Our wedding anniversary was recently the occasion for visits from energy workers in several practices. When I mentally checked them over they included practitioners of Reiki, Dar’ Shem, Quantum Touch, Metamorphosis, Cranio-Sacral, Acupressure, EFT, Runic Healing, Ortho Bionomy, Body Talk and a few hybrids.

It occurred to me that all these people in some way or another had something to give to beings in what occultists call the Inner Realms. And that not all of them knew this. Since I suspect that many regular readers of these posts also have unusual skills to do with energy medicine I thought to post a very slightly modified version of the instructions I give to my novice Reiki students. Instead of the word Reiki just insert your own thing, whatever it is. You may be surprised. I have added words in parentheses here and there to show you that ‘whatever’ you can do could also work. You don’t need to be a Reiki student.

After you have your first attunement (initiation) and acquire your Reiki hands, it becomes possible to check into the subtle realms on an equitable basis. With your new skill it becomes easy to obey the law of energy exchange when dealing with power animals, spirit guides and other inhabitants of the Inner Realms.

Many who do this in an undisciplined or random manner can get unpleasant surprises because they are actually performing a magickal act that needs to be done according to certain basic rules. And if they don’t follow the basic laws of the non-mundane realms they could have problems. I’m not talking about major Hollywood type horror episodes, but matters such as being spaced out for hours or even days because of not properly breaking the subtle world connection when returning to this one.

Technically this is called a ‘bleedover,’ and the victim just can’t get it together to work competently in either realm and becomes a flake. You may have met examples of dabblers in magick who think they know the score, when they know next to nothing. They live with heads in some cloud land while thinking they are so high on the spiritual scale that it doesn’t matter that their lives are a chaotic mess.

It is necessary to approach the spirit world in a conscious ritual manner. It needn’t be a complex ritual, but there must be one and always or usually similar. By doing this you can take advantage of the knowledge and wisdom of the inner worlds without getting messed up in this one. There are two pretty basic rules of the Inner Planes that must be obeyed when you fix up your ritual.

Firstly…you must always ASK for what you want. The free will rule is rigidly adhered to in orthodox practice. Many people don’t pray for help or for things because of the attitude “Of course God (Goddess) knows what I need. Why should I ask as if He/She doesn’t know? The answer is free will.

Secondly…you must always offer something in exchange for the help. We call it the energy exchange. Young children often offer to be good in exchange for the answer to some prayer or other. Maybe they know something that adults have forgotten. But now you have the ability to give Reiki (or whatever), and this is as welcome in the Inner Realms as money is in the mundane.

For those who have never tried this kind of work here is a general template that you can modify with experience. It is a query for gaining knowledge, awareness or guidance. There is a little mention here and there of Celtic magickal work that could grease the skids a little.

Let’s suppose you want to make an inner contact with a guide or a power animal. You can do this sitting in a chair or sitting up in bed. Get centered before anything else. Then you must establish the fact that this is an other worldly affair by saying, “Open the veil.” or “Open the door.” As you do so make appropriate hand motions to part curtains or open double doors. Visualize it if you can, and always use the same visuals. Celtic Wiccans could say the single word “Agorwch!”

Do this with intention and you have made contact with the subtle realms. Now you make your petition along these lines, and these are used by many of my students and have worked well for years in many different situations. A sort of Swiss Army Knife of petitions. Not dogma. Change them if you have a good reason.

“I come to you knowing that better health is possible and request healing.
I come to you ignorant of important matters, and request teaching.
I come to you knowing that I need help and protection in many areas and request your support and protection in those areas.
I come to you, needing to be more aware of my true path, and how to tread it, and request help in seeing what that path is, and in having the power to follow it.
In return for your help I offer you Reiki,(or whatever) and am willing to consider other offerings that would please you if you make them known to me.”

Apart from the offer to give something back this would seem a straightforward and properly humble prayer to any deity and it could be used as such. Feel free. But there is an important point to be made about the last sentence. Reiki and conscious creative and healing energies with other names are obviously valuable gifts. But you may never have realized that something you have available to give may be something that is totally useless or even harmful to you.

It is quite a shock sometimes when practitioners realize that what their contact wants is something that humans don’t value at all.

Mundane example: In this world we all breathe out carbon dioxide. If we didn’t we would die. It is a waste product of our lives and therefore most people see zero value in it. BUT it is absolutely essential to plant life. The plants get rid of that poisonous oxygen to make room for the life giving carbon dioxide. Water from the roots and carbon dioxide from the air combine together in the leaves of plants, in the presence of the green catalyst chlorophyll to form glucose.

Each entity in the human/tree cycle gives up something life threatening in exchange for something life promoting. And if humans don’t screw things up everything balances out nicely on space ship Earth. So don’t get stuck on gold, diamonds or virtues as your only assets. You may be asked to give up the energy of hate, or poverty consciousness or jealousy, something valuable to the entity for some reason, but harmful to you.

Think outside the box. You have many such things available. You may be asked to give up something you would be delighted to get rid of. Don’t ridge up because you don’t think it’s valuable. Manhattan was exchanged for a handful of beads. Times and circumstances vary.

So you make your request and then sit quietly contemplating what comes to you. Give the Reiki or the whatever, according to your initial agreement. Behave as if the entity is there in front of you.

After the Second Degree of Reiki or various steps up the magickal ladders of other systems you will be able to give your energy exchange across space and time. But for now act as if you are dealing directly with something or someone. You are. Your INTENT is what makes Inner Realms actions effective.

When you have finished, whatever the situation seems to be you MUST close the veil, or the doorway you opened, to prevent psychic leakage into your mundane world, the place where your lessons are tested.

Here are some sample words that have worked for ages:

“Thank you for your support. Our contact is over for the time being. I ask that I can come to you again at some future time, in the same way.
As I close the veil (door) between our realms may light, love and the blessing of the creative power be with you. Close the veil (door)” with hand actions. Celtic Wiccans can say “Cauwch!” with hand motions. Overlap the curtains or pull both doors together till they click.

Make sure you are grounded. There are many techniques available to do this. One of them is to focus on the bottom of your feet until they begin to feel warm. A more popular method is to eat one or two pieces of chocolate.

If you are already proficient in other metaphysical matters you may have your own sign or sigil that you can cast on the veil counterclockwise to open it and clockwise to close it. If you are a skilled runist the contact may ask for a bind rune with specific qualities. Sigils can be used on both sides of the veil.

Your own locks are always best. But for beginners this little summary is a good way to start. Don’t brush this off as mildly interesting or a little weird. Because you have access to Reiki (or whatever) you have access to the wisdom, knowledge and abilities of disincarnate beings. And some of them can be very helpful if you learn to play your cards in the other playroom.

Your power animals have keen senses where yours are dull, or could go to places where you could not because of their shape shifting abilities. They are happy to help you in return for their favorite food which is attention, or for energy in the form of Reiki (or whatever).

If you are a non-metaphysical type person who yet believes in a God or Goddess of some sort, you can send that God or Goddess Reiki, or whatever your healing gift may be. Your God or Goddess, unlike the power animals, has no particular need for Reiki. So the law of reflection applies and you get it back as a present to you with the added blessings of the worship of the deity. That’s what we mean by pressed down and running over. As the Reverend gentleman with the neon suits would say…“You just can’t lose with the stuff I use.” Happy Trails to you.