Leigh,S. - Discover Reiki

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Discover - ReikiBy Stephen Leigh

Learn Reik i In 7 Day s!


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www.Discover-Reiki.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Legal and Copyright

Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Book

Chapter 2: The History Of Reiki

Chapter 3: Misconceptions About Reiki

Chapter 4: What Reiki Is All About

Chapter 5: Learning Reiki

Chapter 6: The Attunement Process

Chapter 7: Alternatives To Usui Reiki

Chapter 8: Conclusion


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You are about to embark on a journey. What that journey holds for you, Icannot predict. "For me it was life changing". If you are prepared to proceedwith an open heart and mind, then I must warn you: Your life as you know it,may never be the same again.

You can change your life with Reiki.

You can become whoever it is you wish to become.

Now's the time to dream!

For everything you need to change, to heal, to overcome, is already withinyou. You just need to know how to access it.

This my friend, is why I wanted to share this book with you. Please take yourtime to read it. It has taken a long time to put together, and is by no means a

perfect example of literature and grammar!

We have tried to make it as easy to read as possible. We also wanted tomake the attunement to Reiki, (as described in Chapter 6) a process anyonecan follow and undertake.

After reading this book, you will have the knowledge to attune yourself to thewonders of Usui Reiki. If you follow the process and continue your journeywith Reiki, then congratulations my friend ... for you have foundenlightenment.

Peter Tremayne


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Chapter 1

1. Why Am I Writing This Book?

2. How This Book Can Change Your Life

Why Am I Writing This Book?

Good question. There are a few reasons why, amongst all the New Agepractices, Reiki has the distinction of having a very unique and fascinatinghistory, and has been beset with controversies on various issues the like of

which is not to be seen elsewhere.

When Mrs. Hawayo Takata began teaching Reiki from her clinic in Hawaiiabout three decades ago, what attracted people to her system of healing wasthe novelty in her teaching. But more than that, it was the exorbitant fees ofUS $ 10,000 a princely sum in those days (well, it is a princely sum evennow!) that she charged to bring Reiki learners to the third degree (Master)level, that made big news.

The circle of Reiki practitioners was a closed circle then, with the symbols thatMrs. Takata taught her disciples being a guarded secret. Then along came

Diane Stein with her book Essential Reiki that spilled the beans, and soon,Reikis once closely guarded symbols were to be seen on every nook andcorner of New Age Street.

Another interesting phenomena that has taken place in Reiki World has beenthat, due to there being no single standards organization that controls andmonitors the way Reiki is taught and practiced all over the world, scores ofvariants (mutations, actually) of the original Reiki have sprung up .

While traditionalists decry this dilution of purity, as they so eloquently put it,I, for one, welcome this development; for the simple reason that anymovement has to transform itself and keep growing, if it has to remain vibrantand relevant.

I can go on. But its enchanting history is not the point here. The main point isthe sheer beauty of Reiki as a simple healing technique that is based on verysimple doctrines, or tenets, as I call them.

Which brings me to the original question: Why am I writing this book? What doI have to offer you?

As a dedicated Reiki practitioner in love with the subject, I too paid a heftyamount to become a Level III Reiki Master (RM). That was about fifteen years


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ago. Since then, I have been in the thick of things, and was fortunate enoughto witness the explosion taking place in the Reiki World in the ensuing years.

Especially interesting are the advent of the various mutations of Reiki; and theinitial accusation of the scientific establishment of Reiki being nothing more

than superstitious mumbo-jumbo.

That this contempt has now given way to a whole-hearted acceptance of Reikias an effective complementary and alternative medicine (CAM); is a differentissue altogether. The acceptance has firmed to the extent that quite a fewhospitals across the United States, Europe and many other countries aroundthe world, now offer Reiki as part of their services to patients.

While browsing through the available literature yes, all the manuals andbooks that fill up the book shelves and the internet E-book shops I realizedthat writers have more-or-less tended to focus more on the nuts and bolts of

the technique and underplayed the fine points that make up the beauty ofReiki.

The solemn and somber manuals and books are sometimes too bogged downin detail on the how-to, with personal experiences of a practicing Reikichannel somehow missing in them. Even the history of Reiki that most ofthese books, if you will pardon the expression, trot out, is bland and mundane;and dont really capture the despair and ecstasy of the heroes and heroineswho were involved in those days when Reiki as a structured discipline wasbeing founded and formulated.

With this book, I intend to fill these gaps. I have written this book from theperspective of a practicing Reiki Master, and my insights, experiences andground-level facts that have been culled over all these years are weavedthroughout its content.

There is another, more important reason why I have chosen to write this book.And that is the topic of self-attunement.

The world of Reiki is today sharply polarized between two sets ofpractitioners. On one side of the pole are traditionalists who insist that people

who wish to learn Reiki must mandatory be attuned into, or initiated i nto,Reikidom by a human mediator. This human mediator may be any ReikiMaster who has already attained level III of Reiki.

The other side of the pole comprises modernists; these are practitioners whohave some other New Age practice in their background and view energy asUniversal Life Experience (U.L.E.).

When they come to Reiki, they find the precondition of a mediator having toattune them to Reiki strange. For these modernists, Reiki energy is a subsetof U.L.E., which they have already been experiencing without the need for any

mediator. Why then, they ask, is there any need for a human mediator toinitiate them, when it comes to Reiki?


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I have been fortunate in getting some grounding in other New Agemovements such as reflexology, Akashic Records, yoga and KundaliniEnergy, and this exposure and experience has helped me in experimentingwith different variations of Reiki where I can improve my practice as a ReikiMaster and heal my clients better and faster.

One of the outcomes of this experimentation has been a self-attunementmethod that initiates the Reiki learner into the technique. Comparison of thesuccess rate in healing clients by Reiki Masters who have self-attuned, asagainst that by Reiki Masters who went through the traditional attunementmethod; show nearly identical outcomes. Both are equally successful inhealing.

So, after you attune yourself through the procedure that I have detailed in thismethod, I am sure that you will not feel the need for a human mediator. Ofcourse, Reiki is not a goalpost. It is an ongoing learning process, where there

is no end to learning. Even Usui Sensei, the founder of Reiki, acknowledgedthat he has touched only the iceberg, and the main part is still out of his grasp.

Therefore, inputs from all and any persons who can elevate you to higherplanes of conscious are more than welcome including Masters who arealready attuned to Reiki traditionally, and can deepen and enrich thechanneling process.

How This Book Can Change Your Life

Most, if not all of us, have to face diseases at some time or other in our life.Some of these diseases go away after wreaking havoc on our body, our livesand our finances, not to talk about our happiness and joy. A few others simplystay put in our body like unwelcome guests who have overstayed theirwelcome.

Almost all of us are familiar with the trudging to the doctors clinic to get rid ofthese diseases. If the disease is severe, we have no option but to getourselves admitted in the hospital and let the doctors probe our body withtheir needles and what have you.

Ah! You sigh. These are the hard facts of life! If only there was a better way toheal myself! Some way that is painless, less expensive, and which heals meto the core!

If what I have described just now, touches a chord in your heart - myempathies are with you. Read on, for this could change your life.

Do my words make you sit on the edge of the seat? Good. That means youare in the right frame of mind to accept and wonder about what I am about tosay now.

Here is what I write about the integration of Reiki with patient care servicesoffered by hospitals in Chapter 3:


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Reiki has begun gaining acceptance in the staid corridors of medicalestablishment as an alternative to mainstream medicine. Hospitals across thelength and breadth of America are now including Reiki in their catalog ofpatient services, as a tool for disease management as well as for maintainingwell being. These hospitals now boast of in-house Reiki-trained staff: doctors,

surgeons, nurses, and other support personnel have a special tag along theirname in the duty roster, so patients can avail of their services wheneverrequired.

Reiki now finds acceptance in such diverse medical settings as palliative carecenters, rehabilitation, psychiatric units, oncology, organ transplantation units,obstetrics and neo-natal care, and so on.

I present here an excerpt of chapter 4, where I dwell in detail on what Reiki isall about:

Dear reader, I take great pleasure in putting forth here the areas where Reikienergy touches your body and mind, and indeed, life:

Stress reduction and alleviation of hypertension: The mostprofound and immediate effect that I have seen happening in myclients has been an almost dramatic drop in their stress levels andhypertension. This generates a sense of wellbeing in the client.

Alleviation from periods of trauma, depression, and grievance:The energy works at the level of the psyche and helps clients in comingout of their self-imposed bouts of depression and grievance.

