Carol von Kaenel
Board Secretary/Treasurer, USA
My spiritual journey has been a long, enriching process, sometimes slow and sometimes very intense. I feel like it has been life-long, however it really took off around 1978, when we moved to Omaha, Nebraska. I became an active member of Countryside Community Church, in essence studying where I came from.
After moving to Saratoga Springs in 1985, I did office work and bookkeeping until I met my Reiki Master, Penelope Jewell, in 1992. I knew practically nothing about Reiki when I contacted her. During our first conversation, she said magic words to me, “Reiki is healing of body, mind, and spirit. You can do it for yourself and for others.” I was immediately enthralled and promptly signed up for her Reiki 1 course. Reiki is life changing and was opening windows and doors within me that I never knew were there.
After a year of practicing Reiki, I quit my day job and devoted myself to Reiki practice and intense mastery training. In 1994, Penelope initiated me as a Reiki Master in the Usui Shiki Ryoho system. I promptly joined the Reiki Alliance and am still a member, serving on the Financial Oversight Committee. I also had the pleasure of serving on the board of the Northeast Reiki Gathering for its last 10 years, from 1994-2004.
As Reiki moves me through healing and expanding, one of the places it led me was to spiritual studies with CoreLight, beginning in 1998. I completed the 4-year Teacher Training program in 2007 and was ordained as a CoreLight interfaith minister at that time. In 2012, I was invited to become a teacher for CoreLight and then in 2015 to join the Board of Directors, of which I am still a member.
In 2007, I trained as a hospice volunteer. I am often asked to be with a patient, so their caregiver can have a break, get groceries, or just go out for a bit. Sometimes a patient asks for Reiki or the Hospice nurse recommends it and, if the patient and/or family are willing, I am happy to give the patient Reiki. Occasionally I sit vigil while someone is actively dying. It’s an honor to be with people at this special time in their lives.
I have tremendously enjoyed traveling to Reiki conferences and gatherings and to various CoreLight events. TRA, Northeast Reiki Gathering and CoreLight have all offered me the opportunity to get to know wonderful people and to expand my awareness of other cultures and beliefs. I remain regularly involved with many of these wonderful people, as I continue my studies and Reiki practice.
At this point however, travel isn’t very high on my list. I enjoy working in my garden, reading, and participating in watching and counting birds for Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. I find that being in nature, even out my window in the winter, to be meditative and peaceful. I am also deeply grateful for all the opportunities to enjoy theater, music, and ballet that are available where I live.
Life is rich and beautiful, challenges and all.
