The Five Principles of Reiki

Chapter Four: The Five Principles of Reiki
As was mentioned in a previous chapter, shortly after Dr. Usui left the beggars quarter in a state of disillusionment, he is said to have composed what are today known as the five principles of Reiki. It is said that if you give yourself a treatment and follow these principles each day, health, abundance and happiness will come to you effortlessly. We will cover them one by one not only because of the importance Mrs. Takata placed on them, but also because they do comprise a relatively effective system of living in love and with respect.

1. Just for today, I will count my many blessings.
   Few of us ever stop thinking about what we want, but don't yet have, long enough to focus on what we do have. This is the concept of the first principle. Take time each day to focus on and give thanks for what you do have. Realize your abundance rather than focusing on what you do not have. By taking the time to acknowledge your blessings each day, you become a magnet for further abundance because you are placing the energy of your thoughts into further manifestations in your life, rather than into what you do not have. All of us are truly abundant. The universe has an endless supply of energy with which to manifest blessings and abundance in our lives if we allow it. The key really is letting it. An excellent first step of that process is to recognize what you already have and be grateful for it. Do not overlook such things as friends, family and health by focusing only on material possessions.
 

Try hard each day to see the abundance of the universe in each and every part of your life. Once you do, you'll automatically begin to attract more into your life. This works simply because, like everything else, thoughts are energy. The level of the vibration of your thought energy determines what you experience in life, what is drawn to you and what isn't. If you are constantly focusing on lack and attuning to its vibration, that is what you will attract more of in your life. Conversely, if you recognize and are thankful for the abundance and blessings in your life, many more will follow. Your vibration will literally become a magnet for it.

2. Just for today, I will not worry.
When we worry, we separate ourselves from the whole that is the universe. We are in effect saying, I don't believe that you can support me, nor do I believe in the abundance of the universe. Worry is a vibrational state that we need to be very careful to learn as much as possible from in our lives. Trust and faith are the key words here, but not in the way you might think. There is never a time in your life when you do not have 100% trust and 100% faith. NEVER! The question is what are you trusting and placing your faith in?

We all have belief systems that we begin building in earnest at birth and some say even before that. To a great extent, these beliefs determine where we place our faith and trust. When worry arises, it is because of those beliefs that are buried deep within us. We are not static beings, in reality everything about us is constantly changing. This includes even our deepest beliefs. Worry is not a lack of trust and faith. It is a demonstration of exactly where our trust and faith lie, on other levels, as generated by the beliefs we hold on the many levels of our being both conscious and not. As such it can be a truly remarkable tool in our lives.

When worry arises, try your best not to become absorbed by it. Instead take the position of neutral observer and recognize the tremendous opportunity at hand to eliminate a belief from your system which you no longer desire. Just watch the worry swell up, and do your best to examine why it is there. Trace it back as far as you can in your mind and heart. Attempt to get to the root moment in your life when the belief that is wanting to cause worry in you was first implanted. If you have difficulty, hypnosis can be a very effective tool to use in uncovering the moments you search for. Very often, you will find that the incidents go far back into childhood. Do not be surprised if you can not go all the way back to the root of the problem on the first attempt. Very often that belief has been reinforced many times over the years, in major ways. Sometimes it is necessary to go back and clear out all of these incidents before the root one can be accessed and dealt with. Just search back and do your best to bring them into the light of conscious awareness. Once you begin this process, which is no less than you beginning to completely change your belief system and subsequently your consciousness to what you desire it to be, you will be surprised at how often "AHA! so that's where that comes from" pops into your mind.

Fear is a similar vibration and can be dealt with in much the same manner, so the second principle could easily be: Just for today, I will not worry or fear. It is a powerful principle to incorporate into how you live your life. Trust in the universe, create the beliefs you desire and you will live a life of happiness few others will be able to understand or realize.

3. Just for today, I will not be angry.
Anger is another byproduct of one's belief system, though it is of a much higher vibration than you may think. Simply put, it is you reacting to your environment. Something that is important to realize is that everything that you see is a reflection of yourself. How's that for a thought?

Consider the following for a moment. How can you ever really know someone else in every way and on every level of their being? You cannot. All that you can know of them is what you project onto them from your own belief system, your own reality. Read those last three sentences again. This means that on at least one level you literally create the world around you from your own thoughts and beliefs. Nothing can exist in your immediate environment that you do not know about because you would not recognize it or see it. The story often shared in relation to this concerns the fact that when people from the old world reached the new, often the only village member who could see the ships in the harbor was the shaman. He or she then had the difficult task of convincing the others of what was clearly within everyone's view.