Rejuvenating the body and spirit: For the tired mind and body, Reikienergy is the most refreshing and rejuvenating tonic! After a decidedlyhectic schedule, when I administer Reiki energy on myself, I amcompletely energized and thoroughly cleansed.

Improvement in immune system: Most of the ailments that humanitysuffers from are a result of the failure of the bodys innate immunitysystem to defend from outside attacks of germs and other micro-organisms.

Manifestation of goals and desires: Yes, this happens. Reiki energy

not only dissolves away your ailments and diseases, it also helps youin realizing your goals and desires.

Healing of relationships: Is there any relationship that has been

causing you distress? Reiki energy removes the negativity that mightbe emanating from you and that is causing the disturbance. Even moregenerally, do you discern any pattern of disturbed relationship in anyone or more areas?

Healing the past: Was there anything in the past whose after-effectsare still felt by you? Is there any disappointment/sorrow from the


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yesterdays that still linger? Reiki helps you to attain closure andbalance in your past, so that you can move ahead.

Balancing & healing in the future: When you allow Reikis energies

to flow to you on a continuous basis, either through an external channel

or self-administered, your tomorrows automatically begin to getbalanced.

As you delve into the book further, you shall discover a whole new world ofhealing opening up before you. Not only will you learn about Reiki - thetechnique, but also you will learn how to heal yourself as well as your nearand dear ones.

After putting in some sincere effort in learning the trade, you can evenbecome a full-fledged Reiki healer yourself! Best of all, Reiki does not requireany tools or instruments or medicines that have to be purchased from the mall

in order to learn it or heal yourself or others. Just your bare hands areenough.

Your bare hands; and a pure intention in your mind about healing. These arethe only tools required. No needles, no probes, no what have you.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is good. And it is true!

If you are new to Reiki, I hope this book kindles in you an enduring interest inthe subject. If you are a Reiki veteran or Reiki Master yourself, then I hopeyou will be fascinated by the way different aspects of Reiki have been handledin this book; and shall find the self-attunement process that I have detailedherein, very interesting.

Whichever group you belong to - newbie or veteran, my heartiest welcome. Ihope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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Chapter 2

The History of Reiki

1. The Brass-Tacks: How Do You Define Reiki?

2. Dr. Mikao Usui The Founder

3. Mikao Usui The Man

4. Mikao Usui The Seeker

5. Mikao Usui The Learner

6. Mikao Usui The Enlightened

7. Mikao Usui The Reiki Movement

8. Dr. Chujiro Hayashi

9. Mrs. Hawayo Takata

10. Reiki Different Schools Of Thought

The History of Reiki

Contrary to popular belief, REIKI is not a proper noun in Japans language

the country where this therapy for healing and treatment took its first roots.Reiki is a very generic word that the Japanese use to describe a plethora ofhealing as well as spiritual disciplines.

This, and many other interesting nuggets of information lie hidden in thefollowing pages waiting to be unraveled by you. So, sit back, relax, and readon the journey back in time to when Reiki originated

The Brass-Tacks: How Do You Define Reiki?

You pronounce Reiki as Ray followed by Key. The Japanese dictionarydefines Reiki as Universal life energy that is all pervading, and omnipresent.The Rei component of the term represents spirit of transcendence, whilethe ki stands for life force.

As you have read in the previous page, Reiki in Japan stands for severalthings, all of them related to different methods and therapies of healing, andalso related to spirituality.

So, which particular Reiki do people refer to, when they speak about diseasehealing and spirituality growth in the west? The operative word here is Usui:

it is the Usui Reiki that we talk about; it is this form of healing that is popularin the west, and it is this form that we are going to dwell at length in this book.


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The Japanese, incidentally, refer to this form of Reiki as the Usui Method ofReiki Healing or usui reiki shiki ryoho.

Dr. Mikao Usui The Founder

Where the true origins of Reiki lie, is a mysteryshrouded in the cloudy wisps of history. However,it is guessed that Tibetan monks used to practiceReiki as a powerful form of therapy thousands ofyears ago.

The credit to rediscovering this ancient form oftherapy goes to Dr. Mikao Usui, after which theUsui Reiki derived its name.

Mikao Usui The Man

The biography of Dr. Mikao Usui makes insightful reading. As pieced togetherby numerous historians, Dr. Usui was born in a small village called Yago inJapan, on August 15, 1865. Yago is in the present district of Yamagata, whichcomes under the prefecture of Gifu.

He was quite fortunate to have been born in quite propitious circumstances,for two years after he was born, the then ruler of Japan, Emperor Ninko, diedof small pox, thus paving the way for the ascension of his son, Emperor Meiji,to the throne. It was during Emperors Meijis rule that Mikao Usui grew up.

Raised in a wealthy family, Mikao was sent to the best schools in the countryfor his education. The subjects that most interested him were Medicine,Psychology and Religion, and the heady mixture of these three disciplineswas to help him later in life to comprehend the divine gift he was to receivelater in life.

Either because the family itself was into it, or because of the surroundinginfluences, Mikao embraced the Tendai school of Buddhism, which waspatronized by and extremely popular among the upper classes of the time.The Tendai Doctrine in turn drew inspiration from the Chinese TiantaiBuddhist Doctrine, and contained elements in it that allowed adaptation ofseveral outside influences.


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Indeed, the open-mindedness to look at other schools of thought, study them,experiment with them, and merge elements from them into ones own outlookand lifestyle, shaped Mikao Usuis personality. These virtues enabled Usui toabsorb the knowledge that the world had to offer, on his way towardsenlightenment and Satori, as the Japanese call it, and the consequent

development of Reiki.

Mikao Usui The Seeker

The turning point in his life came when Dr. Mikao Usui was appointed Dean toDoshisha University, a private university in Kyoto, Japan. The university wasfounded by Niijima Jou, who modeled it on the lines of such westerninstitutions as the Andover Theological Seminary and the Amherst College,both based in Massachusetts.

Since its inception, the Doshisha Elite School, as the university was thenknown, maintained a student and faculty exchange program with the AmherstCollege. By its nature, the school followed a western and Christian culture,and imbibed Christian thoughts in its course curricula and studies.

I would consider the group of students, who engaged Dr. Mikao Usui on thatday in a lively metaphysical discussion, as the motivators for the Usui Reikisystem that we are now the benefactors of. It was somebody in that group perhaps a scholar with a deep grounding in Christianity and the Bible, nodoubt who asked Dr. Usui whether the latter believed in the Bible.

To this, Dr. Usui - himself an erudite scholar, well-versed in the tenets ofChristianity - answered in the affirmative.

Pop came the next question: Doctor, do you believe in the ability of Jesus toheal the sick? Again, the good doctor replied in the affirmative.

The students persisted. And Jesus also said, You can do this and more. So,surely, doctor, when can you teach us how to heal just like Jesus did?

I do not know whether the students were merely thinking abstractly, lettingtheir flights of fancy go wild that day, or whether they were serious. I believe it

was more likely the former. The students perhaps came from a backgroundwhere such intellectual jujitsu with professors was an in thing to be indulgedin as a pastime. But, on the conservative Dr. Usui, the flow of thisconversation was having a profound impact.

The students had posed a question to him: When can you teach us how toheal, just like Jesus? Since you believe that Jesus could heal people by thetouch of his hand, you should be able to teach us how to do it, too?

That night, Dr. Usui couldnt sleep for a wink. The question posed by thestudents kept him tossing and turning in his bed. What the students said

made sense to him. He believed in Jesus. He also believed fully that Jesushad the powers to heal the sick and the ill by the touch of his hands. He also


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believed in Jesus words You can do this too, and more. Then where wasthe hitch? In order to teach the students how to heal just like Jesus could, he,Dr. Usui, himself had to learn the technique.

Dr. Usuis background and cultural values taught him that he had to

satisfactorily respond to the questions of his students and teach them whatthey aspired for. His standing as a Guru in the eyes of his students, hethought, was justified only when he had all the answers. In the circumstances,therefore, it was not right for him to continue as their teacher any more, heperceived.

The next day, Dr. Mikao Usui resigned his job as Dean of DoshishaUniversity. As he tendered his resignation to the President of the School andwalked out of the office, he was calm and peaceful, his inner strength shiningon his face. From there began his quest to find the solution to the problem ofhealing the sick and the ill just like Jesus could.

I do not know the reaction of the students when they heard about Dr. Usuisdecision. But I am sure grateful to them for the conversation they had withtheir teacher that day.

The question before Dr. Usui was: Where can he find the knowledge ofhealing people a la Jesus? Thinking logically, he thought that since Jesus wasa Christian, perhaps the solution lay in the lands where the religion waspredominant. With this in mind, Dr. Usui set sail to America.

