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Reiki 

Reiki is a method of hands-on-healing through channeling universal energy, divine energy - whatever you like to call it. A person learning Reiki is initiated  by a Reiki Master.  Any person giving a Reiki session channels universal energy through his or her body which flows out through their hands to the person, animal, or plant being treated. The person giving Reiki is similar to an antenna on a TV set. They are the 'transmitter'.

What is Reiki?

The word come from the Japanese.

The 1^st syllable    REI  =  spirit / aura / subtle energy

The 2^nd syllable    KI    =  energy / power 

Different cultures have different names for this energy:

In China it is called                     Qi  (pronounced chi)

In India or Sanskrit it is called   Prana

In English          Life force, cosmic energy, divine energy 

Reiki is an oral tradition.  You cannot teach or learn Reiki from a book.  The keystone of it,  as with many other oriental teachings,  is the direct transmission of energy from a properly trained Master to the student.  This is called an initiation. 

During treatment, the practitioner does not use his/her own energy so he/she does not get drained.  It is universal energy that gets channeled and  the therapist also receives a 'treatment' at the same time.

Only pure,  universal energy is channeled,   therefore it is a very safe system.

On which levels does Reiki works on?

All levels - spiritual,  mental, physical and emotional.  It is a totally natural and holistic system.  It is an 'intelligent' force - it will go to the level where the problem exists in the body of the patient.  Because it works on all levels there are so many different reactions ('cleanses') during and after a treatments. 

One of the beauties of Reiki is that it goes through clothes,  blankets and even plaster casts! thus treatments can be done at home, on a bus, where ever.

The History

Dr. Mikau Ushi,  a Japanese,  is the founder and was the first Grand Master, who introduced the Ushi System of Reiki Healing. 

Reiki dates back about 2,500 years,  but was forgotten for a long time. It was rediscovered by Dr. Ushi, a Christian headmaster and minister at the Dosh-i-sha University in Kyoto, Japan.  He was prompted on his journey in search of this method of healing when his students wanted to know if he believed that Jesus had performed miracles (which he did) and wanted to know if his healing stories were true.  If they were true the students wanted Dr. Ushi to demonstrate HOW Jesus had done this. 

He didn't know how it was done,  but he took their demands seriously,  and told them 'I will find out and return to tell you'.  He resigned from his post the next day and went on his quest. He spent 7 years in America studying theology,  reading Christian scriptures but could find no formula how Jesus did his healing.  He studied Buddhism, because Buddha had also healed the sick. 

Returning to Japan because of the many Buddhist temples and monasteries there he thus had more scriptures available for study.  He read these archives - and found nothing.  As Buddhism came to Japan from China he decided to learn Chinese, and later still Sanskrit, the sacred and ancient language of India, where Buddha was born, so more literature would be at hand to him.  

In Sanskrit writings he came across a formula, some symbols, that describe how Buddha did his healing. He had finally found what he was looking for, but he did not have the healing power which he knew had to come from within. 

He decided to meditate and fast on top of a sacred mountain near his home town for 21 days. He kept count of the days by laying 21 stones out in front of him. On the last day of the meditation session he received the healing power through a blinding flash. All this was back in the 1870s !

After that he set to work, at first, to heal the poor and needy, who could not afford to pay for treatment. 

Years later he set out the 5 spiritual principles of Reiki,   we could all learn from

             Just for today do not anger

            Just for today do not worry

            Honour your teachers, parents and elders

            Earn your living honestly

            Show gratitude to all living things

Later,  Dr. Ushi went on a pilgrimage around Japan healing and teaching Reiki. Here he met his disciple Mr. Hayashi,  who became Grand Master after Ushis death in 1926. Mr. Hayashi later created the 1st Reiki clinic with 8 beds in Tokyo.

Each Grand Master added something to the system of teaching.

Mr. Hayashi introduced   a) system of passing 3 degrees,   b) the initiation procedures for each  master and c), the standard hand positions during a treatment.

Mrs Takata, a Japanese woman, who brought Reiki to the West became the next Grand Master and introduced a US$ 10,000 fee for the Reiki Masters Degree (still charged by some Masters, however many are reducing the fee). Her initiated Masters (a total of only 22) introduced a 'waiting time' between degrees.  The current Grand Master is  Takatas grand-daughter, Phillis Lei Furumoto. 

So, in Reiki there is one Grand Master, thousands of Masters, and millions of Reiki healers. Since Reiki came to the West it has spread with a phenomenal mushrooming effect. The estimated Reiki persons world-wide has been put at approx. 5 million. 

Healing methods

1^st Degree Reiki  (usually a 2 day course) 

This deals only with  hands-on healing and can be used on people as well as animals. Animals respond very well to Reiki, because they are more attuned than us to changes in subtle energies, or the auric fields near them. 

During the initiation  the student is 'linked up'. The crown,  heart and hand chakras are opened to channel the energy. They are taught the positions of the hands over the body,  and what organ relates to which emotion i.e. a hot liver = anger.

They automatically become attuned to the universal healing energy.

After the initiation the energy flows immediately whenever a person or living thing is touched.

One can say: hands on, Reiki on - hands off, Reiki off. These are incredibly simple directions for healing. 

Not everybody learning 1^st degree Reiki goes into healing, some use it in the agricultural sector to help plants grow, or animals. Occassionally, special psychic abilities develop spontaneously.  

It is advisable to wait 2-3 months after the1^st degree to let time pass as there is so much emotinal 'stuff' that comes out that needs to be worked through first before moving onto the 2^nd degree. Some people are frightened by the energy and powerful reactions experienced during the 1^st initiation,  and continue to experience many weeks after the course,  until their bodies have adjusted to the increased energy that they are quite happy doing 1^st degree Reiki only. 

Many masters now do the 1^st and 2^nd degree initiation courses over a weekend, which in the eyes of purist is deemed incorrect.

2^nd Degree Reiki (also a 2-day course) 

2^nd degree Reiki is to send distant healing.  It helps one give healing to family and friends who live far away. It also helps one connect and communicate with animal world and nature through unconditional love. 

This course works with symbols,  learning to write & remembering them,  and experiencing their powers etc. The symbols are secret and sacred and to be treated with respect.  The initiation activates the power of the symbols. 

Another benefit 2^nd degree Reiki has is the power of the hands-on-healing is doubled.  Also a deeper inner personal transformation usually takes place.

Mrs Takata, the late Grand Master, used to say 1^st degree Reiki is like driving a car at 30 mph, whilst distant healing is like stepping on to the pedal,  and driving at 80 mph to get to the same place,  but faster. 

The other advantage,  is that hourly treatments can be cut down to 20 mins. or less, depending on what is being treated. 

3rd Degree Reiki  the last step is to become a Master, 

For that one needs at least 8-10 or more years experience at healing and spiritual discipline. 

 Like many holistic practices some people have given Reiki a bad name usually through inappropriate healing.  Inadequate Reiki 'healers' became practioners, often purely for monetary reasons.  For this reason the International Reiki Healers (a charity organization) are aiming to create a network of Quality Assured Reiki Healers and some of the functions are to: - 

      1) Abide by IRH Codes of Conduct  & Codes of Practice         

    2) Include insurance policies, 

    3) Have disciplinary procedures credible to medical professionals

    4) Honour Dr. Ushis teachings,   and

    5) Providing extra training   are but a few of their aims.

 

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