Reiki - What It All Be Like

As the holiday season is upon us, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all my subscribers and readers for your support throughout the year and throw out a few ideas for using Reiki over the upcoming holidays.

Destressing

As the holiday season is a rather stressful time… be sure to give (and receive) all the Reiki you can in order to reduce some of the stress. It will make the holidays much more enjoyable if you can actually relax once or twice during them.

Fighting Colds

During the cold winter months, colds and flu seem to do their best to hit at just the wrong time (not that there really is a right time) so extra precautions should be taken, especially for the kids (don’t forget the older kids) and don’t forget the regimen when you get home… wash your hands, gargle… and Reiki.

Reiki Presents

Reiki makes a great present, especially for those hard to please folks. It fits in stockings and cards and there is nothing quite like a healthy dose of Reiki wrapped up in a pretty bow.

Holiday Loneliness

Reiki is a great way to make friends, whether it is you that needs the extra friends or someone else who may be neglected by others. After all, shy people need Reiki too!

Party Reiki

Tomorrow I’ll be heading out to Hiroshi Doi’s Christmas/New Year’s/End of the Year Reiki Koryukai (I’ll be sure to report on it when I get back). Reiki is really great at parties and for those of you with Reiki practices it is the very very best way to drum up new business for the new year.

The Morning After

Reiki is just the medicine for the morning after those holiday parties as well. All the noise, alcohol, cake, activity, etc. add up and a healthy dose of Reiki the following morning far surpasses Alka Seltzer in every way… although they might tend to work better together!

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

Today we are going to look at some more practical aspects of yesterday’s post of Making Change Easy With Reiki and as I believe this is an extremely important subject we will be returning to it on occasion.

The first consideration there is when dealing with change is exactly what type of change you are dealing with… as all change is not created equal. Personally, as with many areas of Reiki, I divide them into physical changes, mental changes, emotional changes and spiritual changes. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

Physical Change

Physical changes can be the result of accidents, normal growth, changes in ones environment, health problems, etc. These are, for example, different from normal accidents or health problems by the degree of change that they require. Losing an arm, a finger, eyesight or hearing all require great changes to occur in order for your life to return to some semblance of order. This is the type of change that I’m talking about and while there are certainly psychological problems associated with such loss, our concern here is with the physical adaptation that must occur.

Regular Reiki treatments can assist greatly in this adaptation by creating a sort of status quo in the remaining physical structure, rewiring circuits both in and out of the brain, rerouting vital energies on the subtle and not so subtle levels, and returning a sense of balance. Change needed as a result of some sort of trauma will require some deep healing, and since the new energetic patterns have not been in existence for very long they will be easier to heal. So basically, the quicker you get to it and the more Reiki energy you are able to apply, the better.

Mental Change

Mental change is required to overcome mental blocks or barriers preventing us from achieving what we want. Changes in our perception of logic, beliefs in our ability, our ourwardly directed attitudes, etc. and can be made much easier to manipulate with Reiki. I liken it to softening up a hard sponge so that it will work properly… so too does Reiki soften up our spongy brains to allow for reshaping.

My favorite way of dealing with situations requiring mental change, besides straight Reiki sessions (with generous helping of the mental/emotional symbol) is through the use of affirmations. Hear are the type of affirmations that work especially well where mental adaptation is needed.

• As I change, I feel better and better.
• As I change, my life improves in every way.
• As I let go of the past, I welcome the future.
• Change is an exciting adventure.
• Change is easy and safe.
• Change is positive.
• Change leads to happiness and fulfillment.
• I am changing for the better, now and always.
• I am willing to leave my old way of being behind and open myself to something new and better.
• I feel comfortable changing at the deepest level.
• I want to change for the better now.
• It is safe to let go.
• Life is a process of change.

Use of any one of these, or all of these, or similar affirmations during Reiki self-healing is an ideal way to make use of them. And getting non-Reiki practitioners to use them during meditation, while walking, while working, etc. can yield tremendous results.

Emotional Change

Emotional changes that are most needed are those surrounding any type of negative emotions. These should all and always be removed from our systems on a regular basis. Of course, we, as Reiki practitioners always abide by the Reiki precepts and never worry and are never angry… which are two of the more debilitating negative emotions needing elimination.

My preferred way of dealing with emotional change is to separate it from the experience it is attached to. If someone recounts to you a story of a traffic accident they were involved in 10 years ago and still feel anger when recounting the experience, that means they have not released the negative emotion from the experience.

