Just as it is not possible for us to know exactly what color another person is actually seeing when they look at a red (for example) Ferrari there is likewise no way of knowing what they are feeling when they experience Reiki. Let me back up a bit…

When we look at the car in the image above we (unless we are colorblind) can easily identify it as being red. That is the name of the color assigned to that particular distribution of light energy and wavelength that our minds are perceiving. However, how do we know that the person standing (or sitting, as the case may be) next to us is seeing the same color as we are. We both call it red, because that is the name assigned to it, but how do we know they are not seeing what our mind perceives as blue? Or any other color for that fact? Obviously, we can’t.

If we ask them, they will say it is red, because that is the color’s name. But how do we know its the same red as we are seeing? Unless we can see through their eyes, with their brain interpreting it for us, there is no way of knowing if we are actually seeing the same color at all.

Now let’s apply that same logic to Reiki. Reiki vibrations are easier for some people to experience than others. Personally, I connect to Reiki by holding my hands over my head with the intent to connect for whatever purposes lay (or is it lie… always getting them confused) before me until I feel that familiar Reiki vibration, or sensation, or Reiki Vibes, if you will. If I am with a group of people, for example at a Reiki Share, and we are all connecting to Reiki in the same way at the same time, how do I know that the Reiki Vibes that I am experiencing are the same as the person next to me? Is it possible? I don’t think so.

One thing that is possible, is that, as may be true with colors, we are all experiencing something completely different, and calling it Reiki… cause that’s its name. Pretty neat, eh?

Okay, so honestly, does this even matter? I think it does, because it might explain some of the negativity that some people experience where Reiki is concerned. Perhaps, the red that one person sees is a hideous color… and they look at a red Ferrari and have to struggle to stifle their gag reflex (whereupon they will almost certainly purchase the black one instead) while the rest of us think it is a beautiful color (well… most of us anyway). Reiki… being the Ferrari of energy healing modalities that it is, might also encounter the occasional perceiver, who finds that energy repulsive.

The bottom line here is that unless we are comparing apples to apples, it is quite difficult to be sure we are on the same wavelengths with people we are discussing Reiki with. It is said that the meaning of communication lies (or is it lays) in the response you get. This means that the perceptions of the listener determine the outcome of the conversation. Likewise, it is the perceptions of the Reiki Receiver that give it meaning. In my post on the fifth Reiki principle I offered the lyrics to a Hank Williams song that stresses the importance of compassion in dealing with other people. The possibility that none of us, on this great Earth, are experiencing the same things, even in regard to simple things like color, really makes you stop and wonder. And I just wanted to share that notion with you…

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

Hey Gang! I’d like to start this post off with an apology for being away so long… I was completely without an Internet connection for 2 weeks and it like to drove me up a wall! Things are back to normal now, at least I hope they really are, and so we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

To that end I’d like to report a very interesting article posted in last week’s Miami Holistic Health Examiner, written by Jed Shlackman, and entitled Beyond Massage – Healing on Deeper Levels with Subtle Energy Healing, Reiki and Energy Therapies that really explained some things in a most clear and understandable way. Here’s the article in its entirely, in case it is relocated, followed by my comments. 

Dr. Gary Schwartz, researcher in consciousness and holistic healing, has conducted landmark research at the University of Arizona, including research sponsored by The National Institutes of Health Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Reports published in journals and described in his book The Energy Healing Experiments: Science Reveals Our Natural Power to Heal , demonstrate that energy healing therapies have shown impressive benefits in experimental research. The benefits of massage and acupuncture have been well documented in medical research, yet many physicians and laypersons are skeptical of therapies that claim to produce an effect without the need for any physical pressure or touch. There are a multitude of studies that show how vibrational energies affect our physiological and psychological states. Thus, therapies that apply vibrational energies would logically tend to show some effect. The vibrational energies can include sound, light, color, electromagnetic frequencies, and the energies that radiate from a healer’s hands.

