ToReiki

Okay, I’ll admit it… the new Dan Brown book has me quite intrigued and once again, my imagination is running rampant. Not since Indiana Jones and the Lost Reiki Journal of Dr. Usui have I considered the possibility of missing information… at least not publicly… but riddle me this, if you will, if there were a unifying symbol for Reiki, one that summed everything up and brought everything together… what would it look like? Well, I’ve got a theory… let’s see if it holds water.

In The Lost Symbol, one quote in particular got me to thinking. There was a non-religious discussion taking place on the many variations of the Man as God paradigm, such as, “Know ye not that ye are gods?” and “The kingdom of God is within you” where one interpretation was given as:

Abandon the search for God… instead, take yourself as the starting place. – Monoimus

Whereupon I immediately abandoned the whole discussion and got on with my day, but that thought lingered in the back of my mind and while scouring the web for useful Reiki thoughts this thought wedged itself in my mind and proved itself to be quite stubborn as I attempted to dislodge it… the result being this post.

The Lost Reiki Symbol

The idea of a unifying symbol (or at least concept with a graphical representation) had me stumped at first.. but then it struck me. Unification, in the case of Reiki does not mean something that pulls everything together, but on the contrary something that pulls everything apart. Reiki, being a spiritual path, knows no one way… there are many possible paths and we each take the one that we most (largely unconsciously) resonate with. So, while being on the Reiki path, we are unified in the sense that we are all together on the Reiki path, but we do not share a common path.

“Hey, you’re on the Reiki Path? So am I!” smacks of unification as we are both on the same, i.e., the Reiki Path… but the paths will be unique depending on our own interpretations, experiences, preferences, etc. And they will meander in their own direction until finally they all meet again at the end… enlightenment! Make sense?

Several years ago I went to a VERY high level Reiki meeting here in Japan (sorry, I’m not allowed to be more specific) and for several weeks prior to the meeting I was filled with speculation and wild imaginings about what was in store for me… I was sorely disappointed and not until formulating this post did I realize why.

I was expecting to discover the lost secrets of Reiki, to be the first Westerner to have access to the mysterious powers of the unknown, the Holy Grail of Reikidom… what I got instead was a bunch of old people who asked more questions than answered and rambled on and on about things that basically had no relationship… to anything. I asked my translator if things were watered down on my account, but she said ‘no… that’s how it always is’. Hatsurei Ho and a few other exercises and then talk, talk, talk. What a let down.

So how does this unified theory bring that into focus? Well, since they were all on different paths, and understood they were all on different paths, they knew there was no point in comparing notes. Even markedly similar experiences would have completely different meanings to different people. So basically the long and short of it is that when you are on the Reiki path you are totally and utterly alone in finding your way. The slightest hint at a suggestion could easily (and in all likelihood) take you years off course.

In Japan, the majority of the Reiki Masters I’ve met, including several members of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai all understand this… whether it was taught to them or not… and so teachings or discussions on how to proceed are avoided… as opposed to teachings in the West whereas the teacher expects you to walk the same exact path they did (even though they are no closer to enlightenment than you are).

So the above symbol, and the concept of a unification theory in Reiki basically says that once you learn all there is to learn, go back to where you started, abandon the idea that there is a one size fits all path, and, beginning where you are… enjoy your unique experiences on the Reiki path. And anyone telling you differently simply doesn’t understand their Einstein.

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

I can already hear some of the same grunts and groans I heard when my The Dark Side of Reiki post went live, so let me start off with a quick, but gentle, admonition that things may not be what they seem.

Which, I think, is exactly the point… the word occult, does not mean what most people believe it to mean. As Robert Langdon, so eloquently put it:

The word occult, despite conjuring images of devil worship, actually means ‘hidden’ or ‘obscured.’ In times of religious oppression, knowledge that was counterdoctrinal had to be kept hidden or ‘occult,’ and because the church felt threatened bu this, they redefined anything ‘occult’ as evil, and the prejudice survived.  – Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol

So, looking at Reiki as something hidden, or obscured, while still not totally factual… adds a bit of a twist to it that explains a lot.

First, I think the only real obscuring or hiding of Reiki comes from the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, the organization started by Dr. Usui to proliferate Reiki which instead took it underground and, well, obscured it. Mrs. Takata’s exorbitant fees for learning the deep dark secrets held at the Master level also helped to keep it out of reach of the masses… again, I’m sure this is not what Dr. Usui intended. I’m not sure Dr. Usui charged anything at all for this knowledge, those who sought it were welcomed with open arms… their turning around and selling it was perhaps a bit less cricket, although details of the day are sketchy at best.