The way I have them do so, while showering them with Reiki, is to have them put their hands in gassho, and tell them that their gassho represents the experience. Then I ask them to open their hands and imagine the experience is one one hand and the attached negative emotion in the other. It doesn’t matter which is which and I often ask them which hand the emotion is in, in order to validate the exercise. Then ask them to move their hands apart and notice the emotion is separating from the experience. Reiterate that its important to keep the memory of the experience as its an important life lesson… but all the negative emotion does is cause cancer. Instruct them to just let it go and watch it fly away. If done correctly this technique works 99% of the time.

Spiritual Change

Spiritual change is needed when our place in the universe is questioned, when matters of ethics or morals are threatened, when our spirit is damaged in any way or in matters of religious beliefs. It is one of the more difficult changes to assist with because it often lies latent under layers of more observable dis-ease. Physical dis-ease can be observed, mental dis-ease can be thought and emotional dis-ease can be felt… but spiritual dis-ease can only be intuited and relies greatly on one’s ability to do so in the first place… and one’s openness to the possibilities that relate.

As mentioned yesterday, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes can be called for because of the stress caused by (merely) thinking about that change, actually changing, and dealing with the changes afterward… so there are three-dimensional considerations in dealing with them. Kind of like 3D Chess… in the beginning its kind of hard to figure out, but once you do, plain old 1D chess is just downright boring…

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

This week Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto revealed the Kanji that will set the theme for 2009 in Japan and the Chinese Ideogram chosen was that for “change”. I found this especially interesting and while speaking of change is easy, implementing it requires some degree of effort which usually involves some degree of discomfort… luckily the stress caused by (merely) thinking about change, actually changing, and dealing with the changes afterward are just the sort of thing that Reiki is generally considered most effective in dealing with… so I thought I’d spend a few moments taking a look at this concept in greater detail.

Earlier in the week I saw the new Keanu Reeves /Jennifer Connelly flick “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and as as mentioned in Laughter Reiki anything with John Cleese in it tends to attract my attention. In this movie he plays a rather eccentric (really… Cleese ) Nobel Laureate who admonishes that “its only on the brink [of destruction] that people find the will to change… only at the precipice do we evolve… this is our moment… don’t take it from us… we’re close to an answer… ” which struck me as being particularly astute. Of course, at present, we are not under attack by aliens (unless the media qualifies) but the concept is the same… people don’t change unless they REALLY have to because it takes great courage and even greater resolve.

I’ve also recently discussed in Obama Reiki some potential changes to the way Reiki is received and perceived under Barrack Obama’s new administration where the theme of change is once again being emphasized. With countries like the USA and Japan placing such an importance on the need for change with a virtual “evolve or step aside” urgency clearly indicated between the lines, I believe, more than ever, there is a great need for that which Reiki does so well.

So, like it or not, change is in the air!

So… how can Reiki help with change? How can Reiki make change as easy to cope with as possible? I think that if change is identified as being physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, the proper Reiki sequences, symbols, techniques, etc. can be used quite easily. The stress involved in making the decision to change, mental and emotional barriers to the change itself, the need for spiritual evolution, the ability to maintain a balance of these four (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) areas, regular Reiki treatments for ourselves and others dealing with change, sending Reiki ahead of time to deal with it when it comes.

Tomorrow I will continue with some more concrete details… in the meantime… think about how you can use use Reiki to deal with change for yourself, others, and the world (as well as any extra terrestrial lifeforms that may be reading).

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

In previous posts I’ve talked about Reiki for Teachers, Reiki for Kids, Reiki and the Brain, etc., but today I’d like to put these together and discuss Reiki in specific regard to the education process, especially how Reiki can be used to accelerate and/or augment learning.

Relaxed Brain

Multiple studies prove that a relaxed brain is better for learning. A relaxed brain is like a sponge and absorbs ideas much more readily than a clenched, tight or otherwise stressed one. Basically it just inputs better. Using Reiki to keep the brain stress-free and free of dis-ease is a surefire way to increase its abilities in regard to memory, processing and general awareness.

Reiki is also effective in providing a better night’s sleep, which also, in turn, relaxes the brain (through the secretion of chemicals during sleep) and promotes all of the above mentioned benefits.

Mental Blocks

Another area that Reiki is quite effective in assisting with the learning process is through the breaking of mental blocks that may be impeding learning. Mental blocks are thought processes that get in the way of learning. For example thinking that you can’t learn or do something, that your memory isn’t good enough, that your brain isn’t powerful enough, etc. are all the cause of mental blocks that can be broken with Reiki aimed at them.

