Reiki Healing Touch

We were living and teaching Reiki in Darjeeling, India, when we decided to try for a child. Straight after conception I placed my hands on Bronwen’s sacral chakra, the area of the ovaries and a tremendous heat was channeled into the womb and it felt as of I was helping the seeds of life. This was the first contact that I had with my child because we soon realised that Bronwen was pregnant. After a 10 year relationship we had imagined that it would take a much longer period before she became pregnant, but we were now both sure that the Reiki energy was helping to speed things up.

I decided to do a daily Reiki session on our baby. It began to feel as if I was a part of the baby and of Bronwen, who had a deeper connection than I did with our new child. When I placed my hands on the womb I immediately sensed a beautiful energy streaming into our baby and I felt overwhelmed with emotions which I never knew I had.

I would love to promote Reiki as a means of helping couples to cope with pregnancy and as a way of supporting husbands to become more involved as this is a special time for sharing and communicating with each other, for all three of you.

Men are often overlooked as being important in the pregnancy – or at least many feel this way. If they were to practise Reiki they would have no excuse not to take part and already show their child love and support.

Hands can be placed on the Mother’s uterus – on the baby – with the intention that energy moves freely to wherever the baby requires it at that moment in its life. The father can also do Reiki on the mother to offer his support for her. And lastly the father can also offer energy to himself. Everyone needs support and love and fathers are no different.

During childbirth I also used Reiki as a technique for releasing tension and stress (when Bronwen allowed me!). I placed my hands on her tailbone and gave energy, when I felt that I couldn’t do much I sent her energy as well. It was wonderful to feel that even this process – the birth – was something that I could be involved and supportive in.

For me it felt like I was more a part of the pregnancy and birth. When our baby finally arrived and we touched each other’s skin it was with recognition as we had already known each other’s energies.
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I often ask myself “Is the discovery of all this new Reiki information helping my Reiki teaching and practice?”- and this is my answer to myself…

The wonderful world of Reiki is changing minute by minute. Tick, tick, tick.
I find that with each new day I am presented with more insights into the history of Reiki. I occasionally ask myself, ‘What is the use of that?’. But when Reiki is your way of life it can make a difference. New ideas and challenges can help you retain your integrity and humility as a teacher.

You may think that Reiki is greater than a few facts that the energy is all that you need to know. It is true that experience what makes a great teacher but also as a teacher to daily question your approach, your attitudes and your certainties leads in one direction and that is growth. Growth as an individual leads to integrity as a teacher. Ignorance is not bliss – it is laziness. Continually looking at what we teach and how we teach can only benefit us, our students and Reiki in the eyes of the community.

It is humbling to know that what we once knew is now changed. Change is a fact of life: birth, life, death. We are change. And yet we forget this – trying to tie ourselves down, resisting that which is natural. Mc Donald’s hamburgers are so popular not because they taste good but because they never change. You can buy that same hamburger wherever you are in the world and that is comforting – aaaah. Change can be traumatic, unexpected or down right ugly (let’s not forget exciting, stimulating and adventurous). Sometimes when we teach we talk so much, keeping control, telling others, holding on to what we know that we forget to listen. You see we may not like what we are listening to – it may tell us that we have lost touch, don’t know everything that there is to know or that things have changed. With our mouths shut and our ears open life can be a humbling experience. To be humble is to listen is to learn.

So new facts and details can not only arm us with interesting information but may lead us on a journey. So as a teacher learning new things, I try to remain truthful and continue to fill those Reiki files in my head with more fascinating data. Tick, tick, tick.

Let’s go camping.

(If you have never been camping before then we recommend you suspend your disbelief and we’ll attempt to conjure up a likely image for you.)

It’s a gorgeous day, you’ve been wandering through the bush for a couple of hours looking for the perfect camping spot (yes, let’s make it an Australian camping story). You startle a wallaby as you turn a corner and she hops away as fast as her powerful legs can carry her. The white cockatoos screech at each other from towering gum trees and the exotic scent of sweet wattle hangs in the warm air.

