"The light is One and cannot be divided."
Joan 'Joni' Dittrich
Ph.D., Usui and Holy Fire II Reiki Master Founder, Kali-Ki Wisdom School
A Practical Mystic:
“I like to think of myself as what Br. Wayne Teasdale refers to as a “practical mystic.”
From a very early age I would often see the light that shines within and through people and nature.
From the play of light and motion on ocean waves to visionary experiences of light taking the form of healing Reiki symbols, for me the notion of “enlightenment” has always been literal.
It is the divine light of being in which there is no separation between self and god and all is truly One.
A Practical Approach
The practical part has been in discovering the means for actually abiding in this light while living in a world which is a constant play between darkness and light.
How can we heal from the darkness of our fears, broken relationships, trauma, anger, despair, loss, addictions and illness?
In short, how do humans overcome what the Buddha referred to as “dukkha” or the suffering inherent in the play of consciousness? How can we find our deeper wholeness when we feel broken?
My Path included Psychology, Yoga and Meditation
These questions led me to the study of psychology and the world’s religious and mystical traditions, and especially to yoga and meditation.
All of these paths offered solace and self-awareness, compassion and wisdom and gave me tools to share with others as a teacher and psychologist.
- The sometimes excruciatingly honest self-inquiry of psychotherapy yields insight into and remove destructive patterns of thought and behavior.
- Yoga releases trauma and blockages that get “stuck” in the body, yielding physical and emotional strength and fluidity.
- And meditation dissolves the self-importance of the ego while finding the peace of knowing one’s own true nature as non-separate from divine source.
Miracles Occurred
Always fascinated by the biblical stories of Jesus’ miraculous healings, I also began to study energy healing in the 1990’s, taking classes in Usui Reiki and Christian laying on of hands. Indeed, miracles did occur.
I was astonished when I observed in clients what I couldn’t explain: the restoration of eyesight, remissions from cancer, and the reversal of suicidal depression.
I began to see that the careful interweaving of the three main areas of my study and practice -- Psychology, Yoga and Meditation, and Reiki – was leading to some very powerful and positive outcomes for clients and students.
I apprenticed with Connee Pike in 2006-2007 to receive my Reiki mastery and began my deep Neelakantha Meditation practices and studies with Paul Muller-Ortega in 2008.
Symbols and Messages Came
Within a year I was receiving messages and symbols from Mother Kali, who I consider to be one with all aspects of the Divine Feminine and Great Mother: Mary, Tara, Kwan Yin, Sophia, Fatima, the Shekina, Ishtar, Isis.
The symbols I was given were to be used for healing and thus Kali-Ki Reiki and Wisdom School was born.
I was later given a spiritual name which was confirmed by my meditation teacher; Kalisara, which means the essence or flow of Kali and which is also the name of Sarah, the patron saint of the Romani people.
Toward the Guru Within
As a light worker and healer I am grateful for these mystical experiences and the practicality of being able to pass them along to others.
I appreciate as well as my own continued self-healing I continually progress through the twists and turns of life in the world. Even as the light expands, new areas that have been hidden in the shadows arise to be healed.
Always I seek the guru within, knowing that the word “guru” itself means the one who removes the darkness so that the ever-shining light may be revealed.
And that ever-shining light is pure Love.
"Spiritual progress is like detoxification – things have to come up in order to be released. Once we have asked to be healed, then our unhealed places are forced to come to the surface."