The Queer Ritual Podcast

This one might ruffle a few feathers. What is spiritual whitewashing? How has it affected various Asian spiritual practices, including Reiki?

I delve into the three Masters from most modern Reiki practitioners' lineage charts (Usui Mikao, Hayashi Chujiro, and Ms Hawayo Takata), along with how they each practiced/taught differently. How much of the original Japanese practices still survive in the way it is practiced today? How much is Reiki influenced by Shingon Buddhism? What do the various "styles" of Reiki have in common? Find out here.

Works cited/mentioned:
My interview appearance on the Echo Ekoji podcast - https://youtu.be/zyyw-c3MaBE?si=JIHRkI9UsfkfVrFV
Lübeck, Walter; Petter, Frank Arjava; Rand, William Lee: The Spirit of Reiki.
Stein, Justin B: Alternate Currents: Reiki’s Circulation in the Twentieth-Century North Pacific.
Stiene, Frans: The Way of Reiki: The Inner Teachings of Mikao Usui

Music in this episode: "osaka" by snoozybeats, accessed from the Free Music Archive under a Creative Commons license (CC BY)

For inquiries: [email protected] 
My skincare and Reiki boutique: Plumeria Beauty+Wellness 
https://plumeriabewell.as.me

After rewatching Avatar: Way of Water in preparation for the new film Avatar: Fire and Ash, I decided to revisit the spiritual aspects of this second Avatar film. Listen to this episode to understand the Avatar films from a Buddhist and Hindu perspective. I go into the Buddhist concepts of karma and bodhisattvas and how they apply to the film, as well as how the dynamics of the Sully family fit with the family systems model from psychology. What are the aspects of Metkayina and Tulkun spirituality that differentiate them from other Na'vi clans?

And what do I think is the secret that will be revealed about Kiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash? (Hint: I don't think she's Na'vi Jesus!)

Spoiler warning for the first two Avatar films, and potential spoilers for Avatar: Fire and Ash!

Expect another Spiritual Movie Club episode on the film Sinners in January 2026! And another episode on the Mamoru Hosoda film Wolf Children in early 2026. (I am waiting for Wolf Children to cease being out of print before I revisit that film.)

Music in this episode: "osaka" by snoozybeats, accessed from the Free Music Archive under a Creative Commons license (CC BY)
Image from the film Avatar: Way of Water used under fair use for media discussion.

For inquiries: [email protected] 
My skincare and Reiki boutique: Plumeria Beauty+Wellness 
https://plumeriabewell.as.me

We've got a special treat today! This is my first guest interview on the podcast. I speak with Maggie Johns, owner of Tacit Touch Somatic Therapy. We talk about the Transformative Touch method of somatic therapy as a healing modality, the mind body connection (from Western and Eastern/Reiki/Ayurvedic perspectives), and Maggie's experiences with learning to let go of shame resulting from her Southern Baptist upbringing. Maggie is not a member of the LGBTQ community, but she is an ally and mom to the community! Her experiences with faith are also something a lot of us in the Queer community share, which is one of the reasons I invited her to speak on the podcast.

You can find Maggie and her business Tacit Touch here: https://www.tacittouch.com
And for inquiries into seeing her as a client, she can be reached at [email protected]

Music in this episode: "osaka" by snoozybeats, accessed from the Free Music Archive under a Creative Commons license (CC BY)

In this episode: I go over the Five Reiki Precepts (Gokai), a brief explanation of what Reiki is, the different branches of Japanese spirituality that influenced Reiki, and related modern practices within Japan that share heritage with Reiki. These are topics I discuss in more detail during my Reiki Level 1 trainings, so consider this just a taste of all that Reiki has to offer!

• Animism, Shinto, Daoism / Taoism, Yin Yang, Sino-Japanese Medicine, TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mahayana Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism, Shingon, Tendai, Shugendo, Aiki, Kiko, Qigong, Shiatsu massage, acupressure, wellness, alternative health, energy healing, energy medicine, healing modalities •

If you are interested in studying Reiki with me, or if you have other questions for me, send me an email: [email protected]
I am currently accepting interview guests for future episodes of the podcast! I am especially interested in interviewing other wellness practitioners or people who have left their faith of origin. Message me for more details.
IG/Tt: rikidementia
Business Instagram: plumeria.beauty.wellness
Plumeria Beauty+Wellness, Spotsylvania, VA

As always: May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be well.
🙏📿☯️🕉

In this episode, I delve into how emotions affect the health of your body, both from a Western medical perspective and an Eastern spiritual perspective

IG/Tt: rikidementia
Facebook: Plumeria Beauty+Wellness
Online bookings: https://plumeriabewell.as.me
Email: [email protected]
Interview request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/...

As always, may you be happy, healthy, and well 🙏

(Fixed a glitch in the previous version!)

Bonus Halloween episode! From The Lost Boys to Buffy and True Blood, vampire stories have loved to play with gay and lesbian themes. Why is that? And why do so many gays and lesbians love vampire stories?

Bonus Halloween episode! From The Lost Boys to Buffy and True Blood, vampire stories have loved to play with gay and lesbian themes. Why is that? And why do so many gays and lesbians love vampire stories?

This episode is part 2 of the ongoing series of the spiritual wounds of LGBTQ people. In this segment, I focus on how the coming out process can fracture the spirit and lead to fragmentation of self. We can disown parts of ourselves, using language like "same sex attraction" instead of "my sexuality" or "my gender identity." Some of the deep wounds from living in the closet can cause lasting feelings of shame and unworthiness that continue to manifest in our lives even after coming out. I also briefly discuss somatic healing methods that can begin to address the lasting physical ramifications of spiritual wounding. (Reiki, myofascial release / Barnes technique, Emotional Freedom Technique, tapping, biofeedback, and The Emotion Code)

Now that we have addressed how these wounds manifest into adulthood, the upcoming episodes in this series will all be devoted to the healing process! 🙏

For inquiries:
IG/TT: @rikidementia
[email protected]
Plumeria Beauty+Wellness ; Spotsylvania, VA
www.instagram.com/plumeria.beauty.wellness
https://plumeriabewell.as.me 

What is spiritual wounding, and how does this pertain to LGBTQ people? In this episode, I delve into common spiritual wounds people in the community face. This is a long winded topic, so there will be multiple episodes in this series!

(This upload was a discarded take from the prior upload. I hadn't realized the previous audio file failed to upload correctly!)

Where to reach me:
IG/Tt: @rikidementia
📧: [email protected]

Plumeria Beauty + Wellness; Spotsylvania, VA
www.instagram.com/plumeria.beauty.wellness
To schedule a healing session: https://plumeriabewell.as.me

In this episode, I talk about some common spiritual wounds people in the LGBTQ community may have, as well as how these wounds can manifest in adulthood. Some of these wounds may start in the home, while others can happen in school, in our spiritual communities, or in our adult relationships.

While I do my best to avoid triggering language in this episode, I do briefly touch on issues related to abuse, neglect, and addiction.

This episode is the first in an ongoing series! I will discuss various healing and spiritual modalities to heal these spiritual wounds in a follow-up episode.

Follow me on my socials!
IG/TikTok: rikidementia
Email inquiries: [email protected]
Online bookings for spiritual services: https://plumeriabewell.as.me