Ahhh this is the life.

You’re searching for the perfect camping spot; one that will keep you safe and warm throughout the night.

On the other side of a great red boulder you finally see it… a clearing at the edge of a deep, vast valley with an uninterrupted panorama as far as the eye can see of the wild Australian bush and its turquoise sky.

At the centre of the clearing you notice a small clump of ashes with a log lying nearby that will be perfect for a fireside seat; you realise that someone has camped here before. This is always a good sign. You are not the first to have chosen this path, it must hold some merit.

You walk to the edge of the precipice. Breathe in deeply. You’re ready. All the equipment you need is in your backpack, you just have to make sure you use it correctly.

Camping out could easily become an analogy for the wonderful world of Reiki. Or have we been too obvious already? Probably.

Choose your Reiki path with care. Will the course offer you the tools you need, will it build your independence and yet highlight a path that has shown itself to be successful for others?

Back to the story….

You are at your chosen camping spot. While it is still light you begin to unpack your backpack. You have everything you thought you would need as well as all those things that your friends and the camping store had recommended. Most importantly you have the basic elements of nourishment, water, shelter, your torch and … for an emergency your charged up mobile.

But there is something special that you require when you go camping out overnight that you can’t buy. It’s something only you can make.

Back in the world of Reiki you’ve paid for your course and you are being taught the basic elements of the system; hand positions, techniques and meditations, symbols and mantras, and precepts. You receive *reiju and you begin to feel ready to start your practice.

But there’s something more to this as well …

Fire.

Building a good Reiki practice is like building a great campfire.

First of all your practice needs to be ignited. Without ignition the fire doesn’t burn and there is no promise of future warmth or wisdom.

Obviously, you need good solid material to begin your fire with – kindling, dry matches and the perfect position. If all you hold in your hand is a pretty piece of paper, it will go up in flames in seconds leaving you with a smattering of uninspiring black ash and sore fingers.

Ignition is therefore a direct result of your experience during a quality Reiki course. Something catches alight when you bring together the basic elements of the system along with an accomplished teacher and your fellow students. This magical combination creates an environment predisposed to fire.

It might be during the practice of *hatsurei ho or when you receive reiju that combustion point is reached; you glimpse a sense of inner peace or perhaps feel momentarily connected to everyone and everything in the room or, more intensely, the universe.

You have been gifted with a promise. This promise is a transaction between you and something deep inside you that is normally covered with a thick veneer of society. You have just been offered a view of something that is beyond imagining; beyond your daily routine of work, recreation and sleep. But it is up to you to fulfil the promise.

Do you want that sense of inner peace to return again and more regularly?

Imagine continuing the experience of connectedness with everyone and everything? Do you want to try to be always moving with the flow of the universe and simply Being?

Now you can. Your fire has been ignited.

You must, however, feed it. Go gather more sticks, keep your fire burning.

At your course your teacher hands you something to take away. A practice and full support. Know that if you practice too little – your fire will go out. At times of doubt grab for that lifeline of support – or else you will forget the promise and your Reiki course will become nothing more than a pleasant memory.

Extend your given practice from 5 minutes a day to 10 and so on. Be aware of balance in your practice; some days you need a bit more and other a little less. It all depends upon your inner barometer and you are paying attention now, tending your fire.

So find yourself a comfortable spot near your great campfire that will warm you, feed you and light your way through the dark night. Build the fire gradually with the appropriate size logs until its constant white heat warms your inner soul. This spot will be like no other – it is individual to you.

Sitting at ease on your log, you notice the firelight flickering against the mottled trunk of a nearby tall tree. You are reminded that the grand gum trees of the Australian bush purposefully litter the ground with their leaves to encourage fire. Fire offers this unique flora regeneration. It is when the perfect combination of eucalyptus oil and dry heat unite, combustion occurs and the bush is caught in the renewing force of fire.

Enjoy the night sky, watch the stars sparkle in the heavens and sip your *billy tea.

