What is Reiki?
A Brief Overview
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and
relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life
force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely
to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which
means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life
force energy."
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance
that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial
effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual
healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady
and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve
side effects and promote recovery.
An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability
to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed
on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy"
to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.
Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity
or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of
all ages and backgrounds.
While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it
is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki
is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people
find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual
concept of it.
While Reiki is not a religion, it is still
important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural
healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal
across all cultures.
During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki
Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the five prinicples of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui
admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing
the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the
Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active
part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment
to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and
virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value.
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