Returning to Siquijor: An Earth Retreat and My First Reiki Attunement

In the last quarter of 2024, I attended an Earth Retreat on a small mystical island in the Philippines called Siquijor. It was actually my second time on the island. My first visit had only been a short trip, but somehow, I knew I would come back. I didn’t know then what would bring me back or when it would happen. I just knew I wasn’t done with Siquijor yet.

Siquijor is known by many for its stories of healers, witchcraft and black magic. But I think what makes the island feel mystical is how deeply connected the people are to nature. They seem more attuned and in alignment with the natural world around them. The sea, the forests, the mountains, and the land. Being there somehow makes you slow down and reconnect with nature too.

This time, I wasn’t there just to travel. I came back for an Earth Retreat. The retreat was facilitated by Laura Schram, founder of the Coral Reef & Rainforest Conservation Project (CRCP), a non-profit environmental conservation organisation in the Philippines focused on protecting ecosystems through research, environmental education and conservation projects.

During the retreat, I met a beautiful mix of souls. For the first time in a long time, I felt seen and heard. I wasn’t alone. There were other people who understood me.

The retreat lasted for three days, and one of the things we had to do was put our gadgets away. No phones and no distractions. Our meals were also vegetarian throughout the retreat. Our days were filled with activities that allowed us to slow down and reconnect with ourselves and with nature. We did meditation, yoga, forest bathing, firefly watching and a sound bath. We shared stories and spent time together without constantly reaching for our phones. It was a different pace from what I was used to. Those three days were filled with authenticity, vulnerability and love.

I was surrounded by people I had only just met, yet somehow I felt comfortable enough to open up. I purged so much emotional weight during the retreat and left feeling lighter. It was also during the retreat that I received Reiki healing in person for the first time.

My First Reiki Attunement

Reiki is a form of energy healing where a practitioner places their hands lightly on or just above the body. The practice is based on the belief that universal life energy can be channelled through the practitioner to support relaxation, balance and overall well-being. Reiki is also practised as a form of self-healing, which was one of the reasons I became interested in learning it myself.

In the morning, we had a session where we learned about the history and principles of Reiki, how it is practised, and how we could use it for self-healing and eventually offer Reiki to others. That evening, we had our attunement, which was the final part of our Level 1 training.

The attunement took place in a quaint house nestled deep in the forest, surrounded by balete trees and lush greenery. The space was quiet, cosy and intentionally prepared. Soft Reiki music played in the background. I don’t remember clearly if I was sitting or standing at the beginning; however, I recall feeling ticklish sensations throughout my body. Afterwards, I was asked to lie down and received my first full Reiki healing.

It was surreal. Laura gently placed her hands on my head, moving slowly down towards my lower body. She spent a noticeably long time in the sacral area. She told me I carried a lot of stored trauma there and that I had been holding a deep loneliness for a long time. I felt a rush of emotion and began to cry. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for finally doing something for myself and for having someone hold space for me in such a loving way.

During the process, I felt a distinct presence nearby, although I couldn’t quite tell what it was since my eyes were closed. Laura told me a lady spirit had come to assist her, but she disappeared before I opened my eyes.

After the attunement, I felt good and also extremely sleepy. But that night, I couldn’t sleep. I felt strange sensations along my spine. Interestingly, two others couldn’t sleep either. We stepped outside into the stillness of nature and spent some time under the stars. While meditating, I had a vision: a giant serpent in a river, surrounded by trees. A blue bird watched silently from a branch. When I shared the vision, someone suggested it might be related to a kundalini awakening, but that’s a story for another day.

Snorkeling and Coral Reef Conservation

After the retreat and my Reiki attunement, I decided to extend my stay for another day. This time, it wasn’t for another spiritual activity. I joined a one-day introduction to coral reefs, where we learned about the ecosystem before going out to snorkel and see it for ourselves. It felt like a fitting way to end the trip. I had spent the previous days reconnecting with myself and with nature, and on my last day, I got to learn more about the environment surrounding us. The underwater world was such a great bonus. There were so many corals and colourful fish, and it simply felt good to be in the ocean. I came to Siquijor for healing, but I left with a greater appreciation for the island and its natural environment too.

When I returned home, I got sick for about one to two weeks. At the time, I understood it as part of the purging process we had been told could happen after the retreat and attunement. Whatever the reason, once I recovered, I noticed that I had much more energy than before. I used to feel drained easily. Even walking a short distance exhausted me. Afterwards, I could clean the whole house and still have energy left. I even went on to climb Mt. Apo, the highest peak in the Philippines, and reached the summit. That was something I never thought I’d be able to do.