| Reiki ( Pronounced Ray-Key, Rei is defined as Universal Life Giving and Ki is defined asEnergy – the same energy that is ‘Chi’ in China or ‘Prana’ in India) is a simple yet profound hands on healing technique from an ancient Tibetan Sanskrit manuscript by a Japanese professor of theology, Dr Mikao Usui. Dr. Usui was a Christian minister in Japan, though Japanese. He was the head of a Christian Boys School in Japan. |
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It was suggested he study Buddhist writings since the Buddha had also healed. This took more years studying at a monastary in the Orient. Nowhere could he find the answers. In Japan he toured many temples asking for knowledge of how the Buddha had healed. At each one the priests said they were more concerned with spiritual than physical well being. In one small monastery he found some ancient Sanskrit writings from India (or perhaps Tibet).
After a few more years of study, he felt he had come to an understanding and that to go further required in depth meditation. He declared to the monks of this monastery his intention to fast and meditate for 21 days at a nearby mountain and that if he did not come back they should come and get his body.
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He went to the mountain and gathered 21 stones with which to count the days. Each day he would throw away a stone and in this way count the time. On the 20th day nothing had come as yet and he threw away the last stone saying "Well, this is it, either I get the answer tonight or I do not". In the night on the horizon he could see a ball of light coming towards him. The first instinct was to get out of the way, but he realized this might just be what he was waiting for, so allowed it to hit him right in the forehead. As it struck him he was taken on a journey and shown bubbles of all the colours of the rainbow in which were the symbols of Reiki, the very same symbols in the Tibetan writings he was studying but had been unable to understand. Now as he looked at them again, there was total understanding. |
After returning from this experience he began back down the mountain and was, from this moment on, able to heal. This first day alone he healed a broken toe-nail, his own starvation, an ailing tooth and the Abbots sickness which was keeping him bedridden. These are known as the first four miracles. He wanted to use these abilities to help others, he spent the next seven years in the beggars section of Tokyo healing the poor and sick people there, sending them to a priest to assist finding them employment, and elevating them out of poverty. After the seven years he noticed familiar faces, those of people whom he'd healed long ago who were back again. Asking them, they complained that life outside beggar town was too hard and that it was much simpler to beg for a living. They had thrown away the gift of health, as if it had no value, to return to the supposed comfort of the life they knew.
This threw Usui into a quandary and he returned to the monastery. From this he realized he hadn't taught gratitude along with the healing. That he'd focussed on the physical ailments without dealing with the spiritual matters. The people did not understand the value of the gift he gave them. Dr. Usui returned to the monastery for furth reflection and planning. After some time in the monastery he developed precepts. In this new plan he travelled around the countryside from village to village. In each one he stood in a public place during the day holding aloft a lit torch. When people told him he didn't need a torch in daylight, he answered was he was looking for the few who are interested in improving themselves. In this way he travelled around teaching and healing, working both with the spiritual healing as well as physical healing.
| During these travels he met , a Naval Commander in the Naval Reserve. He came from a well educated and well to do family. He met Dr. Usui in the marketplace holding a lit torch announcing his lecture at a nearby temple. Dr. Hayashi was very impressed with the sincerity and conviction of Dr. Usui. When asked by Usui to accompany him in his travels, Dr. Hayashi agreed. And they travelled around teaching and healing. After Dr. Usui passed on, Dr. Hayashi became the leader of Reiki. |
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Dr. Hayashi opened a clinic in Tokyo near the Imperial Palace. It consisted of eight beds in a large room, two practitioners per patient. One would treat the head and the other would be on the tright treating the stomach area, then both would treat the patients back. The practitioners all worked here doing healings. They would also go to the homes of sick people for house calls.
To become a Reiki Practitioner in that time one had to be accepted by the masters in the Reiki organization, and second had to promise to use Reiki daily and volunteer some hours to practice Reiki regularly in the clinic.
believes that Dr. Hayashi developed the practice of treatment by using specific hand placements over the body. Being of a military background, and therefore more organized, Dr. Hayashi would have preferred an organized method of treatment. In addition an organized method of hand placements allows for full coverage of the body and organs.
Dr. Hayashi passed on Tuesday, May 10, 1940. He passed leadership over to Reiki to Mrs. Takata. Mrs. Hawayo Takata was born in Hawaii, on Kauai, on Christmas Eve 1900 of Japanese descent. In the 1930's she went to Japan to visit her family there, and inform them of the death of her sister. While there she became very sick and was in the hospital. The doctors were going to operate, and as she was being prepared she kept hearing a voice saying "Operation not necessary". Eventually she jumped off the table asking "Is there another way?” The doctor had a sister who had been cured of dysentery at Dr. Hayashi's clinic and suggested to Mrs. Takata she talk with his sister. The sister brought Mrs. Takata to the clinic and her treatments there began. After Mrs. Takata became well she wanted to learn this for herself. However Dr. Hayashi was not willing to teach her because she was a foreigner. Through the good graces of her doctor, Mrs. Takata was able to persuade Dr. Hayashi to train her in Reiki. This training took a year and brought her to what we would now call Reiki Level II (she could do everything but train other practitioners).