Energy healing treatments have been shown to support pain relief, to speed up healing and recovery from illnesses and injuries, to lower blood pressure in those with hypertension, to help relieve stress, depression, and anxiety, and even to enhance the health and growth of animals and plants. Energy healing therapies appear to be a valuable and important component of holistic health care and health maintenance. Energy healing treatments are difficult to standardize for research, since each healer is unique in his/her skill of projecting energy and intention for healing purposes, and there is an intuitive element in assessing the energy state of the recipient and guiding the application of energy to restore a healthy, balanced energy flow. At present, it appears unlikely that Western allopathic medicine will provide much acceptance for energy healing therapies, since these approaches are patient-centered rather than disease-focused or standardized according to a diagnosis and prescribed treatment model. Additionally, many energy therapies can be applied by anyone, including laypersons, and would reduce the need for professional physicians and pharmaceutical medicine treatments. This could be seen as a challenge to the economic viability of existing treatment institutions and has already produced resistance from these institutions, even while energy therapies have provided sometimes dramatic benefits to recipients.

Therapies such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, Quantum Touch, Pranic Healing, and other energy healing and spiritual healing techniques can be applied with or without touching the recipient. Those experiencing these treatments often report feelings of warmth, tingling, and other sensations that occur as the energy field radiating from the healer interacts with their own energy system. Experiences of deep relaxation or tension release are also typical of these energy healing therapies. Some people compare these therapies to massage, as massage helps release tension in muscles and other tissues through physical manipulation. Energy healing therapies can be seen as releasing tension on deeper levels of one’s energy system. By using the term "deeper," it is non-physical layers of one’s being that are being referred to. Rather than applying pressure more deeply to the body as in deep tissue massage, energy healers can tune into deeper layers of a person’s energy system and access the layers where emotions, subconscious memories, and thought patterns are held. These layers govern what is being manifested on the physical level, so there are many physical issues that can be healed or alleviated through energy healing therapies.

The part that really caught my attention came right at the end… the lines:

"Rather than applying pressure more deeply to the body as in deep tissue massage, energy healers can tune into deeper layers of a person’s energy system and access the layers where emotions, subconscious memories, and thought patterns are held. These layers govern what is being manifested on the physical level, so there are many physical issues that can be healed or alleviated through energy healing therapies."

are so spot on that I wish I wrote them myself. I’ve always maintained that these layers were not really deeper, just at a different energetic frequency… but the deepness metaphor cuts through quite nicely and is bound to raise less eyebrows. Further, that these layers (whether deeper or at a different frequency) are where emotions, memories and thought patterns are held is quite astute, made more so by the realization that these layers govern what is being manifested on the physical level. Again… spot on!!!

According to Schwartz, a professor of psychology, surgery, medicine, neurology and psychiatry at the University of Arizona and author of The G.O.D. Experiments: How Science Is Discovering God In Everything, Including Us concludes in his work that the human body is a bundle of energy that can be healed by another such bundle of energy. This, in a nutshell is exactly what Reiki is all about.

Elsewhere, Shlackman offers the following:

I first came across Schwartz’ work almost a decade ago in the Living Energy Universe. His subsequent books have been more focused, and the Energy Healing Experiments looks at the research and evidence validating the power of consciousness and intention to guide healing energies. This book provides solid evidence and explores important questions raised by both believers and skeptics. As an energy healer I know what I observe and experience with myself and clients, so I don’t need convincing… but for those who lack the expanded sensory awareness to feel and perceive energy healing it’s useful to have empirical findings and methodically designed experiments that confirm something is happening that can’t be explained in a materialistic manner. Gary Schwartz has done well in collecting this evidence and presenting it within a thoughtful analysis and discussion of its implications. This book is practical and more scientifically-oriented than spiritually oriented even though it does bring up the spiritual and philosophical implications of energy healing. I recommend this for healers who want to have a collection of research that supports their work, as well as the general public and skeptics who wish to carefully consider the evidence regarding this phenomenon.

I haven’t read any of Dr. Schwartz’s books before but i certainly intend to do so and would love to hear from any of you who have, as to your impressions and reactions to his work. Sounds like it might just fill in a few of the gaps that have been causing problems for Reiki for far too long.

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

In a recent discussion on a popular medical board it was stated that "all disease is due to mis-communication of messages between and within cells." This really got me to thinking, and if doctors are discussing such things (as they apparently are, since this was a forum for doctors), then perhaps there really is some hope for a union between medical science and Reiki (not that Reiki has ever had a problem with it, mind you).

