What is Reiki?

It is not massage.
It is not a religion.
It is not a belief system.
It is not a substitute for traditional medical treatment.

It is a form of energy healing. It works whether one believes in it or not - even if the recipient is unconscious. It works on animals and plants. Practitioners can easily use it to treat themselves as well as others. It works well with things positive. It can enhance the effects of other types of treatments. It accelerates the healing process. It may help with personal and spiritual growth. The name originates from the Japanese language where there is no equivalent to the English 'R' sound.

Japanese pronunciation: resembles "lay-key" in English, but with the tongue briefly touching the palate, just back of the teeth, when pronouncing the 'L'.

Anglicized pronunciation: "ray-key"

Literal translation: "energy of the spirit"

Common interpretation: "universal life energy"

"Reiki" refers to both the energy and the practice. It should be clear from the context which usage is intended.

One cannot learn to do Reiki by simply reading about it. In order to become a Reiki practitioner, one must be initiated, or attuned, by a Reiki Master.

When a Reiki practitioner treats someone, it is not the practitioners energy that is passed on. We are merely channels for the energy and are not drained in giving a treatment. On the contrary, we receive a treatment while giving one.

Many have been taught that the Reiki energy, which exists all around us, enters the practitioner through the crown (the top of the head). From there the energy moves down and out through the palms of the hands.

Reiki Treatments. Reiki treatments are not just for the ill or injured. Reiki can help to maintain and enhance health. It can be used for stress relief, for relaxation.

Reiki can benefit at four different levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

This is how I usually perform a hands-on treatment: The client lies on a massage table, fully clothed. I place my hands on various positions, beginning with the head, then front, then back. The treatment is conducted with respect for body privacy, there is no "inappropriate touching". The length of a full session may vary, but generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

Reiki Levels. Reiki, as originally taught in the "West" (outside of Japan), consisted of three levels:

First Degree, or Reiki I. A First Degree practitioner can do hands-on treatments.

Second Degree, or Reiki II. In addition to hands-on treatments, a Second Degree practitioner is able to send the Reiki energy to anyone, anywhere in the world. This involves the use of special symbols.

Reiki Master, or Reiki III. In addition to hands-on and distant treatments, a Reiki Master is able to initiate others to First and Second Degrees, and Reiki Mastership.

Since the time of Reiki's introduction to the West, offshoots and variants have developed which differ from the original three-level system.

Brief History of Reiki. Mikao Usui (1865-1926) founded the practice of Reiki in Japan near the beginning of the 20th century (the energy has always existed). There are conflicting accounts in the Reiki literature of its precise origins, and what took place during the years immediately following its introduction.

What is known is that Usui made Chujiro Hayashi (1879-1940) a Reiki Master, and that Hayashi ran a Reiki clinic in Tokyo. It was to this clinic that Mrs. Hawayo Takata (1900-1980), an American citizen and resident of Hawaii, came for treatments. After being cured, she was allowed to learn Reiki and apprenticed at Hayashi's clinic. She attained the Second Degree level before returning to Hawaii in 1936.

After her return to Hawaii, Mrs. Takata opened her first Reiki clinic. Not long after, Hayashi visited Mrs. Takata in Hawaii. On February 21, 1938, Hayashi signed a notarized certificate in Honolulu, Hawaii, stating among other things that:

What is a Reiki Master? People unfamiliar with Reiki, upon hearing this designation, may get the false impression that "Master" equals "expert". To me, a "Reiki Master" is the same as "Reiki teacher". Just as there are teachers of different levels of knowledge, dedication and competence in other fields, so it is with Reiki teachers (Masters).

I've discussed briefly, under Reiki Levels above, what Reiki Mastership means in terms of what such a person is able to do. Adding to this, a Reiki Master is someone who has received a Master's initiation (from a Reiki Master), and has knowledge of how to successfully pass initiations on to others. Some may consider this to be an oversimplification. However, class subject matter (including blending of other healing modalities), teaching methods, amount of class time, post-class availability, etc. vary so greatly that what I have described may be regarded as the lowest common denominator. This is not to imply that such diversity in Reiki Masters is negative. On the contrary, there is greater opportunity for each student to be drawn to a Master who is right for him or her, at a particular stage in the student's development.

Remember that Reiki originated from in Japan. Often a term or expression used in one language does not translate exactly into another language. In English, the term "master" has diverse usages. I've known martial artists who often spoke of Reiki Masters in the same sense as when speaking of martial arts masters. This is an example of a blurring of the usage of this expression.

I suggestion to anyone who might be confused by the expression "Reiki Master" is to avoid it, at first, in favor of "Reiki teacher" (or at least make this mental translation). And to instead use "Reiki expert" for someone regarded as possessing "a high degree of skill in or knowledge of" Reiki. However, I suspect that there would not be much agreement within the Reiki "community" as to what would constitute such an expert, or even if such a designation would be appropriate to anyone practicing Reiki.

Selecting a Reiki Practitioner for Treatments. Is it better to seek treatments from a Reiki Master? Not necessarily. I have received excellent treatments from First and Second Degree practitioners. A Master might be better if you are considering becoming a Reiki practitioner yourself.

If you are simply seeking treatments, then please do not overlook a practitioner just because s/he is not a Master (teacher).

Selecting a Reiki Teacher. If each Master is unique, so is each student. Someone else's choice may not be the right one for you. How does one choose?

Some teachers are affiliated with "schools" or organizations. The vast majority may be independents. One way is not necessarily better than the other.