Mental blocks can be present (sometimes for many years) before attempting to learn something, or it may develop during the learning process. Either way, Reiki has the ability to break those blocks and prevent new ones from forming by assuring the proper flow of energy through the mental channels, so that fresh energy is continuously brought in and old, tired, wasted, spent energy is removed.

Emotional Blocks

Similar to the breaking of any mental blocks that may be impeding learning, breaking emotional blocks that are gumming up the works is just as vital. These emotional blocks are any negative emotions or feelings that might be getting in the way. Dislike of the subject being studied, the teacher, classmates, the classroom or any other related concern is enough to stop energy from flowing freely and again, Reiki can be quite helpful in breaking through such blocks.

Stress Free Tests

One of the areas where the ability to decrease stress is of the greatest concern is at test time. Relaxing for a test will not only oftentimes improve your score, but also make the ordeal a bit more enjoyable, so that the build up of stress before any test is avoided.

Eliminating stress from the education equation is probably the best thing Reiki can do for the education process and the education system in this (and many countries) can surely use the help. Breaking through stubborn blocks that are preventing effective learning from taking place is beneficial no matter what subject is being learned and can go a long way towards improving motivation and decreasing the bad attitudes that are making learning a somewhat less than enjoyable activity.

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

Subtle Reiki is is a rather advanced style of Reiki that I developed mainly for practice in understanding the subtle nature of Reiki energy. You can take a look at The Subtlety of Reiki for an introduction, should you care to.

I first began the development of Subtle Reiki about 5 years ago when I read the book Subtle Aromatherapy by Patricia Davis. In that book, she describes Subtle Aromatherapy as “the use of essential oils in non-physical ways” drawing on the vibrational, energetic qualities of the essential oils, rather than their physical, chemical properties. For Subtle Reiki its a bit different in that Reiki energy is, itself, comprised solely of vibrational, energetic qualities. So, for our purposes, Subtle Reiki involves an exploration of those subtle energies themselves, as well as of subtle hibiki, subtle responses, subtle indications and as well as the distinct subtleties involved with whichever aspect of healing (physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual) is involved.

Let’s take a quick look at each of these in turn.

Subtle Energies

The first area of exploration in Subtle Reiki is in exploring the subtleties of the Reiki energy itself. This involves distinguishing between the subtle differences in the energy of different styles of Reiki, between the different Reiki symbols, between the different Reiki mantras, etc. This isn’t something that can be picked up over night and oftentimes requires years of experimentation with the various Reiki energies.

As was discussed in the 30 Day Reiki Challenge, there are a number of games that are useful (and enjoyable) when attempting to master these subtle differences. From ‘guessing’ which index cards has which symbol (if any) written on it to ‘guessing’ which cup of coffee or glass of beer has been Reikied, having fun with the process will keep it both challenging and interesting for many years.

Subtle Hibiki

All hibiki are not created the same, and beyond categorizing them into different degrees (as was discussed in Reiki Hibiki) it is also possible to notice variations within each of those degrees. Hibiki in different parts of the body have different meanings, just as reflexology type Reiki (treating the reflex points in the hands or feet in lieu of their actual counterpart) will give different readings than when scanning the actual area involved.

Many Reiki practitioners perform Byosen Scanning and then immediately apply Reiki when any type of hibiki is detected. In Subtle Reiki, we spend a bit of time exploring that hibiki first, in order to get a better understanding of it… both physically and psychically.

Subtle Responses

When giving a Reiki treatment many Reiki practitioners remain oblivious to the energetic responses being unconsciously given by the person they are giving the Reiki to. In Subtle Reiki, we are constantly aware of any reactions, responses and unconscious signals being communicated. Again, these communications can be either physical or psychic and without paying attention to them they are being missed.

Once these subtle responses are understood, healing can progress at a much deeper level… often involving the cause of the dis-ease, as opposed to just the effects.

Subtle Indications

Medically speaking, indications refer to signs that point to the cause, treatment, etc. of a dis-ease. I distinguish these from responses in that responses are generally caused by something you do, where as indications are present even before you start your Reiki treatment. For our purposes, the indications are not the problems. Even though they might be remedied quite quickly, we are primarily concerned with the causes.

In the case of a headache, the headache itself might be healed quite easily, but it may be indicative of undue stress (or any of a number of causes) and by seeking further indications, which are generally quite subtle and may occur at physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual levels, staying on the alert for them will lead to much deeper healing.