Each of us think we know what is possible based on the experiences that we have accrued in the process of living our lives. If something falls outside of the parameters of what we consider possible, typically one of two things happen. Either we do not see or recognize it (if the object of discussion is an idea, this would include thinking it's "crazy"), or we attempt to learn about it and assimilate it into our prior experience and knowledge.

One good example of this on the physical level is the countless number of perceptual studies that have been conducted over the past twenty years. For instance, if ten people walk through an office space to get to a conference room, and upon entering are asked to write down everything they remember about the office space they just passed through, none of them will write down the exact same response. Most will notice many of the same things, such as desks and chairs, however everyone will notice at least a few different details than anyone else. A picture on this desk, a pen holder on that one, etc. It was the exact same room from a physical standpoint, but each of their psychological makeups forced them to recognize different objects more resonate, for some reason, to their individual reality.

Ten people, ten different realities. Each person projected their own personal reality onto the collective reality of the actual space. All of us do this each day. We all live in our own reality, "our own little world". Whether you meet someone on the street or a good friend in a restaurant for lunch, for the most part you are encountering a projection of yourself. You are creating who they are from your own belief system, thus if something or someone causes you to become angry, it is not truly them that is producing that reaction in you. It is what you are choosing to perceive about them that is. Most likely it is an area of your life that you are uncomfortable or not satisfied with.

They are like the room. It is the same for everyone at a core level, but we all project our own reality, our own room, our own person onto them at all times. The next time something upsets you, thank the universe for the gift it has given you in pointing out something in your reality or belief system which you may wish to change. Then change it! Try to determine what that person, place or thing was reflecting back to you about yourself that you do not like and work on it. This is one of the precepts behind unconditional love and is also why it is said that it is impossible to truly love another unless you completely love yourself. In reality, there isn't much of a line between yourself and another. Everything is perception and what you project upon it.

4. Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
I believe that, in combination with the others outlined here, you will be truly amazed at the tremendous effects this principle will have in your life. It matters little whether you work for yourself or another, the universe truly seems to reward honesty in every respect. The most important thing is to be honest to yourself in each moment of every day. Always strive to see the world in ways as honest as possible, and to be as honest as you can in the ways you interact with it.

The rewards of honest work can be understood only when experienced first hand. As an example, I will discuss a gentleman who, at a very young age, has risen to become the youngest person to ever manage a major television network affiliate, as well as the youngest person to ever act as a high member for a region of the American Broadcaster's Association, a very powerful position indeed. I know many people who remember when he first arrived at his station as an intern in college. They will be the first to tell you that there was nothing special about him. When asked for the secret of his success, he gladly gives it as follows. "Always do your work honestly." It's as simple as that, he says. Further examination reveals more of what that statement means to him. He typically arrives at work a bit early and leaves a few minutes late. On the days he could not make it in, he always gave the honest reason why. While at work he spent no time in any of the social cliques which exist in every office environment. No one ever heard him say a negative thing about the station, another person, or his job. He showed up, put in an honest day of work, and went home to his family. In the process of doing so, he shot up the ranks faster than anyone thought possible, being installed in the positions he holds today at an age when some were only graduating from college.

How did he do it? It is a formula anyone can follow. He simply did his work honestly.

5. Just for today, I will be kind to every living creature.
It has been said that without love there is nothing, and love means kindness. Our society's belief in separatism has done a great deal of damage to our world. Only when we begin to see the world and everything in it from a holistic viewpoint, will true change begin to occur within consciousness and consequently on earth. The physicists of our day can all stand on soap boxes, scream about how they've traced matter down to it's core component, and tell us of how we're all made of the same energy of varying vibration, but until this statement truly sinks in, it means very little. Indeed, until we all understand in our hearts as well as our minds the interconnectedness of all things, true change will allude us. The only truly effectual and lasting change comes from within not without.

One of the best ways to truly understand this concept and get a real sense of it is by living in accord with the fifth principle. Take it further than even Dr. Usui did by being kind to not only every living creature, but everything in general! Everything you see is made up of the same energy as you. Science has already proved that at a subatomic level, the energy of thought influences matter. Everything on some level seems to have a primal consciousness that can be influenced by our thoughts and their energy. Influence things with thoughts of kindness and love. I’m confident that the changes you will find in your life will amaze you. I can't count how many times good will towards my car has kept it out of the shop once something began to break down. Be kind to everything. Try it, you may just find that you like it!

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Excerpted from the first edition of "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Survival Manual" by Devin J. Starlanyl M.D. and Mary Ellen Copeland M.A., M.S.