What is Reiki?

I think I've forgotten an essential post here. For you, reading this who would like to know more about Reiki, I will attempt to describe it to you here. Really, the best way to understand Reiki is to experience a treatment or to attend a level one (shoden) class.

What is Reiki?
As I mentioned in a previous post, (Introductions.) The word Reiki is a composite between two Japanese words "Rei" and "Ki" which when translated and put together essentially means "universal life force energy". "Reiki ho" simply refers to the method that we use to utilize this energy. ("ho" meaning method") The kanji symbols at the top of this post are those that refer to "Rei" (top symbol) and "Ki" (bottom symbol).
This post however, is more about what Reiki can do for you and your surroundings.
What can Reiki do for you?
Reiki heals on three levels, mind, body and spirit.
When we receive a Reiki treatment, it is usually the mind which is first healed, allowing the physical body to be healed after that. The reason is that a lot of our bodily symptoms are actually physical manifestations of lacking or dark spots of high vibration energy in our systems. These are usually caused by issues involving our minds. For instance, if we have been injured physically, our mind's attachment to the injury can actually slow down the healing process. The application of Reiki can help to speed it up again.
The third way that Reiki helps us, mostly comes with attunements. While treatments will help to grow your spirituality, nothing is more effective than the meditative practices that we learn in class even at the first "shoden" level. The spiritual growth that is experienced, can be related to any type of relious, spiritual or philosophical belief system that you have previous held. No new belief system ever needs to be adopted in order to receive or give the benefits of Reiki. Any previous spiritual practice that you have, will be strengthened as you become more and more familiar with the highly vibrational energy of Reiki.

Reiki can:

• Improve your immune system,
• Heal on the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual levels.
  
• Heal past traumas and karmas and aid in preparing you for future events,
• Help someone quit smoking or other bad habits,
• Cleanse spaces and objects
  
• Work on people who are unconscious or skeptical
• Be sent across distances to affect healing on people who are far away from us.

I could list all the types of ailments that Reiki can help to heal, but because Reiki permeates everything in the universe, it's application can be used to reverse every kind of trauma. It can be applied, to people, places, things, animals and plants. So that list would be very long. It affects us on the physical level right down to our cellular structure and DNA. It reaches every deep corner of our minds, every untouched space in our hearts and the farthest away places in our souls.

What Reiki is not:

• A religious practice
• Psychic healing
  
• Mysterious or miraculous
• A substitute for medical advice
• "Energy work" (no intention is to be sent by the Reiki healer nor is the healer to use thier own personal "ki")

In my eyes, Reiki Ho is more like a scientific endeavour. We all know that meditation is good for us, and we also know that there is an unseen force in the universe which calls on us from time to time to sit with it in peace and reverence. Reiki is simply the application of that force through clear mind of meditation to affect whatever changes are needed.
If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me by e-mail: healthy.happy.hikari@gmail.com

May all beings receive harmony, light and love.

- Whitney

Mikao Usui - Founder of Reiki Ryoho Gakkai

Mikao Usui Sensei (1865 - 1926)

In March of 1922, Usui Sensei Spent 21 days fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama and it was there that he was awakened to know that the universe was within him. It is said that a big Reiki entered him through the top of his head and he acquired the healing power of Reiki. Usui Sensei developed a system to help lead others to the same enlightenment and healing abilities which he had experienced. He named this system Reiki Ryoho (Reiki healing method).

In April 1922, Usui Sensei founded the Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, an institution to teach and promote Reiki Ryoho in Japan. Before his death in 1926, Usui Sensei was able to teach 2,000 students and 21 masters to carry one the lineage of Reiki Ryoho. What a wonderful thing that he wanted to share this gift so freely with the world.

Today, there are two main schools of Reiki. One is called Western Style Reiki which includes Usui Shiki Reiki, the Radiance technique and other forms which have stemmed from these styles. They all have lineage leading to a Hawaiian woman named Takata who brought Reiki to the US around 1970. The second school is called Traditional Japanese Reiki which includes the Reiki practiced within the original Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, Gendai Reiki, Komyo Reiki Kai and Jikiden Reiki. There may be more that I have not been made aware of. The Original Reiki Ryoho Gakkai recognizes only these forms as true branches of Usui Reiki as many of the Western Reiki lineages have been lost.

Due to the modesty of Usui sensei and the fact that he was unknown before his enlightenment, there have been many stories invented about his life and the origins of Reiki. Mostly by the early Western Reiki masters who we can only assume were trying to fill in some holes for their students. Unfortunately, many of these stories are still taught by Western Style Reiki masters across the US and Canada. Traditional Japanese style Reiki Masters are instructed to always remain true to the foundations of Reiki laid out by Usui Sensei himself. Often they adopt an additional philosophy that Reiki must not be made to appear mysterious or miraculous.

There are many who are still thankful for the work of Takata and other Western Reiki masters for bringing the knowledge of Reiki to the world, for it may have remained a closely guarded Japanese secret or even died out due to skepticism.

May the spirit on Mikao Usui Sensei live on in the hearts of every Reiki practitioner.

- Whitney