Aspect Related Subtleties

Depending on whether the treatment is directed towards physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual healing there are different mechanics involved. Being aware of the subtleties involved in spiritual healing, for example, will help considerably in the treatment.

When you perform any type of Reiki treatment, curiosity about the root causes should always be a consideration. The more curious you are, the more likely you are to explore the symptoms, indications, responses, reactions, etc. and their presence in any of number of guises. Application of a Subtle Reiki frame of mind to whatever style of Reiki you use can only lead to a deeper understanding of Reiki as well as a deeper level of healing.

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

In that yesterday’s post on a possible Reiki Fatwa turned out to be just as political as it was religious slash spiritual, it got me thinking of the current state of things, as far as politics goes, and how that may (or may not) effect Reiki in the next few (at least 4) years. What this all equates to is… Obama Reiki… its time for a change!

The area that interests me the most, as far as Reiki is concerned, is in health care. To this end, Obama has vowed to make health insurance affordable and accessible to all, lower health care costs and promote public health. The why’s and how’s of all this is unclear, but I believe the implications for Reiki are promising. There are petitions floating around to have Reiki treatments covered by health insurance, and under the proposed reforms this is entirely possible.

An area especially of interest is that the new administration will require coverage of preventive services, which supports the argument for regular Reiki treatments. Many other alternative health, er, alternatives, stand to benefit as well… such as aromatherapy, yoga, qi gong and tai chi. If someone in the higher echelons of the new regime takes this a bit more seriously than the upper ranks of the Bush Administration, there may indeed be cause for rejoicing.

It seems to me that with the selection of Obama as its new Commander-In Chief America has decided on a new direction… more spiritual in nature and less money based. Whether or not the economy can thrive under banners of “hope” and “change” is yet to be seen, but as far as Reiki is concerned there is a chance of bringing Reiki a few steps toward center stage, giving it more of a chance to be the power that it can truly be. And if Reiki powers to heal do indeed extend past the individual, America is certainly a nation in need of repair and Reiki is certainly a viable candidate for assisting in this monumental healing.

Hopefully all Reiki practitioners will aim a bit of their Reiki energy towards Barrack Obama over the next few years (especially in his transitive stages) as well as to America… land of the brave, home of the needy.

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

Recently the National Fatwa Council (NFC) of Malaysia issued a fatwa or religious edict declaring yoga as haram (prohibited) in their latest fight to save the soul of Islam. Their argument is that there are religious elements inherent in yoga that the council feels are against the tenets of Islam. This follows another recent fatwa against tomboys, declaring also that girls that act like boys are in violation of the tenets of Islam. Last year Pakistani Clerics sought a fatwa against hugging which has been said to denote a trend towards conservatism by those in authority, and whether or not it is right or wrong is not my place to say, but I do see it as a threat to Reiki in that Reiki and Yoga (as well as other spiritual pursuits) share some strikingly similar fundamentals.

Most people who practice Yoga do so for the asanas, or postures, as they have been proven over thousands of years to promote health. The spiritual aspects of Yoga are seldom taught and are not even understood by most Yogis… especially those outside of India. The same holds true for Reiki, that is, the spiritual aspects are quite neglected and most Reiki practitioners do so for the physical, mental and emotional health benefits. This includes most of the Reiki practitioners here in Japan.

I know many Muslims practice Reiki, as there are also many practicing Yoga, and if a fatwa is issued they will simply stop without question. I think a better alternative would be to create a style of Reiki that is geared strictly towards Islamic Spirituality as I know there are strict guidelines which need to be adhered to. For a deeper understanding of this you might want to have a look at The Spiritual Path of Islam, as it explains it much better than I ever could.

After reading that article I can see how both Reiki and Yoga could be considered to be against the spiritual path of Islam in its strictest sense, but I also see a very clear definition of how Reiki could be adapted to fit quite nicely into Islam, which I feel would be the best alternative, because, by my limited understanding of Islam it would be against Islam to deny oneself and others of an ability that was only made possible by Allah in the first place. Therefore, IMHO, an Islamic Reiki would be the best alternative for everyone.

