How To Choose a Practitioner
By Diane Wing
Today there are more metaphysical practitioners, Reiki healers, life coaches, and spiritual counselors than ever before. All say that they have the ability to improve your life, get you on the right path, and help you reach your goals. You’ve made the decision to seek assistance in your quest, and are prepared to invest the time and money to succeed in reaching your goals. The fees vary from one practitioner to the next, but that alone is insufficient to help you make a decision when it comes to selecting a practitioner that aligns with your style, energy level, and desired results. The following outlines several modalities and ways to determine which practitioner and type of approach will work best for you.uest, and are prepared to invest the time and money to succeed in reaching your goals. The fees vary from one practitioner to the next, but that alone is insufficient to help you make a decision when it comes to selecting a practitioner that aligns with your style, energy level, and desired results.
REIKI: If you are experiencing an energy lull, stuck energy, stress, aches and pains, anxiety or depression, Reiki may be a good first step to unblock chakras and release stagnant energy.
PLEASE NOTE: Reiki is not a substitute for appropriate medical or psychological intervention.
CHOOSING A REIKI PRACTITIONER
The number of Reiki practitioners has increased over the years. Now, more than ever, it’s critical to find the one that resonates with your vibrational pattern and needs, whether it is for treatment or to learn the art of Reiki yourself.
Consider the energy of the Reiki practitioner: do they seem healthy, focused, gentle, caring, and open? Remember that the practice of Reiki requires that the energy be channeled through the practitioner and into you. Ask yourself if you want that energy going through this person and entering your energy body. Of late, I have heard many stories of clients and students becoming ill after a Reiki session or class with certain practitioners, and then getting the excuse that it’s because they are adjusting to the energy. This is not a normal or healthy reaction to a Reiki treatment. After a Reiki session, you should feel relaxed, energized, lighter, and have a heighted sense of well being. If you feel sick after a session, do not continue with that practitioner.
For students, make sure that the classes include lessons on grounding and protection and that you are attuned before practicing on others. If not, you are giving the subject your own energy rather than channeling Universal Life Force, and it is likely to result in extreme fatigue and or illness. Also, it is not possible to become a “powerful Reiki master in 48 hours,” so any course that promises that result should be avoided. Like mastery of any technique, it takes many, many hours of study and practice.
TAROT: If you are looking for a way to understand your situation from an intuitive perspective, to confirm what you’re already feeling, or to generate alternatives, Tarot may be a good way to tap into new perspectives on yourself, others, or your situation.
PLEASE NOTE: Tarot is inappropriate for use as a decision-making tool or to predict the future. Free will is an essential component when using this modality.
CHOOSING A TAROT PRACTIONER
Before getting a reading, consider how you feel in the presence of the reader. If you experience any discomfort whatsoever, do not proceed with the reading. A Tarot reading is an energy exchange, a mingling of energies between you and the reader. If you are uncomfortable with the reader’s energy, a reading with this person may cause a disruption in your energy field. Also, if the reader claims that you have a curse, dark cloud, or negative being attached to you and wants a hefty price to remove it, end the session and leave. A reader who presents you with such expensive strategies is looking for additional income and is not advising you in your best interest. Finally, it’s important for you to feel that the reader provide information to you in a caring manner that is for your highest good. Harsh delivery of sensitive information can be detrimental to your state of mind. It’s best to come away from the reading with a sense of hope, understanding, and clarity.
LIFE COACHING: There are many reasons to seek assistance from a life coach:
¨ To enhance effectiveness professionally and personally
¨ To set and achieve career or personal goals¨
– To increase overall productivity
¨ To achieve balance in your life
¨ To learn to trust yourself, and live with more meaning and purpose
¨ To receive honest, objective, and constructive feedback
¨ To dispel inaccurate beliefs, and remove barriers to success
¨ To identify and maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses
PLEASE NOTE: Before entering into a life coaching relationship, make sure you’re ready to invest yourself in the process. Be open and have the mindset that you have chosen this modality to reach specific goals that you have had difficulty achieving on your own.
CHOOSING A LIFE COACH
When selecting a life coach, get a sense as to whether or not the practitioner has their own act together. Receiving coaching from someone who is struggling with the same issues you are is counterproductive. If you’re looking to commiserate, seek out a friend in a similar position and save your money. If you are serious about learning how to overcome obstacles, achieve your goals, and understand yourself better, then find a practitioner with expertise in the areas you are seeking to improve. For example, if you are looking to improve your effectiveness in your career/professional life, find a practitioner with business experience who has dealt with career development/transition and who understands the corporate/office environment.
Find out what credentials the coach has. Learn about their background, what brought them to coaching, and ask to talk to some of their former clients to check them out. Ask how long the person has been practicing, and find out the methods they will use with you to help you achieve your goals. If the plan is to simply talk it out, then there is no structure to the coaching method, and the chances are diminished that you will achieve the desired outcome. In coaching, you do the work, so establish goals together and work toward them. Agree on and define a measure of success so that you will both know when the goal has been reached.
Make sure you feel comfortable as you speak with the coach about approach, credentials, etc. This first interaction will reveal the tone you can expect if you begin a coaching relationship with this person.
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT: If you seek to explore various spiritual paths, to learn about one in particular, or to understand metaphysics in general and how these beliefs can open you to new ways of living, then seeking a practitioner or counselor who is knowledgeable in these areas is right for you.
CHOOSING A PRACTIONER FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENTAsk the practitioner which areas they have expertise in. If you are exploring Buddhism, the person should be a Buddhist, or should have studied Buddhism extensively. Many people are interested in metaphysics, and claim to have expertise in this area. Ask how long the person has been practicing in their particular area, and find out about their underlying philosophy. The person’s philosophy will have much to do with the way they approach spiritual development.
Read articles written by the practitioner and see if their writing resonates with you. Is the language used in a way that you can relate to? Do you prefer someone who refers to emotions as the “heart space” or do you prefer a more pragmatic approach in learning about the energies and beliefs that impact emotionality?Are you looking for someone who is aligned with angels, fairies, gods, goddesses, biblical teachings, ritual, or psychic development? What are you looking to get out of the time (and money) you spend with this person? Alignment with your core personal philosophy can help move your lessons forward much faster. This is not to say that having a teacher with an alternate viewpoint is a bad thing, you can always learn something from that person. If your intention is to understand the mechanisms of performing high magick and the teacher’s expertise is primarily the angelic energies, then your goals will not be reached.
The choice of a coach, practitioner, coach, or teacher is a very personal one. It’s important that you go into the selection process with awareness of what your needs are, and how various practitioners may or may not be able to assist you.
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Diane Wing, M.A. is an author, teacher, personal transformation guide, and intuitive consultant. She is founder of Wing Academy of Unfoldment and creator of Pathways: An interactive journey of self-discovery. She has a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and has been providing valuable insights for the highest good of her clients for over 27 years. Diane works with her clients to find meaning and fulfillment in their lives by helping them release their Inner Magic.
Contact Diane at: www.dianewing.com or Diane@dianewing.com