About a year ago, I took a huge leap. I left a sure-thing, solid, well-paying job as an environmental risk assessor to pursue my Reiki business full-time.

So, you may be wondering, why on earth would a person with a Master’s degree in science even be interested in something like Reiki? Even more, why would you leave a career that you invested so much time and energy into (and were also pretty damn good at!)?

Of course, big life changes can rarely be reduced down to a few quick sound bites. Big changes in our lives are dependent on thousands of factors. Some of the reasons might go back to our earliest memories and decisions of who ‘we’ are. Some of the factors at play might be a whole mix of intangible feelings.

For me, though, it was very clear. Reiki and teaching people how to access their spirituality was what I was put on the planet to do.

Life was calling me to something greater than a steady paycheck and a job everyone could understand.

I was always interested in how the world worked, and I was drawn to science because it is a beautiful way to explore, understand, and ask great questions.

It was just that there was no limit to the kinds of questions I asked.

Why are we here? Where do we go after we die? What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of MY life?

My most interesting questions could never be answered by science. Not really.

But that didn’t stop me from studying spirituality, using the very analytical thinking that supported my science career. I read everything I could. Every religion and philosophy that could put up with my endless questions was fair game. Each book was a data point. Each new thought carefully weighed against the whole.

You see, scientists (at least those without a set religious practice) are faced with two choices when it comes to spirituality: either they are all wrong, or they are all partly right.

I figured that all of these religions and spiritual practices, all around the world, must be like independent expressions of a deeper truth. Datapoints. No single expression could ever capture the whole complex truth of the Divine and its relationship to us. But if you look at what is held in common all over the world and ask – what are the universal principles that could help people lead happier, more compassionate, more peaceful lives? You might get a glimmer behind the veil and understand something more about the universe.

That search for something more led me to a couple of beautiful books on Reiki that captured my attention. Here was a system for helping people. It described energy as a spectrum of light, the electromagnetic spectrum. Here, there was no good or bad, no judgments, just wanted or unwanted, helpful energy or not helpful energy. There was nothing called ‘dark,’ just the absence of light.

This description of how energy could flow through the body and interact with all of the physical systems and also interact with the greater world was a huge discovery for me.

It just made sense.

Reiki was a system that I could use to help myself and help others, but it was much, much more. It was a spiritual discipline and a coherent explanation of how the worlds of matter, energy, and non-physical could communicate with one another. How information could be passed from one dimension to another, and how all of the peoples of the world could repeat, basically the same story of Divine Love and Compassion. I was sold.

For me, Reiki is like peering through a porthole into the universe’s inner workings. Every time I practice, I learn new things. More information is shared, and more appreciation of just how powerful this work can be. It is mind-blowing.

I have personally healed the pain of migraines, low back pain, anxiety, depression, and vastly decreased allergies and asthma. I did this through self-healing, essential oils, meditation, affirmations, and Reiki sessions from others. Whenever I have an issue going on in my life, I turn to Reiki to heal the underlying imbalance.

For me, I have the data of my life experience to support my conclusion that Reiki works.

In the past few years, research has shown that meditation is hugely effective in alleviating all kinds of physical, mental, and emotional ailments (ref. >3,000 peer-reviewed studies on PubMed). It is really only a matter of funding dollars to begin to get the mass of data that would conclusively show that Reiki is as effective as meditation. Although there are studies out there that are beginning to show interesting results (here, here, and here)

In addition to my own experience and observations, Reiki is calming and peaceful. It slows down the heart rate and breathing rate of the person receiving it, just like meditation.

In some ways, Reiki is easier than meditation because the person receiving the session needs no experience or training to get the same big benefits of meditation. All they have to do is set their intention and lie down. The Reiki practitioner does the rest.

Even people who have trouble meditating say they feel relaxed and peaceful after a Reiki session. That is huge!

I feel like Reiki could be the bridge for people to start getting the deep benefits of meditation faster. Reiki could open the door for people who need to learn meditation but are having trouble. It did for me. I learned Reiki first and meditation second.

So, the choice to leave a good but not completely fulfilling job to pursue Reiki was a slam dunk. The hard part was the timing of when to do that. I have a family, after all, and responsibilities. I couldn’t just leap.

I built my Reiki biz on the side for many, many years. Last year, it had built to a point where I realized I needed to put in full-time effort if I wanted full-time results.

In the past year, I have grown the business from just me, renting spaces for teaching and practicing, to leading a team of practitioners in the beautiful new LunaHolistic Centre. The reach and ability to help others with this beautiful healing art of Reiki has grown astronomically.

I’m completely amazed every single day when I go to work and turn the key. The power of it all to change lives often brings me joyful tears.

And I haven’t left the gifts of my science career behind either. I have mini experiments set up on the website here and here. I’m still gathering data, running statistics, and marvelling at how much a few minutes of peace can heal and uplift.

I am so very grateful to be here today, telling this story. And I’m so very grateful for the next beautiful year ahead, helping hundreds of people lead happier and healthier lives. That is why I do this.

I have no plans to ever retire! 😊

Geneva is the Founder of LunaHolistic and a Reiki Master Teacher in Calgary, Alberta. Read more about her here, or book a session to shift old energies and patterns and bring in all the health and vitality you need. She’s the author of The Secret Art of Happiness: Change your Life with the Reiki Ideals and numerous planners and moon calendars!