What is Reiki

[TeaDidikai]

What is Reiki?

The word Reiki is Japanese in origin. Broken into two parts the word is Rei- meaning Universal, Spirit or Divine, and Ki, meaning energy also known in China as Chi. Together the word means Universal Energy and is used to describe one specific path of healing energy or healing touch.

There are hundreds of different forms of healing touch with Reiki being only one amongst them. It is important to remember that while these other forms of healing energy and healing touch are perfectly valid in their own right, they are not the same thing as Reiki.

Reiki is a relatively new healing tradition, founded by Dr. Usui in the late 1890�s. Dr. Usui was a Christian missionary who, through research that took him all around the world, was smacked with a particular form of enlightenment that allowed him to tap into a force he titled Reiki. He founded a clinic in Hawaii and through trial and error learned how to pass along his knowledge of Reiki to his pupils.

There are many schools of Reiki, Usiu Reiki, Ichi Sekai (or One World) Reiki, �Tibetan� Reiki and Emerald Dragon Reiki to name but a few. All of them are valid and wonderful Reiki paths that can be used to heal the body, mind and soul of an individual. The only caution when selecting a practitioner is to be aware of their lineage. A Reiki practitioner should be able to trace their Reiki Masters back to Dr. Usui himself, as over the years many people claimed to be Reiki Masters, but were in fact practicing a completely different healing art (if they were practicing it at all).

Some sects or schools of Reiki allow you to belong to both the Founding Tradition and the Sub sect, while others only initiate their Masters into one or the other. I myself am a Master of Emerald Dragon, Ichi Sekai and Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki, and am currently working on mastering a fourth school of Reiki.

There are three levels to a Reiki Practitioner�s path. The first is that of a standard practitioner. These people can pass along Reiki energy to those around them through touch. They must truly be touching their patient with this degree of initiation. The next is a Reiki Adept, these people can pass Reiki to others without touch, and even over great distances as well as healing with direct contact. Reiki Masters are able to initiate people and inanimate objects so that they can in turn pass Reiki on to those around them.

Now that the history is out of the way, Reiki itself is a specific healing energy that is used to push toxins from the body, speed up the body�s natural regeneration functions, break down key units of energy so they are more easily absorbed, soothe mental and physical stresses and balance the natural processes that exist within everyone and thus promote health and vitality.

When a Reiki Practitioner provides a treatment session, at the first level, they must touch the individual or object in order to pass along the Reiki. An Adapt can pass along Reiki without touching the person if necessary. I've been called in the middle of the night to pass Reiki onto friends and family on the other side of the world and done so happily and with wonderful results. Reiki can be used with any kind of massage, or other treatment and can even be used in cooking to "make the food more nutritious" (although it is likely that it is simply breaking the food down in a way that makes it easier for the body to extract the nutrients)



For most people this means the speeding up of regenerative functions and the detoxification of the physical body in general. For the terminally ill, it means easing their suffering and helping them move on in their life cycle. Reiki can help with everything from the common cold to cancer, Bipolar Disorder to sprains and broken bones. It works by flushing out toxins which in and of itself helps the body�s natural process, as well as realigning the natural energy meridians within the body that the body uses to perpetuate function. An example of this would be receiving Reiki and getting over a �24 hour bug� in the course of a half hour, or a sprain that should take weeks to mend being �back to normal� in a few days.

A note on Attunement v. Initiation:

"Can we self Initiate into Reiki?"

No.

"But you say people can self initiate into -insert name of group here that causes a conflict of opinion in other threads-"

Yes. However, Reiki is different because an Attunement is given as part of the Initiation. As one cannot attune oneself, one cannot self initiate into Reiki- long story short, all those books on Reiki at Barns and Noble are useless unless you have a Master to attune you- and only a Master can attune.

(this thread has been cross-posted)

~Tea Didikai

Reiki Master  

[kara_h]

"But what about warrior dolphin Reiki?" smile

Sorry, someone in my Reiki class found internet attunements for that so it is a running joke amongst the healers in my circle now.  

[TeaDidikai]

kara_h

"But what about warrior dolphin Reiki?" smile

Sorry, someone in my Reiki class found internet attunements for that so it is a running joke amongst the healers in my circle now.

~twitches~ Heh.  

[CuAnnan]

TeaDidikai

Reiki is a relatively new healing tradition, founded by Dr. Usui in the late 1890�s. Dr. Usui was a Christian missionary who, through research that took him all around the world, was smacked with a particular form of enlightenment that allowed him to tap into a force he titled Reiki. He founded a clinic in Hawaii and through trial and error learned how to pass along his knowledge of Reiki to his pupils.

I have a first degree in Usui Reiki, given by Master Tom Beaky. That's as far back as I can remember my lineage, but I hve my first degree cert in my mam's, I'll dig it up at some stage.
When I was getting it, Tom told us that Dr Usui had been asked by a Student how Christ healed and, being an eastern Christian, Dr. Usui meditated in a sacred cave upon the matter until an Angel appeared to him and taught him Reiki.

