Reiki Healing Touch

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.

It is always good to clarify definitions at the beginning of any article.

* The system of Reiki is a spiritual practice that was developed by a Japanese man called Usui Mikao in the early 1900s. It includes 5 basic practices: reiju (attunement), palm-healing, techniques and meditations, precepts, and symbols and mantras.

* Reiki, the energy, is the name of the energy used within the system and is literally translated from the Japanese to mean ‘spiritual energy’ or ‘sacred energy’. One variation used in the West is ‘universal energy’. Generally these terms represent the concept of ‘the energy of everything’.

When a Reiki practitioner works with energy it is sometimes called channelling the energy. The reason why we channel energy is to support the movement of that which is stagnant in order to live life in its natural flow.

When we are not at One with this natural flow of life (or energy) we come up against obstacles: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Often where one of these elements ends and the other begins we do not know. All we know for sure is that these elements are interdependent of one another and together they create the filters through which we experience our lives.

The practices taught within the system of Reiki affect these obstacles, thereby supporting change and affecting every aspect of our lives. So, does this mean that we are in fact channelling positive energy?

No. Not if we are truly experiencing universal energy, the energy of everything.

Within universal energy we always channel negative and positive energy. In Japan these two elements are called In and Yo and in China, Yin and Yang.

In and Yo are not words for ‘good’ and ‘bad’ but rather representations of dual elements – the two flipsides of a coin. In and Yo also represent other dualities such as Earth and Heaven, female and male, the moon and sun. By balancing and blending dual elements within ourselves we are creating a non-dual existence, one where we begin to resonate fully with universal energy.

Therefore, when we work on ourselves or others it is not about taking the negative away and filling ourselves up with positive energy. True healing takes place as the two forces balance harmoniously out.

Why then do some like to believe that Reiki is positive energy only? Perhaps we are too scared to see that which might be labelled as ‘bad’ within ourselves.

To heal we need to face all sides of ourselves, including our fears and darkest issues. By working on ourselves, and by taking responsibility for our personal spiritual progress, we learn to let go of self-condemnation and work toward balance instead.

Take this responsibility into your own hands, own it and live life in acceptance. Move away from the need to label your experiences. Move instead into a state of union with the universe; it is there that your obstacles have the opportunity to dissolve.

Current research into the system of Reiki is bringing to light a great deal of hidden knowledge about the system’s beginnings and original intentions. While researching our books, The Reiki Sourcebook, and the soon to be released The Japanese Art of Reiki, we discovered that this is not the sort of knowledge that has deliberately been buried away from prying eyes – rather it has been lying under the dust of an unexplored past. By brushing off some of that dust, this article reveals a code: one that is constantly in play for practitioners across the globe – often unrecognized and unacknowledged.
Do you practice Reiki to help others, to work on yourself, to send distant healing, or for other reasons? The motivations behind an individual’s practice are endless due to the system’s numerous and immeasurable benefits. At the heart of these many rewards, deep within the foundations of the system, exists a law that makes this all possible. It is the home of spiritual energy and its name is non-duality.

The word, non-duality, expresses the underlying Oneness of existence: that there is no ‘I’ – just the simplicity of being. It exemplifies the concept that we all come from the same source, are the same source and return to that same source.

As a practitioner, the more knowledge you obtain about what you do and experience, the deeper the connection to your practice becomes. This unshakeable groundwork accordingly sharpens your intent: resulting in an overall more effective practice.

By delving into the Japanese background of the four traditional Reiki symbols and mantras, it is possible to discover how this code is the system’s blueprint and what that signifies in practical terms. To respect the nature of the teachings (as a system employing levels) the mantras in this article are replaced by the pseudonyms CKR, SHK, HSZSN and DKM. The symbols are listed as Symbol 1, Symbol 2, Symbol 3 and Symbol 4 as is taught in Japan.

The four symbols are clearly recognizable in Japan. Symbol 1 has connections to Tendai symbology and versions of Symbol 2 can be seen in temples across Japan. Symbol 3 and 4 are Japanese kanji[i] and when read in Japanese create the actual name of the coresponding mantra.

