THE HISTORY OF REIKI

Although Reiki is an ancient healing art, it was lost until the mid-1800 when Mikao Usui rediscovered it after a 10 year quest to uncover the method by which Buddha and Jesus healed. His many studies into ancient texts described the healing formulas, but didn't reveal how one could activate the energy to make it work. In order to learn how to activate the healing energy, Usui decided to go into prayer and fasting for 21 days on the Mountain of Koriyama in Japan. As legend has it, Usui was on his 21st day and feeling despondent that the answers he sought were not forthcoming when a projectile of light approached him. His first instinct was to run from this light, but he remained, hoping that it was the answer for which he was looking. This light is reported to have struck Usui in his third eye (the psychic energy center between and just above the eye brows), causing him to go unconscious. When he awoke, he saw millions of tiny bubbles, and then finally the Reiki symbols appeared to him. He was gifted the information about each symbol an how to activate the healing energy. It was the first Reiki attunement and the rediscovery of an ancient healing method recorded to be at least 2500 years old. There is controversy and conflicting reports in the Reiki literature about the true history of Usui himself. Some say that he was a Buddhist Monk; others say that he was a Christian Minister and Professor. We may never know his exact vocation, but it would seem as if early on, it was easier to introduce Reiki to the West with the story that Usui was a Christian Minister. With that in mind, I'll leave his personal history the mystery that it really is. We do know what Usui did after his experience on Mount Koriyama. He named the healing method and energy, Reiki, for the Japanese word for "universal life energy". It is known as the Usui method of Reiki because in Japan the word Reiki is a general term. He then took the method into the slums of Kyoto. He lived there for several years doing healings on the town beggars. After healing each of these

people, he asked that the person start a new life, but he found the same people returning to the streets to beg. He became discouraged to find that the beggars he had healed were still begging instead of making an honest living and he left the slums. Many of the beggars were angry that their physical bodies had been healed which no longer would allow them to make their way as beggars. These free healings only addressed the physical and ignored the healing of their minds and spirits. Mikao Usui then became a pilgrim, lecturing and demonstrating Reiki through Japan on foot. During this time he met Chujiro Hayashi, a retired naval officer still on reserve status. Hayashi received his Reiki Master's training from Usui in 1925 and became Usui's successor. Usui made 16 or 18 Reiki Masters before his death in 1930. Hayashi trained teams of Reiki practitioners, both men and women, including 16 Masters in his lifetime. He opened a healing clinic in Tokyo where healers worked in groups on people who lived at the clinic during their time of healing. It was to Chujiro Hayashi's Shina No Machi clinic that Hawayo Takata, the next important figure in the Reiki story, came for healing in 1935. Takata, who was a resident of Hawaii, was in Japan visiting her family. She had been scheduled for surgery for gall bladder disease, but had heard a voice tell her the night before surgery, "The operation is not necessary." She heard it again on the operating table while being prepared for the anesthetic, and getting up from it, asked the surgeon if there was another way for her to heal. The doctor told her of Hayashi's clinic and she was taken there the next day. Takata lived at the clinic and was completely healed in body, mind and spirit in four months. She asked to be trained in Reiki but at first was refused because Hayashi was not in favor of Reiki leaving Japan at that time. Eventually he relented and Takata received her Reiki I training in spring 1936. She joined the teams of healers at the clinic and received her Reiki II in 1937. After living in Japan for two years, Takata returned to Hawaii. In 1938, Hayashi visited Takata in Hawaii where they went on a lecture tour

