Hi all, this the fifth instalment in a series of posts, exploring the 5 Reiki Precepts and applying them in the modern world. In the fourth, we looked at all of the benefits to creating an “Attitude of Gratitude” In this I cover the fourth principle – Just for today, I will do my work honestly. Please have a read to see what resonates with you.
4. Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Mikao Usui’s fourth precept, in all its’ slightly different forms – “Be honest in your dealings with other people” or “work hard today” on the face of it seems quite simple. Most of us are honest aren’t we, in our dealing with other people and to ourselves? We wouldn’t steal or cheat or lie intentionally and of course common sense and experience shows that doing our work honestly brings more purpose and meaning into our life and we’ll feel good about ourselves and more fulfilled about our work. Yes of course there are times when we may have said nothing in case we hurt someone’s feelings or cause hassle or when we’ve said we’ve agreed to something even though we didn’t fully agree but find it hard to say no, or when we’ve turned down an offer of help or support so as not to bother someone, even though we wanted or needed it.
But a deeper look at this precept shines light on a meaning that “honest work” is not just job related but in the sense of spiritual wholeness and it is widely considered that Usui was also directing this towards meditation and similar spiritual practices as work. Also, we are not just talking about being honest with others here, the most important person you must be honest with is yourself. Without honesty, we live in disaccord with reality, which bears a myriad of hidden problems. Honesty is truth, and refers to the accurate perception of ourselves, each other, and the outside world. We can only heal to the degree that we are honest, for what goes unnoticed, especially inside us, will remain largely unchanged. Our true essence and our spirituality are no exceptions and so let’s illuminate them using the light of honesty, which will bring clarity to some ideas of our reality, aid in getting to know ourselves on a deeper level and facilitate living a more conscious life. This may begin with just asking yourself some tough questions, which may be difficult or uncomfortable now but will have an immense payoff in the enjoyment of your life.
In your life right now, are you doing what you want to do, that which fills you with joy and aligns with the true aspects of your being? If not, why not?
Being incarnate on earth gives our soul the divine opportunity to live our souls’ mission which is perfectly aligned with that souls’ evolution, growth and learning, which in turn is an important role of a higher plan that affects all souls. The souls’ mission includes many aspects including delighting in the experience of the miracle of the human sensory perception, developing wisdom from learning something and then teaching to others, building spiritual mastery through continuously returning to the state of love after every event in which we encounter fear, serving others in a way that’s perfect and joy-filled and also experiencing pure joy by cultivating love and joy in the souls’ life and that of others.
Feeling like you don’t know what you want to be doing is okay, too as it’s all part of your path but ask yourself the question anyway and start to think about what you like to do, which activities do you do that bring this essential joy, fulfils your passion, where time seems to fly and carve out the time and space to incorporate more of those into your life. Asking this first question will ignite an awareness which starts us on the path to living a more conscious life, self-actualization and spiritual wellness as a whole. This level of honesty ends hypocrisy and requires courage, sincerity and the willingness to dig out even those seemingly insignificant ways that we may be deceiving ourselves through making excuses for behaviours, thoughts or beliefs that we continue to engage in which fly in the face of what we say we value. Deep, encompassing self-honesty requires a high degree of self-trust, self-confidence, self-esteem and most importantly, self-love which are essential elements of personal integrity and if they are not present, the path to spiritual honesty may result in self shaming. Then you can tackle the following types of questions:
· Do you point the finger of condemnation at others but fail to hold yourself to the same criteria?
· Do you say you value love and kindness above all else but fail to behave in ways that reflect that?
· Do you say you understand what it means to love yourself, but fail to love and nurture yourself to the highest degree possible?
· Do you find yourself saying one thing, but often doing the other?
· Do you find yourself putting on airs, or behaving differently around different people, for the purpose of making a particular impression upon them?
· To what degree does it matter how others see you or what others think of you?
· Do you have the clarity to know when you are lying to yourself and the courage to admit it when you are?
· Do you have the level of self-love and personal integrity to want to the master the mechanisms that drive the impetus to deny what is really going on and who you really are?
Deep honesty will not allow you to make false excuses for not doing the necessary work and this same honesty will give you the opportunity to challenge and overcome the weaknesses. It will also free up all that energy wasted on keeping up the masks and on the inward dialogue that takes place in trying to keep up an image. Instead, just be yourself. As Oscar Wilde said ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’
In trying to live this level of self and spiritual honesty and to cultivate conscious living, remember the ego-mind is very cunning and elusive and deceptive and in order to catch it in the act you will have to be brutally honest and sharp. Use Reiki to support you on the path, identify safely where you need to work and support you in practicing a new way of being you.