Breaking this code requires that a researcher first tap into understanding the Japanese philosophy of Heaven and Earth. Knowledge of these dualities, or polar opposites, is the primary structure required before appreciation of this law can grow. Dualities are the breeding ground for the ultimate experience of non-duality. Non-duality is not specifically a Japanese concept; it exists in all forms of life and its dual beginnings can often be found in references to yin and yang, negative and positive, or female and male. These examples are just the tip of an infinite iceberg of opposites.

A Japanese cosmological theory states that through the union of the dual forces of Earth energy and Heaven energy all things were born, including humankind.[ii] By this it is understood that people are a blend of both these forces, and to live purposefully these elements need to flow freely, becoming united. This can occur through working specifically with the first two traditional symbols and mantras taught in the system of Reiki.

Symbol 1 and the mantra CKR enable practitioners to connect to Earth energy. To do so one must direct the focus within, rather than outside of, the self. It is within that this energy is accessed. You are Earth energy – you just haven’t acknowledged its existence.

Underneath the growing layers of anger, sadness, fear, judgments and beliefs that humans gather – this knowledge lies hidden and neglected. These layers obscure one’s true nature that inherently comprises Earth energy. To re-establish a personal connection with the energy of the Earth is the purpose of Symbol 1 and CKR practice.

In the West, Symbol 1 and CKR are renowned for their grounding, protective, physical and powerful qualities – each of these is a basic Earth trait. By comprehending this and applying this facet of the code to the system of Reiki, one’s practice begins to take on a whole new potency of meaning.

Working with Symbol 2 and SHK involves exploring your mental and intuitive abilities. By taking this understanding one step further than the Western usage, the realm of Japanese philosophy and its connection to Heaven energy is exposed. Heaven is an expression that can trigger a thousand-fold beliefs, emotions and visions in as many religions and cultures worldwide. Viewed commonly throughout the globe as an abode for angelic beings, a floating paradise or a future resting place; Heaven maintains its culturally unique interpretation in Japan – one that includes an internal connection. As with Symbol 1 and CKR, practitioners can find their relationship to Heaven energy innately within themselves.

Energetic qualities are best understood through experience rather than words. To achieve a profound understanding of the connection between Earth energy or Heaven energy and yourself requires dedicated practice. This is accomplished by practicing solely with one symbol and mantra at a time, rather than a list of symbols and mantras simultaneously. Humans are too often in a rush to get to the end station of enlightenment forgetting that the process itself may possess the enlightening factor.

The grounding effect of the first symbol and mantra supports the ensuing work with the ethereal second symbol and mantra. Without this centered preparation the development of intuitive or psychic abilities can be hazardous. You may become unbalanced like an upside down triangle wobbling on its tip; reverse the pattern and stand with your base firmly rooted to the Earth, supporting your inner growth.

Now comes an intriguing part of the system of Reiki: the third symbol and mantra HSZSN. In the West this is commonly associated with distance. It is believed that by using these elements distance can be breached to send energy to someone or something else. From a Japanese perspective this concept goes deeper still, into the mechanics of the Japanese universal laws: Symbol 3 and HSZSN aid the realization of Oneness. This makes complete sense if you grasp that within Reiki – the energy of everything – distance cannot exist. Hiroshi Doi’s translation of HSZSN is ‘Right consciousness is the origin of everything’ – that ‘right consciousness’ is Oneness. Experiencing Oneness with everything, whether it is with another being, place or thing, is an alternative viewpoint of the machinations of ‘distant healing’.

To fully comprehend the purpose and meaning of Symbol 3 and HSZSN it is also necessary to have worked with the previous 2 symbols and mantras of Heaven and Earth energy. Without undergoing the process of first becoming Earth and subsequently Heaven energy it is impossible to give birth to the concept of Oneness within. Just as in conception it is imperative that the egg and the sperm join to create the miracle of a complete human. With Earth energy alone and no understanding of Heaven energy, or the other way around – Oneness cannot be given birth to. This is the central cosmology to the system of Reiki. Practicing successively with each of the symbols and mantras draws one along the path to Oneness and non-duality.

So where does that leave the fourth and final symbol and the mantra DKM? DKM, a frequently used Japanese word, when translated literally means ‘Great Bright Light’. It appears commonly in Japanese religious texts and even in Japanese martial arts practices.

