The Luminary Primary School in the Mukuru slums of Nairobi was the venue for planting ten trees ‘the spiritual way’ with the children of the school ….. The event featured in the Asian Weekly paperzine in Nairobi in their edition no. 216, Oct. 10 – 16….
Click on the picture to enlarge it …..
Seva no. 1 Tree Planting at Luminary School in Nairobi’s Mukuru Slums
On October 1st, nine LHSG Kenya members Monica, Rashmeen, Mamta, Pratima, Bubbles, Cooky, Bindi, Sheela and I went to the Luminary Primary School to plant trees. We were joined by our LHSG Mukuru representative Josephine and the deputy head master of the school. Ten trees, mango, avocado, umbrella, oleander, pine, thika palm, bottle brush, yesterday- today- tomorrow and two Hibiscus, had been transported to the school the day before by the kind courtesy of Rashmeens’s van. We arrived at the school to see our ‘Reiki’ children (children that we have taught Reiki over the last couple of years) all ready and eager and waiting to carry out the planting exercise. These Reiki children who represent Lotus Healing Seva Youth Group amazed us with their stories of giving Reiki to their families, neighbours, friends ….. AND they remembered how to water plants chanting ‘Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti’ something that we had taught them a few months ago on their outing in Karura Forest! Each LHSG Sevak including Josephine took a group of 7 – 8 children, and proceeded to the prepared holes. Little hands asked forgiveness from Mother Earth for hurting her while preparing the hole, gave Reiki to the hole, lowered the plant in the hole and packed the soil around it and watered it, all the while chanting ‘Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti’, and finally gave Reiki to the seedling. They also promised to water their trees and give them Reiki everyday! We also distributed biscuits and sweets to all children in the school. With so much love and healing put in this exercise, and with more love and healing to be coming their way, we are confident that the planted seedlings will grow into tall, strong trees and bushes, bringing positive energy to our friends in the slums. Please read the accounts of some of the sevaks, and do watch the pictures that follow …. Just click on one picture to see the enlarged slide show. Kamal Tolia xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx When my group and I headed out of the class, the girls one called Veronica immediately put her arm in mine and another held mine, looking at me to see if I would react. I carried on comfortably which brought out the question in Swahili, “ why is your skin lighter than ours? Are you muzungu? “ We had a conversation about Christians, Indians and Muslims while heading to our tree at the back of the classes I then had to ask them to get down to the main reason why we were there. They remembered what to do, exactly as they were told by you in class. They Put the fine soil first then the thicker one then water and repeated the process. They also made sure they removed the stones from the soil. They said they will give the trees Reiki every night before they go to sleep in their minds. Once done they said ours will be the best tree from all of these. They also inspected each and every tree on the way and confirmed ours was definitely the BEST! On our way back to class we chatted about, how often the train passes there, where they will get water from and they will water the trees in the evening. These kids are so so innocent. They don’t know about race or colour. To them we are one. They wanted to know why we will not make another trip next month to visit them. I think we should make a trip before Christmas and give these kids just something… they are a blessing… this way we can see our trees too. Lnl Cooky xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Thanks and congratulations on the successful completion of the tree planting Seva Activity. The Tree Planting in the slum environs was a spiritual experience for me. It is very gratifying to do such a Seva during the auspicious period of the Navratri Festival. I felt that there is no need to follow the old practice of feeding girls on Durga Ashtmi as I dedicated today’s Seva to the Divine Mother by serving and honoring Mother Earth. The significance is immense: 1. By planting trees we are helping the environs and the atmosphere. 2. We taught a valuable lesson to Kenya’s future, the children who make our country. 3. A good deed done in the form of an offering to mark the Beginning of the 9th Anniversary of LHSG. 4. We worship 9 forms of Mother Goddess during this nine day festival. I took it as each tree to be symbolic of one form and our dedication to her. The tenth tree was symbolic of Mother Earth herself. That is the best form of prayer or offering. 5. Instead of simply feeding the girls on the eighth day of Navratri I felt this is a better thing to do during such occasions. The food is eaten and forgotten but the trees will remain to provide shade and comfort for long. The children were very good and very enthusiastic as well. It felt very good to see that they have been practicing Reiki and remembered the Reiki way of planting trees. Love and Light Monica Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The tree planting today morning at Mukuru was a lovely experience. It was really nice to meet the enthusiastic children and listen to their experiences with Reiki. I had 8 children with me and we planted a beautiful shrub called “yesterday-today-tomorrow”. The children were happy to know about the plant. It has beautiful flowers of 3 colours-pink, purple and white with a lovely fragrance. They remembered all the steps of planting that Kamalji had taught them and did them with love and sincerity. They promised to continue to look after the plant , water it and give it Reiki every day. After distributing some biscuits and sweets we left from there with very happy hearts. It felt like this was our real navratri puja of Mother earth and of Mother nature! I am sure that what these children have learnt today will stay in their lives forever and make them love and respect Mother Earth and the trees. This interaction with children today was a very beautiful experience! I thank the universe and my Gurus for it! Mamta xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I wish to express my gratitude to my LHSG family and Reiki for this morning’s beautiful experience of tree planting at our Mukuru school. Everything went so smoothly and efficiently that the whole exercise was completed with no rush and we were back in Nairobi by noon. It was heartwarming to see our Reiki children had not forgotten how they had watered our trees in Karura and also to hear how they were using Reiki in their daily lives. We divided ourselves into 9 groups and my group with 7 children planted a Thika Palm tree. The children performed every step in the planting exercise very enthusiastically and were genuinely delighted afterwards when we all inter acted freely taking photos and distributed some snacks. With promises to take good care of the trees, the children said goodbye and asked us to visit them soon. What a gratifying morning it has been. I know our children will be true to their promise and am looking forward to more exercises like today’s. LnL Sheela
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Kamal Tolia was approached by Sound Asia to feature in their Radio Program on Health.
