Principles ...

As a Reiki Master and a Munay Ki Initiate, I have two sets of principles that I am to follow. I have both of these printed out and posted on my bulletin board. The Reiki principles are also on my bedroom mirror and I have them posted in my office. I read them daily and I make the attempt to follow them as well. I use the word attempt as like all those out there reading this, I am still human and I have my ups and downs.

So why do I, or anyone else for that matter, need to have a set of principles to follow? What's the big deal, just live your life as you see fit, why write something out? Writing something out, having it posted to look at, does make a difference. It gives you an anchor, something to look at and remind you of the principles that you agreed to live your life by.

The Principles of the Munay Ki are as follows:

Non-violence
Bring no harm to yourself or others

Truthfulness
Be true to your word, and let your word be true

Integrity
Do not steal, not even a glance; walk your talk

Moderation
Use wisely the life force within you

Generosity
Give more than you take, for nothing in the world really belongs to you

The Principles of Reiki are as follows:

Today I am free of Anger

Today I am Free of Worry

Today I work to improve myself with diligence and appreciation

Today I am kind to all Living Things

Today I am Thankful for all of my many blessings

As you can see, there are places where these two sets of principles are the same. The wording is different, but the intent is the same. With the Reiki principles, the word today is used as you only need to take care of today; it isn't intimidating to do something for one day. If they read, for the "rest of my life" I might not have even made the attempt to follow them! One day at a time. One day moves into two days, and then three. Eventually a series of days have gone by and the attempt was made each and every one of those days to follow the principles that I agreed to follow.

It is a good thing, having a set of principles to model your life after. In a situation that would normally become stressful and upsetting it is helpful to take a deep breath and think, "which principle might apply to the situation that I'm facing now?" Just moving your mind to that thought will take you from the trigged "normal" response to the situation and put you in a better place to deal with what is going on.

Principles can be a very individualized thing. You can follow those that come to you through the different paths of your life, or you can model ones that look and feel right to and for you. There can be only one or two, or you can have as many as you'd like. This is something that I am planning on helping others with, finding their own set of principles to live by.