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Hi cosmic coven,
Whew! It has certainly been a while. It’s become clear to me that I want to shift my presence on Substack, and I needed some time away to decipher the how.
Truth told, I’m not sure I’m staying on this platform longterm. To put it simply, I just don’t agree with the direction Substack is moving in. But—and this is a big but—many of my lovely readers are not actually accessing this email on the Substack app. The majority of you are reading from your inboxes. As for those of you I’ve befriended through the platform—I’m so happy you’re here, too! I’m grateful for the algorithms that keep this thing moving forward, even when I step away for months.
Anyway, it’s all you readers I’ve missed writing to, and this community I’ve missed nurturing. And it’s fueled a nascent desire to change it up on here.
My initial purpose when starting this email newsletter was that it would be just that—building out an email list.
Am I proud of the community I’ve built here? Yes. Absolutely.
Is Cosmic Kudos a many-headed, continually shifting creature? Also yes.
Part of this change in direction will include moving away from my monthly astrological breakdowns. As much as I love writing from this lens, as someone who is not a practicing astrologer, these posts started to feel extremely time-consuming to research and write. I’m not saying astrology will disappear from my writing; it’s too engrained into my life and my passions for that to be so. It will no longer be such a focus on this newsletter, though.
This means that what you get as a paid subscriber will look a little different going forward, too. More on that to come.
I went to Japan and Peru to study Reiki, and maybe I didn’t get a lousy T-shirt, but I did receive so much more
When I landed in Japan last May, the first of 9 total countries I’d travel to across Asia and Europe in the span of nearly 4 months, I knew I was embarking on a whirlwind journey. One thing I didn’t know was just how integrated into my life Reiki would become, first as a part of that journey, and continuing and expanding when I returned to the States.
If you’re not familiar: Reiki, an alternative healing modality of Japanese origin, is used to enhance the natural healing abilities of the body through a balancing and redistribution of energy across multiple levels—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Reiki, which roughly translates to “Spirit,” for Rei, and “Energy,” for Ki, refers to the universal life force energy at the heart of well, pretty much everything. And I mean everything; it’s called Universal for a reason. Reiki’s healing properties were first discovered by founder Mikao Usui in 1922, while on a 21-day fast and pilgrimage to Kyoto’s Mount Kurama. Not long after, he spread his teachings throughout the region.
Reiki first reached the States by way of Hawaii after Usui’s death, passed on through a student of his lineage, Japanese-American Hawayo Takata. She introduced the technique of using standardized hand placements to intuit and guide the flow of energy, now recognized as an integral part of Westernized Reiki.
In Tokyo, I worked with a Reiki Master Teacher who is linked to the lineage of Mikao Usui. So, too, is the teacher I studied with over the past week in the Sacred Valley of Peru, where I sit writing this to you. Two days ago, I received the attunements for Reiki level III, also known as third degree Reiki, in the glorious—and yes, palpably sacred—mountains just outside of Pisac. This is commonly referred to as the level of a Reiki Master.1
And I’m pretty damn excited about what this means.
why Reiki?
I’ve written before about how I used to feel I had to split myself into multiple compartments: the realm of who I was in my work life, writing life, social life, and in what came through in my intuitive gifts.
This meant I was constantly fighting myself, experiencing high-functioning yet debilitating anxiety in each of these “compartments.” When I started doing Reiki, though, everything changed. I had already experienced multiple spiritual awakenings, made the foray into shadow work, and was actively stepping further into my spiritual practices and journey. But Reiki was the catalyst for a deeper devotion and a new understanding that our creative and spiritual gifts can be seen as one and the same.
And it has now brought me a pureness of direction and forward mobility into the realm of intuitively guiding and holding healing spaces for others, in ways I once couldn’t have imagined.
So that we can alchemize our pain and past traumas into healing and empowerment.
Let’s just say I have been doing a fuck ton of intensive and deeply transformative work over the past 8 months. Working primarily with the main chakra system, I have been readying myself for the next chapter of this evolution, and working on crafting new offerings and services I’d like to provide to our spiritually hurting world.
Reiki is one of those offerings. Going forward, I will be delving into my experiences with it in this newsletter, as well as regularly sharing more of the tangible practices we can all use to foster this potent alchemy.
Hand-in-hand with this devoted inner work, Reiki has helped me to heal my paralyzing anxiety. My practices have also guided me in shifting out of cycles of self-harm through substance use; deep-seated anger stemming from past traumas I then directed toward my Self and my close relationships; and vicious self-hatred that manifested in various ways I could consciously feel holding me back from becoming the Self I knew I could be.
And of course, I’m still unfolding, as are we all.
But watching my inspiration grow as I lay myself at its altar…
feeling intuitive gifts expand as I dedicate myself to Reiki and my spiritual practices more and more…
and watching the gift of this healing energy light people right UP, as it has done for me…
still evokes that dreamy, “pinch-me-this-can’t-be-real” feeling.
All. The. Damn. Time.
Want a visual intro to Reiki? Check out a few Instagram reels I shared on the topic (and about the chakras), and experience a brief distance healing session with me via video, here and here.
My intuitive gifts have always been extremely visual, and learning to uncover messages from Spirit more clearly in this way has been nothing short of life-altering. When working with Reiki especially, deeep in meditation, I receive abstract visuals, messages, instinctual feelings at times, and at others vivid imagery, words, songs, bright colors, and guidance comes through.
My ties with Spirit have always been strong, but let me tell you, this ish is on another level. What do you mean, I can have full-on visions while doing Reiki? Breathwork? Totally and completely sober?
To some readers, this will come across as completely woo woo. That’s okay, but you probably already know that you’re not my target audience. I’m glad you’re still reading along with me, of course, and I invite you to allow yourself to open up more to the realms beyond the physical and logical. Maybe that’s why you’re reading in the first place, in which case, you are so, so welcome here. Know that you can ask for help, support, and signs from your own spirit guides and allies in this endeavor. We all have them.
For those of you to whom these words feel familiar and validating—and I know there are many of you—I can’t wait to share more as I continue walking along this path. Maybe you’re wondering if you can work with me personally and experience some potent Reiki healing of your own. That’s coming soon, too. ✨
There were so many wild parrots flocking to the tree across the street from my hotel in Lima the morning I left for el Valle Sagrado. Parrots have always served as a symbol of good fortune for me, and I took it as a sign of just that—for where I’d be going next physically, creatively, energetically, spiritually, and more. Here goes.
Talk soon,
xx Kimia
I’ll decide when I’m ready to be a Reiki Master Teacher myself.