Reiki is a powerful system of healing that utilizes specific techniques for restoring and balancing the natural life force energy within the body. It is a holistic, natural, hands-on energy healing system that touches individuals on all levels: body, mind, and spirit.

The "Usui System" of Reiki Balances and strengthens the body's energy promoting its ability to heal itself. Besides the obvious use in serious illness, Reiki promotes the natural healing process in many other areas. These include sports injuries, cuts, burns, internal disease, emotional disorders, and stress-related illness.

Beyond the physical effects, Reiki also awakens the various vortices of the subtle bodies known as chakras, opening the individual to higher potentials. For this reason it is also used to aid spiritual growth.

Reiki began in Tibet over two thousand years ago. In ancient times seers in the Orient studied energies and developed a system of 'attunements', sounds, and symbols which allowed them to bring great amounts of universal healing energies through them for healing.

Various healing systems, including Reiki, which crossed many different cultures, emerged from this single root system. As with many of the spiritual practices, and teachings of Tibet, these healing systems were a blend of both ancient oriental knowledge, as well as the teachings and wisdom of the yogic schools of ancient India.

For centuries this body of healing knowledge was safely guarded by monks and lamas of eastern temples, and secret esoteric schools. It was not until Master Usui began his life long quest to discover and bring this form of healing to the world that Reiki re-emerged as a healing art.

Reiki is taught today, as it was in ancient times through a series of attunements, or transmissions, which can only be given to a student through a Reiki master. Through this process, the student's energy centers, and channels are opened, and he is taught how to bring through life force energy, to heal himself, as well as others.

Reiki, as a pure form of divine life energy, flows through the entire being. Reiki Practitioners act as facilitators for this energy, which naturally flows to where it is most needed. For this reason, each individual's experiences of a Reiki Session are. In general, however, most people find the following on the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Levels....

On the Physical Level, Reiki balances and replentishes the life energies of the physical body, aiding the process of healing. Reiki not only deals with the physical illness, however, but also the state of the soul. As every physical illness, or life condition, in some way, relates to a condition within consciousness, as well as the physical body, and reiki session often work to bring about a transformation in both.

On the Emotional Level, Reiki brings the higher self into connection with the personality, releasing emotional blockages, and bringing peace and harmony. Often deeply held emotional hurts, which color perceptions of reality are released during or after a Reiki Session, bringing the individual back to a more balanced emotional expression of self.

On the Spiritual Level, Reiki opens us up to the expression of our higher self, allowing us to discover all we can be, and the deeper meaning of life. As reiki opens the various chakras, it also opens us to a deeper awareness of self, and often works as a catalyst for spiritual growth. Most people find that there is a marked improvement in there intuitive abilities after several sessions. Those who undergo reiki attunements also find that it works to awaken the various psychic abilities and spiritual virtues that are associated with the awakening of the various chakras.

How Often Should You have a Reiki Session?

During a Reiki Session you and the reiki practitioner are establishing or reestablishing the energy flow in very specific ways. You will tend to take a while to integrate the pattern and the energy, and will go through a period of adjustment.

The Energy Flow may hold for a while, and if the necessary adjustments are not made in your life, you may manifest the same, or similar patterns. Although this is at times frustrating, it often happens that you will need to reestablishing this flow many times. Each time finding it usually holds longer, and it integrated faster and easier, until it finally sticks.

In most cases, the balancing will hold for about three or for days at first, and then the energy system and chakras will return to the habitual pattern, unless it is re-enforced.

The Healing Process

If you are ready and eager to grow you will excel much more quickly than someone who resists change, or is more comfortable staying where they are then undergoing some of the transformations brought about through reiki.

Reiki never compels change, it simply facilitates it. The choice to use the reiki energy is up to the individual choosing to have a reiki session.

Often, once you have undergone a reiki treatment, you will find issues relating to your specific physical, emotional, and/or spiritual condition will surface in your life, where you can begin to work on them.

This does not mean that your life will necessarily become more complex, and this process does not need to be difficult. As reiki works with your own inner wisdom, only those issues which you are ready to work on will surface during a session.

What Kind of Issues can come up during or after a Reiki Session?

We tend to create energy fields that respond to the world in the way that we perceive it, and develop different patterns to help us deal with it. Often you may block a certain chakra because we are afraid or not ready to interact with the world in a certain area of our life.

These blockages may be the result of anything from a current situation, such as a difficult relationship, to childhood issues, or even issues you have carried over from a subsequent lifetime. In extreme cases, it can even manifest as physical illness.

We tend to hold on to these old energy patterns, that even though may have been appropriate during certain periods of our lives, but now no-longer serve our present situation.

During a Reiki Session, those issues which we most need to work will often emerge as the session gently opens the various centers of your chakras and energy field. Once a session is over, most people feel refreshed, balanced, and experience a sense of well-being.

After entering the "real world", this pattern if often challenge with various life circumstances. If the challenge is meet here, (in the real world), the new energy pattern will hold, as will the individuals experience of the world around them.

To help re-enforce specific energy patterns, may reiki practitioners will give their client a number of affirmations, or meditations that will encourage the new patterns. A dedicated reiki practitioner may also set aside a certain time each day to send some clients 'remotes', a reiki technique whereby healing may be effected or re-enforced even if the client is not present.

Sho Dan, or First Degree Reiki

The first degree focuses primarily on opening the channels of the subtle and physical bodies so it can channel greater amounts of life force energy.