It is humanity’s innate ability to find peace within. Foster the right conditions, keep the fire of practice burning like a wonderfully controlled campfire, and enjoy the fruits of life in action.

GLOSSARY

*Reiju: In Japan, reiju is the name given to the method a teacher uses in order to communicate with individual students on an energetic level. In the process of moving from Japan to the West, reiju changed a number of its aspects including its name. In the West its altered form is usually known as an attunement, initiation or transformation. For more information see the article Everything About Reiju.

*Hatsurei Ho: You will find versions of this technique here, in The Japanese Art of Reiki, or on the Reiki Ho CD.

*Billy tea: Billy tea is created in a billy can or billy. This is a traditional Australian utensil for making tea over a fire. It is a cylindrical can with a lid. A stick is poked under its wire handle to enable easy movement on or off the fire. How to make Billy Tea: Pour water into a billy can, place in fire and wait for it to boil. Remove from fire and add a couple of teaspoons of black tea. Hold the billy by its handle and swing in a great arching circle from the ground to the sky a number of times. The pressure of the fast movement ensures that the tea remains in the billy and doesn’t end up all over you. Let it sit briefly before pouring. This unusual process ensures that the tea leaves settle well, yielding up a delicious cup of billy tea without having to use a strainer. Mmm mmm.

There are many Reiki associations across the globe and there are many reasons for their existence and growth (or non-growth).

When we first arrived back in Australia in 1999 we joined an association that was run by a Reiki Master. We paid our joining fees and received an annual newsletter that focussed on the teachings of that teacher and advertised her courses. This wasn’t what we had expected of an association (we were simply supporting her Reiki business!) and soon left. The word association means an organisation of persons having a common interest and we knew that it was certainly not our interest (nor in our interests) to be a part this association. The association did not survive much longer either.

At this point we started thinking seriously about what makes an association worthwhile. We realised that we were looking for an association that had community, was interested in setting some standards for Reiki practices and promoted the system in the greater community. To be successful in its own right an association needed to fulfil certain requirements by providing support to would-be clients and students of the system of Reiki as well its own members. It is not about building the practise of another individual, school or organisation.

It was then we found the Australian Reiki Connection or ARC. It appeared to have proven itself in many ways – one way is simply that it has been in existence since 1997. An important factor is that it is not run by one individual but rather by members for members . The president and the committee are not getting any ‘kick backs’ from their positions and instead dedicate themselves to creating an environment where members can come together to create a vibrant and progressive Reiki community in Australia. Positions within the association are voted on by members each year, a bi-monthly newsletter brings everyone together along with a website that has a member’s section. As this is not an advertisement for ARC we wont list the benefits and discounts members receive but, in short, we found what we were looking for.

If you’re in Australia we’d recommend this association to all Reiki practitioners and if you’re not – there are many other associations around the world that are trying to promote, educate and support too. It’s a fabulous way to meet others and promote the growth of Reiki in a positive light through active membership.

One literal translation of Reiki is spiritual energy or universal energy. We suggest that Reiki may have another meaning – one that does not stem from a literal translation but rather from one’s direct experience.

When we practice the various elements that comprise the system of Reiki we utilize spiritual energy (Reiki). Practitioners are surprised when they discover in their practice that different stages exist within this spiritual energy. A path is unearthed and those who conscientiously practice the elements of the system of Reiki gradually see where it is heading.

To tap into this spiritual energy, in it’s completeness, is to have arrived at the advanced stages of our personal spiritual practice. To paraphrase the experience of receiving the full effect of Reiki actually means to achieve satori*.

At this stage all our ordinary perceptions are transformed and we realise our true potential as human beings.

Attaining this enlightened state of mind and becoming pure light is the ultimate goal of a Reiki practice. This is reflected by the mantra and kanji (symbol) that are practiced at the third and final level of the system. The mantra literally translated from the Japanese means ‘great bright light’. So the goal is to become this great bright light by achieving a state of non-duality or satori.

