I was attuned to the Usui System of Reiki, however there are other variations of Reiki and other Masters have added their own symbols to their lessons, but this is about the original Usui healing method.
If you decide to partake in Reiki training, others additions to your Reiki will be discussed during the training.
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.”
How do you learn Reiki?
Reiki is a simple technique to learn, with a teaching parameters defined by the Usui method. It is divided into three levels: First Degree, Second Degree (where a student are taught sacred and energy enhancing symbols) and the Masters.
The ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This transferring of Reiki energy is better known as an “attunement” and is given by a Reiki master. Once attuned the the student can tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy” to improve one’s health and enhance the quality of life.
We are all connected to this Reiki energy, however the attunement helps clear the channels and focus it into a powerful healing energy. Daily practice further refines and focus the energy and each attunement is like an upgrade form the previous level.
Reiki use is not dependent on one’s intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.
Where Does Reiki Energy Come From?
Reiki energy is a subtle energy. It is different than electricity or chemical energy or other kinds of physical energy. Reiki energy comes from the Higher Power, which exists on a higher dimension than the physical world we are familiar with. It comes from the source. Reiki energy appears to come down from above and to enter the top of the practitioners head after which if flows through the body and out the hands. It appears to flow this way because of our perspective, however, the true source of Reiki energy is within ourselves (but not of ourselves). This does not mean that we use our personal energy when we do Reiki, but that the energy is coming from a transcendental part of ourselves that is connected to an infinite supply of healing energy.
Can Reiki Be Harmful?
Reiki is guided by the God-consciousness, it can never do harm. It naturally works for the highest good. It has an innate intelligence that 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.
Remember, 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 clearly shine through. Reiki flows through a Reiki practioneer not from him/her much like the water that flows through a pipe is not from the pipe but from the source.
Is Reiki a Religion?
No, Reiki is not a religion. There are no doctrines as such, except guides on how practice and teach Reiki. You do not need to believe in it for it to work, although if you have decided on having a Reiki treatment, it means you are already open to it. Because Reiki comes from God (insert the name of your own deity here since they are all part of the same energy), many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.
While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. This is not just a Reiki principle. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.
What is Chokureiki?
Chokureiki is just a name mash up I came up with comprised of ‘Chokurei’, of one of the sacred symbols students learn in Reiki 2, and of the name Reiki.
The symbol Chokurei is the power symbol in Reiki giving extra ‘intention’ when applied, so if I was to translate Chokureiki it would be ‘Power Reiki’.