together. It was at this time, February 22, 1938, that Takata received her Mastership from Hayashi. He announced that Takata was to be his successor and instructed her not to give Reiki attunements away without charge. He also told her that when he summoned her, she was to go to Japan immediately. In 1941, Takata awoke one morning to see a vision of Hayashi standing at the foot of her bed. She knew this was the summons that she was expecting, and took the next available boat to Japan. When she arrived at the clinic in Japan, Hayashi and other Reiki Masters were present. He announced to them that there was a great war coming and that the clinic would be closed. He was concerned that Reiki would be lost altogether, and therefore, wanted a foreigner, Takata, to be his successor. Hayashi knew that he would be called to service since he was a navel reserve officer and he decided to accept his own death instead. On May 10, 1941, in the presence of his students, Chujiro Hayashi stopped his own heart from beating and died. The war he had predicted was World War II. The clinic was taken over during the occupation and Reiki was no longer available in Japan. Takata was the means by which Reiki survived. She brought it to Hawaii, then to the mainland United States, and finally to Canada and Europe. She trained hundreds of people in the Reiki healing system before her death at the age of eighty on December 11, 1980. Many times she would train members of the family of a seriously ill person if they were not strong enough to take it themselves. Her students were not allowed to take notes, and her instruction on healing positions varied from time to time. The trainings themselves were not identical from student to student, which may account for the variants in Reiki treatments today. The original charges to be a Reiki practitioner were very costly. The premise behind that stemmed from Usui's experience with beggars in the Kyoto slums. He didn't believe that people would value Reiki if it didn't cost them dearly to obtain. This belief was especially true in regards to Western society, which was already noted for its lack of respect for anything that didn't carry a high price. It cost

$10,000 to become a Reiki Master at that time, and even if a person had the money, one had to be invited to become a Master. At this time, many Masters do not believe in the high cost of attunements due to the amount of healers the world desperately needs at this time for our survival. Reiki is now more widely known and more affordable to obtain than ever before. Phyllis Furumoto, Takata's granddaughter, is Takata's successor and considered the Grand Master of the Usui Traditional Reiki. There now exist many branches of Reiki that claim to have the "correct way" for Reiki, but they are all actually teachings from Takata... they are all correct and successfully transmit the healing energy of Reiki. There are usually three degrees of Reiki, sometimes level III is separated into the Practitioner/Master level. The only difference between the two sub-levels of Reiki III is that only a Master can train and pass on the Reiki attunements to others. Reiki (ray-kee) is an ancient rediscovered natural healing technique involving the placement of hands onto the body in order to channel energy. Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life. It can be defined as "spiritually guided life force energy". The knowledge that an unseen energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to quality of health has been part of the wisdom of many cultures since ancient times. The existence of this "life force energy" has been verified by Kirlian photography. Kirlian photography is a technique that allows the etheric energy patterns around living things to be photographed it was pioneered by Semyon Kirlian, a Russian researcher in the 1940's.

Reiki Explained
Reiki is an amazingly simple technique to learn. It does not take years of practice; it is simply passed on through a series of attunements from a qualified Reiki Master/Teacher to the student. As soon as this happens, one has and can do Reiki. Because of this, it is easily learned by anyone. The Master/Teacher "fines tunes" the individual's own abilities to channel universal life force energy much the same as turning a radio from am to fm. The Reiki energy is perceived as heat or sensation that comes from the channel's hands. It is gentle and stimulates the body's own innate wisdom to cure at the cause of the problem, promoting a holistic balancing of body, mind and spirit. How Reiki Heals We are alive because life force is flowing through us. Life force flows within the physical body and 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. The life force is responsive to thoughts and feelings. It becomes disrupted when we accept, either consciously or unconsciously, negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. These negative thoughts and feelings attach themselves to the energy field and cause a disruption in the flow of life force. This diminishes the vital function of the organs and cells of the physical body. Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are attached. This causes the negative energy to break up and fall away. Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way.

