The Reiki Principles start with the statement, “Just for today.” Why just for today? Why not set the intention right from the start to live by the principles every day?
Our emotions are natural and important.
I don’t know about you, but for me, the ideal of trying never to experience anger or worry and to always be grateful, honest, and kind makes me feel overwhelmed. Not to mention, it goes against our human nature. It’s natural for us to get emotional.
There will inevitably be times that we feel the rise of anger or worry. There will be days when we take our blessings for granted. Some days we may struggle to live with honor and express our highest selves. And no matter how loving we may be, there will be times when we will think or act unkindly. These natural human behaviors will all surface at some point, but maybe, just for today, we can do our best to live by these ideals.
“Never” is unrealistic.
I think of the principles as daily goals working towards a healthy and happy life. “I will never,” is not a realistic goal. We were never meant to be perfect beings. Our imperfections give us opportunities to learn and grow and become enlightened. They are essential to our spiritual development.
“I will never” sets an expectation of perfection and puts this ideal way of living out of reach. With an unobtainable goal, confidence and motivation suffer. Master Usui took our human-ness account when he incorporated the five principles into his Reiki system. He gave us room to make mistakes, learn, and grow.
Just for today, I can.
Making the goal to live by the Reiki Principles just for today, puts the ideal lifestyle within our grasp. I may not be able to keep my calm every day, but for today, I can. For today I can be calm, hopeful, honest, grateful, and kind. If life throws me a curve that causes my temper to flair or my anxiety to kick in; if I catch myself being ungrateful or having dishonest or unkind thoughts, I can just start again.
The goal of being kind, just for today, includes kindness to ourselves and encourages us to forgive our own shortcomings. Just for day, makes the goal of living our daily lives by the Reiki Principles realistic.
Just for today, do not anger, do not worry, be honorable, be grateful, and be kind.
