How Reiki Works

Reiki is a simple and powerful system of healing that can transform lives. Reiki works on the body, mind, and emotional and spiritual levels. It releases blocked energy, promotes relaxation and reduces stress. Reiki can enhance intuition, meditation and personal spiritual evolution. Reiki is a system of energy healing.

Reiki is the Japanese word for universal life force energy. "Rei" means universal and "ki" means vital force energy. Or in other words Rei means "spirit", "essence", or "soul", and on a deeper level, "divine intelligence". Ki means "vital life force energy" or "breath". This is an energy that can nurture and heal body, mind, heart, and spirit. It is a technique for stress release and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of life force energy to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life. It is a great source of healing one's inner needs. Reiki is a way to spiritual growth. Reiki has its own intelligence and flows exactly where it is needed. Reiki doesn't use manipulation of the body in any way. It is not a form of massage.

We are all born with Reiki. All living beings have it and the universe is filled with it. It works on the mental, emotional and spiritual levels as well. It also helps an individual to healthier states of mind and heart: it even helps one reach out to connect with the greater wholeness of life itself. Reiki is not a religion, as it holds no creed. It has nothing to do with the calling up of ghosts or demons or any kind of black magic or hypnosis. It is basically about using the concentrated form of cosmic energy. We all are mere channels of energy. Reiki acts on aura level, physical level and emotional level. It is a system of healing. It is an independence of thoughts, beliefs, feelings and faith. Being a universal force from the great divine spirit, it belongs to all who seek and desire to learn the art of healing. By practicing Reiki more and more you will find honesty about your actions and your living style. Your touch will feel good to others too.

Reiki can never do any kind of damage in any way. It is the most easy and simple method of natural healing. The greatest benefit of Reiki is self-treatment. Once a person has opened up to become a channel for Reiki, means once he is attuned he or she need only the intention to do Reiki and the energy is immediately drawn. It is an extremely effective technique for total stress release and relaxation.

You can heal yourself; family members and can treat anyone who asks. Asking is important because it is a system based on the intention of the receiver. He should express his intent to get Reiki treatment. For infants and others who cannot ask for Reiki…. it is your responsibility or will to heal them. Even you can heal pets, animals and plants. They have universal life energy and Reiki works for them too.

The story of Reiki is a history that is passed on from teacher to student. This is the history as others and I have heard that Reiki is very ancient science hidden for thousands of years, which was discovered by Dr. Usui in late 1880's. He was a Japanese Christian educator who accepted the challenge from his university students by undertaking the extensive study of the healing phenomena of history's greatest spiritual teachers. Through travel, research and meditation he found a healing system based on ancient Buddhist teachings written in Sanskrit and so at the end of seven years he had found what he sought-but not quite. He had uncovered the knowledge. He did not have the power to heal. So he decided to go to a mountain and meditate.

He climbed one of the sacred mountains of Japan and meditated for 21 days. On the 21st day he became aware of a beam light from the heavens that came shooting towards him. Although he was afraid, he did not move but was struck by the light and knocked over. Then in rapid succession he saw before him like bubbles of light the symbols that he had discovered in his study, the key to the healing of Buddha and Jesus. The symbols burned them into his memory. When the trance was over, he no longer felt exhausted, stiff, or hungry as he had moments before on the last day of his meditation.

He got up and began to walk down the mountain .on his way he stubbed his toe, tearing back the toenail. He jumped with pain and grabbed his toe with his hand. In minutes the pain left, the bleeding stopped and his toe was well on the way to healing. He spent rest of his life practicing and teaching this method of natural healing.

For more indepth information, see The History of Reiki

These are the principles to live by which Reiki teaches for every person practicing Reiki:

• Just for today, I will not worry
• Just for today, I will not get angry
• Just for today, I will do my work honestly
• Just for today, I will show love and respect for every living and nonliving thing.

Level one of Reiki teaches and enables you to do hands-on healing with the Reiki energy. You can do a lot of healing work for yourself and for your friends and family members.

Level two is about some very effective tools to add to your healing work. The three symbols of Reiki are taught in level two. The second level of Reiki allows you to send Reiki across distance and time.

Level three is traditionally the training where one learns how to teach Reiki and pass attunements. One is attuned to the master symbol. When one is ready to teach Reiki …the person can take the master's training and can learn how to teach and pass attunements. Nowadays Reiki is growing and changing as it becomes more widespread in the world.

Practitioners of Reiki should endevor to develop an attitude of gratitude throughout their daily and spiritual lives. Such a simple, daily, is to go through the following, alone or with those a particular person lives with, as follows:

• (1) I thank myself (name) for being here.
• (2) I thank my parents (name) for being in my life.
• (3) I thank my guru (name) for being in my life.
• (4) I thank the Lord or (name) for always being in my life.
• (5) I thank to the Reiki power inside and around which has given me the power to heal others and myself.

This not only makes Reiki energy more available for use, it is a very pleasant outlook to have!