If my presuppositions are correct, and all dis-ease is a result of energetic blocks creating imbalances in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy fields, than this fits this theory like a glove. "mis-communication of messages between and within cells", while obviously aimed at the physical mechanisms, can easily be applied to the other areas as well (although we might have to wait for medical professionals to admit that one).

Okay, so if "all disease is due to mis-communication of messages between and within cells." this means that somewhere along the line, communication is being blocked or distorted. Reiki, in its most basic sense is designed to break through energy blocks and clear the channels so that energy can flow smoothly and unhindered.

I have long held that lack of decent communication skills is one of the biggest problems facing mankind today and if Reiki can offer some assistance to that end, that would surely make it a most valuable addition to any repertoire. As I find out more about this I will certainly keep you all posted…

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

While doing some Reiki the other day I had an interesting experience concerning the nature of Reiki energy that certainly merits some discussion. Here’s what happened…

I was connecting to Reiki in my usual way when I knocked a glass over. Let me spell that out for you a bit. Generally when I connect to Reiki I raise both of my hands into the air until I feel the Reiki sensation in my hands. If I want a stronger charge, I keep them up for a longer time until I can feel the Reiki clear down to my wrist (or even my elbow or shoulders if I really need a more powerful connection). So this is what I was doing and as I lifted my hands into the air, my left hand hit a glass on the desk next to me. It didn’t fall, but it wasn’t in a good position and when I reached to replace it I feel the Reiki enter just my right hand (which was already up in the air). I thought that was interesting because I never just used one hand like that before to call or use Reiki.

Part Two of this strange eventful history (as Shakespeare would put it) came after I put my right hand (the Reiki charged one) on my forehead to begin a self-healing session and I put my left hand in the air to connect to Reiki… it still had no Reiki sensation in it. This is where it gets interesting… when I felt the Reiki enter my hand and I brought it down to my forehead I had the sensation that the energy in my left hand was noticeably different than that in my right. Like it was two different Reikis.

I’m pretty good at distinguishing between the subtle differences between the Reiki of various Reiki styles and the different energies created by the different symbols, but this was my first experience with the possibility that there are more than one flavors of Reiki itself. I can always sense the difference between the Reiki going out of my left hand and that going out my right hand (I’ve discussed these masculine/feminine interpretations previously) but this was the first time I felt a difference going in.

Since no one really knows where Reiki comes from or the exact mechanisms by which it works this is one area that has always been a mystery. So the possibility that there are somehow different ‘flavors’ of Reiki really isn’t that much of a stretch. I’ve long suspected that the Reiki attunement allows us contact/communication with the dimension that Reiki energy resides in (which is not one of the 3 or 4 that we are accustomed to dealing with). It has long been held that there is one Reiki, i.e., one energy that we are dealing with. But this incident has left me wondering about that.

Of course more research into this is needed, and I’d love to hear if anyone has any similar experiences to relate. In the meantime, just keep your minds, hearts (and hands) open for something new. As usual, you will all be the first to know if I discover something. So stay tuned…

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

There was an interesting article in this weeks Jamaica Observer that got me to thinking… so I thought I’d offer those thoughts for y’all to offer your own thoughts on. So here goes…

The article I read was entitled Are you out of Balance? by Dr Jacqueline E Campbell and I’ve reprinted it below in case it gets moved. While I don’t agree with everything it has to say, I agree with the basics, especially a few which bear repeating.

First and foremost Reiki tenets dictate that all dis-ease is the result of energetic imbalances. Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances are the root cause of every problem under the sun. Reiki energy is like a centering energy… for example, in the Yin Yang pendulum discussed by Dr. Campbell, if the pendulum swings too far one way (too much plus) then Reiki will pull it back towards center. If the pendulum swings too far the other way (too much minus) then Reiki will likewise pull it back towards center. In this way Reiki restores the equilibrium that causes things to be out of whack <technical term>.

Some claim that Reiki energy is intelligent, and I’m not really sure if this is true. It scientifically equalizes things and intelligence is not necessary in order to do so, if its there then I believe it is just science of a much higher order (like Quantum Physics) and not necessarily some higher intelligence pulling the strings.

On the other hand, our higher conscious minds contain knowledge and intelligence far surpassing that of our conscious minds and Reiki does have a direct link to our higher conscious minds. Therefore, if, for example, our higher conscious minds realize we have a problem with anger, and this problem is not admitted to or even understood by our conscious minds, Reiki energy will follow the intelligence given by our higher conscious minds and healing will be focused accordingly.