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After this year she returned to Hawaii. In Hawaii she also learned the lesson of having the recipient perceive value in receiving treatments. She treated a neighbour but did not charge, this neighbour did not value the treatments and did not become well. She treated another relative and this time charged, and this relative did stay well. Thus the tradition of charging for Reiki treatment was reinforced. |
In November 1936 Dr. Hayashi came to Hawaii for a speaking tour to promote Reiki. During this time he trained Mrs. Hawayo Takata to teach Reiki, thus making her what we now would call a Reiki Master. As he left Hawaii he asked her to come to see him when he summoned her. After some more time it was nearing when World War II would start, the part in Europe already having begun. Dr. Hayashi appeared to Mrs. Hawayo Takata in a dream asking her to come to Japan. She did this and found Dr. Hayashi having his Naval Uniform out of storage and fretful. With the coming war he knew it was a matter of time before the Navy would call him out of retirement and he would be asked to perform actions he was not capable of doing due to his spiritual development. At this time he passed to Mrs. Takata the leadership of Reiki. He gathered all the Reiki Masters to a gathering and announced Mrs. Takata to be the leader of Reiki, then he died.
Mrs. Takata returned to Hawaii and continued using and teaching Reiki, developing new ways of using it. Eventually she moved to California, using and teaching Reiki there as well. She did not teach other masters until 1975, and before her own death in 1980 she trained 22 Reiki Masters.
In the same era Dr Chujiro Hayashi trained Mrs Hawayo Takata who brought the “Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai” which means “The Usui system of Reiki healing” to the West, he also trained Mrs Chiyoko Yamaguchi and Kimiko Koyama who both stayed in Japan to continue the original teaching of Jikiden Reiki. There are also other methods of Reiki that some Masters have developed over the years such as Seichem Reiki and Karuna Reiki.
There are five ‘Precepts' or 'Ideals' of Usui Reiki that practitioners and Masters continue to use to spread the Reiki awareness across the world. The Reiki ‘Principles’, ‘Precepts' or 'Ideals' are:
Just for today, do not anger
Just for today, do not worry
Honour your teachers, parents and elders
Earn your living honestly
Show gratitude toward all living things
Description and benefits of Reiki
| Reiki is a Universal Life Giving Energy that some believe it is an intelligent energy, completely safe for both giver and receiver. It is a simple, effective and safe way of promoting healing. It is a hand’s on healing method that works on physical, mental, spiritual and emotional levels ensuring relaxation, rebalancing, and well-being. Free from any religion, belief system or dogma, making it accessible to all. Reiki is the most simple and natural method of healing. |
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Here in the UK, there are four levels to Reiki:
Degree Level I – where the student is attuned and after training can give Reiki to themselves, family and friends.
Degree Level II – where the student is given 2 more attunements and after training can give Reiki to themselves, family, friends and if they wish they can become a Practitioner with public liability insurance and take payment for giving Reiki treatments.
Degree Level III – is the Master level, and after another attunement and training the student can give Reiki as level II but the energy is known to be more refined and stronger than a level II practitioner.
Master/Teacher Level III – this is the teacher level, where the Master student can receive another attunement and learn how to attune others. The Master/Teacher level can be a practitioner as well as teach Reiki.
Reiki works by the transference of a high vibrational healing energy through the practitioners hands to the client where it is used on whichever level is most appropriate for the person at that time - mental, physical, spiritual emotional or energetic. The Reiki energy accelerates the body's natural healing ability and often confers insights into the cause of the problem. On a physical level it can effect change in the chemical structure of the body by helping to rebalance organs and rebuild tissue, reduce pain and inflammation. Whichever level the energy is working on it can confer a deep state of relaxation and a sense of nurturing and peace.
Reiki can loosen up blocked energy and promote a state of total relaxation, cleanse the body of toxins, relieve pain, sooth shock, calm, the mind and emotions, Support the body’s natural ability to heal itself, help transmute aches, pains, illness and disease, support and enhances any other form of treatment, therapy, medicine or natural remedy, boost confidence and self esteem, strengthen our aura, cleanse and balance our charkas, balance emotions, bring higher levels of consciousness and greater spiritual awareness, help let go of deep emotional patterns and ties, Reiki can be ‘sent’ to treat someone (‘distant healing’), used in labour, energise water for drinking – for pets and plants. Reiki has also been known to work on inanimate objects – recharging car batteries, mobile phones and thawing frozen locks. (As a level II practitioner, I have personally recharged my car and mobile phone batteries.)
Read about the Scientific research on REIKI
