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Reiki

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Reiki is said by its practitioners to be a form of complementary or alternative medicine, developed (or rediscovered) during the latter half of the 19th century by Mikao Usui in Japan. It has gained widespread popularity outside Japan, particularly in Europe and North America.

The name Reiki comes from two Japanese characters that describe the energy itself.rei ( meaning "universal" and ki ( life force energy). Common translations are therefore "universal life force energy". The Japanese symbol "rei" denotes all the things under heaven, and the character "ki" denotes the spirit or "breath of life". The character "rei" therfore in a calligraphic way denotes the energy of the sky (Heaven), whilst the "ki" denotes the energy of the Earth.

The noun "Reiki" is often incorrectly used as a verb and adjective in the West, however this is widely accepted, unlike the Japanese term which is merely a noun. In Japan however the term is commonly understood as describing as merely a generic term for "ghostly power" and is not interchangable with the "Usui Method of Reiki Healing" (in Japanese - "usui reiki shiki ryoho").

Practitioners claim that they are able to act as channels for "Reiki" energy, which they allege flows from the universe through their bodies and primarily from the palms of their hands, to specific parts of their own or others' bodies in order to facilitate healing. Some claim that Reiki energy can also be channelled through other parts of a practitioner's body (for example their feet, fingers, or through their eyes) if they wish to. They say the primary method to focus the desired flow of the energy is the practitioner's intention. Many scientists, health care workers and others dispute the effectiveness of Reiki, claiming that there are no objective studies confirming the existence of this specific Reiki energy or practitioners' claims that this Reiki energy has the capacity to facilitate healing beyond that expected from the placebo effect.

Theories and practices

In some traditions, Reiki energy is believed to enter the initiate through his 7th (crown) chakra, fill his aura and flow through his hands into the body of the recipient. In other traditions, it is said to enter through the 1st (root) chakra, fills his aura, is centered at the 4th (heart) chakra, and flows out through his hands. The Reiki energy is believed to have a form of intelligence, and "knows what to do". Thus, if the recipient´s body needs it and is ready to heal, it may use the Reiki energy for healing. If the body does not feel that the energy is needed, it will not absorb the energy. Some traditions teach that Reiki "spirits" keep watch over Reiki energy. Many teach that any intention to do harm will not facilitate the flow of Reiki energy. Given that Reiki energy is said to derive from the universe and given Reiki practitioners' beliefs about the loving and nurturing nature of the universe, the doctrine is that Reiki energy is incapable of doing harm.

"Treatment" is traditionally done similarly to the laying on of hands. The clothed recipient is asked to lie down and relax. The practitioner then acts as a channel for Reiki energy, theoretically allowing the energy to be channelled through the practitioner to where the patient requires it. Usually the practitioner applies his hands to various parts of the patient's body. Some practitioners touch the body or hover their hands above it. Some patients report feeling various sensations: heat, cold, pressure, etc. Practitioners often attribute these sensations to Reiki energy filling the body and aura of the recipient and acting: filling up energy deficiences, repairing and opening the energy channels (meridians), pulling out "negativity" and dissolving the blockages of stale energy. Others report feeling little or no change.

Reiki is purported to be a form of Oriental medicine and it defines full health as total harmony of body, mind and spirit. Some traditions label these as Body, Emotion, and Soul and are taught the technique said to be for each in that order: Reiki I, Reiki II, and Reiki III (see below).

History

Reiki was claimed to have been "rediscovered" by a Japanese man named Mikao Usui, a Tendai Buddhist. After long meditation, fasting and prayer, Usui claimed to have gained the knowledge and spiritual power to apply and attune others to "Reiki" healing energy. While some believers in Reiki claim that access to this energy is fairly limited for the majority of people, they claim that Reiki is available to everyone to some amount. Some go so far as to hold that the energy system Reiki flows through and works with was integrated into our basic energy body (or aura) and that every person has the ability to channel this energy. Attunement to the energy is said to enhance and refine the ability to connect with this already occuring natural process. Mikao Usui claimed that he could enable his students to enlarge their access to the energy through certain initiations. Through such initiations, students become clearer channels for Reiki energy and this, in turn, enhances the quality of treatments that student (or practitioner) provides to the patient.