Exactly how Reiki works is forever the subject of animated debates, and by no means do I hope to force my own viewpoints on others. I only offer it here as one possible explanation,m although honestly, for those of us who know… no explanation is necessary. Enjoy the article.

Are you out of Balance?

By Dr Jacqueline E Campbell

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Has this ever happened to you? You feel frazzled, have difficulty concentrating, sleeping and “getting your life together”. You feel like a “walking dead”. You have been told that your problems are stress-related, but you are not sure why you are stressed. All the medication that you are taking is not working. Well, it is possible that your problems are a result of unbalanced energies.

I frequently see patients who have symptoms which somehow do not appear to “add up” to a definite diagnosis. Many times they have an imbalance in their energies.

Eastern philosophy is based on the premise that all life occurs within the circle of nature. All things within this matrix are connected. They are mutually dependent on each other. The source of all things is the tao, with complementary aspects: yin and yang. It is the play between yin and yang, which creates ki (chi) energy. Nature is in constant motion. When the elements of nature are in balance, life is harmonic and flourishes. When the balance of polar forces is upset, disaster looms.

The course of our everyday lives requires that we balance the yin(the interior process of nurturing the self) with the yang (the exterior work of the world).

Our activity in the world is necessary for our productivity. As the day draws to a close we retreat from the business of the day to rest, relax and sleep in order to replenish our store of chi for the day that follows.

Modern life is filled with constant, often frenetic activity. We are often so consumed with productivity that we neglect giving time for the self to be replenished. To overexercise, overwork or overparty is to overindulge in yang, which leads to burnout of yin.

The fact is that the body cannot tolerate for long consuming more than is being replaced. Some of the consequences of this imbalance may be problems with the muscles, bones, joints, heart or kidneys; other consequences can be as serious as a heart attack.

On the other hand, to be preoccupied with matters of internal health could mean an overemphasis on the yin phase. An analogy is that of an avid collector who keeps acquiring so many objects that have potential value, that he has no energy to put his hidden treasures to use in a productive manner. So in this case the yin is protected but the yang is without life.

Webster’s New World Dictionary describes balance as “a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equality in amount, weight, value or importance as between two things or the parts of a thing; mental or emotional stability”.

Donna Brown, a Reiki Master / energy practitioner who practises in Jamaica, states that “balance pertains to optimum health within our life cycle. For instance, one cycle can be the career, another home and family”.

The challenge is to balance body, mind and spirit within that life cycle focus. We need to remember that life is not static and our focus changes as we grow.”

We are rarely balanced in everything at the same time. The importance of balance is that it keeps body systems in optimum working order. The body was created for balance.

We need to pay attention to what helps keep us in balance, especially in these times of pollution, high-stress living and immune system breakdown. I recommend a holistic approach for achieving balance.

Spiritual Focus

It is important that we understand and accept the mind-body-spirit connection. We tend to underestimate our individual power to heal. We are composed of trillions of cells which are imprinted with divine intelligence and wisdom. We need to frequently and regularly connect with our divine source through prayer, meditation and quiet contemplation.

Exercise

The following are some practical tips to incorporate regular exercise into a busy schedule.

. Include exercise in daily activities – this includes vigorous housework. Walk vigorously for at least twenty minutes, three times each week; while doing this swing the arms and legs. There are numerous video tapes and television programmes which are made for guiding viewers with specific exercises.

. If one is sitting at a desk for long hours, stretch every couple of hours and walk around every two to four hours. If you have been cooped up in your office, go outside, stand in the sun and inhale fresh air.

. Walk instead of driving.

. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.

Energy Balance

There are a number of universal energy-healing modalities, including Bowen technique, Reiki, Quantum touch and emotional freedom technique (EFT).
Energies can also be balanced through deep breathing exercises, meditation and living simply by uncluttering the mind .

Donna Brown has provided this simple exercise designed to relieve stress:

1. Inhale deeply through the nostrils and exhale through the mouth (as if blowing through a straw)

2. Lightly place the fingertips of both hands on the forehead covering the ” Oh my God” points. Place the thumbs on the temples next to the eyes. Breathe deeply. Relax and remove the hands. Repeat as necessary.