As practitioners we say we channel Reiki but in effect we only tap into a small amount of this spiritual energy until our energy has become strong enough to channel pure spiritual energy. In other articles about the system we have said that we are Reiki or spiritual energy. Yes, fundamentally we are Reiki but as long as our true realization of this state is limited then so too is our ability.

To achieve satori may take years and years of practice and there is no shortcut by means of using secret symbols or mantras. What is required though is perseverance and the right understanding of how to work with the basic elements of the system of Reiki.

Without this right understanding we just fumble about in the dark never reaching the great bright light. So it is necessary to go back to the roots of the system and practice with the tools as Usui sensei intended us to.

In conclusion, we may not channel the completeness of Reiki, but we do practice a system called Reiki. And, when we finally become the great bright light we will still not say that we channel the completeness of Reiki as, once achieved, such statements no longer hold importance.

*Satori means Enlightenment

At any given moment, people all over the world are reassessing their life. They wonder if it is worthwhile getting up every morning; if there is any point in going to work, in eating dinner, falling asleep and then getting up to start all over again. They are told they can be anything they want to be and yet they’re not even sure what that is.

Ask yourself what you want. Move past the initial expensive car, castle, super job extravaganza and keep asking – what do I want?

Stop for one moment. Feel your physical body, notice your thoughts and draw one large deep breath. Now breathe out and sit quietly in this fresh space. Experience how the breath has briefly connected your mind and body together. Now ask, “What is it that I truly want out of life?”

You may eventually answer:
I want to feel happy.
I want to know who I am.
I want to feel free and light without any pressures at all.
I want to feel safe and warm and touched by life.
I want to know love – unlimited and unconditional.
I want to see the beauty around me.
I want to experience what this world is all about and understand why I am here.

In short: you want to feel connected.

You can be all of these things and more, because happiness comes from inside of you. Inside you there is a place that, when accessed, knows what each of these things feel like.

The system of Reiki aims to help you find that inner heart and learn from it. You have the aptitude, and the system has the tools. There are no secrets or magic to this – all that is needed is you and your intention to remember. Everyone can find what the Japanese call “honu no reikô,” the spiritual light that exists within.

Finding the spiritual light within you is possible because it has always lived there. You are this spiritual light. Beneath the clutter of everyday life exists this precious human self.

Working with a solid energetic practice such as the Japanese form of Reiki can guide you on this path back to your inner self. Originating in the early 1900s in Japan, it is the system’s four major influences that give it its backbone. These are Japanese martial arts, Shintoism (the indigenous faith of the Japanese people), and two esoteric forms of Buddhism–Shugendô and Mikkyo. Elements taught in the Japanese Reiki system include breathing meditations, hands-on healing and simple daily precepts and guidelines. These elements help develop a spiritual practice that supports you in remembering your connection, no matter what religion you may be or what other techniques you may practice.

At the crux of many facets of Japanese culture, religion and philosophy are something we’ve called the three diamonds. These three diamonds are also at the very core of a traditional Japanese Reiki practice.

A diamond is an analogy for the self. Each and every day a Reiki practitioner polishes the diamond by performing his or her practice. This is a constant task for humans who, in this earthly realm, attract dirt, becoming muddy and tarnished. A diamond is so sharp that it can cut through almost anything humanity attaches itself to, bringing back the true essence of life, as seen in the perfection of a sparkling diamond.

Each of these three diamonds works with a different energetic part of you. The first is the physical, grounded aspect of you called Earth energy. The second is the mental, emotional aspect of you, called Sky energy, and lastly, the third diamond is Heart energy. It is in Heart energy that the Earth and the Sky are brought together to create wholeness.

Imagine a triangle: it has a lovely broad base with a point at its tip. If that base tried to balance at the top it would topple over. The human body is just like this triangle; it energetically needs a firm foundation before progressing further into deeper spiritual realms.

Therefore, energetic work begins with the first diamond, Earth energy, which symbolically occupies an area just beneath the navel. This is your base and foundation in life. It grounds you helping you feel relaxed, assured and capable, and offers your physical body the strength to perform well.