Langdon’s synopsis explains people’s negativity towards things like Reiki, which they equate with Occultism out of sheer ignorance as to exactly what Reiki is (and isn’t). This isn’t their fault… it is ours, as Reiki Practitioners, who fail to adequately explain things. In our defense though, Reiki is not the easiest thing in the world to explain, and the harder we try the deeper into “Yup, its occult” Territory we seem to drive it. Perhaps it’s not in the explanation, but in the way we deliver the explanation that is responsible for this. Getting all mysterious when we talk about it will drive it into “Yup, its occult”  Territory, just as surely as getting all holy when we talk about it will drive it deep into “Yup, its religion” Territory. The same holds true with scientific explanations,  artsy-fartsy (as my grandfather put it) explanations, new age mumbo jumbo laced explanations, etc.

Diane Stein, in her Essential Reiki guide was perhaps the first to take the coveted Reiki symbols and put them into print. I remember the outcry at the time as well as similar cries of “foul” when various Websites started putting them right out there for all the world to see. Shouts of “they’re supposed to be secret” or “if you see them before you are attuned to them they will lose their power” or “mass producing them dilutes their energy” or “if non-Reiki people see them they will go blind” (okay, I made that one up) and other such nonsense were being tossed about on all the Reiki forums of the time, and lo and behold… they are still just as powerful as ever.

So where does that leave us? Occult isn’t a bad thing, but Reiki isn’t really occult, although quite a few people perceive it as such and those same people (as well as most of the planet) tend to perceive occultism as being something demonic and/or evil. Perhaps beginning with an explanation of what ‘occult’ actually means, followed by examples of how mainstream Reiki doesn’t even come close to fitting that description would go a long way towards gaining a receptive open mind to receive your explanation… unless, of course, you prefer the mystique.

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!

There is always, it seems, a balance to be mindfully walked. Balance between action and patience, balance between faith and action, balance between surrender and preparing. They are all related, and all a part of my life lately. The tough part is deciding how much of each to put into the mix for the right amount. I think the right amount is achieved when one feels at peace, knowing that one has done what is necessary and then is able to surrender the outcome to the Powers That Be, the Universe, God, Spirit, Source, whatever one chooses to name the Divine power in his or her life.

Finding that balance can feel like walking a tightrope. I truly think that the feeling of being at peace is the answer to whether one has accomplished it. I struggle often to get to that, as I think many do. But it's worth it, because life is much easier in those moments when one has that sense of being centered, calm through the stress, not affected by the anxiety that could be crushing.

In my life lately, there is the direct challenge of putting this into practice. My husband is going to be on his way to Virginia at the end of next week for a final job interview in person at a hospital. This is a great opportunity for him, and it means a huge change for our family should he accept an offer from them. I support him being in a great job, wherever it takes us. There are many things that we would need to do in order to make it happen, and we could get swallowed by the to do list and freak out. I have decided not to do that. We are waiting until he has an offer, and then will sit and calmly make that long, long list, and get started one thing at a time until we are there.

And also, if he doesn't get this job for some reason, another will certainly work out for him. He has other interviews lined up, and many applications in, and things are beginning to happen from those. The unknown factors and ongoing money issues are enough to cause hyperventilation, but deciding not to go there, to instead live in THIS MOMENT NOW, have been the answer to enjoying life so much more.

Living in the now - this moment - not in "what if" or "but it might not" or "what are we gonna do" land - is the key to being open for the opportunities to present themselves. It is the way to deal with everything while avoiding anxiety, and staying balanced. Breathing, and being aware of the spaces between the breaths, helps me remember that I'm here, now, and not in my head worrying about everything. I don't have control over whether this job offer will come. I only have control over what I'm doing right now, this moment.

It doesn't mean being inactive or giving up. It means doing what you can, one thing at a time, and not worrying over what's next, down the road, what might happen, what might not happen, or over-planning. I have consciously chosen to live in the present, and it does take effort, but little by little I'm doing it. The benefits are tangible. I used to be very anxious, a worrier. Now I'm moving out of that mindset and feeling more able to enjoy things.

I'm enjoying playing with my kids, talking with my husband, and getting my work done. I'm sure more benefits will realize themselves as I bring presence more and more into being.

Try it with me. Several times a day, stop and focus on 10 breaths. Just be tuned in to your breathing, and count each one if you want. Observe how it makes you feel when you return to what you are doing. It's basically a mini-meditation that you can do several times a day, which brings you to the present moment, and calms the mental chatter. While you're breathing, try to take full breaths - from deep down in your abdomen. Many of us breathe shallowly throughout the day. A full breath is cleansing, and increases circulation and oxygen flow to the brain. It's good for us.

