In February 2025, I received my Holy Fire® Reiki training – a profound experience that opened the door to a deeper connection with energy, healing, and spiritual practice. In the months that followed, I dedicated myself to self-practice, allowing the teachings to unfold within me, layer by layer. This period of quiet exploration became a foundation, helping me cultivate both trust in the Reiki energy and a more intimate understanding of how it flows through my life.
I felt called to immerse myself even more fully in this path. That inner nudge led me to the International Reiki Retreat at Sedona Mago, a gathering of Reiki practitioners from around the world. Surrounded by the red rocks, sacred land, and a community of kindred spirits, I knew it would be the perfect setting to deepen my practice, share in collective healing, and continue growing as both a student and a channel of Reiki energy.
Friday August 29th
On the evening of August 29th, our small group was warmly welcomed into the retreat with an opening ceremony led by William Lee Rand, the founder of Holy Fire® Reiki, and Arthur Baird. It was both humbling and inspiring to be in the presence of teachers who have dedicated their lives to sharing and evolving this practice. The energy of the ceremony felt like both a blessing and an invitation to step fully into the sacred work we had each come to explore.
Following the opening, we were treated to a heartfelt music concert by Donald T. McMahon entitled “Straight from the Heart.” Donald had recently experienced the loss of his beloved wife, Pam, after 56 years of marriage. The raw honesty and tenderness in his music carried a vibration of love, resilience, and deep devotion. His words and melodies reminded us of the healing power that can be found in vulnerability and shared experience.
The evening concluded with a crystalline sound journey for sleep, an immersion in pure tones that seemed to dissolve the residue of travel and thought, preparing us to enter the retreat with open hearts and grounded spirits. The resonance of the crystal tones was the perfect close to a day filled with connection, inspiration, and reverence for the healing path we were walking together.
Saturday August 30th
Rooted in Practice
The day began with movement and grounding through yoga with Cami Cote, paired with a root chakra healing session led by Jules Davis. It was a reminder that before reaching upward into the higher dimensions of Reiki, we must first root down – into our bodies, into the earth, into a sense of safety and belonging. The stillness that followed made it easier to absorb the teachings of the day.
Reiki in a Changing World
Later that morning, Pam Allen-LeBlanc and Tracey Sullivan guided us through the topic of Healthcare Reiki for a Changing World. Their words spoke to the growing need for Reiki to be present in hospitals, clinics, and care settings, where traditional systems sometimes struggle to meet the full scope of human healing. It felt affirming to see Reiki recognized not just as a personal practice, but as part of a larger movement toward holistic care.
Childlike Healing and Play
In the afternoon, Kid Reiki invited us to remember the joy and innocence that children bring to healing. April Walker, Cami Cote, and Chellie Kammermeyer wove together play and energy work in a way that highlighted the natural connection children have to Reiki. It reminded me how important it is to approach this work with curiosity, wonder, and lightness. And guess what? Kids can both give and receive Reiki!!
Facing Inner Doubt
Robyn Benelli’s talk on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Reiki struck a chord. So many of us, even with training and experience, carry self-doubt about whether we are “good enough” to do this work. Robyn’s perspective was that Reiki itself helps dissolve those doubts because it isn’t about our personal power or perfection, but about allowing a universal energy to flow through us.
Reaching Higher Dimensions
William Rand’s session on Exploring the Higher Dimensions of Holy Fire® Reiki expanded the day into a more mystical realm. He spoke of Reiki as an energy that is constantly evolving, carrying us beyond what we think is possible. His presence reminded us that Reiki is alive, and that we are continually invited into new levels of connection with it. During this session, William gave us all a reiki “booster” to amplify our energy – for ourselves and what can flow through to others!
Music, Joy, and Community
The evening closed with another moving performance of “Straight from the Heart” by Donald T. McMahon, his music touching us again with themes of love, loss, and resilience. And then, to balance the depth, the community came together for the Silly to Serious Talent Show. Laughter, lightheartedness, and shared creativity reminded us that healing also lives in joy, humor, and togetherness.
This day wove together grounding, learning, and expansion – reminding me that Reiki is not just about individual practice, but about community, resilience, and the courage to show up authentically.
Sunday August 31st
Sunday August 31st
The morning opened with Reiki and Sound Healing led by Arthur Baird, reminding us that vibration is one of the most direct pathways into healing. Arthur introduced us to the ancient practice of “drumming.” The blend of Reiki energy with sound frequencies created a powerful resonance – one that bypassed thought and touched the body, heart, and spirit at once. It was a visceral experience of harmony, showing that sound itself can be a carrier of Reiki’s essence.
Gratitude as Sacred Practice
The Reiki Gratitude Ceremony led by Colleen Benelli, accompanied by the heartfelt songs of Karen Drucker and the presence of Don McMahon, felt like a collective prayer of thanks. Gratitude is often spoken of in spiritual practice, but to embody it as a community singing, reflecting, and offering Reiki in thankfulness transformed it into a living force. It was a reminder that gratitude amplifies Reiki, deepening our connection to the energy and to one another.
