My Review On Reiki

Reiki ... a very brief introduction consisting of just one phrase, something like "Harness The Powers Of Nature To Heal The Sick," appeared in the local newspapers one day. This was indeed an attractive caption.

The advertisement which appeared many years ago in the classifieds section went on to state something like everyone of us having the potential to channel healing powers direct from nature for the benefit of all.

I do not remember the exact phrases and the exact wordings that appeared in the advertisement, but I believe I am conveying the right idea.

It was a two-day course and I was hearing of Reiki for the very first time in my life! When I telephoned for further information, the instructress herself answered.

She said it was about healing without any form of medicines or needles. No hypnosis or auto suggestion either. "Then what is it actually?" ... I asked her.

She said that Reiki was a form of healing which incorporates the forces of nature to expedite or generate healing in the ailing.

She went on to say that Reiki has to be administered to the patient by the Reiki master. This course was all about how to administer Reiki. In short the idea conveyed by her was that participating in the course was your gateway to get about healing the sick!

She stressed that these powers are latent within every human being and can be brought out under certain conditions, and that she, being a master on a high level, was capable of creating those favorable conditions.

"Bull!" I said to myself, not aloud though, as she was still on line, and had not hung up! She would not! She wanted a confirmation of my interest, an interest strong enough to induce participation in the course!

Witchcraft, I thought! ... That's it, I'm not gonna go! Just to confirm my fears I asked her what exactly one needs to bring along. I held my breath and waited!

I expected her to rattle off the list of things I needed to bring along. I was sure the list would start off with one dead black cat, a pair of bats' wings, the left eyeball of a squint eyed crow ... and so on.

But, to my relief she said that one does not need to bring along anything. She said that this ability to heal is accessible to anyone and involves some form of energy, which is transferable by touch.

She also spoke about certain points in the human body called "Chakras," which she said are associated with this "touch-and-heal" system known as Reiki. Any human being can be initiated in Reiki and can practice this healing system immediately afterwards.

So, that's it. You need to belong to the human race. I qualify. "Let's go big fellow," I said to myself!

I had never heard of Reiki before, and thus did not know what to expect.

Something new had to be explored.

So I went over to the hotel where the instructress was accommodated, and duly paid up my course fee and enrolled for the lessons.

It was just my curiosity that drove me to this workshop.

It was a two day session. A commercial enterprise of course!

The participants were from all age groups. There were around fifteen of them.

At first photographs of a Japanese monk was passed around.

He was the one who had discovered the forces of Reiki and was the first to harness it.

His name was Mikao Usui. His discovery was the end result of three weeks of fasting and meditation on the top of Mount Kurama.

The way I interpreted it, Usui discovered how to absorb cosmic energy and transform it to an appropriate form to be utilized for the purpose of healing.

The transformed energy is known as ... yes you guessed it, Chi!

The same Chi* we encounter in martial arts and Feng Shui. Now Chi has a different role to play. The role of healer. Cool!

The healing energy is transmitted by the hands of the practitioner into the system of the ailing.

The energy has an intelligence of it's own, and so it does the diagnosing and the healing automatically.

The practitioner has to be initiated into this by one on a higher level.

I understood that there are certain levels to attain as a practitioner.

Since the energy has either a consciousness of it's own or is being directed by a higher authority, no participation on the patient's part is required.

Emotional issues are also treatable by Reiki.

In the beginning, a practitioner focuses his mind on the energy forces around, mentally appealing to them to activate this extraordinary talent which is said to be latent, and hey presto the activation process takes place.

However a re-confirmation is required in the form of an initiation ceremony, normally unceremoniously executed due to the large number of students usually present for this sort of thing. Curiosity draws all kinds of cats to such gatherings!

Prior to all this, knowing what it is all about is a must. Otherwise you would not know what the hell to request from the forces around you!

After a brief history of Reiki, and it's application, the instructress went on to explain the methods. Reiki is administered by touch.

The person who needs to be treated usually lies in a horizontal position, comfortably of course, while the treatment commences.

The reiki master touches the "patient" with his or her palms in certain areas. These areas are the head, front and back of the patient's torso, the knees and feet. Usually both palms are used. The touch is retained for a length of time which varies from three to five minutes.

The patient is supposed to feel a tingling sensation when the energy transfer occurs.

It is even possible to apply Reiki without touching the patient, but instead to keep the palms just a centimeter or two away from the body.

At times one palm is outstretched while the other is in contact with the body of the recipient of this healing process.

The outstretched palm is supposed to draw energy from the cosmos. The process of transforming this energy into the healing kind takes place within the practitioner's mental system.

It is then transferred to the recipient via the other palm of the practitioner.

According to the instructress, there are many variations in the combinations of the methods, and these depend on the practitioners experience and intuition.

Some say that the practitioner's intention to effect a cure is most important, whereas others say that the patient's ailment draws the energy all by itself using the practitioner as a mere medium.