I know that there are big changes ahead for my family, and I'm ready. I've put out there that I want the best thing for our family to happen, the best opportunity for Evan to be his. Now I'm allowing the Universe to make it happen, and doing those things which I can do now, one at a time.

Reiki helps me also with this. When I am sending a healing, attunement, or doing self healing, I am only focused on the energy flowing, and it brings me to the present. It is centering and balancing, and feels wonderful. I think that everyone should have Reiki in their life as a tool for self-awareness, healing, and helping others. Everyone is capable of learning to connect with Reiki, and I am blessed to have the ability to teach people of all ages how to access Reiki energy. It is easy to learn and instantly available. If you'd like to know more, please click here to go to my website.

As for the next developments, I'll keep you posted. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Peace.

Bishops Syndrome has made it to the Boston Globe. A colleague from the North Shore sent me an alarmed email, referring to it as a “horrid article.” I respectfully disagree. There are only minor inaccuracies: depicting Usui as a doctor who developed the practice at the turn of the century (he was not a physician and it [...]

I’ve been all over the board recently with posts here at All About The Energy. That is all fine and good because I have many interests inside and outside of Energy Work. I trust you, as readers, enjoy the variety.


Today post is back to the foundational principle of this blog – the positive power of Reiki.

Within all the varying aspects of my life, I am, at heart, a Kundalini Reiki Master and Teacher. This particular form of energy and Energy Work, drives everything else I do. It has changed my life.

What’s Changed?
My Sight: I have seen the invisible power of Reiki at work in my life, the lives of family members and the lives of complete strangers. The healing I have witnessed has caused me to see the physical world in a different way. We are made up of energy. We are surrounded by energy. The Universe is Energy.

My Spiritual Worldview:  Learning Reiki put me in touch with a new group of folks. Starting with my amazing Teacher, Alice Langholt of Reiki Awakening and my participation in the Distance Healing Network, I saw people actively engaged in the Healing Arts.

Through the power of Twitter I was able to meet other Practitioners and students of such fields as Angel Therapy , Quantum Healing , Qi  Gong , Soul Reading ,  and Massage Therapy. I am thankful to each one of these powerful Healers for helping me to see a much deeper and fulfilling spirituality.

My Being-In-The-World:  The German Philosopher Martin Heidegger used the term “being-in-the-world” to redefine such terms as subject, object, consciousness and world. Because of my training in Reiki, and with a new and open spiritual worldview, I now am a different “being” in the world which I live.

I no longer need qualifying terms like “real” versus “unreal” - “seen” versus “unseen” – “conscious” versus “unconscious, “ as if the former of each of these was greater than the latter. I now function as a spiritual being having a human experience.

So What Dickinson – Good For You – Zippity Doo Da!
I write none of this to bring attention to me. I write because each and every day I meet people looking for something spiritually. They are so caught up in the here and now, and so tired of it, that they feel completely unfulfilled, lost and wandering. I’ve talked with them, listened to them and cried with them.

You know who you are.

Reiki changed my life.

What is it that will change yours?

Blessings,
Frank

I’ve been all over the board recently with posts here at All About The Energy. That is all fine and good because I have many interests inside and outside of Energy Work. I trust you, as readers, enjoy the variety.

Today post is back to the foundational principle of this blog – the positive power of Reiki.

Within all the varying aspects of my life, I am, at heart, a Kundalini Reiki Master and Teacher. This particular form of energy and Energy Work, drives everything else I do. It has changed my life.

What’s Changed?
My Sight: I have seen the invisible power of Reiki at work in my life, the lives of family members and the lives of complete strangers. The healing I have witnessed has caused me to see the physical world in a different way. We are made up of energy. We are surrounded by energy. The Universe is Energy.

My Spiritual Worldview:  Learning Reiki put me in touch with a new group of folks. Starting with my amazing Teacher, Alice Langholt of Reiki Awakening and my participation in the Distance Healing Network, I saw people actively engaged in the Healing Arts.

Through the power of Twitter I was able to meet other Practitioners and students of such fields as Angel Therapy , Quantum Healing , Qi  Gong , Soul Reading ,  and Massage Therapy. I am thankful to each one of these powerful Healers for helping me to see a much deeper and fulfilling spirituality.

My Being-In-The-World:  The German Philosopher Martin Heidegger used the term “being-in-the-world” to redefine such terms as subject, object, consciousness and world. Because of my training in Reiki, and with a new and open spiritual worldview, I now am a different “being” in the world which I live.