TeaDidikai

There are three levels to a Reiki Practitioner�s path. The first is that of a standard practitioner. These people can pass along Reiki energy to those around them through touch. They must truly be touching their patient with this degree of initiation.

Not only were we not taught this, we were taught that there is no need for touch and taught that (for example) a teddy bear could be used in place of the person for absent healing. I don't get as strong a Chi flow if I touch the person, I find.
I had recently just gotten my first degree in Wicca, and told Tom this for fear the two would interfere (nothing worse than being cross mojified), my mam has a third level whatsit in acupuncture and my sister has a second. Both myself and my sister had been, as children, trained in a Chi based martial art. There were only the three of us. Tom is a friend of the family. Don't know if any of that makes a blind bit of difference.

Fantastic info dump, though. Will be picking up dragon Reiki at some stage, in honor of Himself like. *grin*  

[LadyEladrin]

Great post, Tea, and thanks.

I was going to go get my lvl 1 Reiki this fall but wasn't able due to lack of funding. I've been told since then that's it's ok that I didn't go because I need to work on my patience and focus first. Basically, I'm not ready yet and that's ok by me. I'll get it when the time comes, but until then, I'm really looking forward to it! I'm hoping to devote my life to various healing arts and Reiki is definately high on the list.

Also, I think it was mentioned earlier by you how Reiki could 'hurt' someone. Could you please explain?  

[Mor Righ Anu]

I want to learn more about this subject.  

[Deoridhe]

I envy your cool Reiki Lineage's name. crying

I'm a Second Degree Reiki Master, but my lineage lives in a notebook I need to track down sometime. In the tradition I was taught, at the First Degree you would run your hands over the body, about an inch or two away, in order to send the Reiki. In the second degree, you could send it long distances.

I'm vaguely in the process of linking Reiki with Runes in the hopes it will feel more natural to me and have better results. So far the biggest result has been that my hands get very, very warm a lot.  

[queertastrophy]

Very interesting--I've honestly never heard of this practice before. I'll look more into it. It might be something I wish to pursue inthe future.

Thanks for the informative post, Tea. biggrin  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

I envy your cool Reiki Lineage's name. crying

Yasmine Galenorn Rocks!

Quote:

I'm a Second Degree Reiki Master, but my lineage lives in a notebook I need to track down sometime. In the tradition I was taught, at the First Degree you would run your hands over the body, about an inch or two away, in order to send the Reiki. In the second degree, you could send it long distances.

The initial practice used contact. I have no proof, but my suspicion is that it evolved into a "couple inches away" practice to defend against charges of prostitution.

Quote:

I'm vaguely in the process of linking Reiki with Runes in the hopes it will feel more natural to me and have better results. So far the biggest result has been that my hands get very, very warm a lot.

Common side affect. Yasmine is all about linking many kinds of magic with Reiki. Emerald Dragon was designed to be used a great deal with other magical aspects.

This ties in with what Reagun was saying- and it's uses in sympathetic magic are great, however Emerald Dragon tends to discourage that kind of thing until the Second Degree to be used in conjunction with some of the "glyphs" taught then.

reagun ban

I have a first degree in Usui Reiki, given by Master Tom Beaky. That's as far back as I can remember my lineage, but I hve my first degree cert in my mam's, I'll dig it up at some stage.
When I was getting it, Tom told us that Dr Usui had been asked by a Student how Christ healed and, being an eastern Christian, Dr. Usui meditated in a sacred cave upon the matter until an Angel appeared to him and taught him Reiki.

That is similar to the story we are taught. Allow me to explain:

Dr. Usui was on a mission to a Buddhist Temple. There was a question and answer session afterwards. The first question posed commented on scripture that Dr. Usui had spoken of, cited that Yeshua had said that "if you followed in his footsteps, you could do as he did", and that prompted the question about healing with touch.

From there he went to Jerusalem, to learn Hebrew and study Hebrew texts to see if he could understand how it was done, he also studied Aramaic and Greek to be able to understand the texts there. He didn't find what he was looking for, but while he was studying and searching he heard about the Swami’s of India.

He then went to India, learned Hindu and began to pour over Gitas and Sutras in an attempt to find some information Yeshua might have heard of.

He did find three glyphs- the ones taught for the Second Degree. They were listed as "Symbols used for healing with touch" but they did not have directions.

He then went to a Buddhist Temple to meditate. He had been there for quite a while when he was beginning to loose hope. At his conclusion exam the monk pointed at a mountain and told him that many people had gone there for pilgrimages. He suggested Dr. Usui did the same.

