What is Reiki
"Everyone is born with the right to be healthy and live with
happiness, and the path of Reiki helps us to fulfill that
right." --Roberta R. Barnes, Reiki Shihan
In Japan, in the early 1920s, Mikao Usui developed Reiki-ho
(Reiki method) as "the way to make mind and body healthy on the
basis of Universal Reiki".* Reiki is the vibration of love and
harmony of universal energy. Reiki-ho is not only a wonderful
"healing technique", but also "an effective way to raise
spirituality and to create a positive life". Reiki brings all
within and around the body into balance, surrounding with
harmony, and helps in personal relationships. It enhances mental
clarity in the workplace. I have had students say to me, "Reiki
is making such a positive difference in my life".
The Reiki (ray - key) practitioner's body is the instrument
through which universal energy flows drawn by the magnet of any
imbalance in the mind, body, or spirit of the person, animal, or
plant receiving. Neither Reiki practitioners nor teachers can
direct the flow of Reiki.
No worry has to be given to harm coming from Reiki. It will
only flow when needed, and will never give a negative reaction
with any prescribed medication, or require a person to drink
extra water, as with massage.
Clients often speak of feeling a gentle soothing heat from the
Reiki practitioner's hands going deep within, but warmth is only
one sensation that may or may not be experienced. The stresses
of everyday life can rob our bodies of vital energies and Reiki
replenishes those energies. Reiki will flow to any person even
if he or she does not believe in Reiki. Reiki travels to where
the need exists, and touches all the cells that it passes
through in a positive way. It goes to the core of the illness,
within the nucleus of the cells, to begin healing. It does not
simply mask the symptoms of an illness.
Reiki is not a substitute for any professional medical care,
but is used in balance with medical or psychological care and
expedites the recovery process. Reiki practitioners who are also
medical professionals, in hospitals initiate Reiki while doing
conventional medical practice or therapy treatment. Reiki speeds
recovery in all types of trauma. More and more hospitals welcome
Reiki practitioners coming in to assist in the healing process
of those patients that have requested it. Reiki can help those
people in nursing homes and in assisted living facilities to
adjust to his or her new environment.
It is commonly believed it was on Mt. Kurama where Mikao Usui
meditated and connected with the vibration of universal energy
he named Reiki in March 1922, some records say 1921 but Reiki
did not exist anywhere in the world prior to Mikao Usui's second
or true awakening. Over the centuries, there have been countless
forms of hands-on-healing. Using universal energy to heal has
perhaps been happening for over 40,000 years, and there are
other energy systems used today for healing. In 1923,
Usui-sensei created the society, which still exists in Japan
today, Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. Reiki is not connected to any
religion. It is a spiritual practice, which complements all.
Mikao Usui was born August 15, 1865, left home in his youth,
traveled, married and had two children, and held numerous jobs.
Hiroshi Doi said he was called a person of free will.
Usui-sensei passed away in his sleep after a long day of giving
treatments, March 9th, 15th year of Taisho (A.D. 1926). *** His
secular name is Usui Mikao and his Buddhist posthumous name is
Reizan-in Shuyo Tenshin Koji. A Buddhist priest of the temple
where the deceased use to belong customarily gives a person upon
death, a Buddhist posthumous name. His Buddhist name is typical
of the Japanese Buddhism sect Jodo shu. All those that knew him
spoke of him as a very intelligent man, but there are no records
of him ever receiving a doctorate or who decided "Dr." should be
placed in front of his name. I was taught Sensei is a term of
respect for an honorable teacher, so I am content to use that.
Legends surrounding Reiki and created myths about Usui-Sensei
are plentiful, but the natural healing wonderment of the energy
Mikao Usui named Reiki overshadows all.
Anyone can learn to allow Reiki to flow through him or her from
a person who has satisfactorily completed the highest level of
the style he or she chose to practice in accordance with the
Usui Reiki Ryoho tradition. The highest level in today's world
is usually the fourth, but I have been told that before Reiki-ho
began to move out of Japan in the late 1930s there were many
more levels to be completed before one was considered to be a
teacher. Reiki is not a skill so there are no schools as we
think of them in this country, but a Reiki teacher will have a
certificate and a lineage going back to Mikao Usui.
It is often heard that once a person has had his or her channel
opened to Reiki s/he should devote his or her life to Reiki.
Devote does not mean to earn an income from Reiki. Gendai
Reiki-ho and Komyo Reiki, the methods I teach most frequently,
teach how to make Reiki-ho a way of living in the home or at the
job. Reiki can help a person to develop relationships that are
more positive. Reiki allowed to flow into the work place can
make workdays more enjoyable by helping to remove obstacles and
developing productive relationships. Each of the levels I teach,
except for the Pre-Shoden for children, includes a minimum of
twelve hours of instruction which focuses on self-care practices
that bring the mind, body, and spirit into balance and nurture a
person's positive natural talents, abilities, and gifts. The
path of Reiki helps each individual to develop in a positive way
that is best for him or her, a wonderful way of honoring the
uniqueness in each of us.
Reiki may sound complicated with so many people introducing so
many different things into their practice, but it is not. The
wonderment of the universal energy Usui-Sensei named Reiki
resonates with life energy, enhancing everything positive one
does in their life, and works in harmony with other positive
energies. Reiki is a spiritual path we travel for our own
growth. It enhances skills, and can bring wealth in many forms.
Are there people in the world that have read a book or watched a
video, and know the subject well enough to pretend they have had
their channel opened? There will always be pretenders in the
world, but any person having had their channel opened will have
at least one certificate, and easily be able to give their
energy and technique lineages back to Usui-Sensei.
The Gokai, or five precepts, or principals, is the backbone of
Reiki. The five short lines are five ways to invite happiness in
your life now (today), which can touch the past and future in a
positive way.