REIKI - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For a general introduction to Reiki
see Keith's Reiki Page. For a comparison
of Reiki and other forms of healing see our Healing and
Healers FAQ
A path to enlightenment.
For a full description of what Reiki
is and how to use it to the fullest, see Keith's book 'Reiki
- Without Rules'.
This FAQ answers just a few key questions.
Only if that's the way you choose
to see it! To many, it is a way of life.
A better question is "WHAT informs
the practice of Reiki?"
To which the answer is: Reiki itself.
The experience of those who pursue
Reiki as a practice integral to their life, is that Reiki, the Universal Energy
is also the Ultimate Wisdom. It IS the omniscience and omnipotence of God, Tao,
Allah, Yahweh, etc. Through Reiki we have direct, personal, access to this power
and wisdom. We do not need any philosophy as a intermediary! We do not need
anybody else to interpret it or tell us what it means! Reiki connects us to
our higher self, our own inner truth, power and wisdom . . . which is both Universal
AND unique to us! No written philosophy can say that! Reiki is beyond words,
it just IS.
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No. Or at least, not the way that I
was taught or teach it! My experience is that Reiki works perfectly well without
any knowledge of chakras. There is no evidence that Usui worked with chakras.
A Reiki treatment activates the Life-Force energy in every little bit of us -
it doesn't need a chakra, meridian, or any other channel through which to flow!
Just try giving a Reiki holding somebody's hand, or moving the 'giving' hand away
from your chakra position - the energy still flows.
When giving a Reiki treatment we do indeed become channels for the Universal
Energy, for love, for light. But it is not a physical channel. It is a channel
between dimensions, between levels of being; a connection between the 3 Dimensional
world of matter and the multidimensional world of spirit, of energy. In Reiki
we connect our material mind/body to our spiritual self, thus opening up a channel
between the spiritual world and the material world. This happens WHEREVER we focus
our attention - through hand positions, symbols, etc. Reiki, being Universal,
is everywhere - it is not restricted to chakras.
Click
here to see an animation about channels of healing and peace
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Sort of! When in Reiki 'mode' (i.e.
when doing attunements, giving treatments or otherwise truly BEING myself) I DO
have the sense of a presence in and around me. However, it does not have a physical
form and I do not give it a name. A student who can see such things described
it as 'huge' and 'neither male nor female'. Quite! Why restrict ourselves to the
guidance of a single monk, red Indian or angel?
There are none! See above. Increasingly
Reiki Teachers are encouraging their students to 'follow your intuition' to 'go
where your instincts take you'. Likewise, experience shows us that 'rules' about
not crossing legs, keeping fingers together, etc. merely constrain us. There are
No Rules. A Reiki Treatment is like a snow-flake - every one is different, a unique
manifestation of divine love.
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All of them and none of them! i.e.
there is probably some truth in all the stories we hear. History varies depending
on who's telling it! Rather than get caught up in the debate, ask yourself if
it really matters. It is agreed that Usui rediscovered something amazing - let's
focus on that and apply this wonderful healing in our lives NOW!
Whatever significance you want to attach
to it! There is no evidence that Usui used this title or passed it on to Hayashi.
The term is a recent invention. Ask yourself who is the true 'Grand Master'? Is
it nor Reiki itself? God, the Universe? Reiki is about self-responsibility, being
able to answer our own questions, about finding our own inner Grand Master. Reiki
is also about One-ness, about freedom from hierarchical structures. The Universe
knows what's best for us!
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This
material may well represent Reiki as Usui himself taught it . . . but that doesn't
mean it's how we have to teach it today! The spirit of Reiki has always been (at
least for me) that it reflects the here and now. Usui taught at the end of the
19th Century . .. we're now in the 21st Century - passing time has changed much
about us and our society! Usui taught in Japan, I'm teaching in England - the
two cultures are very different.
However, it IS the Usui System and
it's important that we respect Usui's intent . . . not so much in the detail
as in its spirit. In reflecting on (rather than studying!) the Usui Manual I
find a number of points are emphasised:
- Reiki is for personal self development,
rather than being a therapy.
- Regular practice on yourself is
essential if full benefits are to be felt.
- Although a physical practice,
Reiki works at many levels . . awareness of our mental and spiritual selves
will greatly assist it's effectiveness.
These are points I already emphasise
in my training. We are now seeing (through the work of Doi) some 'missing pieces'
to the system often taught in the West. Attempting to rise above the unfamiliar
Japanese words, I'd describe these as: Energy Exercises, Use of Visualisations,
Development of Intuition & Spiritual Development. Also taught are 'healing with
the eyes' and 'healing with the breath' - which equate to what I describe as 'throwing
our awareness' over the recipient. The words are different, but the effect is
the same!
