Ruby Merrick from Redstone Healer explains how Reiki changed her life completely and how healing others with her energy has become her be all and end all.
Which parts of your life journey truly impacted the Ruby of today?
My childhood, as what you learn during this period of your life lays down the blueprint for how you then continue to be a child in an adult’s world. I had quite an unconventional childhood. My parents split up when I was very young, and I lived with my father (who had a history of both physical and mental illness). He went on to marry another woman who I later realized was a total narcissist. In addition, I was estranged from my mother for many decades too and this also took its toll.
This experience certainly moulded me for the adult world. I experienced both domestic violence and psychological abuse in my relationships because I didn’t have the structures or boundaries in place, or the tools one develops when coming from conventional and healthy upbringings. When one is broken, one tends to attract people who are equally broken in their own way, or those who simply want to dominate.
I lost my father in 2012 and this was the moment that I knew I was about to embark on a tumultuous journey that would change me forever. It had been brewing for a while. I then lost my husband in 2018. Everything that happened between these two dates was symbolic of the change in me that had been a long time coming; my children were not well, changes in diet, realizing that things that are physical often have an emotional start point. I started to peel back the layers on many levels.
The pharmaceutical industry was one of the first things I started to question, and I realized it was not the route I needed or wanted to go down, for the wellbeing of both my daughters and myself. This led to me delving into nutrition and how our diets can seriously affect our physical beings.
How do you proceed with a client and what healing therapies do you offer?
It depends on how the client comes to me. It could be through casual conversation at the beach or at the shop, sometimes it may be a referral, or through my website. I usually start with information gathering and depending on what it is they are going through, this determines the modality I would recommend.
It is also important to establish whether we have a good connection and whether they feel comfortable with me as they will be sharing information with me that they may have been carrying around for a long time. If I am not the right person for them, I will be open and honest and perhaps refer them to someone else. By the same token, I need to feel confident I can help them.
I practice energy healing. Initially I was called to do Reiki, but the further I traveled down this healing path, and as Spirit worked through me, my energy healing started tapping into universal energies too.. Now, I will invite in the spirits and energies that are around, in my healing space. Consequently, in a healing session, the client may feel like there are many hands around them.
I also work with sound. I started working with drums for myself and found it amazing. I then signed up to do a diploma with The British Academy of Sound Therapy and did some intense training with them.
I discovered that as much as you are holding space for your client and listening to what they are going through. Real healing comes from within. You come to realize that everything you need is within you. It was a real learning journey and I continue to learn with every individual that I meet and work with.
Why was Reiki such a trigger in your life particularly?
In 2017, while my husband was ill, I was in a terrible way and so many things were going on in my life. The universe was telling me that I was not following my path and wasn’t being authentic with myself. My work situation was awful, and I was teetering on the edge of a breakdown. I left my job, and although I had no money in the bank I didn’t care because I just couldn’t take it anymore.
Other options popped up but after my husband died, I couldn’t get around to doing them, I couldn’t complete the course that I had signed up for etc… The person that I was in late 2017 was no longer the person I had become in 2018. I had to let go of those past attachments.
I had contacted a lady (and I have no idea how this came about) and asked her about Reiki. I then got an email from this woman asking if I wanted to join the course – I realized I had cleared the space which had allowed for something else to come along.
This Reiki course was extremely profound. It opened me up in ways that I had never experienced in this earthly shell. It was exactly what I needed at the time. It also made me realize how psychic I am (and always had been) and how in tune I was with the energies that were around me and had been since I was little. It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had.
Can you work remotely with your clients?
Yes, I can do distance healing. I am also looking to reach a larger audience with my sound healing. This is a work in progress – from a technical point of view.
Do both Sound Therapy and Reiki work with frequencies and how is this interconnected with the universe and the bigger picture?
Everything is energy and everything is connected. We are energetic beings, and we vibrate at a frequency. There are different ways to ascertain if the energy is vibrating correctly. Some use intuition and others receive messages and for some it is simply a ‘knowing’.
If I am working around different energy points, I may feel more energy coming out of my hands at a particular point, or I may feel hot spots in my hands, and sometimes I am just guided. Sound therapy works with frequencies, and different frequencies work with different emotions. It really depends on what the client is going through.
Working with these modalities allows you to realize how things are interconnected and the frequencies allow you the space to release the trapped emotion. It can take you on quite a journey.
Would you say that the practice of Sound Healing and Reiki can be preventative measures against disease?
Absolutely. I have people who come to me who are already in a bad way (trauma, bad experience or a combination of all sorts of things) and they need help to allow themselves to heal.
Fear destroys the immune system and I feel that currently people are coming down with issues that they didn’t have before. They are making themselves sick. If you have come through this last period in our world, and have managed to maintain an even keel, these treatments can be preventative.
Having a healing session is part of being kind to yourself. Self-care isn’t a privilege and should be cherished. I would recommend a session once a month just to stay in tune with yourself and to relieve any buildup of stress.
Do you advocate holistic therapies alongside conventional medicine?
There is space for both. One of my favorite sayings is ‘follow the money’. Ultimately you must weigh it up and be open to the different options that are available to you. Is this modality not recognized because there is no money to be made??
When would you suggest using one modality over another or do the two go hand in hand?
If you have gone down the allopathic route and you have found that you have made no headway, then there is nothing to lose. What I have come to understand, unless it is a sports injury, for most people, is that the problem at hand will have an emotional start point. If you do not address the emotional trigger, you will never solve the issue and all you will do is continue to ingest more pills or apply more cream. This is just a sticky plaster… Is this how you want to live your life?
What has been your most rewarding experience in the professional arena?
There are so many. When you see your client get up and visibly see they are lighter. When you hear them talking about what a difference it made for them (months later even). I don’t realize the effect I have on other people, and I don’t even consider it – I just do what I do and go where I am guided. I think there are higher energies that work through me, and I know that I am a channel.
When you hear what other people say, this is its own reward because you know you are being of service. Part of my mission is to allow for my energy to reach more individuals – it is not about me. I need to bang my drum, literally and figuratively!