Nutrition

We must not underestimate the importance of good nutrition. This is essential to balance. Food can have a profound effect on the functioning of the body. If you are experiencing prolonged stress, you are at risk of developing heart disease, cancer, infections, gastritis, peptic ulcer disease. Numerous studies have demonstrated that adequate nutrition can help to prevent or minimise the effects of these diseases.
The solution to this problem is to elevate the quality of the food we consume – that means that we need to limit the anti-nutrients in the diet. These include poor quality fats, poor quality white flour, poor quality sugar, poor quality dairy and poor quality meats.

So practically, how can we achieve balance in our lives? This can be done by the use of nutrition, supplements, herbs, physical exercise, magnetic therapy, aromatherapy massage, energy balancing, mental discipline and modification of lifestyle habits.

These forms of therapy can re-establish the rhythmic swing of the Yin-Yang pendulum.

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

Iwould like to take this opportunity to make a slight alteration to my previous reckoning of Reiki as a Spiritual Path to include one of Reiki as a Spiritual Garden. Allow me to explain…

The Reiki Path

I have long held that Reiki is a Spiritual Path. That once being initiated into Reiki you progress along this path towards either Spiritual Enlightenment or Spiritual Liberation… depending on your own Spiritual Philosophy. Other Spiritual Disciplines, such as Yoga and various forms of Shamanism, also adhere to this Spiritual Path metaphor and I’ve always kind of liked it… as no two paths are exactly the same, and there is plenty of room for individuality and creativity along the path of your choosing.

Recently I’ve started to think that the idea of a Reiki Path (or any Spiritual Path) implies that you are actually going somewhere, and this may not necessarily be so, as, spiritually speaking, there is really no place to go, i.e., you are already there (which is one of the great realizations).

The Reiki Garden

The alteration in my reckoning changes the notion from Reiki as a Spiritual Path to one of Reiki as a Spiritual Garden. The idea of a Reiki Garden implies that, since you have already found Reiki, you have already reached your destination… now all you have to do is explore and enjoy. Everything you need is here in your garden already, and there is no need to hurry… take you time and bask in the splendor.

The idea of Reiki as a Spiritual Garden also makes it organic. Gardens are living, breathing, growing entities… each with their own personality and atmosphere. They change with the seasons of our lives, they grow with us and they are places to simply be (as opposed to the idea of a path which suggests some activity or motion may be necessary).

Reiki Discipline

Of course most gardens require care. There are natural gardens (which is how my Aunt refers to the wild outgrowth that is her backyard) which is also acceptable, but I’ve never found them nearly as beautiful, relaxing and enjoyable as those that have been cultivated and cared for with the love, respect and nurturing needed to achieve that splendor.

Reiki, likewise, needs a fair amount of love, respect and nurturing in order to achieve its own degree of splendor. This, in my opinion, equates to the discipline necessary for our own Reiki to grow and evolve.

Of course you are free to choose whichever best fits your current thoughts/feelings… and give it the degree of discipline you are able to. You are also free to change your own reckoning at any time. Not that you needed me to tell you that.

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

Okay, I can say right off the bat that this post might be a bit hard to swallow for some and is sure to ruffle some feathers… but those who have been reading my posts for awhile know that I’m a “tell it like it is” kind of guy, so in my usual no holds barred kind of style… here goes.

The shocking truth about Reiki is that it is not for everyone. It is first and foremost, a spiritual path and not a relaxation technique or hand healing technique as is widely believed. It is indeed a wonderful relaxation technique and it performs hand healing that is second to none, but these are just by products of what Reiki really is and what Reiki really does. Those that limit themselves and their Reiki to hand healing or relaxation are missing the big picture and this is, in all likelihood, due to the fact that most Reiki teachers out there are missing the big picture.

Being a spiritual path Reiki requires discipline in order to achieve the full results that Reiki is able to achieve. Getting an attunement by email or getting Reiki master certification does not make one a Reiki Master. Talking the talk is one thing, but you’ve got to be able to walk the walk, so to speak, and the Reiki walk knows no bounds, so putting it in a box or limiting it in any way is not only doing a terrible injustice to Reiki but to yourselves as well.