There are many traditions or types of Reiki currently in use:

• Traditional usui Reiki - the Usui method of natural healing has evolved into many different channels and styles. He re-discovered and taught Reiki to a number of people, including Dr. Hayashi, who taught, among others, Hawayo K. Takata, the first woman to become a Reiki master. There are specific periods of time to wait between the attunements.
• Non-traditional Usui Reiki- This form of Reiki, uses some new symbols, as well as the traditional ones, and does not depend as much on lineage. The teaching done on the web by Reiki masters is open to newer ways of using Reiki, both in person, and distantly.
• Usui/Tibetan Reiki- It is that kind of Reiki system that uses several additional symbols beyond the Usui system.some Reiki masters tends to refer to any Reiki tradition, which is not traditional Usui Reiki this way.
• Usui/Tibetan Kwan Yin Reiki- it is a system which includes a focus on Kwan Yin, the Chinese goddess as a spirit guide, known in Tibet as Tara, Having roots in India as well. There are meditative practices as well as Usui/Tibetan symbols and procedures.
• Karuna Reiki- In karuna Reiki there are many additional symbols and procedures, which are used. It is taught to those at Reiki master in two levels. It is considered to be a higher level of energy than Usui Reiki.
• Karuna Ki- karuna ki is a Reiki like energy system for healing which uses most of the karuna Reiki Symbols and energy.
• Prema Reiki- Prema Reiki is a Reiki system, which uses most of the symbols of Karuna Reiki along with additional symbols. It is primarily to Reiki masters.
• Lightarian Reiki- A Reiki system recently evolved in 1997.it consists of 6 additional levels of mastery beyond Usui Reiki master and Karuna Reiki master. Symbols are not used and intent is essential.
• Vajra Reiki- A Reiki system from Japan, now thriving in Indonesia, as johrei Reiki .it is a fiery, hard, balanced, grounded energy with additional symbols added to those of traditional Usui Reiki.
• Seichim Reiki- A Reiki system developed using additional symbols and procedures. The tradition includes multiple levels and symbols, and personal growth work.

This is not a complete description of all Reiki types and traditions and it is based on my personal interest and understanding

Distant healing is sending healing to someone whom you cannot touch. Basically there are three ways of distant healing.

First is visualization. Second is imagining yourself as other person. Third is our own thigh as other person, but visualization is the best. Linking up thoughts from the healer to the patient while the healer is in a meditative stage and the patient is perhaps sitting quietly. The person who is getting the Reiki may feel warmth, a tingling or nothing at all at that time. Healing will take place even if the patient feels nothing. Along with your own body you can give Reiki to another two persons.

When you are learning for the first time how to send distant Reiki healing to someone, you will be taught the Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen the Distant Healing Symbol. You will eventually memorise it - or if necessary initially you can draw the symbol on a piece of paper in front of you, that can also work fine too. This symbol cuts through time and space and is the way that Reiki can be sent over any distance and to any time past or present. Using this symbol starts all distant healings. The other two symbols, the cho-ku-rei and the sei-hei-ki are used too; whichever one you feel is necessary when sending the Reiki, or both, if that feels right to you. There are probably as many different methods as there are people doing it. You can hold a photograph of the person and Reiki it you can write the name and location of the person on a piece of paper and Reiki it between your hands, you can send Reiki simply by visualizing the person, either imagining laying your hands on them, or 'seeing' the Reiki going to them.

You can send Reiki to many different people at the same time, either by writing them all down on a list or by visualizing them all together as Reiki is drawn into them all. 

Aura is an energy field that surrounds the physical body.

Everyone has an Aura and has already seen or experienced the auric fields of others. It encircles each of us as the sun's rays encircle the sun or the halo that surrounds the moon. The human aura is a dynamic matrix that includes the physical, emotional, and mental-spiritual aspects of self. The aura is the self as energy. Every one of us is different, and our hidden selves are expressed through the aura. As the aura becomes balanced, the spiritual level becomes more evident. Through aura we construct our relationship to our destiny, karma, and inner life. It reflects our beliefs, concepts, and attitudes. The Aura is an energy field that surrounds all living things.

The Aura is weakened by poor diet, stress, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, negative habits, and lack of exercise, fresh air and rest.

Auras are flexible - they are changing all the time in size, colors and patterns. Auric field is unique to each individual. Color can be constructive and destructive. It can reflect the positive and negative attitude. It also provides a key to personality, maturity, moods and health of the person. It also reflects physical and spiritual aspects. It takes a great deal of practice and experience to interpret the colors seen within aura. Each color has its general characteristics but each shade of that color changes that characteristic a little.

• The first symbol of Reiki is called the "distance symbol". The purpose of this symbol is to bring down the energy into your heart chakra and open the mind so that Reiki can operate beyond time and space. It acts as a bridge for energy to flow. For absent healing this symbol is used always.
• The second symbol of Reiki, which is called "Mental/Emotional" symbol is used to remove the blockages.it, can be used in both distance and hands-on healing to calm the recipient and establishes their harmony. It breaks through our blockage and patterns on the aura level, emotional and physical level also.
• The third symbol of Reiki, which is called the "power symbol", is used for amplification of energy. It is used in hands- on or distance healing to focus the energy and further intensify the block removal.

For further discussion of the symbols click here. 

For Reiki History, please see here

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