Becoming this light is truly Knowing the concept of non-duality. In it everything is experienced as One: there is no good or bad, dark or light, ugly or beautiful, positive or negative, no God or Buddha – just existence. Once you acknowledge this Oneness in every thought, feeling and movement of your being – the true nature of existence is uncovered.

This system that you practice is multi-layered. As you progress through each layer new truths come to meet you, joining you on your journey. Know that the profundity of these arcane teachings is here to be discovered – their sole purpose being to support your life’s spiritual progress.

Uniting Heaven and Earth together, you travel the inner path to Oneness. The unique system of Reiki is offering you the opportunity to return to your true nature, that of the Great Bright Light. The code is broken.

Anyone, anywhere can use this system. A child, as you can see by this photo, can grasp the simplicity of meditation practices used within Reiki and will respond to hands on healing naturally -receiving and offering it without self consciousness when a situation arises.

It is the most natural thing in life to want to live well and be with others in harmony and that is why children respond to it so easily. The system of Reiki encourages such a lifestyle. For adults it is the task of remembering these qualities that we must endeavour to recall through practice.

Our mind and body knows how to help itself – the system of Reiki supports that innate healing process. Therefore by working with Reiki we can see that it speeds up the natural healing process. For these reasons it was taught in Japan in the late 1920s as first aid to the military who, though they were technologically advancing rapidly, had a health system that was antiquated.

One of the most fundamental concepts of Reiki is that our bodies draw on more energy to clear stagnant energy. We cannot say exactly why this happens and with the system of Reiki it is not necessary to do so. This is not a system that diagnoses – all we need to know is that our bodies will draw on the energy and take it where it is needed. If the rational mind gets in the way by diagnosing we are limiting the healing possibilities of spiritual energy.

Below we have listed some of the possible benefits of the system to give you an idea as to how the energy can affect your life.

Physical
* Reiki works on all chronic and acute illnesses, including serious problems like heart disease and cancer as well as skin problems, flu, fatigue, headaches, back pain etc.
* The immune system strengthens allowing the body to fight off illness easier.
* First Aid (as it speeds up healing)

Mental
* Your mind becomes calmer
* You no longer feel stressed
* When you think clearer you can ’see’ clearer
* You will be able to answer all your own questions knowing that you have the answers.

Emotional
* The mind calms and becomes less erratic.
* Eases depression, insomnia, lack of confidence, addiction and fear-based illnesses.

Spiritual
* Increased intuition leads to a more purposeful direction in life.
* Feel connected and in tune with the universe.

To us Reiki, the energy, is `spiritual’ energy or `sacred’ energy or we believe Japanese Reiki Master Inamoto Hyakuten called it something like `big’ energy to help explain to us its literal translation. This is it – THE energy.

We’ll try to explain how we see it though we’re sure to come up against linguistic limitations. It is also extremely difficult to talk about ‘it’ (Reiki energy) when we are `it’ already. Therefore some meanings may come across as dualistic in nature when that was never our intent.

Right from the very beginning we find different wordings in the translation alone. This doesn’t make the job of finding out what Reiki is any easier.

There are so many varied explanations as to what Reiki is. Is it different to the energies used by other systems are there different sorts of Reiki? We think it might even be easier to start with what we don’t think it is and discuss varied beliefs about Reiki before moving on to what we feel that it is.

We don’t see Reiki energy as a specific sort of energy but something much `greater’ than that.

We don’t see the energy used in Reiki as different to the energy used in Qi Gong, Yoga, etc… Rather it is the way that energy is utilized that produces different results (the feelings of denseness or higher vibration etc..).

Each system has its own techniques, practises and methods to aid practitioners in developing specific skills. At a basic level these skills differ according to the process undertaken by practitioners as taught in each system.

We believe there are a number of reasons as to why some Reiki practitioners feel that Reiki appears to produce different results to other energetic practices. It is good to remember we are talking about results here. This is not the energy (even here the word `energy’ might be inappropriate – especially for those of you who are scientific – is spirit or essence a better representation of what we are talking about?) itself.

The techniques taught in specific systems (such as Qi Gong, Yoga etc…) would have been developed for different reasons. For example chopping bricks with a bare hand is a technique belonging to a distinctive system for specific reasons. Though there are many different energetic systems, the ultimate result of working with energy is for the same purpose – to know enlightenment.

