What is Reiki? Love. That’s it. The energy of it.

Imagine the most profound love you've ever felt. Now envision that love expanding, becoming an Infinite Source, unbounded, egoless, unconditional. Reiki embodies this kind of Great Love. It's a Universal Life Force that, when allowed to be received, can work wonders for our physical health, psyche, and spirit.

REIKI

Pronounced Ray-Key

Rei = universal, transcendental spirit, spiritual consciousness, essence

Ki = life force energy

Reiki: A Journey from East to West

Reiki's journey to the West started in Japan, rooted in the teachings of Dr. Mikao Usui. It was through his student, Mrs. Hayawo Takata, that Reiki found its way to Hawaii in the 1930s. But the practice of energy healing has been woven into the fabric of cultures throughout the world—and the ages. You’ve heard of the “laying on of hands.” You’ve probably, at some point in your life, felt the healing power of someone’s touch. In Reiki, there is this gentle touch, or “hovering” of the hands, that helps channel healing energy and return the body to its natural state—with all systems flowing into and out of each other in a beautiful dance of light. 

Students of Reiki receive intense training on how energy works in the body, particularly through the “chakras,” or energy centers. They go through “attunements”—allowing for deep sensing of themselves, their clients and the world; and have training in the symbols & sacred geometry used to clear blockages, help equalize the body’s energies, and replenish energy where it is weak. There are three trainings:

Reiki 1, in which we learn to heal ourselves;

Reiki 2, where we learn to heal others; and

Reiki 3 & the Master Level, in which we learn to share our teachings with the world.

In essence: you’re sharing your love with the world and helping others to share theirs. And this is really the point of it.

The Humble Role of Practitioner & Client

As practitioners, we don't claim to heal; we are merely conduits for healing. It's a practice of humility, of surrendering to something greater than ourselves and letting that universal light do its work. I’m not alone when I say, “I’m just the channel keeper.” The true healing power lies in the Energy itself. In Divine Grace.

Similarly, the client-patient has a role in his/her own healing, and also needs to step aside and be humble. We can’t exert force on ourselves, or try to control the healing process through mere will (although there is a place for positive thoughts, and the good energy that proceeds from those thoughts). Any student of homeopathy will tell you that sometimes there are deep-seated conditions that need to be resolved before the actual complaint is cleared. We need to choose patience, and understand that it’s not we who heal ourselves. It’s a collaboration between us and the Good Light (that’s how it feels to me!) The Light can only help us if we choose to receive it, through our free will.

The Energy Exchange & Reiki’s Regenerative Cycle

But this is not just about receiving. Energy has a transactional nature. Just as in relationships, there’s a giving and receiving. And Love is at its greatest power when it’s shared. Dr. Usui observed that healing is more profound and lasting when his patients invested in their own healing process, whatever that investment looked like, whether monetary or heartfelt giving.

In essence, Reiki healing regenerates as it's shared. As you embrace the healing love and light of Reiki and allow it to work within you, continue to pass it on through acts of kindness and real joy. (Remember that movie “Pass it Forward” with Haley Joel Osment?) Engage in activities that deeply resonate within your heart—make it ROAR—so that your whole body responds. And you can bet someone else’s will too!

Love & Light,

Jackie

Want to know more about Reiki? Join RAWR, my free Reiki Circle here.