About Reiki Healing
Perhaps the most widely known form of energy work, Reiki healing is easy to learn and do, but can have powerful effects.
It was started around 1914 in Japan by Dr. Mikao Usui, who received the knowledge of how to do it during a mystical experience. It is usually uses "laying on of hands," with the practitioner's physical hands actually on the physical body of the client. First-level Reiki uses specific hand positions, corresponding to organs and energy centers. Subsequent levels of learning prepare students to do distance healing.
Reiki is a Japanese word meaning "universal life energy." As the Reiki Alliance website describes, the practice of Reiki "applies this energy through touch for the purpose of creating the connection with Reiki."
Taught Through The Oral Tradition
Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but rather is "transferred" to
the student through an "attunement" given in person by a Reiki master
(teacher). This attunement or initiation allows the practitioner to tap
into an unlimited supply of Reiki, or "life force energy," which they can use to
improve their own and other's health and quality of life. Reiki is
taught through the oral tradition, rather than through written
materials. You need to be in person for that. (Therefore anyone proposing to "teach" you Reiki over the
Internet is not authentic.)
Reiki healing does not depend on the
practitioner's intellectual or spiritual capacity or state of
development. There is no body of esoteric knowledge to be mastered. Once
a practitioner is attuned, the healing energy just flows through
her/his hands (when they are being used for healing.) This makes it very accessible to a wide range of people. All that is required is the intention to use Reiki for the highest good.
Once you've been through the initial attunement experience (there are several levels), there are often regular "Reiki shares" that you can take part in. In these events, you share giving and receiving Reiki healing with other practitioners. It's a lovely way to feel part of a community of other energy healers, and to practice giving as well as receiving--an excellent habit to adopt.
Reiki Healing: Guiding Principles
Reiki practitioners are taught these guiding principles:
Just for today, do not worry.
Just for today, do not anger.
Honor your parents, teachers and elders.
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to everything.
--Dr. Mikao Usui
Reiki Masters
There are now an estimated 500,000 Reiki Masters with as many as 3,000,000 people having been initiated into Reiki throughout the world.While nearly all practitioners are ethical and sincere, it's good to be aware that because Reiki is "taught" through attunement rather than study, it's possible for people to become a "Reiki Master" in a single weekend. So the fact that someone calls himself or herself a Reiki Master can mean a lot (e.g. a lifetime of study, selfless healing, and spiritual devotion)--or very little (i.e. a quick weekend and a couple of hundred dollars).
If you love doing Reiki, you may find that you want to pursue becoming a Reiki master and helping to spread the practice of Reiki so that others can enjoy its benefits. Whatever level you choose to attain, becoming Reiki-attuned is a great way to bring more energy healing into your life. It's accessible to learn, easy to perform, and effective. I highly recommend it to people who are likely to benefit from regular energy healing sessions for themselves or a loved one, but who can't afford that or don't live an area where energy healers are readily available.
More Info
I normally send people to the Reiki Alliance website for more information. The Reiki Alliance is the organization for traditional Usui Reiki practitioners. Here's the link, but at this writing the site is being overhauled.As an alternative source for more information, I recommend this site, reiki.7gen.com. It seems very complete and non-commercial.
On a personal note, I started my own energy healing journey with Reiki. My new-born daughter had a medical issue that conventional medicine could not treat. While it was not life-threatening and it was expected that she would "grow out of it" in 5-9 years, there were complications that were worrisome. I became Reiki attuned and worked with her daily. After nine months, the problem was barely noticeable, and within a few more months it was entirely gone. Since the doctors had said it would take 5-9 years, that seemed like an amazing success--and I was hooked on energy healing! I went on to learn and practice different kinds of energy healing, and then to develop my own unique philosophy and style of doing energy work, but I still believe that Reiki is an excellent choice for most people. My own Reiki master has since gone through The Great Healing (i.e. passed on from physical form to the next world), but I will always cherish and honor her memory.
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