REIKI-AN INTRODUCTION

About Reiki

Every living being radiates warmth and energy- this energy is the life force itself and has as many names as there are human civilizations. In Japan it is called Ki and is the root word for Reiki. It is called Chi in China, Barraka in Islamic countries,Ruach in Hebrew, the Polynesian Hunas call it Mana , in India it is called Prana (also a Yoga term), and the Iroquois people refer to it asOrenda . The word Reiki derives from two Japanese words that mean literally: God-like energy. This is universal life energy.

The source of all universal life energy is the source of all life and is older than all creation. Just as there are many names for Ki, there are just as many names for this source: Creator, God, the Universe, the First Source, Goddess, the Higher Self, Great Mystery, Higher Power, etc. The attunements for Reiki I allows the receiver to become a channel or conduit for universal life force energy through an intensified connection to this limitless Source. In that end, Reiki is a highly spiritual healing art.

Beginning with that first attunement, the receiver is able to connect with healing Ki simply by placing their hands on themselves or someone else. The life force energy automatically flows through the practitioner, first healing her or him and then healing the other. One of the first things people notice about this healing energy is an intensified heat radiating from the person’s hands. Those who have experienced a Reiki healing often comment that “her hands were so hot!” This is the life force energy flowing through them, and it is powerful!

Reiki Healing Energy

Reiki

Reiki belongs to everyone and everyone has the seed of Reiki within them. I believe it is part of our human genetic heritage. As Diane Stein writes in her bookEssential Reiki :

“Reiki was once universal and was never meant to be lost. Children of early Earth, in the civilization we call Mu today, received Reiki I training at the beginning of grade school. They received Reiki II at what we would define as junior high school age. Reiki III,and  the Teacher/Master’s training was required for educators and was available to any who wanted it.”

What I really like about Reiki is that you do not need to believe that it works for it to work. It is not a religion or a religious belief, although its principles can be found in Christianity, Buddhism, various tribal teachings, and spanning both Eastern and Western philosophies. It is easy to recognize these teachings and principles within all faiths and belief systems.

There are five Reiki Principles that every Reiki practitioner should try to live by. Of all the variations I have seen, none violate any religion or religious ethic. My favorite version is as follows:

THE FIVE REIKI PRINCIPLES

Just for today, I will count my many blessings.

Just for today, I will not dwell on worries and fears.

Just for today, I will let go of my anger.

Just for today, I will do my work honestly.

Just for today, I will honor my teachers, parents, Elders and all of Life.

Becoming a Reiki practitioner is the process of opening and aligning what is already within you. You can experience this by receiving an attunement from a Reiki Master- one who has received all of the attunements through Reiki Masters. During the adjustment phase immediately following the Reiki I attunements, a new healer may experience: feeling light-headed, have vivid dreams including past life dreams, and sometimes detoxification symptoms. This is because more Ki energy than ever before is entering the body and increasing your capacity to channel it, opening your chakras and rebalancing your bodily systems.

When doing a healing, the Reiki practitioner can either place two hands on a pain area, or use the Reiki full body hand positions. It is not necessary for the healer to know what needs healing; the Ki energy goes where it needs to. Although the energy is flowing through the healer’s hands, this energy is not drawn from the healer but from the Source of life energy. My own personal inspiration comes from the stories of Jesus healing others by putting His hands on them. When I do a healing on someone, I always imagine  rays of light coming from the heavens, through the healing hands of Jesus and entering into the top of my head. The light or healing energy, then travels through me and out through my hands into the other person. That’s when my hands start to get really hot, and I become a conduit for the healing energy. The heat really intensifies if my hands go over a problem area for that person. When that happens, I will leave my hands on that area longer so the Ki can enter directly and immediately.

The healing does not always heal what ails someone; sometimes there are many deep blockages within their chakras and various levels of their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being. It may take many healings to overcome some disease. As the Ki energy goes where it needs to, it is not up to me to decide WHAT to heal. I also know that at the very least, a Reiki healing can provide some degree of comfort and ease a few of the symptoms of dis-ease. If someone is dying, Reiki cannot stop or hold them back from passing. But it can ease the process for one who is terminal. If there is fear of dying, Reiki can ease those fears.

Disease is the process of not being at ease in the non-physical levels- that’s why I often use the hyphen in the word disease. Most physical pain has at its root mental, emotional or spiritual despair. If you are not at ease with any of these non-physical levels, it is likely that it will manifest itself as a physical dis-ease. Reiki heals at all of these levels, and as such is a holistic healing art.

Reiki Can Never Cause Harm

Because Reiki is guided by the God-consciousness, it can never do harm. It always knows what a person needs and will adjust itself to create the effect that is appropriate for them. One never need worry about whether to give Reiki or not. It is always helpful.In addition, because the practitioner does not direct the healing and does not decide what to work on, or what to heal, the practitioner is not in danger of taking on the karma of the client. Because the practitioner is not doing the healing, it is also much easier for the ego to stay out of the way and allow the presence of God to clearly shine through.

Energy is Never Depleted

Because it is a channeled healing, the Reiki practitioner’s energies are never depleted. In fact, the Reiki consciousness considers both practitioner and client to be in need of healing, so both receive treatment. Because of this, giving a treatment always increases one’s energy and leaves one surrounded with loving feelings of well-being.