Reiki means universal life force energy. It is a way to bring a sense of magic into your life, something we might also call a renewed sense of wonder, of the great mystery that we can forget all too often these days.
READ HERE: A SKEPTIC WRITES ABOUT REIKI
Reiki is an ancient Oriental system of hands-on healing or healing touch that can be likened to being in a room with a sacred being or a loving Yoda who opens you to the divine so you benefit mentally, emotionally, spiritually, energetically and physically.
Many people prefer to see life force energy and include consciousness that is pure spirit in their description of Reiki. These describers of Reiki see it as being of divine origin, and they see the drawing down of Reiki as a drawing down of divine light or divine love.
This ties in with the point of view of conventional spiritual healers, who see themselves as being channels for divine light. And because Reiki is not attached to or allied to any particular religious belief, it is a form of alternative prayer, meditation in relationship, or sacred ritual that can be brought into any home or workplace setting, and can be accepted by all people whether they have no religious beliefs or a very strongly held one.
Another way to define Reiki is to call it spiritual chi. And yes, chi is found in Tai Chi, Chi Qong, and in Aikido (ki being a different spelling). In yoga, chi or ki is known as prana.
You are everything -
if you are healing yourself you heal everything.
The founder of Reiki in Japan, Sensei Mikao Usui saw Reiki as a path to enlightenment or spiritual growth, with healing others as a part of what you did along that path.
In the West, we have been presented with Reiki basically as a treatment or healing technique. This is because one of Mikao Usui’s students was a man called Dr. Hayashi, a retired surgeon commander from the Imperial Navy, and a Christian. Dr Hayashi wasn’t so interested in the ‘spiritual path’ side of Reiki, and he concentrated on Reiki as a healing treatment. Hayashi taught a woman known as Mrs. Takata, and Mrs. Takata brought Reiki to the West.
What is it like to give and receive Reiki?
A Reiki treatment can vary a great deal from one person to another in terms of what they feel when they’re having a session. Most people receiving Reiki enjoy (1) deep relaxation (2) feel heat from the practitioner’s hands, and 3) may see colors.
Reiki treatments make you relaxed: deeply, deeply relaxed. Most people who receive Reiki end up drifting in and out of consciousness. Some people – particularly men – seem to fall asleep.
It’s common for people to feel heat from the practitioner’s hands, sometimes intense heat, a heat so unusual that it’s simply not possible for hands to get that hot on their own.
A common experience is to see colors against your closed eyelids as you are being treated. Sometimes a random rainbow light show, sometimes colors that change depending on what hand-position is being used. For some this is proof that something is happening and that there is some kind of energy occurrence. But feeling Reiki is the real proof.
I see this energy as incredibly personal and loving. It makes you realize
1) that you are not alone in the universe, and 2) that you are not just skin and bones. It is not something that the mind “knows” either. It is something you feel–like an invisible hand of support and comfort.
It's love no matter how you say it
I have worked with children who were suffering from anxiety and who were self-conscious and timid. Sometimes, if a child is open to it, I will give an in-person touch session. But for children who don’t know me, I can also use something I call my “fairy stones.” These are stones that have been treated or activated to Reiki: fairy reiki is a great choice for children. I have seen a fearful young girl unable to present her speech to me begin giving it within a few seconds of holding a fairy stone. She made mistakes and she forgot portions of what she wanted to say, but she moved forward and actually began–and completed the entire presentation! Such experiences are a wonder to behold, which is why I believe in Reiki so much and want school children to be able to have this resource. I have also given sessions to moms and their young child at the same time.
What Can Reiki Do for You?
One thing that Reiki seems to do for most people, whether they’ve come for a series of treatments, or have learned Reiki for themselves, is to produce the following: Reiki helps them feel more calm, content, serene, positive, better able to cope, and not so affected by stressful people and stressful situations.
So people might come for a treatment with everything from depression to a migraine, and they go away feeling more calm and content, more positive, better able to cope, less stressed.
This effect is also something you would notice once you’ve been attuned or activated to the energy. Not necessarily a great big instant transformation, although sometimes it is, but usually something that builds up in you gradually, or perhaps it is something that you start to notice with hindsight. You realize you’re thinking and feeling about things differently, and are less stressed, less bothered by things.
My eighty-something mother, who has had memory loss and reacts quite easily to almost anything, now says, “I believe in Reiki.” And I no longer see her as the person who I fought with as a teenager. I see her as a human being who is calmed and strengthened by Reiki sessions and other treatments like flower essences and CCT.
Reiki clients remained clothed in a session and can receive the energy lying on a massage table, seated in a relaxing chair, or lying on a yoga mat. But, if you’re really stressed and can’t get away, I could even give you a brief session by phone. If it helps you, you may place your hands on the areas of most discomfort and feel what happens! I know I was startled the first time I received a Reiki attunement in what is called a “distance” attunement or session. But it works quite well.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT REIKI
1) You can attune or bless anything with Reiki: crystals, shawls, art images.
2) Animals love Reiki. I have seen my diabetic cat stabilize on insulin using Reiki on his food and brief sessions of CCT and Reiki, after a year of using Reiki, glipizide and homeopathic treatments.
3) Wriggling babies like Reiki, too. A simple touch is enough to allow the Reiki flow. In fact it can flow through any part of the body, so for example, a mother can hold the baby against her while she’s receiving a session and they both reap the benefits. How wonderful to coddle an infant’s feet this way!
4) Pregnant women will appreciate Reiki, and the unborn baby will benefit simultaneously.
5) Those people who unfortunately have life-threatening illnesses may not find a complete removal of their problem, but it will certainly bring peace into their lives and make the process of moving on far easier. And when someone has passed on, Reiki sessions can help loved ones cope with the process of grieving, seeing this stage of life in a new way.
6) Reiki 
can be given to a situation, although I prefer to combine Reiki with Crystalline Consciousness Technique (CCT) when I’m asked to work with such things.
7) Regular Reiki sessions used in conjunction with orthodox medications will usually reduce or eliminate the necessary dosage and the side effects. But be sure to consult with a doctor before making any changes to medication.
A little Reiki is better than none, and the more the better as Reiki is cumulative. You can’t receive too much Reiki. There is never a situation in which Reiki is inappropriate or in any way harmful. The Reiki energy knows no limitation. So the only limit is your imagination, and your imagination can do wonders for you when it is given the honor of partnering with the loving energy of Reiki.
Mikao Usui had ‘precepts’ which he passed on to his students, and these are still used today in Reiki training. The precepts are:
Just for today do not anger,
Just for today do not worry,
Be humble,
Be honest in your dealings with people,
Be compassionate towards yourself and others
Reiki has the potential to make a wonderful difference to you and the people you care about, and can fill the spiritual void so many people feel nowadays, as Reiki helps bring things into balance on all levels. It can help you in times of transition and change, and when nothing else seems to bring solace, Reiki can offer hope and comfort much like Aloha, sharing energy in the present moment.
If anything written here feels right for you, if you like what you’re read, if you can see yourself or your children receiving or learning this simple and powerful energy technique, please feel free to contact me and we can explore together what might be the next step for you. You won’t regret it!
Melanie A. Stinson, LMT
Reiki Master Teacher: Usui, Karuna Ki, Empowered & Fairy Realms Reiki
Advanced Crystalline Consciousness Practitioner
Minister of Healing, Universal Life Church
Contact Melanie here
Would you like to do more to help the earth? Are you attracted to nature? Do you feel too serious or easily frightened? Does this sound like something your playgroup would benefit from? Ask me about Fairy Realms Reiki. Mom/child sessions and children’s classes forming in the Toledo-area. 419-308-2926.