Healing Through the Heart
In the afternoon, Heart-Centered Healing with Jenny Stinson introduced the integration of HeartMath®, emotional clearing, and self-Reiki. This session revealed how the heart is both a physical and energetic center of transformation. By tending to the heart with awareness and compassion, we open the door to profound emotional healing and resilience.
Building the Reiki Community
The Licensed Teacher meeting with Karen Harrison and Colleen Benelli, followed by the legislative update, highlighted another dimension of Reiki – its structure as a growing movement. These sessions reminded me that Reiki is not only a personal practice, but also a collective one sustained by teachers, leaders, and advocates ensuring its accessibility and integrity in the wider world.
Shining Together
The Power Hour was a joyful opportunity for participants to share their own accomplishments, projects, and inspirations. Even in just two minutes, each voice carried the spark of how Reiki moves uniquely through each of us. It was uplifting to witness the creativity and dedication within the community, a celebration of the many ways Reiki flows into the world.
Dance as Healing
The evening culminated in the Reiki Dance Party – a chance to embody joy, movement, and lightheartedness. Dancing together after days of deep practice felt liberating, a reminder that healing is not always solemn. Sometimes, it is laughter, rhythm, and shared celebration that most powerfully restore the spirit.
Sunday’s rhythm carried a beautiful arc from resonance and gratitude, to heart-centered healing, to the joy of dancing under the desert sky. It reflected the truth that Reiki is as much about celebration as it is about stillness.
Monday September 1st
Coming Full Circle
The final morning began, as so many had before, with yoga led by Cami Cote. By this point, the practice felt less like an introduction and more like a homecoming – a way of gathering all that had been experienced over the past days and grounding it in the body. Each breath carried the imprint of the retreat, each movement a reminder of how presence itself can be healing.
Sharing Reiki, Sharing Ourselves
The Reiki share led by Karen Harrison offered a space for us to both give and receive energy one final time within the retreat community. It was a beautiful reminder that Reiki is reciprocal – what flows through us is never lost but continually exchanged, multiplying as it is shared. Sitting in that circle, it felt clear that Reiki is not something we do alone, but something we become together. I was fortunate enough to be in a small circle of six with William and four others – giving and receiving!
Honoring Closure with Celebration
The closing ceremony, woven together with music from Donald T. McMahon, carried us out of the retreat in the same way we entered it – with sound, love, and community. His music created a space of both reverence and celebration, reminding us that endings are also beginnings. Though we were preparing to leave Sedona Mago, the energy we cultivated was not confined to that sacred land. It travels with us – into our homes, our practices, and our daily lives.
Carrying the Retreat Forward
Leaving the retreat was bittersweet: a mix of gratitude for all that had been shared, and anticipation for how it would continue to unfold in each of us. The closing moments were not just about saying goodbye, but about recognizing that Reiki is always with us, guiding us into deeper compassion, resilience, and connection.
The final day was less about learning something new and more about integrating what had already been given – through yoga, Reiki, music, and community. It was a gentle yet powerful reminder that the retreat itself may end, but the practice continues endlessly.
Reflections and Closing Thoughts
Attending the International Reiki Retreat was far more than a series of workshops, ceremonies, and community gatherings – it was a journey of inner and outer transformation. From grounding yoga and chakra work, to exploring Reiki in healthcare, to heart-centered healing and the joy of music, each day unfolded like a tapestry woven with wisdom, compassion, and shared humanity.
What touched me most was the reminder that Reiki is not just a technique, but a way of living. It meets us in our doubts and dissolves them. It flows through our grief and transforms it into connection. It calls us to celebrate life in both stillness and laughter, in crystalline sound baths and in dance beneath the desert sky.
All of this unfolded within the sacred landscape of the Sedona Mago Center for Well-being and Retreat. Established in 1997 by Ilchi Lee, founder of Brain Education, Sedona Mago was envisioned as a destination for spiritual evolution and personal growth. The land itself carries a legacy of healing – it was once owned by Lester Levenson, the founder of the Sedona Method. Today, under the care of the Tao Fellowship, Sedona Mago spans 173 acres and stands as a sanctuary of harmony, mindfulness, and transformation. Rooted in Taoist traditions, it is also considered one of Sedona’s vortex healing sites, amplifying the energy of all who gather there.
Within this vortex of energy, surrounded by red rock mesas and vast desert skies, our community came together. We shared gratitude, faced inner doubts, opened our hearts, and danced with joy. We witnessed how Reiki adapts to a changing world while remaining timeless. Most of all, we remembered that Reiki is alive within us – ready to flow wherever we are called.
As I return home, I carry not only the teachings of Holy Fire Reiki and the experiences of the retreat, but also the essence of Sedona Mago: a reminder that healing, peace, and connection are always available, if we simply pause, open, and allow the energy to move through us.
The retreat may have ended, but the practice continues endlessly.
Follow us @HarmoniousHealingByLisa