A personal view on Reiki

>				· Just for today I shall not worry
The Beginning (my first encounter).				· Just for today I shall not get angry
I closed my eyes and lay back on the bed, my				· Just for today I shall work honestly
body covered in a warm blanket, as the sound of				· Just for today I shall respect all life
some kind of ethnic music, maybe Chinese,				· Just for today I shall count my blessings
driftedacross the room. I felt very warm,				Dr Usui then went on to teach others over the
comfortable and relaxed, I lay there waiting for				years what he had learnt, and indeed my teacher
the massage to start, I waited, no hands on my				Sue has a direct lineage going back to Dr Usui,
body yet, no touching,but something was moving				and suetaught me and now I am part of that
inside me. Words cannot explain this feeling, I later				family tree’.
came to know it as the Reiki effect, it was as				What is Reiki..
though something hadgrabbed hold of me, and				Rei (universal) Ki (life force), is the translation of it,
pulled me back toward the centre (of myself).				and the theory goes that a Reiki Healer draws
From then for the next 30 minutes hands were				down energy from the universe and channels it
placed on various parts of mybody, for several				thoughtheir body into the patient, who then
minutes at a time, the hands felt very warm,				accepts as much as they need. The energy is
even hot at times, but never uncomfortable, in				applied by contact with the seven chakra centres
fact quite the opposite.				of the body, and thecontact is made by laying
I am sure we all have those moments when we				hands on a persons body relating to the Chakra
wish that time would stand still, that how we feel				centres, or holding the hand over those centres.
could last forever, but everything has an ending,				The use of symbols are alsoemployed, the ones
and soit was with this, reluctantly I had to open				that Dr Ursi found on top of his mountain, the
my eyes at the end of the session, and find my				symbols are formed by hand movements, and
way back to the real world, reality as we call it.				spoken silently. The patients bodyaccepts what it
After severalminutes silence we started to talk				needs (both on a physical and spiritual level),
gently, Sue and I about what we both felt, how				clearing blocked energies, easing the mind, calming
the session went and also about other things she				the Sprit. It helps the body and mind toheal itself.
had found in me, butthat is another story, this				Treatments can last for up to an hour, and
story in about Reiki, and this was my first taste				normally a series of these are required, depending
of it.				on what is found on the initial treatment. Reiki is
Sue Luffman was the Reiki practitioner that day,				ALWAYSused as a complimentary treatment, and
and she was later to become my teacher and				some Doctors and even some vets, approve of
friend, I think if I could use one word to describe				the treatments (scientific tests were carried out
Sue itwould be sparkling, she is full of life, energy,				in America, andhard evidence was found as to
wit and vitality. She also has that look, again this is				the beneficial effects of Reiki). It can be used for
difficult to describe in words, it’s a				headaches, broken bones (after they have been
connection youmake with certain people, as				set), even foremergency treatments, the
though you have known them all your life, it can				important thing to realise about Reiki is that it
happen with strangers you pass in the street,				does no harm, whatever you believe about the
never to meet again, but it issomething that goes				energies involved.
very deep, anyway I digress.. back to Reiki.				My Experience
The History				I am now a Level 2 Reiki student, which means I
Once upon a time in Japan, a long time ago (about				can practise Reiki, the next level is 3 which is the
150 years) there lived a Dr Mikao Usui, he was a				Master level, when the time comes to take this I
very good doctor but was also a very curious				will, Ido not need it to work with patients, but I
man,he wanted to know how he could do his job				will need it if I am to teach it. I have used Reiki
better. His curiosity led him down many paths, and				on a number of patients now, and each one has
was fascinated by the Christian religion and the				been different.
stories of				The Reiki energy can be used on anything, a glass
Christ’s miracles, in particular the ones				of water to make it taste sweeter, seeds to help
where people were healed, he wanted to know				them grow, and once by myself on my car CD
where these powers came from, and if he could				playedwhich had stopped working, so I gave it a
access them. Healso knew something of the				good Reiki and it worked! Seriously though it is
teachings of Buddha, and the stories relating to				almost impossible to put into words how it feels
him regarding healing, so he inquired of various				to give, orreceive, Reiki, it’s something
sects as to what methodsthey used to heal, but				that you have to experience.
found them all to concentrate on the mind and				Conclusion/My Thoughts.
spirit and no methods or practices for healing the				I have always thought myself to have a scientific,
body (apparently they had beenforgotten				quite logical mind, I like to see cause and effect in
centuries ago) which being a Doctor was the thing				things, like to know why things happen, and liked
he wanted. Despite this he studied Zen Buddhism				tokeep a healthy scepticism about things, and still
for seven years, in those years he dugdeeper				do. My initial encounter with Reiki kind of bypassed
and deeper, learned Chinese to read the original				all that, and raised a lot of questions in me, some
Buddhist texts (although Buddha being an Indian				ofwhich I am still looking for answers, Reiki was
Prince the texts were written in Chinese).				not a great revelation for me but just another
From there he went on to learn Sanskrit (the				step on this path I have taken. Whatever you
root of all languages) to read texts from ancient				believe,whatever level it works on, Reiki does
Tibetan Buddhists, here he found what he thought				work and sometimes you have to trust your
to be thekeys for learning healing techniques.				feelings and yourself. Everyday of our lives we all
After some meditation on this it came to him				use Reikiunconsciously, it is a perfectly natural
that he should go to a holy mountain (Kuri Yama,				thing, all my teaching do is to give that a discipline,
near Kyoto) andmeditate for 21 days, so this he				a method to use it, and ways of enhancing it. To
did, taking with him 21 stones to count the days				me giving
off. Each day he awoke before the sun, threw a				Reiki is a very personal thing, I get quite lost
stone away, andmeditated and fasted for the				giving it sometimes, and sometimes the effect
rest of the day, and each day nothing happened,				can be cathartic (make things worse to make
no revelation came to him. On the morning of the				them better),all I can say is keep an open mind
21st day, as he castaway his last stone, a light				and give it a try, and you will then understand
grew in the sky, and four coloured bubbles came				why it is so hard to write about this.
to him, each one containing a Sanskrit character.				I will not give you web addresses for this or
To cut a long story shorthe found that using				books to read, there are numerous of those out
these characters greatly enhanced his healing				there, I suggest you try it first and then look
powers, but after a while only concentrating on				these up. What Iwill give you is my email address
healing the body he had anotherrevelation that				if you have any questions for me or would like to
told him to heal both spirit and mind, and gave him				know more about Reiki and I will be happyto help.
the five principals of Reiki, and here they are				Remember.just for today.