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

Being a long-time fan of John Cleese I generally pay attention when I see something with his name attached, so it was with great curiosity that I watched his Laughter Yoga video. Knowing nothing about Laughter Yoga I first thought it was one of his wacky routines, but soon into it I found it was quite serious… well, as much as laughter can be anyway. Here is the video if you’d like to see what I’m talking about before I start applying it to Reiki.

http://reiki.whatitallbelike.com/wp-includes/images/2008/12/youtube-benefits-of-laughter-yoga-with-john-cleese.flv

There are scores of stories, both clinical and anecdotal, about the healing powers of laughter, so combining two healthy endeavors, like laughter and yoga is not such a stretch of the imagination. Nor is the combination of laughter and Reiki… et voila, Laughter Reiki is born, and I can think of quite a few applications right off the top of my head (yeah… that’s right… where the hair used to be). Here are a few:

• Add a laughing component to your Reiki circles… 10 minutes of laughter makes a much closer group while releasing the necessary chemicals to augment the healing in a rather enjoyable way.
• Give yourself a Reiki treatment while watching the Three Stooges or whatever comedy tickles your funny bone.
• Add laughter to your Reiki treatments… as revealed to John Cleese in the video, the laughter does not have to be real, but chances are one you start it will become real. Keep up on the latest bed-side humor and add it liberally to your Reiki healings.
• Learn to be funny… there are quite a few books written about being funny, delivering jokes any of which can help you to add humor to your teachings, healings, Reiki shares, etc. and it will get you invited to quite a few more parties, which at Christmastime is a nice thing.

If you’re still not convinced there is an interesting article about the healing powers of laughter called Laughter is Good Medicine that makes a pretty compelling argument. Patch Adams presented a similar argument and if you don’t find the evidence that laughter t promotes a longer healthier life incentive enough than I only have one thing to say… pffffft!!!

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

Today I’d like to take a very brief look at the mechanics of Reiki Certification, and what it actually means to be certified in Reiki… as the variations are quite vast.

First, I’d like to point out that there are many different styles of Reiki and within each style there are potentially many more styles, as each person who teaches Reiki does so from their own experience and sees thing through their own filters. There is therefore, no set of rules or qualifications that applies to all the different types of Reiki in existence.

Looking at the various types of Reiki certification I see two ends to the spectrum, one that requires some type of training and one that doesn’t. The one that doesn’t, merely requires that you receive an attunement, these are generally done over a distance, and an accompanying explanation, which is usually found in some form of manual ranging from anywhere between 1 and 100 pages (and sometimes more). There is no proof that these attunements actually work and that you are actually being attuned to anything, yet this style of certification is quite popular and the number of ‘qualified’ teachers is growing exponentially.

Those that require some type of training can be done in anywhere from an hour to several hours (or even days). Some types of Reiki are more intense, while others are quite general. There are also some teachers who require more than others, even if they are teaching exactly the same material and exactly the same style. Again, there is no right or wrong… just vast differences in interpretations of what it means to give or receive certification.

I’ve received Reiki certifications after merely sending an email or forum post voicing my desire to have it. Others I’ve received after making payment through eBay, PayPal or other online options. But the trainings that I value the most were done live and in person, with Reiki Masters who were expert enough to answer all my questions, know exactly where I was on my Reiki path, and see to it that I was propelled to greater heights (or depths… as the case may be) in my Reiki training.

I’ve received great knowledge from many of the above, and while I would recommend the live training, I would not limit anyone to that… I never limited myself to it and wisdom comes from many directions.

The bottom line is that the certification itself is worth very little, its the training that I treasure and that I consider the true emblem of Reiki achievement. Make sure that the certification you pursue fulfills the requirements you desire. And above all… enjoy!!!

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

Pursuant to a recent email, I thought the question and answer might be of interest here… so here you go…

Question: I was reading your post about The Wrong Way To Do Reiki and was wondering about your viewpoints on it… since you never really talked about it.

Answer: When I said there were no mistakes in Reiki it was pretty close to what I believe. Not doing it is not a mistake in Reiki, it is a mistake in not doing Reiki. So if I had to pinpoint a mistake in actually doing Reiki, I would say that the attempt to control it is a mistake, or rather, believing that we can control it. Reiki is still a gigantic mystery. Where it comes from, how it works, what are its limitations, etc. can all be theorized, but until we have a firmer grasp of the scientific side of it r a definitive judgment on the spiritual side of it, it is just a mystery.

Experimentation with Reiki has proven that we can make suggestions about how Reiki is expected to perform, and we can perform Laser Reiki, focusing it with laser-like precision, but ultimately it works for the highest good of those involved and we are not always aware of what the highest good is. On those occasion where we concentrate our Reiki on a certain outcome, give it enough energy, and that outcome happens to coincide with the highest good of the recipient (and whoever else may have a say in the matter) then we can witness a ‘miraculous’ healing. But to lay claim to it it, or claim responsibility is, er, another mistake!

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!