In Reiki we do not practise these sort of energy techniques, our intent and focus is different though ultimately we too are working toward enlightenment. Instead we may learn symbols and mantras to aid us in sensing energy, and hatsurei ho to develop our ability to channel more energy through the body. This does not mean however that the energy is different.

Some use psychics or spiritual guides to aid them in their understanding of what Reiki is or isn’t. But this still comes down to an individual’s interpretation (at whatever level) and is subjective. Therefore we do not see it that systems are energetically different. What is different are the variety of techniques taught (even within the system of Reiki) and then there is the individuality if those who practise these techniques.

We also do not see that there are different flavours of Reiki energy – rather different flavours of thought, practice and intention. We consider Reiki to be the energy (or spirit or essence) of everything. So we are not separate from it – it just is.

So where does the concept that there are different flavours of energy in Reiki originate from?

It may originate from a particular understanding of the attunement process. Some believe that an attunement enters one into a specific energetic path (the energetic path of their system or teacher). We don’t view the attunement in that way. The attunement is one of the elements of the system of Reiki but it is not necessarily the most important aspect. Each of the elements work together to create a system that aids us in developing our energetic strength and clearing energy in the body. Traditionally it seems that the attunement never appears to have made someone into something – whether that be a level or a member of a system. It simply supported practitioners in their own energetic work.

Ultimately, we feel that everybody is born with the ability to use the energy of Reiki for healing. It is an innate ability. We are Reiki energy. There is no IT and US.

On the other hand the actual SYSTEM of Reiki is a sum number of practices (hands-on practise, techniques and meditations, symbols and mantras, attunements and the precepts) that when brought together create something unique – the system of Reiki. A practise that supports an individual’s spiritual growth – this practise includes the ability to heal one’s self and to strengthen one’s capacity to channel energy and if our dedication is true and strong – perhaps to know enlightenment.

So why do people love Reiki courses so much when they already have the ability to do it? For many it is the unparalleled joy of the reminder that within themselves is their spiritual heart or core. After that initial joy it is the inner growth that occurs from working within a structure designed to work on oneself energetically (you can replace `spiritually’ here with the word `energetically’).

A practitioner’s commitment to, and time allotted to, self-practise will obviously benefit and develop his/her practise. As with everything in life the more we put into it the more we get out. The more self- practise that one undertakes, the more energy that is cleared in the body – with all the beneficial repercussions that come from clearing.

Using the techniques taught in Reiki we connect with ourselves again – whether it be the hands-on element, the meditations, the attunements, working with the symbols and mantras or looking deeply into the precepts. Reiki has much to offer – from many varied angles.

Each day we feel different and will consequently feel energy differently – nothing ever stays the same. What can happen sometimes is that if someone says – the energy is going to feel like this and that, then that is most probably how the energy will feel. We are very open to suggestion – especially when discussing something as illusive as energy (or essence or spirit). It is best to accept the sensations for what they are rather than to try to name them. They are the sensations not the energy itself.

The ultimate aim of our practise is to remember who we are – Reiki.

Viewpoints about the system of Reiki and its past are numerous. On our new website we have many pieces about the history of Reiki and its teachers as well as modern teachers and their teachings. But let’s look at a potted version of what has happened to the system since its beginnings in the early 1900s.

1860-1915
In 1865 Mikao Usui was born to a samurai family descended from the Chiba clan. He studies martial arts and reaches a high level called Menkyo Kaiden within the art around 1890[1]. Mikao Usui marries Sadako Suzuki and they have a boy, Fuji and a girl, Toshiko. He becomes a lay Tendai priest[2].

1915-1920
Suzuki san, Mikao Usui’s cousin, studied with Mikao Usui formally from 1915 until 1920 (and communicated with him informally until his death). She states that the first teaching to his students (12 of whom are claimed to still be alive) were the precepts. He also gave meditations and mantras for his students to practise. She said that during this period he became well known as a healer even though his initial teachings were based on strengthening one’s spirituality rather than direct healing. Mikao Usui used a reiju that was in fact a ‘spiritual blessing’ for his students. This was the forerunner to what is known as an attunement today. The Reiju was not created to attune/empower or transform someone, it was merely intended as a spiritual blessing. What was taught at this time appears to have been based strongly on traditional Japanese cultural and religious mores without it actually becoming a religion.

