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What is Reiki?
Reiki (pronounced Ray Key) is an ancient healing therapy. Mikao Usui, a devout
Japanese Buddhist, reignited interest and practice of this therapy in
the late 1800s. "Reiki" is a Japanese word for the concept: "Universal Life
Energy" and is the same as what the Chinese refer to as 'Chi' and
the Indians refer to as 'Prana' . Reiki is open to everyone and is not
associated with any particular personal philosophy and/or spiritual belief system.
It is a powerful tool that kickstarts and facilitates the body's own
healing process.
A Reiki treatment restores balance and harmony to the whole person, bringing about a sense of wellness.
Reiki can relieve pain and acute problems quite rapidly, it is usually
recommended to try 4 consequtive sessions in such a situation. Whatever manifests itself physically usually also has components on the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Reiki honors the ecology of the person by working on all these levels. Reiki goes beyond the symptoms to treat the root cause of the disease. When we treat only the symptoms, we do not always get to the true basis of the illness.
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How Reiki Works
Coming for a reiki session is a wonderful treat for the mind, body and
spirit.
Reiki will always go the area within the individual where it is most needed. That could be on a physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological level. It is drawn from the givers hands by the receiver, who will take as much or as little as is required at that time. You cannot give or take too much.
Reiki is non-draining because the giver is merely a channel; it is not ours to give! Therefore the giver is not using their own vital energy. An added bonus is that the giver will also receive a small amount
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Principals of Reiki
Dr Usui realised that reiki was not just about healing others, but rather creating the right environment for them to heal themselves. When initiated into reiki there are guidelines that are taught, if these are adopted they can promote healing and awareness on many levels.
JUST FOR TODAY DO NOT ANGER
Anger is an emotion that is experienced because of the past; it can often be suppressed and carried through life. This principal does not say do not anger tomorrow, but rather just for today - choose to let your anger go, live in the now not the pass.
JUST FOR TODAY DO NOT WORRY
Worry is related to perceptions of the future - the what if's of the world, what if it will/will not happen. What purpose does this serve? Why worry about that which has not and probably won't happen, live in the now not the future.
HONOUR YOUR PARENTS, TEACHERS AND ELDERS
There are many who believe that before we incarnate we choose our parents and our siblings and our experiences, these are to help us with our learning. If we do honour our choice then it is the self that is being denied. Live in the now and appreciate.
EARN YOUR LIVING HONESTLY
Again we have chosen our path in advance according to the lessons required by the soul, this includes our work. To honour brings satisfaction, value and respect of what one does today, not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today.
SHOW GRATITUDE TO EVERY LIVING THING
We are all part of a whole, not better, not lesser, but a part of. At a soul level we are all linked, we are all one. Any cruelty, be it towards another human, an animal, a plant or even a thought form, is showing cruelty to oneself and to all-else that exists.
REIKI is not just another healing method, it is a way of life, it is about understanding and living by these principals, if everyone did this, we would have a peaceful world. Try choosing one each day and live by it, understand it's meaning, implication and place in your life.
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Reiki history
Reiki is a Japanese word meaning "Universal Life-Force-Energy". The "Ki" part is the same word as Chi or Qi, the Chinese word for the energy which underlies everything. Reiki is a system for channelling that energy to someone for the purpose of healing. It
has been in existence for thousands of years and was rediscovered by Dr.
Mikao Usui in the late 1800's in Japan.
Dr. Mikao Usui: Dr.
Usui was a Christian minister in Japan. He was the head of a Christian
Boys School in Japan. He had a great passion for healing and learning
the principles of healing. He spent many years researching various
healing religions and travelled to America to study Christianity, the
Orient to study Buddhism. He struggled to find satisfactory and tangible
answers. In Japan he toured many temples asking for knowledge of how the
Buddha had healed. At each one the priests said they were more concerned
with spiritual than physical well being. In one small monastery he found
some ancient Sanskrit writings. After a few more years of study, he felt
he had come to an understanding and that to go further required in depth
meditation. After a period of solitude and meditation total
understanding came.
Dr Usai used his
abilities to help others, he spent seven years in the beggars section of
Tokyo healing the poor and sick people there, sending them to a priest
to assist finding them employment, and elevating them out of poverty.
