Yesterday, I saw the Fred Roger’s movie “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”. As someone who works in children’s television myself, I have always admired his work and how he pioneered this medium with such intention, to be sure that children were respected and treated with kindness. As a child, I remember feeling so comforted by some of his simple, routine gestures, like putting on his cozy sweater, changing his shoes and feeding the fish. He made you feel safe and welcome. He didn’t talk down to you or make you feel small. He was very much aware of how it felt to be a child. He hadn’t lost touch with his own inner child and this knowing was very apparent.
As I watched the movie, there were many new things I learned about Mr. Rogers, which made me like him even more. Many of the people interviewed in the movie made mention of the fact that he was a master at communicating with children because he never forgot and always remained childlike. They attribute his success to this connection.
In Reiki work, I find there are many clients who have forgotten about their inner child. Many may feel that they have been forced to. They matured, their problems got bigger… life got harder. Soon, they were adults with their own children. There were bills to pay and problems to fix and there was no time to remember the simple joys of childhood. Becoming reacquainted with your inner child is an amazing way to restore joy into your life that might be missing, or lost along the way. It is a crucial practice for anyone, in any field, to remain open to possibilities and to marvel at the ordinary. The inner child is always there for you. You can never be too old or grown up.
Children are masters of imagination. To a child, the whole world is a wonder. There are limitless options. When a child pretends to be a King, slaying a dragon, they take on that role with such real energy. For that moment in time, they are the King and the dragon is real. Children are only aware of possibilities and can dream up endless scenarios. As they become more and more aware of the world around them, they become aware of the probabilities and life becomes more of a balance between the two. The inner child can get lost in life’s trials and triumphs. The inner child can get very wounded, by heartbreak or rejection, along the way. The inner child can retreat and stay in a comfort zone that feels safe, never venturing too far outward, for fear of failing or further rejection. Failed relationships, employment opportunities, or any other “adult problem” can keep the inner child very far from our awareness. But, when we remember to check in with our inner child, we can reignite the awareness of life’s possibilities and remember that we are limitless. We realize that there is no such thing as failure, as each experience brings a lesson and a learning that brings us closer to our true self. It is only when we believe our limitations that they can become real. The limitations or the ideas that we have come to believe in our minds of being “not good enough” or “too old”, “too inexperienced” or “too this or that”, become all too familiar. We need to silence that inner critic and bring the inner child into the light. Connecting with your inner child brings awe to the every day.
Working with clients on the Solar Plexus chakra and reconnecting with the inner child can bring forward a memory of something in childhood that was embarrassing or difficult. Perhaps the unkind words of a bully penetrated our feelings so deeply, that the feelings got trapped and were never truly released. Perhaps there was a time in childhood where someone was in a school play and had stage fright that stayed within their energy and kept them from public speaking or being in the spotlight in their career as an adult. Childhood memories and feelings can manifest in ways that our conscious mind is unaware of. We can be literally stuck in the energy of something from the past and not even be aware of it. The great news is that Reiki can move your energy, get you unstuck and help you move forward in ways that you never dreamed possible. You can discover that you have courage and bravery that you had forgotten you had. You can step into a new path with more confidence than you had imagined, and create a new experience that your inner child would be so proud to see. Reiki is a beautiful way to bring your inner child out to play and to remember that we are not our bodies. We may age and our body will expire, but our soul lives forever and our spirit has no age. Never grow old. Listen to the cries of your inner child and be her best friend. A beautiful adventure is waiting.
Go and get it with the passion and the energy of your inner child.