In those days, the University of Chicago had acquired a name for itself in thedomain of Metaphysics. Dr. Usui enrolled himself as a student in theuniversity, and began his search for a solution to his question: how to heal thesick and the ill by the touch of the hand, just like Jesus did?

Days passed into weeks, weeks passed into months. And months passed intoyears. Dr. Usui spent his time absorbing the tenets of Christian religion, itsphilosophy, as well as the scriptures of all the religions that he could lay hishands on, in the vast libraries of the University. One fine morning, realizationdawned on him that he had come to Chicago almost seven years ago, andstill had gotten nowhere in his quest he was still standing exactly where he

had started.

Mikao Usui The Learner

It was while brooding over what to do next, that somebody suggested to himthat he visit countries such as India and Tibet. Surely there must be someinstitution or individual in such ancient lands that might have the answer?

With renewed hope and optimism in his heart, Dr. Usui reached the shores ofIndia. Upon reaching India, he discovered that if the secret of the Indianscriptures were to be unlocked, learning the ancient Sanskrit language was

important. Unfazed, Dr. Usui, the scholar, seeker and learner from Japan, firsttook upon himself the task of learning the Sanskrit language.


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Several weeks and months passed before he could begin to read andcomprehend the Sanskrit scriptures and sutras. Like a voracious reader, hescoured India and Tibet to read whatever he could about the ancients abilitiesto heal the sick and the ill. But to no avail.

When he reached the birthplace of Buddha, he realized that Buddha, too, hadthe power to heal the sick. And, Japan was home to some of the largestmonasteries in the world. So, without letting disappointment get through tohim even after the passage of so many years when the students fromAmherst College had posed their query to him, Dr. Usui ploughed on.

Perhaps those students must have by then passed out of Doshisha EliteSchool, settled down in their respective jobs, gotten married, and generallymoved on in life, the episode with one Professor Mikao Usui firmly behindthem.

Back in Japan after so many years, Dr. Mikao Usui knocked on the doors ofall the monasteries. Somewhere along the way, he came in contact with amonastery whose inmates directed him to undergo a twenty-one day fastingand meditation procedure, known as the Isyu Guo, on a mountain in Kyoto,called the Mount Kurama.

This was yet another turning point in his life; and as it turns out, this turningpoint has also been a turning point for alternative therapy.

Mikao Usui The Enlightened

A fatigued but hopeful Mikao Usui immediately embarked on this twenty-oneday course of fasting, meditation, chanting and prayers, to be carried out inisolation from the rest of humanity. At the end of the twenty-first day, Mikaoachieved enlightenment. He came face-to-face with the ultimate source thattransferred the knowledge of healing - just like Jesus did - into his mind.

And this transfer of knowledge is what has made all the difference to my life,which I am now recounting to you.

Exactly what transpired on that beautiful, tranquil mountain? Who or what was

it that Mikao Usui came face-to-face with, that eventful day? There are severaltheories. One theory says that in the pre-dawn morning on the twenty-firstday, Usui saw a flicker of light coming towards him, and this light hit him in thethird eye. The hit made Usui go into a trance-like state, whence theknowledge of healing was transferred to him.

Another theory says that as part of the Isyu Guo training, Usui was required tostand under a waterfall on the mountain, and allow the water to strike and flowover the top of the head. This practice is supposed to activate the crownchakra or the Sahasrara (thousand petals in the metaphysical plane ofmind). It was on the twenty-first day of his meditation that the Reiki energy

activated his Sahasrara while under the waterfall, and he achieved hisenlightenment.


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Whatever be the method, Mikao Usui the enlightened was a much happy manwhen he descended Mount Kurama. The Japanese call this touch from theheavens as Satori.

Mikao Usui The Reiki Movement

Dr. Mikao Usuis fame as a healer, who could heal the sick and the ill with hishands, just as Jesus could, soon spread far and wide.

The next step for him was to set up a healing clinic in Kyoto, and he went onto found a society the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkei (Usui Healing MethodSociety). The earthquake in Tokyo in the year 1923 brought him to thelimelight at the national level, and he started receiving requests to visitdifferent cities to heal the masses there.

People began coming to him not only for a cure to their illness, but also tolearn the technique of healing. In his lifetime, Dr. Usui trained sixteendisciples, all of whom branched forth to spread the knowledge all over theworld.

It was during one of his visits to the city of Fukuyama in Hiroshima, that heachieved Nirvana on the ninth of March, 1926.

Dr. Chujiro Hayashi

The most capable disciple of Dr. Mikao Usui, or

Usui Sensei as he came to be known in Japan,was Dr. Chujiro Hayashi.

A naval officer serving the Japanese ImperialArmy, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi was searching for ameaningful life after retirement, when he chancedupon a meeting with Usui Sensei. This meetingchanged his life forever. His stiff military gait andstern outlook was transformed into a gentle,loving healer, as he followed the Sensei around,assisting the Guru during his healing sessions.

Impressed by his dedication and devotion toserving humanity; the Sensei bestowed upon himthe title of Reiki Grand Master.

Dr. Hayashi is credited to open the first Reiki Clinic in Tokyo. He is alsocredited with refining Usui Senseis technique further, and developing thetwelve basic hand positions that we still use today.


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Besides the hand positions, Dr. Hayashi also refined the attunement processby dividing it into three separate levels called degrees. This is a concept thatwe shall be dwelling upon further in a later chapter.

Later in life, Dr. Hayashi initiated two women into the Reiki movement: his

own wife, and Mrs. Hawayo Takata. He initiated a total of thirteen disciplesinto the Reiki movement during his lifetime.

Mrs. Hawayo Takata

Fortunate are those, who get to learn the secretsof this universe at the feet of the masters.Amongst the elite circle of such human beings,one name that stands out is that of Mrs. HawayoTakata.

Mrs. Takata was the offspring of Japaneseimmigrants who had migrated to Hawaii. Herfather, Otogoro Kawamura, was employed with asugar plantation at Kauai in Hawaii, and it washere that Hawayo was born on December 24,1900.

Growing up amidst the lush fields of the

plantation, young Hawayo fell in love with andmarried Saichi Takata, a bookkeeper employed atthe plantation. Hawayos parents meanwhile moved back to Japan.

Calamity struck the Takata family when Saichi Takata died at the young ageof thirty-four in 1930. Financial penury compelled Hawayo Takata to return toher parents in Japan along with her two children.

The travel from Hawaii to Japan, and the hardship she had been facing in the

days before and after her husbands death, took a toll on Hawayo Takatashealth. While she was being wheeled into the operating room of a hospital fora surgical procedure, she enquired about possible and painless alternatives tosurgery. The surgeon, who was getting ready to operate on her, was acompassionate man. He had heard of the work done by Dr. Hayashi and hisReiki clinic, and directed her there.

When Mrs. Takata began her treatment at the Reiki Clinic in Tokyo, she wassurprised to see no equipment installed in the clinic. Yet, whenever the Reikipractitioners, assistants of Dr. Hayashi, treated her everyday, she could feelan invisible heat entering her body. Within four months, her appendicitis, her

gall stones and her tumor were cured completely, and Mrs. Takata waswalking happily again.


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Impressed with the effect that this apparently simple technique had ondiseases (curing the sick and ill with the touch of the hand, just like Jesusdid), Mrs. Takata wanted to be initiated into Reiki herself. Despite theconvention of the times that frowned upon women being taught any arts otherthan culinary and domestic housekeeping, as well as the close-door policy for

any Japanese art training to aliens, she persisted with her request to betrained in Reiki.

Dr. Hayashi finally relented, and Mrs. Takata received her First Degree Reikiin 1936. After working for a period of one year in Dr. Hayashis clinic, shereceived her Second Degree Reiki. The next year, in 1937, Mrs. Takatareturned to Hawaii and set up the first Reiki clinic there, the first outsideJapan.

In 1938, Mrs. Hawayo Takata was initiated as a Reiki Master by Dr. Hayashiin Hawaii.

In the years since then, right up to her Nirvana on December 11, 1980, Mrs.Takata trained and initiated twenty-two people into the movement.

Reiki Different Schools Of Thought

There are essentially two different schools of thought on Reiki. One school,called the Traditionalist School, advocates adherence to the practices thatUsui taught as is, and shuns any variations from the basic tenets laid down bythe founder.

The other school of thought, called the Independent School, encompasses thedifferent streams of disciplines that have as their base the Usui teachings, butadd new elements to the traditional Reiki system. These new elements seekto fuse the Reiki core with the thinking of the New Age which respectsalternative spiritual subcultures also, and has deep interest and belief inconcepts such as meditation, channeling, occultism, shamanism and so forth.

