About Me ~ Nia Richards, Red Raven

My path to reach Reiki and Reflexology has been filled with twists and turns! I originally became really interested in alternative therapy in University when I was studying Law and Japanese. I joined a society where I first met my Reiki Master although it wasn't until 2004 that alternative therapy took on a life of its own for me. After University, I accidentally stumbled on a job in the NHS. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed and worked my way up the career ladder while studying my part-time MSc in Strategic Management and Public Services. In the summer of 2004 I became very ill and no traditional medicine could either diagnose or help me, so I turned originally to reflexology and then to acupuncture. When my health improved and I went back to work, I found that I still needed support to keep my health in check and continued to have acupuncture and found a cranial osteopath to have regular treatment with two things in 2005 fixed my resolve to do something constructive about my interest in alternative therapies.

I went to the annual alternative healing show in Cardiff Uni's Great Hall and had an aura photo (below) taken. The feedback was breathtaking. I was told that I had great capacity to do something with my interest and that I had great potential. Secondly, I attended a leadership presentation given by a colleague who said that he had taken the plunge and set up his own company and worked for the NHS 3 days a week and for himself 2 days. From that moment I decided that now was my time to take the leap and I booked myself on a Reiki and Reflexology course. The rest, as you can see, is history!!!

Why Red Raven?

For a long time I have tried to find Japanese characters, or 'Kanji' which can be read as 'Nia' (that's me!). Kanji have two readings, the Chinese 'ON' reading and the Japanese 'kun' reading. Usually characters are either read with their ON readings or their kun readings, but rarely together. However, the only characters which would give me Nia were TAN/ni and A/karasu. So, as you can see, this means joining a kun and ON reading together. However, strangely enough once translated the two Kanji gave me Red Raven (strictly red, read lead, red earth and crow, raven) which linked very well with Richards, Reiki and Reflexology!! I have discussed the Kanji with my old Japanese tutors and with some artistic license, the two Kanji can be read 'niA'

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