The second diamond of Sky energy is representative of the mind with its ethereal nature. Here your intuition is developed and your mental skills are honed.

Lastly, the third diamond of Heart energy is home to the integrated forces of these two human strengths: the body and the mind. If you have worked on the first two diamonds, you will find that the heart opens with ease and that the list of what you truly want out of life can become a reality. By clearing the elements of human nature and then drawing them all together, you have become whole.

So, go on, stop for one moment. Feel your physical body, notice your thoughts and draw one large deep breath. Breathe out and sit quietly in this fresh space. Experience how the breath has briefly connected your body and mind together. Now ask, “What is it that I truly want out of life?”

Kaiji Tomita was a student of Mikao Usui. He wrote a book called, Reiki To Jinjutsu – Tomita Ryû Teate Ryôhô (Reiki and Humanitarian Work – Tomita Ryu Hands Healing) in 1933. The book was re-published in 1999 with the help of Toshitaka Mochizuki.

Included in his book are case studies, the technique hatsurei ho (which includes the use of waka) and hand positions for specific illnesses.

The book has some great photo’s with people practicing Reiki either on clients lay ing down or sitting in seiza.

The name of his school was Teate Ryoho kai and it was taught in 4 levels – shoden, chuden, okuden, and kaiden

Techniques of one kind or another have always been used in conjunction with the system of Reiki. Hatsurei-ho is one of the early techniques. Below is a translation of this technique from that book which is much simpler than what is practised in Japan and the West today. (The chanting of waka, poetry written by the Meiji Emperor, is not practised in the modern form of hatsurei ho in the West)

First sit down and try to concentrate (unify) the mind and body. Choose a quiet place or somewhere comfortable where you can relax. Included in the text are 2 different readings of the word seiza. One means to sit still and is the first part of the technique the other relates to the physical action of sitting in seiza.

Seiza (lit. Japanese to sit still)
Sit in the seiza position and gasshô with the objective to gather/concentrate the energy from the heart into the palms of the hands. Hold the hands together without using force from the arms or the shoulders. Drop the shoulders and clasp the hands, joining the fingers lightly and feel the alignment of the posture. Close your eyes.

Jôshin hô (Mind purification method)
The aim of Jôshin-hô is to unify and purify the mind. Once the sitting upright is achieved, recite (in your head) some waka poetry and feel at One with its meaning.

The following are some examples of waka that can be used for Jôshin hô

ikanaran goto ni ahite mo tayumanu ha
wagashiki shima no yama to damashii
asami dori sumi watari taru o hosora no
hiroki wo wo no ga kokoro tomo gana

Hatsurei hô
If you have followed the previous steps and stayed focused on the palms of your hands they start to become warm. This is what (Tomita ryû) calls reiha ?? (wave of rei). It describes the tingling sensation that is comparable to an electrical current. The heat created and the wave of rei are what constitute spiritual energy. Even if the sensations are weak at first, they should become stronger as you keep concentrating.

5 Day plan
Repeat the above steps for 5 consecutive days, and concentrate for at least 30 minutes (progressively increasing eventually reaching an hour)

Have you always wanted to travel but your budget is a little short and you’re worried you’ll ‘feel so lonely I could die, boom boom’?

Well there’s something that you could take with you that might help; it doesn’t weigh a ton (it’ll even leave room for that extra book) and will always leave love and compassion strewn across the path behind you . You’ll have guessed by now what I’m about to suggest – Reiki! This article also applies to those who practise any healing art whether it be massage, shiatsu or acupressure.

Here’s how to set yourself up.

Cost: We suggest that you charge the local price for a massage. Remember, you don’t have to charge a lot to cover the costs of your next meal and you’ll meet really interesting, like minded people who you’ll probably end up having lunch with anyway and perhaps even travelling with. Instead of charging money you could also swap services; a massage, a painting, information, food etc.etc.

Where: Reiki can be practised anywhere though preferably in a quiet(ish) space on a comfortable something. Hmmm sounds a little vague doesn’t it? But then that’s the point – it really doesn’t matter! When you’re travelling you can do Reiki in the room of a backpackers, by the beach or in a park. Make the space more attractive by using aromatherapy (incense), candles or locally handcrafted materials.

