the same source. Even science - in the shape of quantum physics - recognises this eternal truth now.

The use of the third Reiki symbol helps us to practically experience this.

I bought a little chilli plant after Christmas.

I love spicy food - even my scrampled eggs get a kick of chilli!

A little plant would be a nice step into sustainable windowsill farming, I thought - and it looked very pretty, too.

However, when I unwrapped it at home most of the leaves fell off. It pobably hadn't been watered at all over Christmas. The result was a rather sad looking plant in my kitchen.

I am not very good at gardening, so I thought I just give it some Reiki (and watered it, too). Then I forgot about it.

A few weeks later a friend visited, looked at my stunning, healthy chilli plant and asked if I had given it Reiki. Only that made me remember that I actually had!

After a weeks the pods got slightly smaller, so I gave the plant Reiki again. I now do this whenever I remember.

Large pods have come back, and the production has reached almost industrial level...

I look forward to a nice curry tonight!

Recently I came across a small biography of Hawayo Takata, the lady who brought Reiki to the Western world. Written by a student and friend of hers, it is based on conversations and interviews and gives an amazing insight into the early days of Reiki before it became so widely spread across the globe.

It recalls many stories of physical healing, some of them clearly bordering onto the miraculous. But with an amazing twist: Miracles don't always happen overnight! Many accounts of healing long-standing illnesses recall significant improvements in the patients' health after several weeks, sometimes even months.

In our fast living times, it seems that we have given up the idea that not everything happens in an instant. We get the latest news delivered to our smartphones, compose an email rather than send a letter, and are able to learn Reiki in a 2-day course. We have lost the ability to wait.

It still amazes me that Reiki can indeed be learned in a weekend course (and this is how I teach), but this is only the starting point for a long journey of slowly discovering the depth of the system.

The same applies for healing illnesses. We may have cut ourselves with a kitchen knife, give it some Reiki, and are happily surprised to see the wound healing rather quickly. We may have bumped our head at he door frame, give it some Reiki, and readily accept the instant relief.

But when it comes to a chronic problem, or a very severe illness, we give it Reiki once or twice, don't notice a significant difference, and give up. Back to the GP, to surgery and pills.

Maybe we should first give Reiki to ourselves with the intention of learning patience. And then use it for severe physical problems. Give Reiki for a week. And another week. And a third one. Just carry on and don't give up.

This is my personal New Year's resolution.

Hawayo Takata never gave up. Both, the results of her healing - and her complete trust in it- are legendary.

All the mad rush of buying presents and preparing elaborate lunches has now come to a conclusion, and most people are probably unwrapping the gifts and consuming the delights of the kitchen, while I am writing this message.

It is Christmas Day, and most of us are sharing some Reiki principles: Being kind by giving presents and caring for friends and family, and being grateful by accepting the joys of Christmas.

But with so much family around, often emotions come up as well. people are stressed and irritable, and get angry more easily than usual. Keeping in mind just for today, do not anger may help to find another solution, and deal with the stress in a different way.

Looking at recent headlines on the news, for many people the last year has been quite challenging and unsettling, and the economic outlook for the next year is rather gloomy. Plenty of reasons to get worried. Do not worry is not easily applied. But living in the moment, especially to try this over Christmas, is a good start.

The time of Christmas and the end of the year - often taken as a holiday from work - is also an opportunity to reflect on our lives. Do we feel we are going in the right direction? Are we happy with work? How do we spend the majority of our time? Do we feel we are dedicating enough time to our spiritual development? Do we feel connected to our inner self? Do your work with diligence - be true to your path - reminds us to reflect and, if necessary, adjust.

Strangely, it is often during grand festivities that we tend to forget to reconnect to our inner self.

Taking a deep breath and holding still for a moment, or just intending to connect to Reiki and feeling the flow of love and warmth, can help to re-create the balance. It can bring the awareness that true peace can only be found within.

After all, Christmas celebrates the birth of an amazing spiritual teacher. Jesus was completely aware of the divine connection within; he was oozing spiritual energy, healing with his hands, and teaching people that they all can access this power within.

To make this accessible to everyone, to explain that every ordinary person has the same ability of realisation, he created the analogy that we are all God's children. We are all the same as him.

Jesus was the embodiment of the system of Reiki. He lived the Reiki principles.

Celebrating the birth of Jesus is celebrating Reiki.

I wish you all a wonderful, meaningful, Christmas!