There is also the common touch method which is not meant for any particular ailment, but is administered for general well being, and as a conditioner before the main treatment commences.

Reiki also involves distant healing. In this case the practitioner is far away from the patient. He transmits the healing energy by means of certain symbols which he draws in the air using the fingers of his hands.

The fingers of each hand is brought together, converging at one point as if to form a "brush."

Both hands, independent of each other commence drawing the symbols in the air.

This action is simultaneous and symmetrical such that the symbol drawn by each hand is the exact mirror image of the other.

Whilst drawing these symbols the practitioner utters certain phrases. The more common of these phrases are "cha-ku-rai" and "sei-hei-ki."

Mikao Usui had selected a set of rules to be followed by the practitioner. Following them faithfully will facilitate increase in the potential to enable a smoother manipulation of healing energy whenever required.

These rules were not unique, but were a part of some other existing Japanese system.

Those rules when applied were found to draw good fortune, and were also recommended as a panacea for all maladies.

• Only for today repel all forms of anger
• Only for today reject worry
• Only for today be grateful for all your blessings
• Only for today work with integrity
• Only for today show kindness to others

In all probability, Reiki appears to be a mind controlled system, because the mind has total involvement in the intention of the practitioner, which is required in all instances where healing is needed.

The morning session of the first day of the course was devoted to defining Reiki and discussing it's functions.

Demonstration of the methods along with discussing the various forms of it's application followed.

Day two started off with a recap of day one followed by the initiation. There were small meditation sessions in between for the purpose of calming the mind in order to make it conducive to Reiki.

Fifteen students were initiated. Afterwards we were called upon to do the practicals. The actual healing! Conveniently some of the students had various kinds of aches and pains in most parts of their anatomy!

Amazingly all these aches and pains vanished without a trace after a couple of doses of Reiki energy administered by the newly initiated!

Right throughout this workshop, I did follow instructions faithfully. However, I never felt any "tingling sensations" or vibrations in my body like most of the others "did!" This did not bother me in any way as I did not have any expectations at all!

I attended this seminar out of sheer curiosity. Prior to viewing the newspaper advertisement I had never ever heard of Reiki. I never thought that such a thing could even exist.

The simplicity of the system, as the brief introduction by the instructress on the phone in response to my enquiry conveyed to me, only kindled a high degree of curiosity in me.

Although I was totally skeptical at first, I wanted to check out what this was all about and how it is set into motion. Otherwise I would have had to live in doubt until the next opportunity to "check it out" came along!

I wanted to get to know enough in order to come to a conclusion and then decide whether I need to incorporate this new-found "tool" or "panacea-for-all maladies" into my lifestyle or not.

Further investigation was imperative, and I found myself amongst this group of anxious participants who seemed to be awestruck and full of expectations!

After the end of the first day's session my interest started dwindling as I had foreseen! Expecting miracles in this age I suppose!

Towards the latter part of it all I started focusing only on what conclusions the other participants were arriving at, after this two-day session. The various reasons that they were attributing to the conclusions that they had arrived at seemed too far fetched to me.

Thinking about the whole thing later on, I only felt that most of them were hell bent on pleasing the instructress rather than gaining some "skill!"

I certainly did not expect to get back home as a fully fledged mystic with the ability to heal the sick, and to bring sanity to all the schizophrenics within a radius of a hundred kilometers!!!

Whether Reiki works or not, my interest in Reiki lasted only for the duration of that course which I followed. Two days to be precise.

My participation was only in the capacity of a curious observer. I never had the intention of being a healer or a recipient of this mysterious healing force.

Whatever the case may be, I have close friends who claim that Reiki does work. I never bothered to ask for proof since my interest did not reach that level. I can neither speak for it nor would I speak against it.

Previously, I had dismissed Feng Shui as total nonsense after being actively involved in it for over fifteen months.

However in the case of my experimenting with Feng Shui, I actually needed the result promised by the Feng Shui masters. This was the only reason for my involvement in Feng Shui.

Truly I am glad to have gotten so heavily involved since this enabled a first hand experience and I know now for sure Feng Shui does not work, and so will not waste any more time on it.

As for Reiki, I personally believe that if Reiki does exist with the qualities attributed to it, then it will certainly not manifest after just two days of exposure. You will need months and months of involvement, probably years, all depending on the level of evolvement of your mind.

I do believe in positivity, having experienced it's benefits. With this in mind, I can safely say that the mind's role in causing the manifestation of Reiki powers if ever such a thing existed, would have to be in excess of ninety nine percent.

If, and only if, I had felt those tingling sensations and strange vibrations, after just two days of exposure, followed by a discovery that I actually posses the power to heal, then I would certainly not refer it to as Reiki or by any other single name. I would attribute it to be a blessing from GOD!

Yes indeed, a Blessing From God, and not Reiki!

... concluded