If you are a newbie in Reiki, I would suggest that you start off with the basicteachings of Usui, or the traditional system laid down by the founder of Reiki,first. This is how I got initiated into Reiki. Once you have mastered the basics

and have begun enjoying the fruits of this great technique of healing, you shallthen be ready to savor the other forms and flavors of Reiki available out there,and benefit from them, too. I have touched upon a few alternate forms of Reikiin chapter 7, for your benefit.

Enjoy! Heal thyself!


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Chapter 3

1. Misconceptions About Reiki

2. What Reiki Is Not About

3. Reiki is NOT a religion

4. Dr. Mikao Usui Was Not A Christian

5. Reiki is not a one-shot affair

6. Reiki Is Not For The Spiritually Evolved, Only!

7. Medical Opinion About Reiki

8. Integration Of Reiki Within Hospital Procedure

9. What Makes Reiki A Favorite?

Misconceptions About Reiki

When I was new to Reiki myself, I used to harbor lots of notions about thisgreat healing technique. These notions were picked up by me from theinternet, from the newspaper articles that I used to voraciously read up on; aswell as from the other people who I thought were more knowledgeable than I.

(I still think they are! More knowledgeable, I mean.)

As I gradually began walking on the road to self-realization (now, thats aloaded word!), and began delving into Reiki, fine-tuning myself with theuniverse around me, I began to shed, layer by thin layer, the misconceptionsthat I had wrapped around the subject. Now, it is I who am guiding people onthe road to Reiki.

There are people who now view me as more knowledgeable than they are onthis subject; and approach me with their doubts and queries on Reiki. Everysuch question immediately brings to mind past memories when I was

struggling with the same point myself, and the effort I took to get themanswered, partly through the training that I underwent, and partly through myown personal experience. And, to tell you the truth, at the end of it all, Reiki*is* a profound personal experience, both as the healer and as the healed.

I now try to satisfy their doubts and answer their queries to the best of myabilities uh, humbly speaking.

In this section, I have endeavored to list the misconceptions that people verycommonly have about Reiki. Hopefully you will find your own list of doubtsand queries in this list.

Read on, and enjoy!


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What Reiki Is Not About

There are so many myths and false notions about what Reiki is and it is notsurprising, considering the different flavors of Reiki that are doing the rounds,as well as the techno-babble and spiritual mumbo-jumbo that leaps out at you

the moment you open your mouth to say R e i k i. So I will draw up a list ofwhat Reiki is most definitely NOT.

Here goes:

Reiki Is NOT A Religion

Reiki is definitely not a religion. It is incidental that the first people to beinducted into this therapy were Japanese Buddhists; as the therapy firstoriginated in Buddhism-dominated Japan. Though Dr. Mikao Usui, or UsuiSensei, himself was learned in multiple religions, his roots lay in the Tendaisect of Buddhism that his parents were a part of.

Very interestingly, this particular sect itself draws from the Chinese TiantaiBuddhist doctrine, and inherently has a broad outlook and open attitudetowards other philosophies and ways of thinking. The personality of UsuiSensei that got moulded as a result of the underlying tenets of the religion hewas following, must have guided him into constructing Reiki so methodicallyand scientifically.

Reiki as an alternative healing therapy left Japans shores for the first time in

1937/38, and the first Reiki Clinic outside Japan was set up in Hawaii. Theperson behind this event, Mrs. Hawayo Takata, was a Hawaii-born second-degree Reiki practitioner who was instrumental in the first wave of awarenessabout Reiki as a powerful mechanism for healing around the world.

Today, people all over the world practice Reiki, not as religion, but with areligious zeal. So you can say your prayers and bow before your favorite Godand spirit guide, and practice Reiki at the same time the two are mutuallyexclusive. Yet, the end result is the same: in both the cases, you areconnected with the source that has brought forth both you and me and all ofus here.

Dr. Mikao Usui Was Not A Christian

This is again another religion-related myth or misconception. As I havementioned above, as well as expanded upon in Chapter II of this book, Dr.Mikao Usui was a Buddhist, and he embraced the Tendai Buddhist sect whichwas popular in those heady days of the Meiji regime around 1890.

As a scholar, Dr. Usui did learn all the major religions of those days, includingChristianity. And he took up the position of Dean with Doshisha Elite School inKyoto, which conducted courses on western religions. This brought him face-to-face with students who had come to Japan under the exchange programthat the School had with the Amherst College of Massachusetts.


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In his quest for the technique to heal the sick and the ill by the touch of thehand, just like Jesus did, Dr. Usui traveled to the U.S. and also enrolled inthe University of Chicago in order to pursue his search. From there, hetraveled to India and Tibet, before returning back to his homeland.

When he conceptualized Reiki as a discipline, the symbols and drawings thathe produced have all the hallmarks of Buddhist teachings that he was athome with.

So, I hope this notion is now at rest. Dr. Usui was a Japanese Buddhist,through and through. Not that this matters, one jot!

Reiki Is Not A One-Shot Affair

Most people, who come to me with some sickness or illness, expect to returnhome hale and hearty after just one sitting. To them, it is like an injection,some sort of a universal remedy, which I just have to punch into their body,and voila! They are cured!

Truth be told, I havent quite reached the milestone where just one touch ofmy hand will draw the negative energies from you and cure you. Jesus Christcould do it, and more. I am walking on the same road, and God willing, shallreach that stage one day! For now, I, and to my knowledge, all thepractitioners of Reiki doing their bit all around the world, require their patientsto undergo a specific number of sittings before results begin to manifest.

The reason for certain amount of time required to heal is not too hard tofathom. Just imagine the current ailment that you suffer from. The ailment didnot pop up, like an uninvited guest, all of a sudden, one bright morning. Whileyou were going about lifes motions, these ailments were lying hidden in yourbody latent, perhaps seeded by some negative habit that you beganindulging in at some point of time.

Gradually, these ailments built up their strength, and when they were ready tolaunch their attack, they did so with a vengeance. And how! You had to dropeverything and attend to them, first thing. So, removing these ingrainedailments is gradual, as the energies have to gently prod them out of the

individual cells that comprise you.

There are instances when the patient before me got cured in just one sitting.And I had to take pains to assure them that I was not the next avatar ofJesus! The only reason that I perceive they were cured in that single sitting isthat their body was fully open to the energy flowing from my hands into theirbody. And I also detected in them a conviction that Reiki will heal them. Theyhad come to me in just the right frame of mind. Their absolute faith in thesystem, coupled with their openness and acceptance of the healing powersswirling around them, did the trick. An open mind and an open body, invitingthe healing energy to enter and cleanse, is what is required for accelerated

cure.


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There is a subtle variation to this Reiki is a one-shot affair line of thinking.And that is, that once you have been cured of a particular problem throughReiki, the problem is gone forever. That is far from true. Reiki is like the washthat your car gets in the garage. When the car emerges from the doors of thegarage, it gleams and sparkles and shines as if new. But once on the road, it

will depend on where and how you drive the vehicle! Depending on the qualityof roads that you drive, plus your style of driving as well as the care and loveand maintenance you keep giving your beautiful machine, you might findyourself knocking at the doors of the garage more frequently than should havebeen the case! And the same holds with healing your body and mind throughReiki. You need to be in touch with the healing process all along, so that thenegativities and the impurities do not get the chance to build their evilstrengths inside you.

Okay, so am I now trying to say that you keep paying your fees to the nearestReiki practitioner for your entire lifetime? Nah. Far from that. What I am saying

is that you clean and maintain your own car. What I am saying is that youlearn the process yourself, so that your cleansing and healing can be carriedout by you. And since we are talking about your body and your mind here, youare the best person better than the Reiki practitioner, I would go so far tosay to heal thyself! Learn the art of Reiki, and heal thyself! Do it in theprivacy of your home everyday, and elevate yourself to higher planes ofconsciousness. Yes, it is a continuous process, and it is possible.

In fact, we as Reiki practitioners encourage people to learn the art of Reikihealing themselves. Ours must be the only therapy where there are no tradesecrets. We actively conduct training sessions for the faithful and theconverts, who would like to use this divine technique not only to curethemselves, but also their friends and family members. The adage An applea day should be changed to A Reiki session every day !

Reiki Is Not For The Spiritually Evolved, Only!

Yes, this was a very strong notion that I too had, before I actually startedlearning it. Somehow the spiritual element around Reiki has become strongerwith time. This is partly because the words that we use while describing theprocess of healing border on the metaphysical and indeed the spiritual; so the

indifferent listener, not directly involved with the exercise, comes awaythinking that Reiki is all spiritual mumbo-jumbo that goes over ones head.