I no longer need qualifying terms like “real” versus “unreal” – “seen” versus “unseen” – “conscious” versus “unconscious, “ as if the former of each of these was greater than the latter. I now function as a spiritual being having a human experience.

So What Dickinson – Good For You – Zippity Doo Da!
I write none of this to bring attention to me. I write because each and every day I meet people looking for something spiritually. They are so caught up in the here and now, and so tired of it, that they feel completely unfulfilled, lost and wandering. I’ve talked with them, listened to them and cried with them.

You know who you are.

Reiki changed my life.

What is it that will change yours?

Blessings,
Frank

I will be on Mind of the Magi show by Dr. Michael Holt on Wednesday, September 30, at 2 pm EST.

You can call in or listen online. You can even listen via iTunes. Visit this page to learn more:

Here’s the description of this particular show:

Weekly show on Natural Medicine, Hypnotherapy, NLP, Nutrition, Fitness with Dr. Michael Holt the founder of the Magi Institute of Natural Medicine and his special guests Pamir Kiciman to discuss Reiki.

Pamir Kiciman is a Soul Whisperer and Life Enrichment educator, and founder of Oasis Reiki. He specializes in Original/Classical Japanese Usui Reiki Training. He has worked in a variety of environments in 15 years of teaching, including time spent at Imperial Point Medical Center in South Florida. Pamir has also conducted Reiki Training at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Nursing. Recently, he was selected as a Featured Voice on Intent.com. Pamir has spent the last 15 years training himself and others in subtle energy, intentional healing, holistic health, meditation, spiritual psychology, nonduality, and world wisdom traditions.

Above all else, Pamir is dedicated to being a catalyst for a transformation by bringing soul and the teachings of Oneness to the forefront in individuals and in society at large. Pamir educates people through various channels, including his own Reiki Help Blog.

Reiki is most popularly known as a hands-on healing art, which it is in one of its applications. Hands-on Reiki is in fact rooted in spiritual discipline, the basis of which is meditation. Usui Sensei taught specific meditations. Similarly, Reiki is known as energy healing, which it does facilitate. What’s often missed, however, is that before energy can exist there first has to be consciousness. It is by participating in this primordial consciousness that Reiki fulfills its true purpose for practitioner and recipient alike.

And, October 15, 2009 is Blog Action Day once again: An annual nonprofit event, it aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

This year’s topic is focused on Climate Change, by unanimous voting.

The Reiki Help Blog has participated for the last two years. In 2008 the topic was poverty and I posted about the availability of clean, potable water to all populations of the world.

In 2007 the topic was the environment and as one of the earlier posts on this blog, I’m quite proud of this entry.

Climate change is not new to this blog. As stewards of our environment and spiritual practitioners, we are the only ones who can really do something about it!

In 15 years of teaching Reiki, time after time it’s practitioners and receivers of Reiki who show and tell the most illuminating aspects of Reiki. Sharing Reiki stories is an amazing learning and validating experience. It deepens this path.

With this in mind, I started the Reiki Stories Project^SM (RSP). I’m curating these stories. This project started back in June with two remarkable stories of Reiki working in human lives.

Then came yet another eye-opening testimonial, this time showing oxygen saturation increasing during Reiki on a hospital monitor. The Reiki Stories Project is open to everyone who has a story to add. You may email it to me or leave it in comments below.

Please make sure you read the previous entries in this series.

Last Friday, a woman I work with was hit by a forklift. The driver spun around very fast & didn’t see my co-worker standing there. The fork lift blades hit her foot and knocked her over. Her shoe strap broke, thank God, so her foot flew out of the shoe. The shoe was stuck under one of the blades and could not be pulled out without lifting up the blades. Needless to say, she limped away from what could’ve been a fatal accident.

All I wanted to do was get my hands on her foot, but there were too many people around her. I gave her Reiki with my eyes. Fortunately, when she returned from the hospital, I heard her in the supervisor’s office. I went in and saw her trying to hold her foot up while filling out paperwork.

I went in, put my hands under her foot to keep it elevated and began giving her Reiki. Then, I moved one hand to the back of her knee for support. I didn’t tell her what I was doing. Her body started to relax and her eyes closed slightly. Then, she said, “Your hands feel so soothing. You know, I should probably do one of those Reiki sessions with you.”

“Hahaha! We are doing one right now (I thought to myself).” Anyway, I haven’t seen her until this morning. I asked how she was doing and she said, with a big smile, “Great!” she said, “Listen, I have to tell you something. I always bruise. Anytime I hit something, I bruise. I’ve been watching and waiting for my foot to turn colors. Remember how swollen it was? My family can’t believe it. No bruise! It’s fine. I can’t believe it.”

–C.C., Miami, Florida