Other ideas are to ring Health Resorts (your dream destination) and work for a month as a practitioner on a commission basis or for free board and rent.

Reiki Masters might want to rent a space if they are staying in an area for a while and offer courses for travellers. This can be a huge success as travellers are often interested in self development.

How: Carry an A4 sheet with you that announces ‘Reiki treatments by your name’. Don’t fill in where as yet but do leave a space. When you have found a place to practise, photcopy the sheet and fill in where. This might be your address ‘Room 8, The Backpackers Inn’ or it might say ‘For more information meet me at Grandma’s for breakfast between 8 and 10 every morning’ – you eat there anyway! All you do is place a leaflet on the table so that everyone knows that it is you who they are looking for.

You can then copy this sheet a number of times and place in backpackers, hostels, restaurant windows, bus/train stations. Make sure you ask beforehand – you’ll find most locals are curious and more than willing to help your venture. If necessary offer them a free treatment!

If money’s no object and you are simply interested in practising your Reiki for the benefit of others, now’s your chance. When travelling you can become involved in the immediate community by volunteering your services. You can do this formally through the Red Cross or local hospital or just ask around and there will surely be someone who needs Reiki. This is an excellent way to meet people, understand the culture (a little bit) and spread love and compassion. Perfect!

By ‘doing’ Reiki we’re referring to the act of placing your hands on the body with the intention that energy be drawn into the body. Hands-on healing, or tenohira in Japanese, is one of the five elements of the system of Reiki.

This is something that Reiki practitioners the world over are doing for themselves in the morning, at work, on the bus, with friends and family, as a job, and most deliciously in the evening before they head off for a peaceful night’s sleep.

So what DO you think about as your hands relax onto (or just off) the body – minute after minute?
Perhaps you feel the energy being drawn through you and your mind begins to wonder what is happening – are you helping? What’s causing this sensation?
Perhaps you feel nothing and you wonder what on earth you are doing sitting here looking like one of the three wise monkeys.
Or perhaps you’re sitting here wondering what you are wondering about! That’s the mind for you – always looking for something to keep you occupied with – even if it is only with itself.

One point we’d like to like to make is that before you begin any practice it is highly useful to prepare yourself first. This is the way to connect strongly with your practice and be open to receiving the greatest benefit from it.

Before beginning tenohira we suggest this regular preparation below:
* Set your intent – know your practice and its approximate length of time. Know that you are unconditionally open to whatever healing is about to occur. Know that although you will physically be moving through this hands-on routine step-by-step you will not be judging or diagnosing yourself or the energy. All you will be doing is letting go.
* Sit or lie comfortably but make sure that your body is not restricted, cramped or hunched.
* Either close your eyes or if sitting gaze at a point on the floor about 3 feet from the body.
* Consciously release all tension from the body so that you are physically and mentally ready for your practice.
* Bring the mental focus to the hara (3 inches below the navel). This is your grounding point and the foundation for the body’s energetic system according to traditional Japanese practices. By connecting with this point your energy expands and readies for work.
* Just before beginning allow the hands to rise in gasshô and pause. In this moment you stop everything – mind and body. You are an integrated spiritual being.

Now you are ready. Place your hands on the body. But wait, before you begin – has the initial question been answered? ‘What DO you think about while doing Reiki?’

Remember back to the preparation and its first step – Intent: First to be aware of the practice and then to let go. That’s the answer. By not holding onto motivations, rationalisations and diagnoses you allow the energy to flow freely, you just let go.

It’s not about working out what’s wrong, making things happen, informing someone about how they should or shouldn’t live their lives – it is the act of not interfering and leaving the tick-tock of your busy thoughts alone. Of sensing the innate truth that you are connected to the universe and if you allow your connection its natural right then blissful living will be yours. It’s about letting the energy flow freely.