It is said that while Mikao Usui was actively pursuing the art of healing before he developed his Reiki method he studied Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Qigong and Yoga. He claimed that the awakening of Reiki and development of the set of accompanying techniques is something entirely different, however. Nonethless Reiki seems to be based loosely around Taoist ideas of Qi. The "Ki" in "Reiki" being the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character.

Hawayo Takata claimed that after developing the Reiki methodology as well as recieving the spiritual ability to practice it, Usui went to the slums of Tokyo to attempt the healing of beggars. However, after several years he claimed that it is their mindset that keeps them ill even when they are "healed" time after time. This gave rise to the principle that there should be an "energy exchange" in return for a Reiki treatment. This may take the form of payment or a trade of some sort. The idea is that the patient regards the treatment as having a value and is prepared to invest himself/herself in the healing process. He was also a great admirer of the literary works of Emperor Meiji, and later on summarised some of his works into five ethical principles, one rendering of which is:

"Just for today, do not worry. Just for today, do not anger. Honor your parents, teachers, and elders. Earn your living honestly. Show gratitude to everything."

Mikao Usui trained several disciples. One of his disciples, the naval doctor Chujiro Hayashi, stressed physical healing and taught a more codified and simpler set of Reiki techniques. Among Hayashi's contributions was a set of fixed hand positions to be used in the course of a treatment; Usui often preferred a more mystical means of diagnosing the patient's problem.

Hayashi initiated and trained Mrs. Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the USA. The States proved to be fertile ground, as Mrs. Takata applied the American spirit of enterprise to Japanese tradition. Mrs. Takata claimed that she was appointed Grandmaster of Reiki through the sucession of Mr. Chujiro Hayashi, and that there were no surving teachers of Reiki in Japan after the war. Her claim of Grandmastership and no surviving teachers remaining in Japan have been found to be incorrect as lineages through people other than Hayashi have been found. In fact, the title of "Grandmaster" has been found not to exist or be recognised in Japan, therefore never being conferred on any Reiki teacher.

Nowadays, Reiki is comparatively rare in Japan, but flourishing in the West. Two basic "schools" emerged, the traditional school and the independent school. The traditionalists claim to teach and practice Reiki pretty much as it was taught from Usui's time until Mrs Takata's time, though newer research suggests that training under Usui differed greatly from the way Mrs. Takata taught. In fact, it appears that the less rigid method of the independent schools have much more in common with the Japanese schools.

The independent movement developed partly in response to the belief that Reiki training should be more widely available and practiced in a flexible and complementary way with other practices. Furthermore, the most independent practitioners believe Reiki is Humanity's birthright. New paths were developed out of the Reiki core that fused it with New Age thinking regarding Christianity, shamanism, channeling and so forth. Also, new symbols were added. Many of these symbols emerged through practitioners who felt guided to expand the system in various ways. A great deal of generic New Age content is now often taught either as an adjunct to Reiki or even as an integral part of the system, and numerous schools of thought now exist, some being freely offered and some proprietary. In some ways this more flexible form of Reiki was initially developed in reaction to the strict Reiki practice that Takata claimed was the authentic method, which demanded strict obedience to proscribed forms.

Courses

The method developed by Mikao Usui spread over the world, and now it is possible to attend a Reiki course almost anywhere; though controversial, correspondence courses over the internet even offer distant training. To achieve a complete education in the "Usui method of Reiki Healing", 3 courses are necessary: the 1st degree course, the 2nd degree course and the master course. The specific contents of each of these courses vary widely from one teacher to another, depending on personal philosophies. A typical set of courses might look something like the following.

1st degree Reiki courses teach the basic theories of how to work with Reiki energy. The channel through which Reiki energy passes to the 7th chakra is said to be widened through an initiation by the teacher, to let the Reiki energy be strong enough to heal. Students learn the manner in which to place their hands on the body of the recipient said to be most successful in the healing process.

In the 2nd degree Reiki course, a symbol for mental healing is purportedly taught, training students to say that they can treat even deeply ingrained problems like fears, depression, addictions and the like. It is also taught how to supposedly direct the energy to a certain point in time, to a specific person or place or a specific issue. The issue can be something like a particular health problem of an individual, or it can be a more abstract or general issue such as world peace. This is said to be made possible through three symbols taught at the second initiation. The channel is belived thereby to be opened even more.