It took me some conscious effort to curb my tendency to wax e loquent on thespiritual aspect of Reiki. For, if you cut out all the so-called spiritual mumbo-jumbo, Reiki still heals! We are, all of us, connected to the central source justlike our homes are connected to the central power station. Energy flows intoour houses and light up our four walls; similarly our source transmits energyinto our body and lights up our souls Oops, here I go again I shouldhave said and heals it of sickness and ailments


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On a more serious note, Reiki is for all kinds of people from hard-nosed,grounded-to-the-earth individuals, to the sporty types, to the exuberantextroverts to the silent introverts, the armchair types, to the spiritually-inclined everybody, without exception, can be healed and have beenhealed by Reiki. The energy behind Reiki does not recognize the nature of the

individual it is poised to flow in it simply flows. And the Reiki practitioner actsonly as a medium or the physical wire to bring the energy to you.

And here I come again to the point that I had touched upon earlier: Be yourown powerhouse. Generate your own power. Harness the energy available soabundantly in nature around you. And, heal thyself.

Medical Opinion About Reiki

The busy medics dashing from one emergency unit to another, wearing theirtrademark white coat and a stethoscope permanently around their neck, thatglazed look in the eyes the flurry of nurses in their spotless whites,wheeling patients in and out of operation theaters, checking temperatures,blood pressures, and generally monitoring the health of patients under theircharge the rows upon rows of beds with patients neatly bundled up in them when you bring this picture in your mind, Reiki and hospitals do appear astudy in contrast.

Integration Of Reiki Within Hospital Procedure

Yet, this combination of contrasts is precisely what is happening in the

hospitals nowadays. Medical science, specifically, and science in general,works on the tenet You will believe it when you can see it; and if theycannot see or measure phenomena with their eyes, they use complexinstrumentation to carry out their observations and measurements. And if theircomplex equipment fails, they simply throw up their hands!

The healing process of Reiki happens to be in a realm that is beyondsciences present capabilities of observation and measurements. One day,science shall be able to measure the energies objectively with its preciseinstruments. However, that Reiki heals, and patients walk out of the clinic ofReiki healers after leaving behind their ailments and diseases, is an irrefutable

phenomenon, too.

Step 1: Patients condition of health is recorded before they start Reiki.Readings are taken.

Step 2: No modern medicine treatment is given to them.

Step 3: Patient begins Reiki treatment.

Step 4: At end of Reiki treatment, patient walks out of the Reiki clinic.

Step 5: Their condition of health is again recorded. Readings are taken.


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Step 6: Comparing the two records, it is observed that patient has beenhealed. The patient says so, themselves. The cheer and happiness on theirface at having rid themselves of whatever bothered them, is proof enough.

Step 7: Hence proved.

So, albeit grudgingly, the effect of Reiki on health and healing has beenacknowledged. Reiki has begun gaining acceptance in the staid corridors ofmedical establishment as an alternative to mainstream medicine. Hospitalsacross the length and breadth of America are now including Reiki in theircatalog of patient services, as a tool for disease management as well as formaintaining well-being.

These hospitals now boast of in-house Reiki-trained staff: doctors, surgeons,nurses, and other support personnel have a special tag along their name inthe duty roster, so patients can avail of their services whenever required.

Reiki now finds acceptance in such diverse medical settings as palliative carecenters, rehabilitation, psychiatric units, oncology, organ transplantation units,obstetrics and neo-natal care, and so on.

Integration of the practice of Reiki with the rest of the infrastructure inhospitals is now elaborately carried out. Hospitals make sure that Reikivolunteers, who are not part of their own staff, understand the interactionprocess with hospital staff and patients in a hospital setting, and also that theybecome tuned to the hospitals working style. Usually greenhorn Reiki healersare assigned to veteran volunteers so that they understand the ropes of thetrade well, and learn how to handle various issues that might arise.

Some hospitals have even prescribed specific dress code for Reiki volunteersand laid down guidelines on conduct. For a Reiki healer, the interaction withpatients in a hospital - quite a few of them with diseases that have no knowncure, and a few of them perhaps on the verge of death - is a moving spiritualexperience. Despite the commonality of the problem being faced, patientsrespond to their condition differently, in their own unique ways. And so theReiki healer has to approach every patient with an open mind, and be open tothe experience.

And Reiki is finding acceptance in private clinics too. Doctors have discoveredthat a degree (or level of specialization, we shall come to this point later in thebook) in Reiki along with their certificate of super-specialization helps a lot.Patients discover that they are healing faster and better through this multi-dimensional process of pills and Reiki. There is an immediate sense ofreduction in stress, which is a prerequisite most of the times for modernmedicine to show its effect. When anxiety is lowered, recovery improves.When stress is alleviated, the patient gets to sleep better, without having toresort to sedatives. This is the subtle and powerful impact of Reiki on thehealing process that doctors are deploying on their patients.


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What Makes Reiki A Favorite?

The beauty of Reiki is its cost-effectiveness in comparison to the sometimesexorbitant bills that patient care generates. Unlike modern health care, Reikidoes not require any equipment, other than the trained hands of the Reiki

healer. Increasingly, hospitals are now deploying Reiki at different stages ofthe patients progress. Experiments are being carried out to monitor theresults of Reiki on their patients, right from the point when a patient isadmitted, to inside the operating room, to postoperative pains anddepressions. And, the results have, expectedly, been very, very promising.

Another beauty of Reiki worth noting in the context of modern medicine is thatit does not interfere with the medical treatment that the patient is undergoingunder the care of the doctors. Doctors need not pause to reflect the impact ofReiki on the prescriptions they are issuing. There are no side-effectswhatsoever. This makes Reiki complementary to modern medicine. Reikidoes not have any preconditions it simply channels positive, healing energyinto the disturbed part of the patients body through the hands of the Reikipractitioner.

Yet another characteristic of this treatment is that it is non-invasive. Evenwhen I say touch, there may actually be no human touch required on thebody of the patient. The hands can be at a distance of about six inches too:what matters here is the focus of the healer and the acceptance of the patienttowards Reikis healing. (Remote healing is possible too, where you may belocated at the other end of the world, far away from the patient. This is aconcept that we touch upon later )

Finally, while modern medicine appears cold and impersonal, with its Spartanand clinical settings, Reiki comes across as warm and very personal, anddeeply reflects a persons values and beliefs. It is no surprise, therefore, thatReiki is now gaining wider acceptance in all conventional streams ofmedicine.


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Chapter 4

1. Now, What Reiki Is All About

2. Tenents Of Reiki

3. The Process Of Healing

4. Areas That Reiki Touches

5. A Session With A Reiki Healer

6. Distance Healing

Now, What Reiki Is All About

The principles (I call them tenets) to distinguish from Usui Senseisprinciples - on which Reiki is based are totally different from that of modernmedicine. And as I pen the pages that follow on what Reiki can do to yourhealth and how it goes about doing it, you will have to bear in mind thisdifference.

In one phrase: shift your point of reference. Change the direction of looking atdisease and cure. Open up your mind and dont jump to conclusions. If you

are a newbie to alternate therapies, this message is especially for you: keepan open mind; for you are about to discover a totally different way of healing. Iwould even ambitiously say that you are about to discover a totally differentway of living, too!

When I approached Reiki for the first time, I did so with my preconceivednotions. I viewed Reiki wearing color-tinted glasses that had pre-biases builtin it. As I struggled to understand what I was being taught, and tried to imposethe structure and rationale of modern logic on it, I became confused. But onceI removed them and allowed the pure light of knowledge to come to me without any glasses or prisms everything fell in place.

Dear reader, I would request you to first put down your glasses(metaphorically, I mean) and prisms, close your eyes, relax, take a deepbreath, and suggest to yourself to be open and free for the experience thatyou are going to encounter in the pages that follow. And discover a whollynew way of healing yourself and others.

A word before I proceed. Because of the inherent characteristics of Reiki(there being no rigid standardization of its methods and practices, etc.), overthe past two and a half decades, quite a few variants or mutations of Reikihave evolved and are available as healing techniques alternative to the one

propagated by Usui Sensei.


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These techniques are at their core identical to the original system; and theydiffer only in some symbols and add-on practices. I touch upon them inChapter 7. For the time being, I focus on the original Usui System of NaturalHealing.

Read on, meditate on what you have read, make notes. And enjoy thisexperience.

Tenets Of Reiki

In the following pages, I have taken great care to present the tenets of Reiki ina very simple and no-nonsense fashion, stripping away all the mumbo-jumbothat presently surrounds it. Understanding these tenets shall help you tounderstand the entire process as they should really be understood.