I'd agree that these 'missing pieces'
are indeed important features of Reiki and if pursued will help Reiki to become
part of us and thus more helpful in our day to day lives. However, rather than
teach the specific Japanese techniques perhaps it's more useful to share alternative
ideas more in tune with our Western culture and experiences. For example:
* Energy Exercises - I've found some
simple Qi-gong or Tai Chi exercises to be useful, but any physical exercise
which enables us to 'feel connected' will achieve the same result. The important
thing is that's is simple and something we can (and do!) do anytime, anyplace.
Some may find that a country walk has the same effect.
* Use of Visualisations - i.e. triggering
our imagination so that it helps us 'see' things (from our higher self) that
we need to see. Making up our visualisations is a useful ability to develop.
* Development of Intuition - i.e.
listening to our inner voice. This is what Reiki II is all about!
* Spiritual Development. Once we
realise that Reiki is about becoming spiritual beings, then the practice of
Reiki takes on it's true significance. Once we are committed to our own personal
path of enlightenment, then Reiki makes far more sense!
There is thus no conflict between
the Usui material and the 'free-style Reiki' offered by Masters in the West.
The detail may be different, but the spirit of Reiki remains . . for that is
the real Reiki!
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If you like to have your session of
total peace interrupted by little bells and descriptions of the chakras, it's
new age music interspersed, at regular intervals, with a voice telling you things
you don't need to know.
OR . . it's any piece of inspired music performed with feeling. This is part
of my collection of 'Music for Reiki Masters':
- Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen . .
"Nothing really matters"
- We've got the whole world in our
hands
- I'll do it my way - Frank Sinatra
- The score of 'Les Miserables'
- The sound track of 'The Sound
of Music'
. . if it inspires you to be yourself
or helps you express how your feeling, it's Reiki Music!
Music to do a Reiki (treatment) to
can be anything that all involved feel helpful, although I'd suggest something
without words. since they can distract the mind too much.
We each experience whatever we need
to during a Reiki treatment or attunement. We are all different, with different
needs. There are No Rules! We might receive an attunement from a truly enlightened
Master and feel nothing or we might get a few minutes treatment from someone not
even trained in Reiki and be 'taken to heaven'. It's best not to try to analyse
it! Just to enjoy whatever YOU feel! You might find this on-line
Reiki treatment triggers something for you . . . or you might not!
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Reiki is becoming accepted in all walks
of life, including business (as a means of helping staff relax) and in the conventional
medical profession - as part of the Art of Nursing, and as a technique to encourage
patients to manage and assist their own healing.
The conventional world is conditioned
to using standards - that doesn't mean it actually NEEDS them! However the Reiki
community, like other holistic therapies, owes it to itself to communicate with
those in more conventional medical arenas and to show that we are professional
in our use of this healing mode. Codes of practice may thus be required. However,
these should be used as a means for describing how Reiki is specifically used,
and to explain how it differs from other therapies. Standards are not about tying
us down, but about raising awareness of 'best practice' . .. and best practice
in Reiki is usually about following our intuition, not about following some prescribed
set of procedures . .. so THIS is what we get the standards to say!
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In the UK (I can't speak for other
places) the UK Reiki Federation is actively
working to best represent the Reiki community on this.
The only relationship that matters
is that between our sensory mind/body (material) self and our inner/higher self
. . all other relationships are merely a reflection of this one. Thus, as Reiki
helps us to develop a better connection within ourselves, so we find we're connecting
more realistically with the world around us . . . like-wise the world around us
(and all relationships in it) will provide us with plenty of opportunities to
work on ourselves!
Having said that, using Reiki can
be used more directly to help us work through relationship
issue - as discussed here.
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What if what?!?! The answer to ANY
question is 'let the Reiki guide you'. Listen to your inner/higher voice. Reiki
IS your own divine wisdom. The practice of Reiki helps you to tune into this,
real, you.
But . . But
But nothing! With Reiki, THERE ARE
NO RULES . . do what you know you have to do, here and now.
If, after reading this page and
those it refers to, you still have questions about the true nature of Reiki
healing, then:
Ask YOURSELF the question and give
yourself some healing, meditate, pray or otherwise detach your mind from its
logical ramblings. Then sleep on it. The chances are that your own innate wisdom
will have given you some clue to the truth of the matter. But if it hasn't,
please contact me.
If you practice
Reiki and feel you need guidance and support in its use and application, Keith
is happy to work with you . . . whatever you level or lineage . . . to help
you get the best from Reiki . . . and yourself: please feel free to contact
me