1920-1926
A group of nuns, two of whom were called Tenon in and Yuri in, worked with Mikao Usui from 1920 until he died[3]. In 1922 Mikao Usui climbed Mt Kurama and practiced an austerity training culminating in a deeper or different understanding of his spiritual practices[4]. The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai is created by Mikao Usui one month later in Tokyo[5] and is set up to cater to naval officers and other lay people. The symbols are introduced to the system to help those who had difficulty sensing the energy within them and in 1925 Mikao Usui moves to Nakano outside of Tokyo. A number of healing centers are set up[6]. Chujiro Hayashi, a retired naval officer and surgeon, studies with Mikao Usui in 1925. It is guessed that he may have written the first hand position manual for Mikao Usui. Some of Mikao Usui’s students become well known such as Toshihiro Eguchi and Kaiji Tomita. In 1926 Mikao Usui died of a stroke.

1927-1933
Chujiro Hayashi practiced under the auspices of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai until 1933 when he opened his own centre. The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai continued to practise in quiet and still exists today. Some modern researchers have said that Chujiro Hayashi never had time to finish Shinpiden (teacher level) and he and the other naval officers merely emulated the reiju used by Mikao Usui.

1933-1938
It is believed that Chujiro Hayashi began the first actual commercial centre where people would come for healing and practitioners would work on them. Chujiro Hayashi wrote that he had taught 13 Reiki Masters by 1938. From 1936-1938 Hawayo Takata, an American born Japanese woman studied with him and became one of these Reiki Masters. Other students of his were Chiyoko Yamaguchi (whountil recently taught in Kyoto with her son Tadao), his wife – Chie and Tatsumi. We understand that there are other practitioners trained by him alive in Japan today. Chujiro Hayashi’s teachings were from the latter period of Mikao Usui’s life and may have been adapted by him to suit a more technical and clinical approach to the system rather than a spiritual one.

1938-1980
Hawayo Takata took the system of Reiki back to Hawaii, US and set up the first non-Japanese Reiki clinic. It seems that what she taught technically was in line with her teacher’s teachings. She did not teach the chakra system and neither did Chujiro Hayashi. Instead, her diary relates that she knew of and taught about the hara method. Her historical knowledge of the system on the other hand varied according to the time and occasion it was told in.

Chujiro Hayashi died in 1940 and his wife continued teaching in his place.

By the mid -1970s Hawayo Takata realized that she needed students to pass on what she had taught. She trained, in total, 22 students to teach the system of Reiki, as she knew it. Hawayo Takata died in 1980. During this period there were still people practising in Japan who were taught by Mikao Usui and his students. These students/teachers appear to have had no inclination to contact the strands of the system that were being practiced in the West.

1980-2003
After Hawayo Takata died her students began to set up their own practices and create Reiki groups and associations. Debate began over what was the true system of Reiki. A group called The Reiki Alliance standardized the Western system and taught what they called Usui Shiki Ryoho. Hawayo Takata’s granddaughter was their head and the term ‘Grandmaster’ was created to reflect her position. This term had not been used in the system of Reiki in either Japan or the West previously.

Barbara Weber Ray, another Reiki Master of Hawayo Takata, began her system calling it The Radiance Technique and claimed to have the only true teachings. These teachings appear to be influenced by her New Age beliefs.

Other students, including Iris Ishikuro and her student Arthur Robertson, drew more New Age concepts into the system of Reiki during the 80s. It was at this point that mythological Tibetan teachings entered the scene. People began to channel information from spirits and guides and the system of Reiki took on a new life quite different from its Japanese origins.

The Westernized version returned to Japan in the 1980s and these modern, western teachings became very popular there – just as they had in the West. It was not until the 1990s that research began to provide the fascinating facts that early teachings of Mikao Usui and his students were still being practiced in Japan. The new millennium has brought with it a gradual opening up by the Japanese. Amongst some of these older teachings that have come to the light are:

The traditional Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai has a member, Hiroshi Doi, who has taught Westerners branches such as Usui Reiki Ryoho and his own Gendai Reiki Ho.

