Community Forever

Dear Eclipse Season,

I feel you a lot. I do accept my shadow parts. But some of my shadows are beautifully hurting me. They linger, and I'm learning to be with them. It's a lot of thinking and checking in with my body.

It is a time for change, and it is a time for new beginnings.

I'm going to be passing on the baton for the Community Reiki host role. Even though I don't know how to put into words how I feel —

So many people joined. So many Reiki practitioners supported. So many tears. So much connecting.

Being a community organizer has been a privilege and an honor. My love of this work and my passion to support all people fueled me to work nonstop.

I first joined Community Reiki as a practitioner at MahaRose in 2018. I thought we could keep going… then the pandemic hit. It was a heartbreaking moment when we had to pause our in-person work. I started hosting online Community Reiki during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Nobody wanted to take it on, but I raised my hand to challenge myself — I didn't even know how to use Zoom, or how to host a workshop. In the middle of all that intense energy in the world, so many people joined. We just wanted to connect with someone. We just wanted to feel connected and heal from so much emotion. We didn't know what to do in those moments of darkness. NYC was dark, but New Yorkers supported each other and held hands virtually.

People joined from all over the world.

I felt a little pressure holding space — how long is this going to last? At the same time, my practice was expanding. I also had a lot of time to practice, since I'd lost my job as a makeup artist.

Our online Community Reiki became a staple, meeting every Friday. Reiki and gentle energy work became so essential for us, and we sent our prayers, love, and light to the world. We created the Global Healing Circle. At the end of every online Community Reiki, we sent healing energy out to the world — the world always needs light and prayers. It was truly a pleasure to hold that space and create a music playlist every Friday (tuning into my intuition each Friday morning to build the playlist).

Then in 2023, I started hosting in-person Community Reiki, when MahaRose was newly born in Carroll Gardens. I loved the energy of that community — it felt so peaceful and connected. So many good chats over MahaRose tea after Community Reiki :)

So much memory. So much energy. So much gratitude for the Reiki practitioners who supported this, and for everyone who joined.

Now it's time for me to take care of my baby, as my own cosmos healing. But my intention hasn't changed — I will always support this community in one way or another. For now, I'm pausing Community Reiki Fridays at MahaRose, starting September.

Online Community Reiki: 2020–2026

In-person Community Reiki: 2023–2026

A big thank you to Lisa and the MahaRose team for the opportunity.

Please join us in August! And after —