Hello, my name is Marie Knapp.

I grew up in what used to be called North Toronto near Eglinton and Yonge.  With my husband, Bob, I have been rooted firmly near Owen Sound, Ontario for more than four decades. We have three grown children and three grandchildren. 

I was a naive young woman when I entered Nursing at St Michael’s School of Nursing in Toronto. I worked at “St Mike’s” for a year before going to the University of Western Ontario to achieve a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing (Education). After several years as a Nurse educator,  I researched how adults make changes in their lives related to what they find meaningful for my Doctor of Education dissertation at the University of Toronto (completed in 1991). I have been offering workshops and retreats with that same theme, since my retirement from Georgian College in 2001. I have also been studying subtle energies in particular through Reiki. I offered Reiki sessions and Reiki classes focused on self care and personal growth for several years.  I am the co-author of two books of poetry and about 6 years ago, I wrote the story of my mother which is self published for family and close friends. In 2021 I wrote The Path To A More Inspiring Future and plan to write more within the next year.

Reflection and noticing are part of who I am.  It came naturally to me as I was growing up. I observed and noticed things about people, including myself, from a very early age. I remember walking to school or to church and being able to observe myself from within myself. I noticed that there was “me” and also the ME that watched “me”.

When studying Nursing in Toronto in the 60s, my eyes were opened rather startlingly to the differences in people and in their approach to life. I often wondered how I, a very naïve young woman, could be of any help in the bigger picture of life and the world around me.  I questioned the meaning of all this spiritually and wondered why I was me and what that meant. 

In my former career as a nurse educator, being in the presence of those who wanted to learn and wanted to help others was very positive.  I was intrigued by the personal growth movement at the same time and saw the flaws in my own way of handling challenging situations.

There are things we have to face whether we like it or not and there have been times in my life when I really did not want to face any of that. I have become more aware of the times I was so sure I was right. The surer I am that I am right, the more I need to let go of that sense of being right and open myself up to other possibilities.

Graduate school was certainly an eye opener for me. It was there that I began moving closer to personal growth in the Masters and Doctor of Education courses at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto .  

I first became familiar with Reiki when I took the first level in the mid eighties.  However it was not until around 2005 that I pursued Reiki at a deeper level and began using it for myself as well as with others.  The more I experience Reiki energy the more I recognize the benefits are multi-level.  

Working with intentions as well as being aware of the language we use continues to be part of the work I do with people. I enjoy guiding interested people on their path, sometimes using Reiki, intentions.  Most recently I have used Forest bathing for myself and as an introduction for people who wish to be more connected to the forest.

This is not the end of the road.  Although the years are adding up and my age shows more and more, I continue to learn and to share with others.  I hope you will consider signing up to follow this site and to receive my blogs. What will the blogs be about?  Well it depends on the day.  Try it and see.  You can always unsubscribe.  :))