Chiyoko Yamaguchi, a student of Chujiro Hayashi, teaches today, as does her student Hyakuten Inamoto.

Chris Marsh is slowly passing on Suzuki san’s knowledge of the early teachings to the West as well.

All in all it is an exciting time to be involved with these teachings and to know that as practitioners we can continue to learn and upgrade our knowledge and personal experience.

[1] Suzuki san, born in 1895 and a cousin of Mikao Usui’s wife. Suzuki san is still alive today according to her student Chris Marsh.

[2] Mariko Suzuki

[3] Dave King claims to have had contact with Tenon in and supplies this information.

[4] Memorial Stone of Mikao Usui in the Saihoji Temple, Tokyo.

[5] Memorial Stone of Mikao Usui.

[6] Frank Arjava Petter’s research

First, here’s a look at what Reiki is …

Reiki is a Japanese spiritual and healing practice that supports you in feeling more connected to life.

You can either experience a Reiki treatment or study how to practice Reiki for yourself.

A Reiki treatment is one-hour long and is useful for specific healing or general relaxation. The client remains fully clothed at all times as the practitioner goes through a set healing process placing hands on or just off the body as agreed with the client prior to the treatment. Sex, age and condition are of no concern as the client’s own body controls this energetic process. During the treatment the body will only take the amount of energy that it requires. A Reiki treatment is not intrusive and clients do not remove clothing and no private parts of the body are touched. If a client is wishing to work on a specific issue or health problem it is advisable to book for three one-hour treatments.

A 2-day Reiki course (called Shoden) will teach you:
* meditation techniques to strengthen and clear your energy
* to gain a clearer understanding of the working of energy in your life and its benefits
* to find a spiritual connection to life helping you to feel happier and healthier
* to heal the self and others using hand positions on or near the body

Most importantly, remember that the system of Reiki is about you and your spiritual journey.

Reiki – The Word
Two kanji (pictographs from Japan) make the word Reiki.

Previously these 2 kanji have been translated as ‘Universal Energy’ (or Universal Life Force Energy) in the West. This is obviously a translation of the 2nd kanji, ki, only. Ki is naturally the energy of everything including heaven and earth, the entire universe.

The first kanji, rei, may have been left out of English translations due to the fact that the term ’spiritual’ was not the focus of the Western practice in the 20th century.

Modern Japanese also find the kanji for Reiki to be ’spooky’ therefore in Japan these kanji are not used. Instead a different script that is phonetical and does not contain meaning (katakana) is used.

In Chinese, the same 2 kanji used to represent Reiki are pronounced differently but have a similar meaning. In Chinese, Reiki is called Ling chi.

Ling chi is the subtlest and most highly refined of all the energies in the human system and the product of the most advanced stages of practice, whereby the ordinary energies of the body are transformed into pure spiritual vitality. This type of highly refined energy enhances spiritual awareness, improves all cerebral functions, and constitutes the basic fuel for the highest level of spiritual work.
Excerpt from Chi-gung: Harnessing the Power of the Universe by Daniel Reid

Pronunciation
To pronounce the word ‘Reiki’ in Japanese it is necessary to forego any preconceptions about language. The first sound in ‘rei’ is neither an R nor an L, as some Westerners believe. In Japanese the sound is in fact somewhere in between the two letters. The Japanese language has no correlation with English or its pronunciations.

The first time that the government initiated a standardized system and romaji (English letters used to translate kanji) were introduced was in 1885. The kanji for ‘rei’ ‘is officially spelt with an R when translating into English and is therefore pronounced with an R (even though the Japanese pronunciation might sound similar to what is understood as an L in English).

Bronwen and Frans Stiene, founders of the International House of Reiki, were continually coming across hints that suggested there was more to the system of Reiki than meets the eye. Historical discrepancies, symbol variations and changed attunements suggested that the system had become somewhat like a game of Chinese whispers. The inability to verify much of the ‘new’ historical material was also causing disillusionment amongst many practitioners. On travelling to Japan they realised that traditional Japanese Reiki communities with ancient practitioners were slowly opening their doors to Westerners and many of Reiki’s unknown secrets were gradually being divulged.

