Readers
often insist that my novel Full Speed
is autobiographical.
I
usually insist it isn’t.
The
truth is most likely somewhere in between.
The
protagonist, Seb, has some skills and habits I do (or at least did) – like
playing chess. He has spent time in cities I have (like Perugia, Italy, where
the novel is set) and he is fairly academic.
But
his character is also very different from me in the majority of ways (he is
shy, he has a photographic memory, he comes from a family that puts a lot of
pressure on him etc.), so he is not obviously my literary alter ego.
The
autobiographical truth to the novel actually lies in its themes, rather than my
likeness to any of the characters. For the themes the novel explores are ones
that truly fascinate me:
What is love? Is it nothing more than a chemical reaction
in the body - pheromones? Can we have romantic love that stands the test of time?
And
freedom? What is it? How can we be free from the pressures
of our family, our friends and society at large? How can we find the strength
to stay true to our inner guidance, to live a life of passion, to be the person
we always wished we could become?
I meet a lot of people in my Reiki courses who are looking
for change. They are looking for something more in life, a life that better
reflects who they really are. But to achieve this is a challenge, and many feel
trapped – trapped by financial restraints, trapped by pressure from everyone
around them. They would love to embrace a new life, but fear what would happen
if they did.
Perhaps this is the main reason why I write and the main
reason I teach Reiki: I’m driven to help people live a life that resonates with
who they are on the deepest level.
That, at least for the moment, is my life purpose.
I’m lucky because writing helps me understand the world
better, it spurs me to live up to the ideas in my work – and Reiki gives me the
inner balance and energy I need to write, to finish works that can take years
to complete.
That, of course, is the brilliant thing about Reiki.
Whatever you aspire to do, it can help.
Why?
Because it primary purpose is to connect you to who you
really are, to your deepest essence.
In the process, it creates the inner harmony needed to
manifest our desires.
These things are sometimes overlooked by people who
primarily associate Reiki as a hands-on healing method; but the truth is that
Reiki is a path – an inner journey.
It is a meditation and energy system designed to help us
connect to our core: the man or woman behind our physical body, thoughts and
feelings.
For when we touch this part of ourselves then everything starts
to flow. Then the divide between our inner and outer world disappears until we
no longer need to separate our spiritual dimension from the other parts of
ourselves – we no longer need to separate work from play, meditation from everyday
life.
The
Great System of Reiki
The
beautiful thing about Reiki is that it is highly pragmatic. It is a system
designed to get results in the real world.
Take
the precepts, for instance.
The
first two (‘For today only, do not anger’ and ‘For today only, do not worry’)
focus on two key areas where we waste a lot of energy.
We
get irritated by things. We worry about things.
This
dissipates energy that we could better use elsewhere.
The
third precept (‘For today only, show gratitude’) helps put us in an energetic
state of being where our powers of attraction are greatly magnified. By getting
us to focus on the positive aspect of things, we start to vibrate more and more
on a positive energetic level. This, naturally, helps us to attract more and more
positive things.
The
fourth precept (‘For today only, be honest in your work’), helps us to
understand the necessity of finding a job that is honest, i.e. in alignment
with our inner being, with the person we truly are. This, more so than simply not cheating people
etc., is, I believe, the essence of the precept.
It
is about learning to merge passion and livelihood together. About finding deep
meaning in the way we earn a living.
The
final precept (‘For today only, show compassion to yourself and others’)
teaches us to accept things (ourselves and others!) as they are. This creates a
sense of deep peace and, as a result, helps us to vibrate at a very high energy
level.
When
you combine precept work with the other meditations in the Reiki system, with
the hands on healing and use of symbols and mantras, you have a powerful system
for restoring inner balance and harmony.
And
it is this very inner balance and harmony that is required if we wish to
discover our life purpose.
Finding Your Life Purpose
People
often want to know how to discover their life purpose. While there may not be
one simple method for doing so, there are some basic questions you can ask
yourself that often illuminate things:
- What is something you have always loved doing to help other people?
- What things do you do that truly energize you?
- What things do you do (or dream about doing) that give you a tingle of excitement – even just at the thought of doing them?
- What would you love to do with your time if you never had to worry again about either money or being good at what you chose to do?
My
novel is about having the courage to live a life at ‘full speed’. This is a
life where the Universe does everything it can to support you because you are
living in alignment with who you truly are.
You
are moving with the current, rather than trying to swim against it.
It
is a state where everything within you rejoices because you are no longer
fighting against your deepest nature.
As
such, your life picks up speed and momentum as all of your available energy resources
start working together, rather than against each other.
Your Life Purpose Is
Constantly Evolving
People
grow and change. They learn from past experiences – and seek fresh ones to
continue their inner growth.
As
a result, it is only natural that situations that are so valuable to your
evolution today, cease to promote growth in the future.
So
we need to stay flexible and open to change.
No
matter how much we have loved something in the past, there might well come a
time where it has taught us all it has to teach. As a result, we will soon grow
restless and seek fresh lands to explore.
This
is a natural and healthy thing – and something we need to embrace.
As
such, we should stay open to the possibility that our life purpose may change
many times throughout our life.
Our
mission today, may not be our mission tomorrow.
So
you should never feel guilty about letting go of something that no longer
fulfills you.
Rather,
let it go with a smiling heart, knowing that you have now created the necessary
space to bring in something that can better fulfill your present day
‘evolutionary needs’.
Conclusion
The
only way to live a truly fulfilled life is to live in alignment with our ‘life
purpose’. This ‘life purpose’ is not
necessarily a fixed thing. It may change according to our ‘evolutionary’ needs.
Reiki
is a magnificent tool in helping us live our life purpose. It not only helps us
gain the inner balance and energy needed to find clarity on it, it also gives
us the necessary courage to live in alignment with it.
A
life lived ‘on purpose’ is not necessarily an easy life; but it is an exciting
one. It is also one where the energy of the Universe will ‘conspire’ in your
favour.
Ultimately,
when you have the Universe on your side, and when the various parts within you
are working together in harmony, you will have both the inner and outer energy
needed to live your life purpose or, as I put it in my novel, to live a life at
full speed.
(Note:
If you feel that you don’t yet have the courage or strength needed to live your
‘life purpose’ then I suggest you a) work on your 1st and 3rd
chakras [the 1st chakra will give you the security and confidence
you need, while the 3rd chakra will give you the drive], and b) (Ahem!)
You might like to take a peek at my novel. It will help inspire you to live
your dreams.)
Jeremy O'Carroll, Feb. 2013
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