What is
REIKI?

"This whole spiritual thing is a load of fluff"
 
There are a few scientists who have devoted time to the research of all life and the biofield or unseen energies which animate it.
One of them is renowned Nobel Prize physicist Neils Bhor;

"Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real”

– Niels Bohr

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So why not Ki, or energy? There have been a few experiments that sought to understand this physical and non-physical partnership like The Quantum Double Slit Experiment, another; The Global Consciousness Project Meaningful Correlations in Random Data.
All of these tests and experiments prove a few things, including the mere fact we humans need to understand and know there is more to life than just this physical, palpable world.

So, What Is Reiki?

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Dr. Makao Usui
The most basic and collective understanding for Reiki is that it is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It’s administered by laying on hands and can be easily learned by anyone.
It is also done fully clothed, and most of the time the practitioner does not touch you, unless you and the practitioner have a conversation about your comfort levels.
What we know has been passed on to us through a series of lineage bearers who have been guardians and preservers of the integrity of the practice. Chujiro Hayashi, a successor of Mikao Usui, practiced and taught in a clinical setting in Tokyo, Japan. It was to this clinic that a young Japanese American, Hawayo Takata, was brought in 1932. Reiki healed her of the illnesses that had brought her to Japan. As a result of her healing, she stayed in Japan for a year of training and practice in Usui Shiki Ryoho, the Usui System of Reiki Healing.
In 1937, Hawayo Takata became a Reiki Master in Usui Shiki Ryoho, a person empowered to teach Reiki to others. In that same year and for the first time, the Usui System of Reiki Healing was taught outside of Japan by Takata's teacher, Chujiro Hayashi. Mrs. Takata was chosen as Dr. Hayashi's successor and brought Reiki to the West.
Before her death in 1980, Mrs. Takata chose as her successor her granddaughter, Phyllis Lei Furumoto. Phyllis has spent the last 20 years sharing her understanding of the Usui System of Reiki with students and masters throughout the world. She is assisted in her work by Paul Mitchell.
William Lee Rand (who is my direct Master lineage instructor through Master Gwen Valentic Morrison) has been instructed and sat under the teaching of Iris Ishikura, Aurther Robertson, Diane McCumber and Phyllis Lei Fummoto.
 
How Does Reiki Work?
We are alive because life force is flowing through us. Life force flows within the physical body though pathways called chakras, meridians and nadi. It also flows around us in a field of energy called the aura. Life force nourishes the organs and cells of the body, supporting them in their vital functions. When this flow of life force is disrupted, it causes diminished function in one or more of the organs and tissues of the physical body.

Reiki Can Never Cause Harm
I have had some practitioners, light workers, and energy healers tell me that Reiki will deplete you, cause you to "catch" someone else's ailments, and pass on negative energies.
This is simply not true, and I believe it is a fear-based mentality, which goes against all principles of Reiki healing.
Because Reiki is guided by the "God-consciousness", it can never do harm. It always knows what a person needs and will adjust itself to create the effect that is appropriate for them. One never need worry about whether to give Reiki or not. It is always helpful.
In addition, because the practitioner does not direct the healing and does not decide what to work on, or what to heal, the practitioner is not in danger of taking on the karma of the client. Because the practitioner is not doing the healing, it is also much easier for the ego to stay out of the way and allow the presence of God to shine through.
 
Energy is Never Depleted
Due to the fact Reiki is a channeled healing, the Reiki practitioner's energies are never depleted. The Reiki consciousness considers both practitioner and client to need healing, so both receive treatment. Because of this, giving treatment always increases one's energy and leaves one surrounded with loving feelings of well-being.
 
Reiki is for Everyone
There are many different varieties of Reiki available, now. There is Holy Fire, Karuna, and Violet flame, just to name a few.
Picking a practitioner and type is mainly up to the individual. I usually tell people to go with someone who comes recommended by several other people and is accredited and licensed through the Canadian Reiki Association. This will help weed out anyone practicing forms of energy work that aren't necessarily above board. It will also help you with your comfort level, knowing that your chosen practitioner has a history with people you already know and trust.
Choosing what type, again, is ultimately up to you. There isn't a good or bad reiki for you ... and in fact, I would go as far as to recommend you try them all. See what fits you and your needs.

There are many Reiki practitioners now, and I'm sure if you check your local alternative medicine practitioner's office or metaphysical store, you'll be able to find a Reiki practitioner there. If not, your chiropractor, TCM doctor, herbalist or massage therapist will know someone.

 

Some content thanks to www.usuireiki-ogm.com and William Lee Rand
For more information on Reiki, or to find a practitioner near you, go to the Canadian Reiki Association.