Here they are, first, the few tenets upon which Reiki is based:

The First Tenet

The first fundamental tenet of Reiki is that this universe is made up of pureenergy. You and I, and this entire world that we can perceive with our fivesenses, are tangible manifestations of this energy. Energy vibrates at specificfrequencies, and we can detect certain frequency bands. Now, there areenergies that are beyond what we can perceive and experience with ournormal senses and scientific instruments. These are the frequency bandsthat we cannot detect, and they simply drop off our radar. This energy flows

freely in ether, swirls around us, and even passes through our bodies withoutour being able to detect it.

The air that we breathe in is yet another manifestation of this universalenergy. As long as we are alive, it is the air that we breathe in and breathe outthat connects our soul to the universe. Our mouth, windpipe, and the lungsare all elaborate mechanisms meant to channel this one form of energy to oursoul. When we exit our body (you know what I mean by exit, I am sure!), theelaborate mechanism of breathing through lungs becomes redundant, for thismechanism is relevant only for the body.

Sounds very obvious? Indeed it is. Now read further ahead.

Without the limitations of our body, we are nothing but pure energy ourselves.

Yes, we are that same energy that flows freely in ether, is swirling around us,and passing through our body perpetually. Only, we are not conscious aboutit.

Now, so long as we are living within our body, we have to follow the bodysorders, and obey its rules and regulations. And very simple rules andregulations they are. For example, breathe normally. Drink clean water. Eat

healthy food. Take exercise regularly. Lead a healthy lifestyle. Avoid riskybehavior and lifestyle. Be rooted in happiness.


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When we follow these rules, the energy that flows within us and through us,does so freely. Especially the energy that flows within us. The physical bodysphysical pathways are always open and always available for this energywithin. There is perfect balance between us and the universe. Thecommunion between the soul and the rest of the energy is total. And we are a

happy, healthy human being.

And when we default on any of these rules, what happens? You know theanswer to this already. The physical bodys physical pathways becomeblocked and become obstructive, and the free flow of the divine energy withinus is blocked and obstructed. An imbalance is created between us and theuniverse. The communion between the soul and the rest of the energy isdisrupted. And we are an unhappy, diseased human being.

The next, obvious, question is: how do get back from disease :-( to health:-)? If we can somehow get the help of the energy that is outside the body to

assist the energy inside, in removing the blockages and the obstructions, weshall be able to progress from :-( to :-) in double-quick time. Considering thatthere is such an infinite abundance of energy around us, and available free,too, this shouldnt be a difficult job!

See, I told you, there is no medical mumbo-jumbo here! Just simple commonsense

Coming back to the procedure for soliciting the assistance of the energy thatis outside the physical body, despite the energy available all around us, westill need some way to channel this outside energy through to us, in order forit to be effective. Imagine that your hand has been dirtied, and you need towash the dirt away. If you go jump in the swimming tank, how long do youthink it will take for the dirt to dissolve itself on its own, while you are lyingpatiently in the water?

And, if somebody directs a hose pipe of pure, clean water towards yourhands, and the water is falling on your hands with a high force, how fast doyou think your hands shall clean themselves?

You get the point?

Reiki does just this.

The somebody who directed the hose pipe of high-force water on your dirtyhands in our example is the Reiki practitioner. This practitioner is thechannel. The dirty hands in our example is the general area where thedisease in our body is the most predominant. (If the general area is the entirebody, then so be it.)

The problem with us is that our hands keep getting dirtied every now andthen! So, instead of relying on the somebody, if it were possible to pick up

the hose pipe ourselves; and direct the high-force water towards the dirtyhands on our own, whenever we feel like it? And, after having cleansed


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ourselves thus, direct the same divine force to our near and dear ones? Itwould be so good, isnt it? To not rely on anybody, and do our own cleansingourselves?

And this is the theme that you will find recurrently in this book. Be your own

cleanser. Be your own healer. It is so easy and simple, once you understand itwell.

The Second Tenet

Brick upon brick, these tenets build upon each other.

The second most fundamental tenet that Reiki is based on is that the energychanneled by the practitioner into the body of the recipient is an intelligentenergy.

After flowing into the body of the recipient, the energy possesses theknowledge of what needs to be done. It also knows exactly where it is neededin the body.

The mind, belief and intentions of the two participants in the healing process -the healer and the recipient decide how qualitatively beneficial the Reikisession is going to pan out for the recipient. There is a very delicate interplayof the following two thought processes here:

When the channel sits before the recipient, who needs to be healed, it is the

intention and belief that the channel holds in their thought processes of themind that decides what kind of energy is going to flow into the persons body.A belief in themselves, and the pure intention to heal the person who hasapproached them for cure of their ailment, creates the right setting in theirmind and body for the energy to channel through.

Further, as a Reiki practitioner, the channel trains themselves to concentrateon specific symbols (which we shall be covering later), and these symbolsbring forth in their mind the desired thought patterns and frequencies thatsynchronize with the energy flowing through them. Which symbol from the setof symbols do they pick up? This depends on the specific problem of the

recipient.

The belief and the intention of the recipient that they bring with them to thepractitioners clinic make a lot of difference. A strong belief in oneself, thebelief that one deserves to be healed and cured of the ailment, the belief thatReiki is the right approach for healing, and the level of healing that onedesires all these together determine the speed with which the ailment canbe resolved.

More often than not, there are pre-biases and prejudices harbored by therecipient, coupled with negative blockages at the psychological level, which

prevent the recipient from accepting the energy to the depth that it should


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reach in their body and mind in order to heal completely. The catharsis, thus,is incomplete, and therefore takes longer.

The implication of the above is that Reiki involves both the channel and thereceiver. It is not just the channel who is doing the sending of energy, as is

the case with spiritual healing (another subject altogether). In Reiki, thereceiver has to accept it also. And, the purer the intentions and beliefs of thetwo people involved, and the clearer the identification of the problem, thefaster is the healing process.

An immediate recollection that I wish to record here is of clients who werehealed of their chronic diseases in one and the very first sitting! I, on my part,had performed my duties for these clients as a channel, as meticulously andmethodically, as I used to with my other clients. What was it that hadhappened *extra* in their particular case? After chatting with them, Idiscovered the following aspects of personality that hold consistent across all

such clients:

One, they had, without exception, a deep belief in their own destiny. Theyshared an optimistic outlook towards life, and looked at everything that wasgoing on in their world positively. They *knew* that their ailment shall becured, even though modern medicine as yet didnt have any cure.

Two, they had read up on Reiki before they had come to me; or at least hadheard about it from their friends and relatives who had gone through similarexperiences. So, belief in the process was absolute. There was no doubt orany skepticism about the efficacy of this healing therapy in their mind. Thismeans that both the channel and the recipient were in perfect resonance witheach other, and the energy flow to them was smooth.

Finally, the recipients accepted and welcomed the energy in their heart andmind. This element of welcome to the energy allowed the energy reachingthem to touch their core, and thus their catharsis was instant.

Yes, for the recipient, who is in need of healing, will of course want their bodyto be healed, you would say. But what about the belief and intention of thechannel? How does one safeguard oneself against any negative or wrong

beliefs and intentions of the channel, due to whatever reasons, you wouldask. Good question.

The answer to this question lies in the third tenet. So, without further ado, wemove on to the next tenet

The third tenet

The third fundamental tenet, on which Reiki is based, is that it is alwaysbenevolent. Any intention on the part of either the practitioner/channel to harmothers, or even the recipients intention to harm or hurt themselves (self-

inflicted), automatically blocks the flow of energy.


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In fact, one of the symbols in the set that we practitioners make use of iscalled the Master Symbol. Christened Dai-ko-myo, the exact meaning of thisterm is given by a reputed and respected encyclopedia as the treasurehouse, which is the source of light. The sequence that we go through whileinitiating the process of healing requires the Master Symbol to be invoked;

without it, the sequence isnt complete. This Symbol, as well as the others,invokes thought patterns that cannot be anything but pure, pious thoughts andintentions.

After working in this field for so many years, I have come to believe that Reikidevelops in you the power to heal, and also develops in you a sense ofprofound responsibility towards mankind in general. It is an automaticprocess, happening in the background continuously. Anything that is notbenevolent, has no place in Reikis scheme of things.

The fourth tenet

This is the final tenet that, to my mind, Reiki is based on. This is that the useof Reiki is independent of ones intellectual capacity or level of spirituality either of the channel or of the recipient.

Irrespective of your academic qualifications, irrespective of your E.Q. or I.Q.scores, irrespective of whether you can walk on the terra firma or levitate fourinches above the ground, irrespective of whether you have never stepped outof your town or you have had a round trip of the planet Mars you can use itto heal yourself as well as to heal others.

