Introduction
Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is a Japanese system of
energy healing originated by
Mikao Usui in 1922, as well as the "Universal Life Force" used in these techniques. The word is derived from
rei (spirit) and
ki (life force). The term
ki (also transliterated
chi and
qi) will be familiar to those versed in
traditional chinese medicine, particulary
acupuncture and acupressure, and is in fact borrowed from the Chinese.
Usui lived only four years after founding the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Society) in Tokyo in 1922. His work was then carried on by his student, Chujiro Hayashi, who simplified and codified the teachings while focussing more on physical healing.
Hayashi's student Hawayo Takata is credited with introducing Reiki to the West. Travelling extensively in the U.S., Takata stressed the importance of charging money for Reiki treatments and teachings. Given the common inversion of the law of supply and demand in the U.S. (the more something costs, the more it's worth) this may have been useful. Almost all Reiki taught outside Japan can be attributed to her work.
John Harvey Gray was the third Reiki master trained by Takata to carry on that tradition, and is the longest-practicing Reiki Master Instructor in the West. Today there are many Reiki practitioners and instructors, each with their own empahses. Each has their adherents, and this brief discussion of the history of the tradition is not meant to imply the superiority of "pure" Reiki as handed down from Usui, but merely to outline the foundations of the practice.
Foundational Works on Reiki
Background
There is clearly a difference between living organisms and those which have expired, although the exact nature of the change defies scientific elucidation. There might well be a "Universal Life Energy," like Reiki just beyond the reach of our current technology. In the horror classic Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this mysterious life-force was the then new and fascinating phenomenon of electricity. As mentioned earlier, the Chinese call it chi. It has also been referred to as ether, "the force," holy spirit, kundalini, mana, pneuma, prana, qudra, orgone, ruach, and silla as well as other names. ( For further information on these phenomena, you might want to consult Stefan Stenudd's Life Energy Encyclopedia)
Like Reiki, many of the systems that posit these life energies maintain that they reside in nodes -- most often referred to by the Hindu term chakras. They also maintain that this energy can be strengthened and balanced by various means. In the case of Reiki, the practitioner uses certain hand placements and positions on or just above the subject's body. The Reiki energy is said to flow from the practitioner's hands into the subject, stimulating the natural healing process. Subjects generally report feelings of tingling or warmth in the affected area, along with a sense of deep relaxation and well-being.
Training
Reiki training is divided into three levels or degrees. The first degree training, which typically takes only about two days, teaches the basic theory and hand placements used in Reiki. Students are given four "attunements" by a third degree (or master level) trainer. After recieving this basic reiki training, the student can treat herself or others.
The second degree Reiki training intoduces the use of symbols to enhance the strength of the Reiki energy and the distance over which it can be exerted. A fourth attunement is given, empowering students to use these symbols and enhancing their capacity for the flow of Reiki through them.
The third, or Master, degree of Reiki training involves one or more additional attunements, and a master-level symbol. Upon completeing the master training, one can teach the three levels of Reiki training and give the necessary attunements.
Since its introduction, many variations of the Reiki training have arisen, and there is considerable disagreement over what constitutes Reiki. Basically, the practice is what it is, and experience should dictate whether one chooses to incorporate a particular variation or not. There are, of course those who maintain that only one particular style or another should be called Reiki. Since there is no accreditation body for Reiki, this difference of opinion is unlikely to be resolved.
A good way to approach an unfamiliar subject using Amazon.com as a source is to look over the Listmania® lists users have contributed. There may be disagreements within the Amazon community, as in society at large, but there is usually enough additional information to help you decide whose opinion you would value most.
Below are some of the many
Reiki Listmanias chosen primarily for the quantity of additional information they present:
Amazon supports little-known (and under-utilized) forums where customers can exchange ideas on topics that interest them. Given the level of interest in Reiki demonstrated by reviewers, there really should be more going on at theReiki Forum
, but that is subject to change!
People
Another neglected part of the Amazon site is their social networking pages. Even if you've never bought anything from Amazon.com, you can create an Amazon account and you will get a profile page
where you can include as much (or as little) information about yourself as you wish. Here are some interesting people who have created Amazon content about Reiki:
Books
If you've looked at the Listmania pages above, you've discovered that there are a number of books that are "standards" mentioned in almost every case. (If you haven't checked out these lists, you should -- their authors are much more knowledgable about Reiki than I am.) I'm listing some of those here, as well as some that are a little more specialized, although they are not necessarily for advanced students only:
Please note that this is just a sampling of all the Reiki Books at Amazon. There are always new ones being published, and older titles may be reprinted or rediscovered by new audiences, so it's a good idea to do a little searching on your own. If you're really interested in the topic, you might invest in The Reiki Sourcebook or the Reiki News Magazine to aid you in furher research.
Most Reiki practioners would agree that live training is preferable to books or DVDs. Nonetheless, many have recommended these DVDs. They can certainly at least serve as an easy and inexpensive introduction to Reiki. If you find they fully meet your needs, so much the better.
Caveats
Western science tends to have a blind spot with respect to many techniques of alternative medicine. Since science, by definition, deals with measurable and reproduceable experimental data, it is limited by the current state of the art in instrumentation. Phenomena that are not currently measurable can neither be proven nor disproven scientifically -- they simply lie outside the domain of current scientific discipline.
This has unfortunately contributed to the bias of Western medicine toward becoming a "disease care system" relying heavily on highly invasive, but scientifically verifiable therapies, primarily pharmaceticals and surgery. Disease prevention and the positive promotion of health, even through such acknowledged methods as proper diet and exercise has been neglected almost to the point of complete exclusion. The message seems to be that one can engage in all manner of stressful and self-destructive lifestyle choices, then take the appropriate pill to continue on one's reckless course.
There is a great deal of merit to many "alternative" techniques such as Reiki, but let the buyer beware, because the lack of scientific verification also permits considerable latitude and even downright fraud. For a reasonably balanced view of the merits of various holistic therapies, you might refer to Andrew Weil, M.D., a respected practitioner of western medicine as well as numerous alternative techniques who calls his approach integrative medicine.
