What is Reiki?
Reiki is a secular healing system that allows you to heal yourself and others by laying on hands. It was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the early 1900's. Reiki is very easy to learn and easy to use, and anyone can do it. Reiki Healing is a process of being connected to the Reiki Energy through an attunement. Healing is done either in person or at a distance.
Reiki is pronounced "ray-key". The word "Reiki" is made up of two separate words (or kanji in Japanese), "Rei", which means Universal or Divine and "Ki" which is spirit, energy or life force. The most common definition of Reiki is "universal life energy". It is a life force energy that underlies all life. To work with Reiki energy, you work out of time and space within the eternal present moment. Rei and Ki, as a combination of words can also mean enlightenment. They represent the universal spirit coming together within you.
The Reiki Principles are the heart and soul of Reiki. Self-mastery is the only mastery. The Reiki Creed is as follows:
Just for today, do not anger
Just for today, do not worry
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders
Earn your living honestly
Show gratitude to every living thing
Usui taught that dedication to the principles and living them is at the essence of Reiki. The actual intent of the principles was to bring about enlightenment, peaceful loving kindness toward all living beings: calmness and peacefulness in all things. The principles embody a compassionate way of existence. Work on yourself and appreciate everything. Release suffering and the cause of suffering.
Usui wrote a description of Reiki in his manual, "The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai." Reiki is an intuitive energy and it goes where needed, or flows between healer and recipient in response to recipient's need and willingness to be healed. It may also treat the symptoms of dis-ease, but further it directs itself towards the root cause within the energetic, emotional, physical, spiritual body.
Reiki healing energy is shared by both the giver and receiver during a treatment. The energy enters the giver through the crown, and then flows out through the palms of the hands into the person receiving the Reiki. It emanates from the giver's aura as a whole, as well. You can also give Reiki to yourself in self-treatments. The experience of Reiki is typically very calming and relaxing. You may also experience tingles, visions, or fall asleep during a session.
Reiki is all about balance in energies and balance in life. It works on all levels, the physical, spiritual, and emotional levels. Scientific studies reveal that Reiki tends to speed up wound healing time, lowers blood pressure, significantly lowers stress, and lessons pain. It also is used in some hospitals prior to surgery to promote less stress and after surgery to speed up the healing process.
While some people have tried to prove or state that Reiki came from other sources, such as Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity, Theosophy, etc, there is no real evidence that it was a copy of any other tradition. It may have aspects of some of these practices but it is its own form of healing in and of itself. Usui states in his manual to this students in his own words, "My Usui Reiki Ryoho is an original; it's nothing like this in the world. So I would like to release this method to the public for everyone's benefit and hope for everyone's happiness. My Reiki Ryoho is an original method based on intuitive power in the universe. By this power, body gets healthy and enhances happiness of life and peaceful mind." Just as Usui described, Reiki does just that. It promotes wellness, ease of mind, and relaxation, as well as deep healing directly from the Universal Source energy which is open for all.