The energy is not taxable (thank god for small mercies!). It is as abundant asair and water and sunshine. It is pristine and omnipresent. This divine energyis simply waiting for you to tap into it and use it for your own benefit and forthe benefit of others.

The Process Of Healing

As you would have realized by now, the core, basic purpose of Reiki is not tocure you of diseases. In its basic form, Reiki the energy reinforces thebodys innate capability to heal itself.

This section takes you through the different areas where Reiki performs itsmagic on the ailments, and the process by which we practitioners carry it out.After going through this section, you shall hopefully be mentally betterprepared when you visit your local Reiki practitioner next.

Areas that Reiki touches

We have already seen the benefits of Reiki in the field of medicine in Chapter3. The beauty of Reiki is that it is not, unlike modern medicine, limited only tothe biological matter that you know as your body. It goes much beyond that.


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Dear reader, I take great pleasure in putting forth here the areas where Reikienergy touches your body and mind, and indeed, life:

Stress reduction and alleviation of hypertension: The most profound and

immediate effect that I have seen happening in my clients has been an almost

dramatic drop in their stress levels and hypertension. This generates a senseof wellbeing in the client, which is almost half the job already done for uspractitioners!

Alleviation from periods of trauma, depression, grievance: The energy

works at the level of the psyche and helps clients in coming out of their self-imposed bouts of depression and grievance. In case of persons undergoingpost-trauma treatments, Reiki has been found to have a soothing effect,pulling them out of the past and developing in them an optimistic outlook forthe future.

Rejuvenating the body and spirit : For the tired mind and body, Reiki energyis the most refreshing and rejuvenating tonic! After a decidedly hecticschedule, when I administer Reiki energy on myself, I am completelyenergized and thoroughly cleansed. If you are a jet-setting executive orsomebody whose workday is a whirlwind of frenzy; Reiki is the best antidoteto ground you.

Improvement in immune system: Most of the ailments that humanity suffers

from are a result of the failure of the bodys innate immunity system to defendfrom outside attacks of germs and other microorganisms. Reiki energy shoresup your bodys defenses and helps you overcome these ailments.

Manifestation of goals and desires: Yes, this happens. Reiki energy notonly dissolves away your ailments and diseases, it also helps you in realizingyour goals and desires. The key phrase is: What is the greatest good foryou? Reiki knows the answer to this question, and all the goals and desiresthat you harbor and that are in alignment with this answer you shall findthem fulfilled.

Healing of relationships: Is there any relationship that has been causing youdistress? Reiki energy removes the negativity that might be emanating from

you and that is causing the disturbance. Even more generally, do you discernany pattern of disturbed relationship in any one or more areas of your life?Say, for instance, you always have experienced problematic relationship withpeople senior to you may be your principal when you were in the school,your parent when you were living with them, and your boss in job after job? Oryou are lurching from one marriage to another, each separation moredevastating than the earlier one? Reiki is the answer. Reiki reinstates orderand stability in the different dimensions of relationships where you are notcomfortable.

Healing the past: Was there anything in the past whose aftereffects are still

felt by you? Is there any disappointment/sorrow from the yesterdays that still


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linger in your mind? Reiki helps you to attain closure and balance in your past,so that you can move ahead.

Balancing & healing in the future: When you allow Reikis energies to flow

to you on a continuous basis, either through an external channel or self-

administered, your tomorrows automatically begin to get balanced. Theenergys guidance moves you in directions that are for your highest good.

Phew. I can go on and on. But I am sure the points that I have listed abovegives you the picture. Reiki is also used for world peace. The energy,abundantly available in this universe, is being used for the greatest good ofthe largest number.

A Session With A Reiki Healer

When you walk into the clinic of your local Reiki practitioner, I would adviceyou to, in order to derive the maximum benefit, be totally open-minded. Leaveyour skepticism at the door. When you leave, you can pick it up on the wayback home. Your skepticism, I mean. Chances are; you will forget to pick itup, since it will have become redundant.

I have also discovered that maximum benefits from a session with the Reikihealer are best derived when, besides a more open attitude, you also observethe following:

Wear loose clothes. Tight-fitting clothes are not an impediment for Reiki, but

you will be more in tune with the environment around you when you arewearing clothes that are comfortably loose.

Avoid smoking, alcohol and non-vegetarian food on the day of yourappointment. It is not an absolute must, but your body shall really be

prepared for accepting Reiki energy rather than remaining busy in assimilatingyour intake.

Spend some quality time with yourself. See if you can switch off theregular blare of the television and radio, and also wean yourself away fromthe computer for a while. This stilling of the mind makes you sensitive to what

is going on around you, makes you aware of the present, and grounds you forwhat follows.

Ensure that you are fully relaxed, and your colon and bladder arerelatively empty. Refresh yourself, after you have reached the clinic, ifnecessary.

Just my insights on preparing yourself! So that you come away from thesession with an enriching experience

When you have finally sat before the practitioner, you explain to them the

condition or ailment being faced by you, just like you do to your regular familymedico. They record your description in their folder in order to prepare a case


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history. (I have begun using my laptop; it helps in easy searching and also incompiling statistics. Everybodys methods differ, of course.)

Now the healing process begins. Depending on the ailment, you may beasked to either lie down or to sit in a different chair. There is no requirement of

removal of any clothing. The practitioner begins their laying on of hands. Theyneed not touch you anywhere. Their hands are usually from five to sixcentimeters to about a foot above your body. The practitioner thenconcentrates on the specific Reiki symbols that bring just the desiredfrequency of energy into their body, for onward channeling into you. Theirhands hover over specific areas of your body for certain period of time.

Depending on your particular condition, you may begin to feel different kindsof sensations in those specific areas. You may feel certain warmth beinggenerated there, for instance. Or you might find it becoming cool. Or perhapsyou feel a subtle pressure being exerted there. Or it is also possible that you

do not feel any sensation at all. Which is okay, too.

Unbeknown to you, Reiki would have begun its work. Depending on the stressand strain that you were in when you walked into the clinic, you willimmediately begin to relax, and begin feeling de-stressed. A few of my clientseven began snoring in their first sitting, to the utter surprise of their familymembers accompanying them, who claimed that the client had had difficultysleeping earlier!

Gradually, those energies that are deficient in your body begin to get filled up.Your body automatically begins accepting the energies that are deficient.(This intensity of acceptance depends on your belief and intention, which Ihave alluded to, earlier.) Negativities and impurities automatically begin to getpulled away. Blockages created by stale energy begin to get dissolved.

There are, depending on the school of Reiki the practitioner has trained in,anywhere from seven to twenty hand positions that they may apply on you.The entire session lasts anywhere from half an hour to an hour or two,depending on the judgment of the practitioner.

As I mentioned earlier, it is entirely possible that you do not get any sensation.

It is also entirely possible that when you leave, you might leave with a feelingthat all that has happened is that you got a pair of ears that gave asympathetic listening to your woes and nothing much of consequenceoccurred. This is perfectly okay. All that this means is your tuning with yourenvironment needs further work. And that is not a problem at all. What isimportant here is trust and patience. The more you develop confidence inyourself and in the belief that you deserve the very best from the universe thathas created you the more you begin to tune in. You are, after all, a work inprogress. Just as I am. Just as we all are.


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Distance Healing

Of all the aspects of Reiki, the most fascinating of this beautiful healingtechnique is the ability of the Reiki practitioner to heal their clients even whenthey are not physically face-to-face with each other in the same room. This

means that you may be sitting in one place; while the Reiki healer you trust issitting on a different continent altogether, halfway around the world. And, still,Reiki energy can be channeled to you.

Really, really, fascinating and intriguing, isnt it? Tell me, can modernmedicine, with all its internet-driven, robotic-arm surgery yet manage it? Reikidoesnt need internet to reach to you. It relies on the omnipresent ether that isthe biggest and the best medium of all for communication.

The set of symbols that comprise Reiki contains one symbol exclusively fordistance healing. This is called the Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen symbol, and isassociated with the color yellow. (Dont worry; these are technical tidbits thathold meaning only when you want to practice Reiki yourself. When you dodecide to learn Reiki yourself, these things will automatically fall in place.)

Though we traditionally use the phrase distance healing, the purpose ofremote energy channeling may be anything: it could be to make you feelenergetic, or it could be to send you lots of positive vibes during the timewhen you are writing an important exam or appearing in court, or when youare negotiating that crucial, make-or-break deal in business or personal life.Perhaps you are about to now make the homerun in the stadium ground,

watched by millions of spectators. Or you are giving a presentation to theboard of directors who are about to decide the fate of your proposal, or evenyour career. At the same time, you may perhaps be getting wheeled into theoperating room of a hospital for a surgical procedure on a specific date andtime. Think creatively of instances when you require positive energychanneled towards you the most. Distance healing helps you in all theseinstances, and more.