Arrange for a sample treatment if possible. This way, you get to meet your potential teacher before deciding on taking a class. You can experience the energy your teacher channels and get a feel for the system you are considering learning. (Many practitioners have never received a hands-on treatment from their teachers.)

Cost should not be the overriding factor - unless a teacher's prices are much higher than the norm. Teachers have different philosophies on charging, different pricing systems, but we are not comparing otherwise identical commodities. It's not like buying peas.

With Reiki, it is not "you get what you pay for". It is more like: "You get back according to what you put in."

Many practitioners, in referring to a class they completed, speak of it as their "attunement". The initiations (attunements) usually take a few minutes each, whereas a class is typically a few hours long at least. Still, a class can only cover the basics, not every conceivable situation. Questions and issues often arise after the formal class. How accessible will the person who initiated you be after the class?

After all the questions and answers, remember to also ask your intuition. Does it feel right, do you have a good feeling about this person? If the answer is no, then continue looking. (Do this even if the teacher is me :)

It is not about passing judgment. It is about finding someone with whom you resonate.

Specific Expectations and Reiki Treatments. I try not to expect specific results when either giving or receiving Reiki treatments. This is not always easy to do, especially if someone (myself included) is going through an especially trying experience, or has a specific problem s/he would like to have healed.

Often treating for a specific problem does have the hoped-for effect. At other times, however, Reiki treatments appear not to help at all. People focusing on specific physical symptoms are understandably disappointed when Reiki does not seem to alleviate these. Perhaps several treatments are required, that is, there is no instant gratification. Or perhaps there is some other situation in the person's life that Reiki is addressing, in subtle ways.

One approach is to continue with full-body Reiki treatments even if the immediate problem is not resolved. Try to forget about assigning your own conscious priorities to what needs healing, and trust that Reiki is working for the highest good of the recipient - even if it is not always apparent what this "highest good" is. Applying this approach to my daily self-treatments, I have occasionally discovered that some things which used to bother me for years, whether physical or otherwise, no longer do. But not having focused on these particular problems, I cannot pinpoint precisely when they stopped bothering me.

Reiki and "Prevention". My preference is to begin Reiki treatments before problems surface whenever possible. (We are often not aware that dis-ease has been developing until it is well underway.) This approach, a form of "preventive maintenance", is easy to practice in terms of my own self-treatments, and with those close to me, who welcome Reiki treatments. Ideally, it involves giving full-body treatments on a daily basis. If daily is not feasible, then as often as possible.

Many people, however, only come to Reiki after having given up on more conventional approaches. (Someone once approached me because he felt conventional medicine had given up on his mother.) Problems can range anywhere from mild but annoying chronic discomforts, to fatal illnesses or injuries. Although significant improvements can still occur in these cases, I prefer to begin treatments before this stage is reached, while the person is still apparently healthy. I believe many problems can be averted in this way, or at least symptoms alleviated. Reiki cannot always prevent a person's passing, but it may make the passing easier, or help in some way, on some level.

The more serious the illness or injury, the more amazing it appears when Reiki seems to help. Less dramatic, but probably more commonplace, are a myriad of problems daily, full-body Reiki treatments help to prevent or alleviate.

One of the most obvious ways to begin practicing what I've termed "preventive maintenance", is for a person to become a practitioner, and do daily treatments on self, and significant others, who willingly accept such treatments. Inevitably, although Reiki treatments and training are available to many, not everyone will seek or accept such treatments, and still fewer will go on to become practitioners.

Permission in Reiki. There are two opposing viewpoints on sending distant treatments:

1) No permission is necessary.

Since Reiki can never do any harm, there is nothing wrong with sending Reiki energy without the person's consent or even knowledge. Reiki will not work if the person rejects the energy, so if the energy is received and it benefits the person, the energy has been accepted at some level.

2) Only send Reiki if asked or consent is given.

It is the person's right to refuse the energy for whatever reasons s/he may have. Everyone living has certain lessons they must learn if they are to progress. Perhaps some individuals need to learn when, or from whom, to ask for help. The Reiki energy can benefit the individual even if consciously rejected. It is the person's conscious decisions which must be respected, as this is who is faced with life's lessons.

Are the Reiki Initiations Necessary? There is some disagreement in the Reiki "community" about whether the initiations (attunements) are necessary in order for anyone to channel the energy.

Again, we should distinguish between the energy and the practice. There are several systems of healing which utilize energy, and this may or may not be the same as Reiki energy, depending on your point of view, or the point you're trying to make.

The practice of Reiki is one such system. It includes certain (variable) hand positions, special symbols (also variable), techniques for sending distant or absentee healing, and the initiations, whereby teachers pass on the ability to channel Reiki energy to others.

My own point of view is that, for a system to be called "Reiki", the initiations are necessary. If someone is able to channel healing energy without the initiations, this is wonderful, but it is not (the practice of) Reiki, it is something else. I do not claim that my point of view is the "correct" one. This is simply how I choose to view things for now.

Reiki and Exchange. Mrs. Takata began a tradition of charging when she introduced Reiki to the West. It was felt that people did not really appreciate something unless they paid for it.

With the spread of both traditional and non-traditional forms of Reiki, fees for classes at least are generally lower than in Mrs. Takata time - not only in absolute terms, but relative to the rising cost of living.

Today, practitioners and teachers hold different views on how much to charge, or whether to charge at all.

Many or most teachers have fixed fees for classes. Some have sliding scales. Others accept barter or teach on a "donation" basis.

There are some who teach without charge (do not ask for money or anything else tangible). Even if nothing is required, consider at least offering something in exchange for the teacher's time. Take a sampling to determine what is commonly charged by other Reiki Masters.