Free Flowing Energy – it sounds wonderful but hang on… is it possible to experience totally free flowing energy? For some, yes. But for most of us it remains our aim rather than our experience. It is something that we are working toward. Free flowing energy is a state of Oneness with the Divine, actually being the universal flow.

This means that although your intention is strong and your actions appropriate you may still end up thinking about the shopping list. Don’t worry. Know that what is important is not what has been or what is to come but… now, right now.

So rather than regret your stray thoughts about your dinner’s ingredients, accept those thoughts and, even if it was only for a second, you know that you have let go.

The system of Reiki is a set group of Japanese practices (see Five Elements of the system of Reiki) that when brought together create a system that supports spiritual growth and healing. These practices work with energy – spiritual energy. As the Japanese name for spiritual energy is Reiki – you can see where the system’s name originated from.

But what energetic system are the principles of a Reiki practice based on? As Reiki is a Japanese practice that was created in the early 1900s we are aware that (as with many martial arts and Ki practices that were formalised in Japan at the same time – karate, judo, aikido) the hara or tanden were considered to be the centre of the body’s energetic powerhouse.

The word hara literally means stomach, abdomen or belly in Japanese. Energy is stored in this point of the body from where it expands throughout the whole body.

Usui Mikao’s teachings focus on building the energy in the hara. From Hawayo Takata’s diary notes it can be seen that she too was taught to practice in this manner. For a copy of her handwritten notes relating to the hara click here and click here for her daughter’s typed copy of the notes. Once the system of Reiki became more westernized in the 1980s the chakra system (an energetic system from India that has been incorporated into the New Age movement) was introduced and replaced this system – the chakra system is now commonly used in the West

In traditional Japanese teachings and exercises today the hara system is still the main focus for building a person’s energy. There are, in fact, two other energy centres in the body according to the Japanese energetic system. One is the head and the other is the heart. In the Japanese Art of Reiki we have called these the Three Diamonds. By linking all three areas the practitioner creates unity and balance. Most important, however, is to first develop the lower hara, as this is the body’s central axis point.

Re-establishing this connection with the Original Energy through the hara will ensure good health and recovery from illness. There is always access to a reliable source of strength whenever needed.

An inner attitude results from first focusing on the hara. From this central point there is an ability to cope with everyday tasks and sudden emergencies with an ease of understanding. This allows appropriate action to be taken in a balanced and unprejudiced manner.

1. Lower hara (approximately 3 inches (8cms) below the naval)
In this centre, Original Energy is stored. This is the energy you are born with, the energy that is the essence of your life and gives you your life’s purpose. The Original Energy is not only the energy you receive from your parents when you are conceived but most importantly it is the energetic connection between you and the universal life force. When the singular term hara is mentioned it is the lower hara that is being discussed. This is the symbolic energetic centre for Earth Ki.

2. Middle hara (at the heart centre)
The energy in this centre is connected with emotions. It is ‘human’ energy connected with human experience. Through this centre you learn your life’s process. From childhood through to adulthood and back to being a child. When you are a child you are without experience and as you grow older you become a child with experience. This is the symbolic energetic centre for Heart Ki.

3. Upper hara (third eye area).
This is the energy connected with your spirit. When you are connected with this centre you may see colours or you might have psychic ability. It is important for you not to become unbalanced and keep yourself centred. If you can use this energy in a balanced way, you can see beyond the immediate. This is the symbolic energetic centre for Heaven Ki.

The three diamonds of Earth Ki, Heaven Ki and Heart Ki are at the foundation of the system of Reiki. They are also at the crux of many facets of Japanese culture, religion and philosophy.

A diamond is often used as an analogy of the self in Buddhism. Each and every day a practitioner polishes the diamond by performing his or her practice. This is a constant task for humans who, in this earthly realm, attract dirt: becoming muddy and tarnished. A diamond is so sharp that it can cut through almost anything humanity attaches itself to, bringing back the true essence of life as seen in the perfection of a sparkling diamond.

For a more detailed explanation of these three energetic centres and how they relate to the system of Reiki please read The Japanese Art of Reiki.