This is the basic level of Reiki Training. It includes four energy activations, as well as complete training in methods of applying life forces energy to the entire physical emotional mental spiritual dimensions of being.

Oku Dan, or Second Degree Reiki

The second degree focuses on the astral and etheric levels of being, and special techniques for treating deeply rooted emotional and mental blocks.

The Level II attunement concentrates on open up our abilities to work with astral and spiritual levels. 

How Reiki Works

Reiki is an energy system. It uses energy from the Universal Life Force to effect healing within the mind, emotions and bodies of patients. It can be used to heal the self as well as other people. As mentioned earlier, Reiki is totally safe and will never do any harm. It has built in safeguards to prevent this from happening.

During a treatment, the practitioner acts as a conduit for the Reiki energy, much the same way a hose carries water. There are several benefits to this method compared to traditional Western psychic healing methods, which use the personal energy of the healer. The first is that you don't wear yourself out doing a healing. This can be a problem, especially when the condition being treated is a serious one. Secondly there is not a problem of picking up illneses from your patient as you work on them, as can happen using your own energy. One big advantage of Reiki, is that as you give a treatment, you are also receiving a treatment at the same time

Another side benefit is an increase in psychic awareness, as a result of the attunement process. This can be helpful in diagnosing patients.

In doing a treatment, the Reiki energy is activated and is allowed to pass into the patient. Various hand placements have been developed to facillitate this process. With Reiki I, the practitioner simply places their hands on the patient with the intent to heal, and the energy begins to flow from the palms. With Reiki II and III, symbols are invoked that turn on the energy. Symbols are also used to fine tune and direct the healing procedure. I have been experimenting using other symbols such as the Norse Runes. I feel Runes can be a big benefit to one's Reiki practice.

Attunement Process

One cannot simply sit down and learn how to do Reiki. It is not a skill like math that can be learned from a book. It is more like a talent that is bequeathed to others. This is what the attunement process is for. Simply speaking, the Reiki attunement gives people the ability to do Reiki. It does this by opening up the upper chakras and prepares you to channel Reiki energy. This is also where the heightening of psychic abilities comes from, as a side effect of the attunement process.

Each of the three Reiki attunement levels offers something different. Reiki I attunements gives you 25% access to the Reiki energy. Reiki II attunements gives you the full Reiki energy access as well as the ability to work with the Reiki symbols. The Master level attunement adds an energy boost and allows you to give Reiki attunements.

There are many schools and individuals offering Reiki and the fees for these attunements can vary wildly. Traditional teachers will charge the most, at least for the Master's level. Others charge much less. But overall, I have to agree with the idea of charging something for the attunements. Our society places value on things we pay for, and takes advantage of things that are free. There are many people who recieve attunements for free and then neglect this gift, ignoring it completely. But this does not mean that the prices for attunements needs to be so high. I feel that everyone should be able to gain Reiki, if they desire it. I have this dream that as a species we evolve as healers, where one day everyone practices Reiki, much like how people have driver's licenses today. And that when we eventually meet species from other worlds we will be known as a race of healers.

Reiki is a Japanese word that means Universal Life Force Energy. It is a healing method that works by having the practitioner channel Reiki energy into the patient. The Reiki energy does all the real work since none of the energy comes from the practitioner directly. Reiki is a wonderful healing method and will never do any harm. It has many built in safe guards to keep the patient as well as the practitioner safe. It has many advantages over other energetic healing techniques. There is no risk of being drained of energy, or picking up the illness of your patient with Reiki. Plus at second level Reiki can very easily be used over distances.

Reiki is not something that is really taught. It is given to others through a special attunement process. Without an attunement, you cannot do Reiki. There are three levels of Reiki. The first level gives you a basic access to the Reiki energy. The second level gives you full access to the energy, plus enables you to use Reiki symbols, that include distance healing. The third level allows you to give Reiki attunements.

The Reiki energy will give what is best for the patient during the treatment. Thus guarantees cannot be made as to the results of any individual treatment. I have seen near miraculous healings after only one treatment, and I have seen milder ailments gradually disappear over many treatments. What can be certain is that the patient will feel more relaxed and peaceful after a treatment.

Symbols

The Reiki symbols play a very big part in Reiki. So much so that the symbols are kept secret until the student goes through the required attunement. Of course, Diane Stein, in an effort of making Reiki accessible to all, published them all in her book, Essential Reiki.This has caused quite a stir among Reiki practitioners and the feedback has ranged from joy to condemnation.

Traditionally, the symbols were only shown to the students when they received their attunements, where they would practice making the symbols. The symbols are viewed as sacred and that they would lose something vital if they were to be made public and commonplace. However the students would never see the symbols again and they had to destroy their notes to keep the symbols out of the hands of the profane. The problem with this is that the students were not learning the symbols properly and over time the symbols would get distorted. If the symbols are published you have easy access to them whenever you need, thus assuring uniformity in how the symbols are formed.

Reiki symbols can be drawn out with the hand, visualized being drawn, or seen in the mind fully formed. The name of the symbol is repeated (either mentally or verbally) three times. This activates the symbol. Reiki II and III energy is started by the activation symbol. Without this activation symbol you are only working with Reiki I energy. The symbols are used to fine tune and help direct the healing. One exception is the distance symbol. By using this the practitioner can transcend time and space to do distance healings.

New symbols have been discovered, usually during the course of an attunement. These new symbols should be incorporated into the Reiki practice as they perhaps represent missing symbols that have been lost.

Music for Reiki& Meditation