My Egyptian Sekhem Initiation

When I went round to see Annie the other evening, I thought we’d be giving each other an Indian Head Massage – our usual Friday night energy swap. Little did I know I would come out initiated in the Egyptian art of Sekhem!

I had a Sekhem treatment with Annie about a year ago, and it’s my favourite out of all the therapies I’ve had at Heaven Scent Bliss. The treatment itself is a bit like Reiki, in that you lie down fully clothed and Annie lays her hands on (or over) each part of your body in turn, channelling Sekhem energy. Sekhem energy is very powerful and can have a profound effect. In my particular session, I’d been chatting to Annie throughout the treatment, but the minute she laid her hands on my head, it calmed my racing mind so much that I fell instantly silent, unable to twitch a muscle – let alone a brain cell!

Anyway, back to my initiation. Annie started by explaining the origin and history of Sekhem. Sekhem was taught in the temples of early Egypt and is an ancient system of wisdom. The word Sekhem, she explained, means ‘Living Light Energy’. It has a higher vibrational frequency than Reiki and is channelled in a different way. Unlike Reiki, which draws the energy through the crown to the hands, Sekhem energy is drawn from the soul chakra through the crown chakra and down through the body to the earth chakra below the feet and then up and out through the hands.

Annie showed me pictures of significant places in Egypt, some of which she had taken herself on her travels, and she explained some of the symbolism. One of the pictures was of Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess associated with Sekhem. With the body of a woman and the head of a lioness, Sekhmet is a warrior goddess as well as a goddess of healing and regeneration. And this, I discovered is what Sekhem is all about – drawing energy in to bring balance to those areas of the mind, body, emotions and spirit that need it most. Annie told me, I would be able to use Sekhem to heal not only myself, but friends and family too. I learned that the practitioner never feels depleted from sharing this energy, as the energy is pulled in from a higher power. Basically, the more you give, the more you receive. How exciting!

In order to equip me with this energy, Annie performed two short ceremonies. The first was to cleanse me from negativity, in order to clear space for the Sekhem energy to enter. Sitting on a chair in Annie’s candlelit treatment room with my hands on my knees, palms turned upwards, I closed my eyes. Annie then carried out a short Sekhem treatment on me, at one point putting my hands together and raising them above my head and back down again to my knees. The second ceremony took a similar form, but this time Annie was channelling the energy into me for my use permanently from this point onwards.

One thing you notice with Sekhem energy is the feeling of unconditional love. For those who have never experienced this (or have limited experience of this) in their lives, it can be quite overwhelming at first, and it’s easy to see how this energy can be used to heal our bodies, fighting infections and other ailments, and to heal our minds, replacing any negativity with love and joy. My own experience of this during the attunement, as Sekhem initiations are sometimes called, was a feeling of complete peace. Having had an extremely frantic couple of days that had left me feeling completely wrung out, a calm descend on me to the point where I nearly nodded off!

In addition to receiving Sekhem energy, Annie showed me a meditation exercise with a mantra that is recommended to all students of Sekhem. She also showed me a powerful visualisation exercise to be used for protection from negative energies. This is particularly useful before starting a treatment or before meditating, as it grounds you. I found the visualisation also quite empowering.

During the initiation, Annie also explored with me three Sekhem symbols: the Dispersing Symbol, which can break up and disperse blocked energy on a mental, physical and spiritual level; the Sacred Spiral, which magnifies the Living Light Energy, allowing us to access the total amount of energy available; and Mai Yur Ma, which is all to do with magnifying unconditional love.

The interesting thing with Sekhem, is that when channelling it for someone else, you receive a blast of it yourself. And for this reason, it is one of Annie’s favourite treatments too.

Back home a few days later, I am channelling Sekhem for myself and remotely for a friend who is ill. I’m yet to use Sekhem on a loved one face-to-face, but I can’t wait to try. Since having been transformed with Sekhem’s energy, I’m also noticing a couple of things – I’m more centered and grounded and I feel calmer. I also have a sudden longing to visit Egypt!