What all is required for this process to occur? First, you need to get in touchwith your favorite Reiki practitioner. Provide them with backgroundinformation: the purpose of healing, along with the general details of your

location. If it is an event that you are participating - like the ones that I havelisted above then you may also provide some details of the event too, alongwith the date and time. (In case the date and time changes later, dont worry.Once begun, the Reiki energy channeled to you at that point of time remainswith you, forever.) If you require healing for your ailment and where you canset the date and time for the healing, then you and the healer may decide amutually convenient date and time.

On the appointed time, you just have to keep doing whatever it is that you aresupposed to be doing. When distance healing begins, and you are properlytuned into the process, you will begin to feel the positive vibes reaching you.

In case it is an ailment that you wish to cure, you may keep yourself free at


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that particular point of time, and may follow the tips that I have listed in theearlier section (A session with A Reiki healer).

Nowadays, thanks to the burgeoning internet and communication technology,distance healing has really begun to spread its reach across all continents. It

is now possible for people to keep in closer touch with their favorite healer viachat sessions as well as audio-video live sessions. Any change in the date /time from either side recipient or channel is immediately communicatedthrough Email or the cell phone.

By positioning the web camera on yourself, you are visible and viewable tothe healer, and so can you too view them on your screen. Plus, you can alsolisten to their instructions, if any, on your position; and you can alsocommunicate with them your thought processes that occur while thechanneling is in progress.

Yes, Reiki energy does not mind leveraging the best of technology for thebenefit of mankind. After all, the basic aim of this beautiful therapy is thegreatest good of all!


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Chapter 5

1. Learning Reiki To Heal Yourself And Others

2. Symbols Of Reiki

3. Levels Of Attainment In Reiki

4. Hand Positions

Learning Reiki To Heal Yourself And Others

The process of learning Reiki is, as you would have guessed by now, notbased on reading tones of books, attending lectures, and passing exams although there are different degrees of advancement on the ladder ofevolution. There is no single Reiki University or Reiki College of Healingthat disburses certificates to successful candidates after their attending aReiki Course of fixed duration.

Reiki is actually taught to newcomers by the practitioners themselves. Thisdecentralized system of training has one benefit upfront: people canundergo the course at a local Reiki training center; and at their own pace andspeed. (I am coming to the subject of self-learning in a later chapter.) Since

there are no prerequisites expected from the learner in terms of educationalachievements or spiritual attainment, just about anybody can learn.

A natural side-effect of there not being one single, centralized system oftraining is that there is no one uniquely single method of Reiki that prevails,and there is nobody to monitor and ensure that there is just one Reikimethod that is followed all over the world. For any other therapy, this mighthave been a negative side-effect. Not so with Reiki.

The very fact that Reiki works at the mind level and deploys the invisibleenergy omnipresent throughout the ether, lends itself to other schools of

thought for healing being added to the Reiki domain. This means that besidesthe original Usui System of Natural Healing, first propagated by Dr. MikaoUsui, there are now several systems that are variants of the original Reiki.Since the basic foundation of Reiki: working at the mind level, and deployingthe invisible energy omnipresent in ether; remains the same, all these variantsremain equally useful. Where these variants differ is the way the symbols(described ahead) get handled, the different hand positions, and the style inwhich attunement (initiation into Reiki) takes place.

In this chapter, we take a look at the process by which Reiki has beentraditionally learnt. We first start off with a basic introduction of the symbols,something that I have touched upon in the earlier chapters as well. Next, we


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look at the different levels of attainment that Reiki practitioners are required togo through in the Usui system. Finally, I describe the hand positions.

Symbols of Reiki

The symbols of Reiki are amongst its most important features. Everypractitioner worth their salt is required to understand the symbols, understandtheir usage and where they are required, and be able to draw them, andchannel the Reiki energy that correspond to them correctly. A major part ofReiki training comprises understanding of these symbols.

Each symbol represents a certain state of mind. What this state of mind is,becomes known as you delve deeper into this discipline. Without thisknowledge, these symbols are nothing but the artwork of a child on paper.

In fact, there was a time, before the free-spirit renaissance brought on by theinternet, when symbols were sought to be revealed only to learners of Reikiafter they had been attuned into it through a proper ceremony. At least, thatwas how Mrs. Takata (see chapter I) ordained it to be to her first batch ofdisciples outside Japan. But the internet has changed all that. These symbolsare now available on the web. Also, a temple on Mount Kurama (Japan) where Dr. Mikao Usui attained enlightenment too exhibits the Usui Reikisymbols quite prominently.

So, as you read on, do remember the powers that lie behind these symbolsthat are still hidden from you.

The Usui System of Natural Healing recognizes the following 4 symbols:

The Power Symbol or the Body Symbol:

Dr. Usui called this symbol Cho-ku-Rei. It literally means Put the powerhere, or God is here.

As the name suggests, the purpose of this symbol is to increase the powerelement in the recipient.


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The Mental / Emotional Symbol or the Mind Symbol:

This symbol was called Sei-He-Ki by Sensei Usui. Literally, it means Keyto the universe, or Man and God becoming one.

As the name of the symbol suggests, it represents energies required at theemotional and mental level; and its functions are purification, clearing andprotection.

The Distance Symbol or Spirit Symbol:

Originally known as the Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen symbol, which literally means The Buddha in me reaches out to the Buddha in you to promoteenlightenment and peace.

This symbol is used for healing at a distance, as well as for healing in the pastand the future.

The Usui Master Symbol:

This is the symbol that learners of Reiki strive to acquire knowledge of, sinceit represents the ultimate in Reiki evolution.

The original name of this symbol is Dai-ko-Myo, which means man-woman-universe = whole energy.


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This symbol is used to pass attunements during the Initiation process fromGuru to disciple.

Levels of Attainment in Reiki

There are three levels of attainment as taught in the traditional Usui Systemof Natural Healing. Each level is like a grade you study in one grade, pass it,and go to the higher grade. The important difference between the levels inReiki and the school grades is that there are no exams that some externalagency conducts for you. You are your own student; you are your ownexaminer. Whenever you feel you are ready for the next level, you beginlearning it.

Following are the levels along with their brief description.

Level I:

This is the basic level. Here, the learner develops the ability to heal oneself aswell as heal others. Hand positions that are used when the client is physicallypresent before the practitioner are discussed.

Level II:

This level involves teaching three of the four symbols: the Power Symbol, theMental / Emotional Symbol, and the Distance Symbol. It becomes possible forthe practitioner to heal clients at a distance.

Level III:

This level teaches the practitioner to heal add the fourth symbol the MasterSymbol to their repertoire. It is at this stage that you really become aMaster!


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Some schools of thought break level III further to create a level IV too,where the Master practitioner becomes equipped to train and initiate otherReiki practitioners in this therapy.

Each of these levels has an inbuilt procedure known as Attunement, which is

discussed in the next chapter.

Hand Positions

Traditionally, there is a series of hand positions that learners first get to learnin Level I of Reiki. As discussed in the preceding section, these handpositions remain the same throughout the further levels. In the further levels,the emphasis is on new Reiki Symbols.

After understanding the ailment that the client is suffering from, theappropriate symbols that will best alleviate the problem is brought to the mind.A minute or two of meditation before beginning the session helps ingrounding. During this meditation, focus is constantly kept on the symbol orset of symbols to be applied. This meditation also helps the channel inconnecting to the Source. When the hand positions begin to be applied overthe body, energy automatically begins to flow; from the Source, through thehealer or channel, into the body of the client.

These hand positions are spaced longitudinally throughout the clients body.As a whole, when a healing session is completed, the entire area of the bodyis well covered by these hand positions. There are two styles of hand-

positioning: stationary, in which you hold the hands steadily over a part ofthe body; and sweeping, in which you sweep in or sweep out the handsover the body part. You may initially work with both the methods, at all thedifferent locations of the body (described below), in order to get a feel of thedifference it makes in the sensation.

When the practitioner places their hands on one particular place, the energyfrequently stays in that very place for a long time, and takes its own time todissipate. This will very likely happen in cases where the clients body isresistant to accepting energy at some level of their psyche. And, believe me,this resistance is to be found in the best amongst us!

We, as a species, develop a mindset that is wary and cynical and always onour guard at all times, and a

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Leigh,S. - Discover Reiki