Dr. Usui scooped up a handful of stones and decided to drop one a day. He would not eat or sleep until he had dropped the last pebble. After weeks of sleep dep and hunger, he was about ready to give up. He chucked the last two pebbles into the water, and suddenly, a light came down through the trees, hovered over the ripples in the water, then "moved through him"- and he knew how to do Reiki.

Quote:

Fantastic info dump, though. Will be picking up dragon Reiki at some stage, in honor of Himself like. *grin*

I hope I addressed some of that in my post to Deo. Let me know if you have other questions. And if you ever need to find a Master of that Tradition, let me know.

EladrinStarmist

Great post, Tea, and thanks.

I was going to go get my lvl 1 Reiki this fall but wasn't able due to lack of funding. I've been told since then that's it's ok that I didn't go because I need to work on my patience and focus first. Basically, I'm not ready yet and that's ok by me. I'll get it when the time comes, but until then, I'm really looking forward to it! I'm hoping to devote my life to various healing arts and Reiki is definately high on the list.

Also, I think it was mentioned earlier by you how Reiki could 'hurt' someone. Could you please explain?

Reiki is great. I encourage people to learn Reiki, but not to neglect some of the other wonderful healing arts out there. I practice a handful of healing touch methods outside of the Reiki traditions. To be honest, Reiki isn't always the best course of action.

Okay- so, how Reiki can hurt someone:

Well, In the case of the terminally ill, it can send them on their way to their passage. Sometimes, that is not what the individual wants, and as a Reiki Practitioner, we need to respect that.

Also, it is possible to have something heal too quickly. My foster mother Daniella broke her hand- it got slammed in a subway door in Germany. Well, she asked a group of us for Reiki thinking that a couple people would help her out and she would heal faster. Well, all of us sent her Reiki- her hand healed "too fast"- and it set wrong so they had to re-break it and re-set it.

Then there was the time when Yasmine was at a pagan picnic. During an accident someone actually severed their finger. With quick thinking, they put the finger on ice and rushed him to the hospital, giving him Reiki all the way. When they got into the ER, the Doctor got really angry with them, saying they should have brought the guy in two days ago when he actually had lost the finger. The Reiki had begun to heal the wound so quickly he actually lost his figure as they were unable to reattach it.

The last one that comes to mind are "lifestyle" medications. Insulin is a big one- Reiki can cause a Diabetic's insulin level to shift in a dramatic way. If it goes unchecked, it can be worse than having the Reiki.

Same with things like anti-depressants and the like. The person has to monitor their reaction to the Reiki because there are some medications that will be "pushed out" as "toxins".

BlueRoseTorn

Very interesting--I've honestly never heard of this practice before. I'll look more into it. It might be something I wish to pursue inthe future.

Thanks for the informative post, Tea. biggrin

Welcome.  

[CuAnnan]

I can give another example of Reiki hurting people.
My mam had surgery done on her nose to break open the sinuses.
They put stints in to hold the newly enlarged cavitys open. She had just gotten her Reiki two and, ignoring my advice to leave it, poured Reiki into the wound every night to the point that it healed far too quickly and tried to close over the stints. This caused her to bleed profusely and nearly ******** the entire operation up.  

[miserabelle]

My mom's a Reiki master teacher, and she taught me first degree Reiki. The attunement was... amazing. I hadn't really seen or felt anything 'out of the ordinary' for a long time, and all of a sudden there were these amazing colours and images. Really lifts you up.

I've never really done anything with it: I probably should, though. It's a good thing to have.  

[emmfullness]

That was very interesting. I much enjoyed it. Thanks for the post. biggrin  

[TeaDidikai]

reagun ban

I can give another example of Reiki hurting people.
My mam had surgery done on her nose to break open the sinuses.
They put stints in to hold the newly enlarged cavitys open. She had just gotten her Reiki two and, ignoring my advice to leave it, poured Reiki into the wound every night to the point that it healed far too quickly and tried to close over the stints. This caused her to bleed profusely and nearly ******** the entire operation up.

Messed up huh?

Man, that kind of thing is nasty.

A little Reiki isn't bad. You know, the small amount it takes to help prevent infection.  

[LadyEladrin]

Thanks for the info again, Tea. Now I see what you mean by 'hurt'. I guess before doing any Reiki on someone you should ask them if they're on any kind of medication, including insulin or depression meds. *nodnod* I feel more informed. What other healing arts do you practise?  

[TeaDidikai]

EladrinStarmist

Thanks for the info again, Tea. Now I see what you mean by 'hurt'. I guess before doing any Reiki on someone you should ask them if they're on any kind of medication, including insulin or depression meds. *nodnod* I feel more informed. What other healing arts do you practise?

The first part of Reiki 1 (usually done between the break between the first and second attunement) is to cover the history, lineage and contra-indications for Reiki use.

I do some traditional Domari healing touch. And my own personal "feel and fix" thing. If you want to know more, come up with some questions and PM me and I'll answer what I can.