What Is Reiki?

There are as many paths to enlightenment as there are people. Reiki is one of those paths and each person who practices it will walk the path in their own way. No one person owns it, it has being given to all of us as part of our essence of our human being.

Reiki is primarily percieved as a practice for healing the body, but it is also a method for healing the mind and spirit. Ultimately, Reiki has the power to reunite the trinity of Mind-Body-Spirit in their optimal state of harmony. All of us need to start the process of returning to that state of harmony. Reiki, with its power and simplicity and it's methods for healing both the self and others, offers the way to start taking "the journey home"     

Reiki  (pronounced ray-key) is a Japanese word meaning ‘universal life energy�? The first ‘Rei�?meaning universal, transcendental spirit, a boundless essence. The second ‘Ki�?meaning ‘Life force energy�? This life force energy can be defined as that energy which resides and acts in all created matter, animal, vegetable, or mineral. When this force has left the body then life has departed. 

In all cultures and religions there is a name or concept which corresponds to the meaning of Ki in Reiki Chi found in Chinese’s medicine eg. Acupuncture and Qigong.  Prana, found in the Hindu Upanishads and yoga.  Light, found in Christian teachings.

Everything that is alive contains Ki and radiates it, but the person who has recieved the Reiki attunements or initiation has had their body’s energy channels opened in a way that connects them to the Universe’s limitless source of Ki. The person now have unlimited access to the life force energy for their own healing and is also a channel for transmitting this energy to others.

Reiki is healing energy in its truest sense. When the Reiki practitioner channels this life energy through their hands to the recipient, it activates the body’s natural ability to heal itself. The energy goes to the deepest levels of a persons being, where illnesses have their origin. It works wherever the recipient needs it most, releasing blocked energies, cleansing the body of toxins and working to create a state of balance. It reinforces the recipient’s ability to take responsibility for their life, and helps them make the necessary changes in attitude and lifestyle to promote a happier and healthier life.

What sets Reiki apart from other healing methods is the process of attunements. The attunement is not a healing session it creates the healer. In Reiki I the student receives the first combined attunements (four attunements, if she takes the class from a Traditional Reiki Master) Some Reiki Masters have combined the four attunements into one. An additional attunement is received in Reiki II and one more attunement with Reiki III. Each degree’s attunements increase the positive power of her ability to channel Ki. It is the attunements themselves that are reiki, and without this process, which must be given by a Reiki Teacher/Master to student, the healing system is not Reiki but something else. Attunements are given one to one. Reiki may appear to be similar to the laying on of hands and other type of touch healing, but the process of opening up the energy channels via the attunements is quiet distinctive. Reiki is also different to other healing methods because the attunement is not giving the person something new, INSTEAD it is simply unlocking what was always there. It is like switching on a light. The electricity is present, but someone has to press the switch on to activate it.

Reiki is also differentiated from some other healing systems by its simplicity. Following the initial attunements you only have to place your hands on or over yourself or another person and the Reiki will be drawn from the universe (not from you) flowing through your hands to whatever part of the body you are touching. There are no complicated mental exercises and no fasting or prolonged meditation practice required in order to practice Reiki. Once initiates, the ability to channel this life force energy is always with you.

Reiki is a healing system that is a safe, natural and holistic way of treating many acute and chronic conditions and bringing about spiritual, mental and emotional well-being. These conditions include stress, sinusitis, menstrual problems, cystitis, migraine, asthma, M.E (chronic fatigue syndrome) eczema, arthritis, menopausal problems, depression, insomnia and sciatica. Reiki is suitable for everyone, including the very young and the elderly, pregnant women and those recovering from surgery. It also is a great tonic and if you are in good health, Reiki will help you to stay that way.

As is the case with all alternative healing, Reiki should not be used as a substitute for orthodox medicine, although individuals may choose to do so, and that is their right. No Reiki practitioner, however, should advice any person receiving the therapy to stop taking prescribed medicines or not to see a doctor. 

Reiki is also much more than a method of healing the physical body. Once it has being integrated into our daily lives it opens the heart to experience a unity with the divine and to reconnect us with the eternal oneness of all creation. There are many experiences to be had through practicing Reiki, but none more beautiful then the recognition of the universal spirit that unites us all. For so long many of us have denied the spirit within us, making ourselves even more fragile in the process, Through practicing Reiki we can once more strengthen ourselves spiritually and begin to experience fully all aspects of our humanity and the earth as we were meant to.

To become a Reiki practitioner requires the receiving of attunements from a Reiki Master who has also received the attunements and training. Reiki cannot be learnt from a book, but, as with many healing practices, books can act as supports and guides after we have learnt a subject, or they can introduce us to a subject that we feel we would like to know about. 

This information has being taken from the book “Healing Reiki�?by Eleanor McKenzie and is not a substitute for attending a reiki class; it is an introduction to Reiki.