Reiki cleanses the body of built up toxins, relieves pain, soothes shock, calms the mind and emotions, and accelerates the body's natural ability to heal itself at the same time promoting a state of total relaxation and well-being. Once a person has been opened up to become a "channel" for Reiki, concentrated universal life force energy will flow through their hands of its own accord and they will retain this ability for the rest of their life. Reiki in no way conflicts with medical procedures and in fact supports and enhances all medical treatments. Reiki can be incorporated effectively into the healing arts practiced by health professionals from traditional and alternative medicine. Reiki Never Lessens Energy Reiki practitioner's energies are never lessened when doing healing. During a Reiki treatment both practitioner and recipient receive healing. Giving a treatment always increases your energy and leaves you feeling peaceful and revitalized. How Can Reiki Help YOU You can use Reiki for any illness, it is always beneficial and works to improve the effectiveness of all other types of therapy. A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through you and surrounds you. Reiki treats the whole person - body, emotions, mind and spirit and creates many beneficial effects including relaxation, feelings of peace, security, and well-being. Reiki activates the body's natural ability to heal itself. Reiki energy goes to the deeper levels of a person's being, where many illnesses have their origin. It works wherever the recipient needs it most, releasing blocked energies, cleansing the body of toxins and working to create a state of balance. It reinforces the patient's ability to take responsibility for their life and help them to make the necessary changes in attitude and lifestyle to promote a happier and healthier life. Reiki energy can be used for anything and everything if we open up to the situation through our intent. We can use it on ourselves, other people, dogs, cats, plants, birds, groups of animals, situations in the past and in the future, world situations and send it in absentee to those who request help, the list is endless. One of the

wonderful advantages of Reiki is that as well as using it on others you can treat yourself. Reiki can aid relaxation, relieve pain, aid concentration, boost the immune system, increase joint mobility, assist the body in clearing toxins, help in the grieving process. Reiki is beneficial in reducing shock, pain, bleeding and bruising. Reiki for Animals It is not known what animals experience when they are treated with Reiki, but they do tend to become noticeable quieter and soon let go and relax. When treating domestic animals, such as cats, dogs, rabbits etc lay your hands behind their ears. To treat the rest of the body let your hands remain at places where you feel the animal has pain or to whatever area you are guided. The treatment for animals is the same as treating people. In the case of small animals such as mice, guinea pigs, birds, cup them gently in your hands. For penguins, whales, lions or groups of animals in the wild, it is best to use the absentee method. Compared to other animals cats tend to react to Reiki treatment differently. The position behind the ears may become unpleasant for them after a short time and they can become restless. It is best to start cats off with small amounts of Reiki until they adjust, after they get used to the Reiki they usually want and accept more. Is Reiki a Religion? Reiki is used with the same success by people of many faiths and religions, by free thinkers as well as by the followers of widely differing philosophies and ideologies. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it has no dogma and no special kind of faith or belief is required to learn or practice Reiki. The Attunement Reiki is transmitted to a student by a Reiki Master during an attunement process. This process opens the crown, heart, and palm chakras to receive the ability to channel Reiki.

The Reiki attunement can start a cleansing process that affects the physical body as well as the mind and emotions. Toxins that have been stored in the body may be released along with feelings and thought patterns that are no longer useful. After an attunement there is a 21 day cleansing cycle that consists of three cycles of the 7 chakras, moving through from the base chakra then the sacral chakra, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown, one each day, then after the seventh day returning to the base chakra and then repeating the cycle. Once you have received a Reiki attunement, you will have Reiki for the rest of your life. Reiki Always Works for the Highest Good 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. Permission should always be asked of the healing recipient before proceeding to give Reiki. Channeling Reiki - What Do You Feel? Our hands can feel hot and sometimes cold, or we feel a tingling or pulling sensation in our hands. Occasionally the Reiki Channel will feel no sensation at all and in this case it is a good idea to ask the recipient what they are feeling i.e. if they are feeling heat in some area of their body you know where it is working and the recipient can tell you when it cools down or changes. At times the recipient will say that they can't feel anything, and then we know that Reiki is probably working on an emotional, mental or spiritual level. Accept that Reiki is working upon some level, and that it is working for the highest good of all concerned. Growing with Reiki Learning Reiki is a good starting point for experiencing and working with healing energy. In general, Reiki complements other healing methods and spiritual practices. Again, listen to your heart and you will be guided in choosing the right experiences and teachers for you. Once you have learned a healing technique, the work begins. To develop your understanding of, and sensitivity in Reiki, it is a good idea to devote time to regular practice. Reiki is something that will transform your life. It helps you become active in your own healing.