As part of the master course, usually the third degree, students become a Reiki "master" through the third initiation; they learn how to initiate students and have the option of teaching Reiki courses themselves. The student learns a further "master" level symbol in this course as well as the method of attuning others. In some case the third level is broken in to smaller stages of attunments from the teacher, as well as being taught the attunements for the first second and third level in stages. A teacher has completed their practical training when they can attune others to all degrees and has been given (at least) the final fourth Reiki Master symbol that is used in attunemnents.

The first and second stages can also be broken up into smaller levels of attunments and recieving symbols however this is very rarely done and teachers often do not know how to do this. It is generally found to be impractical so is not widely practiced, taught or known.

It is up to students how many levels they want to complete. The courses are sequential, and can be expensive especially the third (master) level. Often a teacher will require time in between one course and another, when the student is expected to apply new learnings before taking the next degree. Before offering Reiki treatments to the public, a student is often advised to take a second degree course.

Reiki community

While there is no single standards organization, no vow of obedience, and practitioners practice as they will, some practitioners choose to form Reiki communities to bring together often diverse knowledge and experience. Some of these communities have grown out of informal groupings of practitioners who organized Reiki circles for working together, while others have formed around a particular school or teacher. Many of these communities emerged due, in part, to the expanding popularity of the internet. Global initiatives have been introduced (like healing the planet or global peace fostering) and a great deal of online services (like training and healing) are available.

Controversies

The existence of Reiki energy has not been scientifically proven, and anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of Reiki therapy is commonly ascribed to the placebo effect and a combination of post hoc reasoning and the regressive fallacy by critics. Proponents of Reiki claim that they can detect and manipulate this energy, but a means to measure it or even objectively demonstrate its existence to the satisfaction of the scientific community has yet to be found. The predominant opinion among the scientific community is that the sensations felt by practitioners and patients of Reiki are psychologically subjective or the result of self-deceit with magical thinking.

Many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine are also skeptical of the claims of Reiki practitioners.

There are others who do not accept the claims made by Reiki practitioners. For example, many mainstream doctors, academics, and consumer advocates find it disturbing and potentially dangerous that patients with serious diseases like cancer are choosing Reiki over trained doctors. While it is understandable for patients to seek non-mainstream remedies when conventional options seem ineffective or untrustworthy, many doctors say that Reiki, like many other forms of alternative medicine, is simply exploiting the fear and hope of people with serious illnesses for money while offering no demonstrable help. Reiki practitioners claim in answer that Reiki is a reliable and effective treatment which is being unfairly dismissed by conservative Western scientific research.

There are various religious groups opposing Reiki. Fundamentalists condemn Reiki as promoting pagan practices. Once such group is the Unification Church, which cautions its adherents to avoid Reiki on the grounds that Reiki involves channeling the energy of evil spirits. Some individuals and groups (like Dominicans from the Roman Catholic Church) actively advise believers against it. Reiki has been called a cult or an attempt at sorcery. Reiki adherents say that there is no real structure, guru or chain of command in the Reiki community, so it doesn't fit the modern sense of a cult in some ways. Critics point to the often substantial fees charged by Reiki practitioners for their teachings as an indication of at least one type of structure. Some Christian practitioners of Reiki contend that the source of power that is chanelled through them is divine, possibly from the Holy Spirit.

Within the Reiki community, numerous controversies also exist on topics such as the nature of the Reiki energy itself, fees charged for courses and treatments, training methods, secrecy of symbols and attunement methods, to name but a few. Also a great deal of effort is spent appraising and criticising various schools and their difffering practices. A few organisations have also appointed themselves the only authentic school, or the official Granmaster of Reiki, therby creating a great deal of bickering. Other schools critice schools that critice other schools.

See also

Partial Bibliography

  • Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui, Usui and Petter, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-57-8
  • Hayashi Reiki Manual: Traditional Japanese Healing Techniques from the Founder of the Western Reiki System, Petter, Yamaguchi and Hayashi, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-75-6
  • Reiki Healer: A Complete Guide to the Path and Practice of Reiki, Ellyard, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-940985-64-0
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