Vandana Chauhan of the radio station was interested in Kamal’s Reiki Work, the Lotus Healing Seva Group and its Seva activities, and the book Kamal has written: Soul Reflections.
The hour long interview happened on 27th September 2014. Harish Tolia recorded and edited most of the songs out of it, to make it only 37 minutes long. Here is the link to the whole interview:
https://archive.org/details/KtSoundAsiaCut1
Hope you enjoy listening to it!
Kamal at teh studio with Vandana of Sound Asia
MY JOURNEY WITH REIKI
then, she began to breathe,
and live, and every moment
took her to a place where
goodbyes were hard to come
in love with someone or
something, she was in love
with her life. and for the
first time, in a long time,
everything was inspiring.
r.m. drake
Have you ever watched a butterfly unfurl its’ wings for the first time, and flit around in joy at its’ new-found freedom?
I compare my journey with the butterfly.
They say when the Universe sees you are ready, Reiki will find you. You never look for Reiki…. It finds you…..
And so began my journey…..
I had reached that point in my life where I was ready to give up. I was now at rock bottom. I was an emotional wreck, and highly strung at all times. I did my Art of Living course and followed my meditations, breathing exercises and all but not only did I not have the time required for it, I felt it was not making any difference to my life. Quite on the contrary, I was more agitated than I had been before I started the course. (Please, I am not saying it’s bad…. It just didn’t work for me the way I thought it would.)
One evening sitting at home while surfing the net, the word REIKI came into my mind. Of course I’d heard about it but never really felt inclined towards it. However, that evening, I googled it, and not only googled the word REIKI, I googled REIKI TEACHERS IN NAIROBI.
My life was just about to turn. And I didn’t know that.
Google search came up with Kamal Tolia, Lotus Healing and a contact. I sent my e-mail thinking yeah, I’ll get a reply some time. Not really expecting the swift response. Not an e-mail – I got a call the very next morning and the next thing I know I’d booked myself for the next weekend to learn Reiki.
What did I expect? I don’t really know. I just knew that it was an alternate healing therapy. And so I guess I went without any preconceived notions and an open mind, ready to see why I suddenly felt such a pull towards Reiki.
Was this my calling?
Was this a Higher order from my sub-conscious?
Was this my salvation?
YES YES YES to all the above.
I did my Reiki attunement and I could not ask for a more loving and wonderful teacher than Kamal Tolia.
Then came the next step.
“No, I cannot give you your certificate until you complete 21 days of self-healing and healing others.”
This was the true test and whether I was ready to trust Reiki with my life.
I started doing my self-healing and my friends as well. (I was a bit apprehensive to note that every time I’d do a healing for my friends, they’d fall asleep. Later on talking to Kamal Aunty she explained that they were getting relaxed with the reiki. (Thank God she did explain otherwise I’d have convinced myself that I was doing something wrong.)
But that was not what struck me……
ME…. The changes in me, as a person, as an individual.In every aspect of my life. I became a more confident person. Not only in dealing with my work but also as a person.
I began to look at everything more positively, seeing the positivity in my life. Grateful for being alive and being able to experience so many wonderful things in life, more importantly, just waking up.
I was no longer that tense cranky angry person any more. I was suddenly calm and relaxed and taking each day as it comes. Suddenly, nothing seemed to ruffle my feathers and I began to actually appreciate each day.
I no longer dreaded going to the office thinking, “Oh, what new drama will unfold today?”
And if something did come up, I’d just sit in my office and give myself reiki and read my affirmations.
(In fact, I’ve made myself a big poster of the affirmations which I have put up in my office.)
My work started flowing with ease. I was no longer stressing about deadlines and what is supposed to happen. By living and taking each day as it came, my life started flowing. Everything started falling into place without me having to stress. It is indeed a wonderful feeling.
I shall not say that I did not get angry during this period. But it was no longer the anger which destroys your self. I found my self-confidence soar once again.
After marriage, especially in the Indian culture, we start making small sacrifices, and then bigger ones, until you are no longer the person you once were. I was in that rut. And this rut had made me weak emotionally. Every time I’d do my healing, my throat, heart, sacral and root chakras would take forever taking in energy.
I never had a voice in the home always trying to keep the peace. Except I did not realize that in keeping the peace I was destroying my very self. I had lost myself somewhere along the way and created blocks in my chakras and my life.
Reiki reinstilled that confidence in me that I too am a person, and I too need to love and respect myself. And I started standing up for myself and voicing my concerns (something I would have never dared to earlier), and I was being listened to.
As I changed within the 21 days, so did everyone around me. My children and I have always been very close, but then they now started cuddling more, showing more affection and even helping with chores without being asked.
My biggest regret…… Why did I not do Reiki earlier???
Answer: I was not ready for it. But now I am, and I cannot wait to carry on my journey….
Join me in my journey with Reiki, and I assure you, that is one decision you will never regret in your life……
Love and light.
Thank you Guruji Kamal Tolia…
And thank you Master Usui
Nina Bhalla,
Nairobi, Kenya
24th August 2014
** Nina Bhalla completed Reiki Level 1 on 29th June, 2014