After the seven years he noticed familiar faces, those of people whom
he'd healed long ago who were back again. Asking them, they complained
that life outside beggar town was too hard and that it was much simpler
to beg for a living. They had thrown away the gift of health, as if it
had no value, to return to the supposed comfort of the life they
knew. They returned within their 'comfort zones' to lead an
unhealthy lifestyle.
This threw Usui into a quandary and he returned to meditation. From this
he realised he hadn't taught gratitude or self belief along with the
healing. That he'd focussed on the physical ailments without dealing
with the spiritual matters. The people did not understand the value of
the gift he gave them.
After some time he developed principles. In this new plan he travelled
around the countryside from village to village. In each one he stood in
a public place during the day holding aloft a lit torch. When people
told him he didn't need a torch in daylight, he answered was he was
looking for the few who are interested in improving themselves. In this
way he travelled around teaching and healing, working both with the
spiritual healing as well as physical healing.
Dr. Chujiro Hayashi: During these travels he met Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, a Naval Commander in the Naval Reserve. He came from a well educated and well to do family. He met Dr. Usui in the marketplace holding a lit torch announcing his lecture at a nearby temple.
Dr. Hayashi was very impressed with the sincerity and conviction of Dr. Usui. When asked by Usui to
accompany him in his travels, Dr. Hayashi agreed. And they travelled around teaching and healing. After Dr. Usui passed away, Dr. Hayashi became the leader of Reiki.
Dr. Hayashi opened a clinic in Tokyo near the Imperial Palace. To become a Reiki Practitioner in that time one had to be accepted by the masters in the Reiki organisation, and second had to promise to use Reiki daily and volunteer some hours to practice Reiki regularly in the clinic.
Dr. Hayashi passed away Tuesday, May 10, 1940. This was just prior to World War II and it was clear that Japan would enter the war. Being a Reserve Officer, Dr. Hayashi knew he would be recalled to duty and therefore become responsible for killing many people. This he did not want to do, and so determined to end his life. In addition he wished to, and did, pass leadership over to Reiki to Mrs. Takata.
Mrs. Hawayo Takata: Mrs. Hawayo Takata was born in Hawaii, on Kauai, on Christmas Eve 1900 of Japanese descent. In the 1930's she went to Japan to visit her family there, and inform them of the death of her sister. While there she became very sick and was in the hospital. The doctors were going to operate, and as she was being prepared she kept hearing a voice saying "Operation not necessary". Eventually she jumped off the table asking, "Is there another way?". The doctor had a sister who had been cured of dysentery at Dr. Hayashi's clinic and suggested to Mrs. Takata she talk with his sister. The sister brought Mrs. Takata to the clinic and her treatments there began.
After Mrs. Takata became well she wanted to learn this for herself. However Dr. Hayashi was not willing to teach her because she was a foreigner. Through the good graces of her doctor, Mrs. Takata was able to persuade Dr. Hayashi to train her in Reiki. This training took a year and brought her to what we would now call Reiki Level II.
After this year she returned to Hawaii. In Hawaii she also learned the lesson of having the recipient perceive value in receiving treatments. She treated a neighbour but did not charge, this neighbour did not value the treatments and did not become well. She treated another relative and this time charged, and this relative did stay well. Thus the tradition of charging for Reiki treatment was reinforced.
In November 1936 Dr. Hayashi came to Hawaii for a speaking tour to promote Reiki. During this time he trained Mrs. Takata to teach Reiki, thus making her what we now would call a Reiki Master. As he left Hawaii he asked her to come to see him when he summoned her.
After World War II had started in Europe Dr. Hayashi appeared to Mrs. Takata in a dream asking her to come to Japan. She did this and found Dr. Hayashi having his Naval Uniform out of storage and fretful. With the coming war he knew it was a matter of time before the Navy would call him out of retirement and he would be asked to perform actions he was not capable of doing due to his spiritual development. At this time he passed to Mrs. Takata the leadership of Reiki. He gathered all the Reiki Masters to a gathering, announced
Mrs. Takata to be the leader of Reiki, and then announced he would kill his physical body through bursting three blood vessels. And as he continued speaking and lecturing those blood vessels burst and he died.
Mrs. Takata returned to Hawaii and continued using and teaching Reiki. Eventually she moved to California, using and teaching Reiki there as well. She did not teach other masters until 1975, and before her own death in 1980 she trained 22 Reiki Masters.
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