Dear All,

Happy New Year all over again! This time Happy Dragon Year! Don’t you love it when it’s New Year every month? :-)

As you may know, this year is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar, which is the only mythical animal in the Chinese zodiac. I knew that the Dragon holds a special place in all the zodiac signs but when I read an article by Roger James Hamilton on Facebook (you can find it on my profile), I got a new understanding of what Dragon holds and what energies it represents. Here they are and my New Year wishes for you in the Year of Dragon:

- Dragon as a mythical animal represents the “Dream” and is a bridge between our reality and our dreams. May we all cross over that bridge and attain our Dreams this year.
- Dragon also is the “Protector of flow”. In order to flow with the Universe, we need to bring in the new, preserve our core and let go of what we don’t need any more. May we all have the wisdom to know what to bring in, what to keep and what to let go and remain in flow this year.
- Dragon is also associated with the number 9, which is the symbol of celestial power and represents “forever”. It represents that core quality within each one of us, our fingerprint in this life. May we all bring out our highest quality out this year and keep it with us “forever”.
- The word Dragon is also associated with “clarity” or “seeing clearly”. May we all see the “truth” at its pure clarity this year.
- The Dragon cycle we’ve just entered, the Water Dragon, comes in every 60 years and represents “inventions”. May we all invent our true selves this year.

What’s this all have to do with Reiki? Reiki for me is about being “Reiki” itself, being the “Great Bright Light”, bringing out “the Divine within”. Knowing that the Dragon Year has energetic qualities to empower us “to bring our Divine self out”, just gives me chills. Let’s take the Dragon energies to empower us a little closer to our true selves. Let’s ground ourselves, balance ourselves, expand our hearts with Reiki to be who we are meant to be.

I’ll end with a waka I’m inspired to write about the Dragon Year:
The clouds separating
The sun and the moon witnessing
The Earth is speculating
The Dragon is coming

Also, I can’t thank enough a Dragon named “Frans” for being the Dragon he is and constantly supporting his students and raising the bar for us Reiki teachers :-)

Reiki Refresher Class on February 12nd from 1:00 pm till 3:00pm
Perfect way to reconnect with Reiki! You might have taken a class few years ago; you might not have been practicing Reiki as much or even forgot what it was. It’s OK :-) You can come back for a refresher class and refresh your knowledge. This class is Donation based and all donations will support http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=21233. We‘ll explore what Reiki is based on Japanese teachings, how it works, and the pillars of Reiki as a system of self improvement. http://mycharitywater.org/essentialelementhttp://mycharitywater.org/essentialelement

Reiki Level 2 Class on Saturday February 18th from 9:30 am till 5:30 pm
Are you ready to take your Reiki practice to the next level? This class is empowered with Japanese Reiki Teachings and introduces the “symbols” as a means to invoke particular energies to help enhance your mental, emotional and spiritual healing. You will learn symbols to help you ground to the Earth, balance with Heaven and expand your heart to connect to the whole Universe.
At the end of the class, students will learn how to draw, how to activate and where to use the symbols in daily life as well as techniques for distant healing. The fee is $125/ person. A light vegetarian lunch will be served.

Reiki Level 1 Class at Cancer Support Community on Saturday March 10th
Do you know anyone struggling with cancer? This class is for Cancer Support Community (aka Wellness Community) members and their families. Please contact them directly to register. All Reiki classes there are free for members.

Ongoing Events:
Gentle Yoga classes on Thursday nights at 7pm Grace Tree Yoga Studio
Come try a yoga class in New Year! We explore a sequence of gently paced Hatha yoga postures designed to stretch, tone, strengthen, and improve balance while increasing breath awareness. Emphasize is on "being" rather than doing.

Meditation Meet-ups now every 2nd Sunday (Feb 12nd) 9:00am - 9:45pm at Grace Tree Yoga Studio
Join me each month to experience the dynamics and support of meditating as a group. Each meet-up will begin with a brief introduction followed by guided relaxation and meditation. Love offerings accepted J http://www.gracetreestudio.com

Healing Wednesdays at Free food bank in Manna Outreach now every Wednesday 10am-1pm
Please contact Elfriede directly at elfriede@knopf-family.net

Reiki World Peace Meditation on Wednesday February 8th 7:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Join thousands of people around the world to send Reiki for World Peace. You can download the World Peace cards from William Rand’s web site: http://www.reiki.org/WPCM.html


Last but not least , a reminder on Frans’ schedule:
Reiki Shinpiden Master/Teacher Training on June 8,9,10 at Grailville: This class is almost full. Let me know if you want to be part of this life changing experience. For more info: http://cincinnatishinpiden.wordpress.com

Free Public Talk on Thursday June 7th from 7 pm until 9pm. Frans will give a free public talk on “Japanese Art of Reiki”. Don’t miss this opportunity! Watch for more information.


Reiki hugs,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi” Yilmaz