REIKI ABILITIES Many people do not realize the intrinsic capabilities of Reiki. We realize, of course, that is it wonderful for healing ourselves and for sending healing or giving healing to another person. It goes without saying that it is also very effective for our pets. However I wonder how many realize the full potential of this amazing energy. I have listed a few of the things that Reiki can be used forand I am sure if you think about it you will be able to think of many more. Because there are NO limits to the uses of Reiki. Send or use hands- on -method for any of the following. Animalswhatever their shape, size or colourthey all love the energy, from the tiniest organism to the largest creatures in the world.

Plants. They thrive if you send them Reikitry it on some plants that are struggling to survivewatch them grow. Hug a tree and give it Reiki at the same timeyou will feel its gratitude. Whenever you send a letter, card, job application, bill payment etc. always Reiki it before posting or handing it to someone. In the case of a Birthday or Christmas card ask that the receiver feels the energy and love attached to your message. Reiki any items in your home that are not performing as well as they could. Reiki your crystals. Reiki your car, your home, place of work or any destination before you arrive there. When using Reiki try to picture yourself surrounded in a pure gold lightthis is much stronger than the white lightimagine it like golden sunbeams and feel the love inside you.

When dealing with people you must always ask permission before sending them Reiki. Even though you feel it will be good for them they must be allowed to use their free-will and make that choice themselves. I have an exception to this guideline, for babies and very young children who cannot make that choice themselves. Reiki will never harm anybody or anythingit is only ever sent with love and a pure heart and always for the greatest good for all concerned. It is intelligent and knows where to go to give the most helpwe dont have to be doctors or geographical expertsjust trust in its abilities. Brenda Hanlon Reiki Master/Teacher

The Masters and Attunement Process

The same attunement is used for all degrees. It is simple and it works. As with the use of the symbols, it is the intent of the it that makes the attunement happen. Master/Teacher to share Reiki and the intent of the student to receive Have the student sit comfortably in a chair with the feet flat on the floor and the hands held in the "prayer" position with the palms together, fingers pointed up and the thumbs touching the upper chest. Tell the student that when you move to the front of their body you will open their hands like a book. Explain what you are going to do before you begin to reduce the nervousness of the student. see it opening like a flower blooming.)

Stand behind the student and visualize the crown charka opening. (I Draw the Dai Ko Myo in the air above the crown chakra.

Reach forward, over the shoulders with one arm on each side of the head, take the student's hands in both of yours, and blow the symbol into the crown. Release the hands. Draw the Cho Ku Rei, the Sei He Ki and the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen in the air over the crown.

Reach forward, over the shoulders with one arm on each side of the head, take the student's hands in both of yours, and blow the symbols into the crown. Release the hands. them like a book. Move to the front of the student and gently take their hands and open Draw the Cho Ku Rei over both palms.

Tap the palms three times.

Draw the Sei He Ki over both palms.

Tap the palms three times. Draw the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen over both palms.

Draw the Dai Ko Myo over both palms.

Tap the palms three times.

THESE ARE THE MASTER SYMBOLS Either of these can be used

Tap the palms three times. Fold the hands together and hold them in one of your hands. Blow from the root charka to the heart chakra. Move to the back. Visualize the aura closing with the symbols inside. Do not close the crown chakra.

Draw the Raku down the spine to separate you from the student (Stein, 1995). Lineage: Mikao Usui, Chujiro Hayashi, Hawayo Takata, Phyllis Furumoto, Claudia Hoffman, Mary Shaw, Christine Henderson, Bruce Way, Ariane McMinn, Brenda Hanlon.