WHAT IS REIKI?
Reiki is a Japanese
word meaning Universal Life Energy. This energy is all around us, and can be channeled through the Reiki practitioner.
It is this energy alone, not the energy of the Reiki Practioner, that is the essence of Reiki. The flow and power
of this energy is not dependent on belief. At some inner level, the receiver recognizes this loving, healing energy.
When Reiki was brought to the West, it was called the God-power. It can also be called the "divine within";
the energy that brings us life...and sustains life. According to Diane Stein, "the Polynesian Hunas call this healing
force Mana, and the Native American Iroquois people call it Orenda. It is known as Prana
in India, Ruach in Hebrew, Barraka in the Islamic countries, and Ch'i in China.
Some healers have termed it Orgone Energy. In Japan the energy is termed Ki and it is from this
world that Reiki is named."
The
practitioner of Reiki receives a series of attunements that open and clear his/her energy channels of obstructions.
It is through the attunements that the practitioner becomes connected to the source of the Universal Life Energy.
The source of this energy can be described as God, higher self, Universe, or whatever you consider the primary creative force
of the universe. Though this source may have many names, it is all the same thing...the source.
The laying on of hands has
been considered a form of comfort and healing since ancient times. The human touch conveys warmth, healing, caring,
and love. When a child is injured or ill, a mother's first instinct is to hold the child and place her hands on
the injury. This instinct is the basis for all touch healing. Although Reiki can be performed by hands-on or hands
slightly above, there is always that sense of warmth, caring and love. In fact, it is the intention of
love that carries the Reiki energy from the practitioner to the receiver.
Reiki is not a religion or a religions ceremony, but it is spiritual. It
involves the inner self...the higher self...and your connection with the Source. This is truly a personal experience.
There may be times that the person receiveing Reiki doesn't think anything happened...they don't feel anything.
There may also be times that the Reiki practitioner doesn't feel or think anything happened. This is never really
the case. The Reiki energy will always flow through the practitioner to the receiver. It is the intention of love
that allows it to flow and heal.
How it Works
There are many different
ideas concerning how Reiki actually works. Some say it opens the chakras. Others say it activates the hara.
And there are those who simply say it connects a person to God energy.
I believe that we should not waste our time on trying to figure out how Reiki works. According
to Vincent Amador, "Reiki cannot be grasped with the mind, it can only be known in the doing and being of it. When
you "do" Reiki, it is not so much the "doing" as it is a state of BEing. In doing Reiki you are
in the moment of oneness that Usui shared. In the movie, "The Matrix", Morpheus tells Neo, "...sooner
or later you're going to realize, just as I did, there's a difference in knowing the path and walking the path.""
When you experience the Reiki energy, as a receiver or a practitioner, you are Being Reiki. You are one in
the moment with the Universal Life Energy - the energy that connects you with the Source...and with all things in the universe.
This can happen on a conscious or unconscious level...but it DOES happen
when you experience Reiki. This loving, healing energy knows what you need to
heal. It doesn't need to be told or directed.