This journey stimulated Bronwen and Frans to write a book tracing the history of the system through to the modern day. To help clear confusion in the Reiki world this book also includes lists of branches, schools and organizations throughout the world. There is a comprehensive lineage chart, timeline, extensive glossary and general information for novices and practitioners of all levels. This book is due out in December 2003 and is called The Reiki Sourcebook.

Reiki’s treasure is its ability to re-fuel you with your own life giving energy. It is generally accepted that this speeds up physical and emotional healing, gives clarity and added perception, brings about spiritual fulfilment and will return you to your true path in life.

To learn the system of Reiki is simple and yet today the processes vary considerably from school to school. Mikao Usui created the teachings in the early 1900s and they came to the West via Hawaii in the1940s. Here it seems the system was quietly altered to adapt to the turbulent times of World War II. The consequences are that for the last 60 years Western Reiki students have been unaware that there was a more traditional and spiritual side to Reiki. After the death of the Western Reiki Master Hawayo Takata in 1980, the system took on many new faces and there are likely to be over 1000 different branches of teachings available today.

Some of these new branches have channelled information, others claim to have ‘the only true teachings’. All in all there have been innumerable inconsistencies in the stories that Reiki Masters have told their students. Some believe the system of Reiki is Egyptian, Tibetan, or even linked to Shambhala. Questions have arisen such as; was Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, a doctor or not? Did he charge $10, 000 dollars to become a Reiki Master? Did he use manuals to teach? Was he a Christian?

The intent of The Reiki Sourcebook is to look closely at all these questions and to link together information that has been spread far and wide by time and circumstances. By capturing the results of this systematic global research, it aims to share the information and to promote and stimulate discussion in the global Reiki community. It is not entirely about ‘new’ information but the bringing together of histories and anecdotes to create a cohesive understanding of what has happened to and been said about the teachings during the past 100 years.

It is believed that this will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of Mikao Usui, his teachings, Reiki and related practices. It is also for beginners or those who feel lost and confused by the myriad of choices that are presented to them as Reiki in today’s society.

This is an attempt to create unity rather than dissension. Until now no book has tackled these questions from such a practical and analytical standpoint. If we can see where we came from – we can see clearer where we are heading.

The system of Reiki is decidedly Japanese though there is sure to be a similarity between all healing techniques throughout the ages. The 4 traditional symbols were introduced in the later stages to Mikao Usui’s teachings and were for those who had difficulty connecting to the energy. They originate from the Japanese culture. In the West the symbols have often been mystified giving them the ‘power’ rather than seeing them as training wheels. Mantras and meditations on the other hand were taught in Mikao Usui’s teachings from as early as 1915.

The West did not ‘discover’ Mikao Usui’s memorial stone until the mid-1990s. Mikao Usui’s students erected it in temple grounds in 1927, one year after his death. Overlooked by the West for 60 years, this was truly a Reiki treasure. On translation this memorial stone answers many of the questions that have arisen in the Western Reiki community. Mikao Usui was not a doctor or physician – instead he had worked as a businessman, was an administrator and security guard to the Major of Tokyo as well as being a lay monk.

Bronwen and Frans met Hyakuten Inamoto, monk and Reiki Master in Kyoto. He introduced them to his teacher, the 85-year-old, Chiyoko Yamaguchi who had been taught by Chujiro Hayashi, a student of Mikao Usui. In Tokyo they met with two Reiki Masters, one who was a member of the ‘secret’ Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. Here they found out that this society uses two manuals. One includes original statements from Mikao Usui. Today this manual is printed in modern Japanese and includes beautiful Japanese poetry to stimulate the mind as well as a healing guide for beginning practitioners. The Gakkai uses techniques to stimulate the meridians helping practitioners to sense the energy. Once they have accomplished a set of exercises they then move on to the next level. Receiving that level does not mean that you have completed it but that you have only just begun…

Yes, Mikao Usui’s teachings have many treasures – some well known and others just now returning to the light. Suzuki san, a 108-year-old nun and student of Mikao Usui, is surely one of these great treasures. Frans also flew to Florence, Italy to study with her Western student. There he learnt that there are said to be 12 students of Mikao Usui still alive aged between 98 and 112.

This system is about to change. It will not become more complex or difficult or contain more jargon as has happened in the past. It will simply return to its simplest, highest form and its practitioners, as individuals, will blossom taking their communities with them.