It is quite possible that you were led to Reiki for one reason, and one reason alone… it is possible that that reason was to perform hand healing or to help yourself or others relax, but I’d be willing to bet that it is something much more. It has been my experience that those people who have found Reiki (or whom Reiki has found, as the case may be) were at a spiritual crossroads in their life at which they were ready to evolve spiritually and Reiki is certainly a splendid way to do so.

Those of you that are on the Reiki spiritual path know exactly what I’m talking about and those that aren’t will probably argue that it simply isn’t true… and that’s alright, if you are satisfied with your Reiki the way it is, far be it from me to try to convince you otherwise. But if you are entertaining any doubts, and you are ready to take the plunge (so to speak) you may need to seek answers from someone other than your Reiki teacher who may not be of the same opinion.

For those of you who are looking for more, if I might quote Dr. Usui… don’t worry… help is available, and with the wonder of the Internet it is no further away than your keyboard. There are websites, forums and blogs such as this one all over the place with more springing up every day. Find yourself a community you feel comfortable with and see exactly how far you can take your Reiki… or rather, see how far Reiki can take you.

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

During a recent Reiki discussion with a fellow Reiki aficionado here in Japan the subject came up as to what exactly Reiki is. After some deliberation, the conclusion was that there are objective qualities as well as subjective qualities which, depending on which you favor, can drastically alter the definition. I thought I would take a look at that in greater detail today.

The Objectivity of Reiki

Objectivity in Reiki can be likened to the science connected to Reiki (although there is quite a bit of overlap these days between art and science, the science side comes closer to offering an objective basis from which to proceed). The following descriptors for Reiki denote much more of an objective bias:

• Energy
• Conscious
• Aware
• Intelligent
• Balancing
• Supernatural
• Universal
• Intuitive

From this list it should be easy to get a general feel for the main principles underlying an objective, scientific viewpoint of Reiki. The scientific method relies on more quantitative, measurable, dissectable, exact (in terms of black and white) and objective criteria and tend to have a much colder interpretation.

The Subjectivity of Reiki

Subjectivity, as you may have guessed, can more be likened to the art connected to Reiki (although, again I’d like to acknowledge the great degree of overlap). The following descriptors for Reiki denote much more of an subjective bias:

• Wonderful
• Caring
• Loving
• Mysterious
• Spiritual
• Beautiful
• Miraculous
• Divine

As opposed to the objective viewpoint, this perspective is much more qualitative, immeasurable, fuzzy (in terms of shades of gray) and subjective and tend to be much warmer in their interpretation.

The Marriage of Objectivity and Subjectivity in Reiki

The quantum theory has proven instrumental in creating the ability to combine these two perspectives under a unified umbrella that allows for aspects of both subjectivity and objectivity to coexist whereas previously they could not do so without ruffling feathers around the world. The acknowledgment that things <scientific term> can contain aspects of both, harmoniously benefiting both, is relatively new to the Western world (although the Chinese principles of Yin and Yang have accepted it for millennia) but it seems to be catching on.

For more insight into these quantum implications you might want to have a look at The Quantum Nature of Reiki: Towards a Scientific Explanation.

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

In previous posts I’ve talked about Reiki for Teachers, Reiki for Kids, Reiki and the Brain, etc., but today I’d like to put these together and discuss Reiki in specific regard to the education process, especially how Reiki can be used to accelerate and/or augment learning.

Relaxed Brain

Multiple studies prove that a relaxed brain is better for learning. A relaxed brain is like a sponge and absorbs ideas much more readily than a clenched, tight or otherwise stressed one. Basically it just inputs better. Using Reiki to keep the brain stress-free and free of dis-ease is a surefire way to increase its abilities in regard to memory, processing and general awareness.

Reiki is also effective in providing a better night’s sleep, which also, in turn, relaxes the brain (through the secretion of chemicals during sleep) and promotes all of the above mentioned benefits.

Mental Blocks

Another area that Reiki is quite effective in assisting with the learning process is through the breaking of mental blocks that may be impeding learning. Mental blocks are thought processes that get in the way of learning. For example thinking that you can’t learn or do something, that your memory isn’t good enough, that your brain isn’t powerful enough, etc. are all the cause of mental blocks that can be broken with Reiki aimed at them.

Mental blocks can be present (sometimes for many years) before attempting to learn something, or it may develop during the learning process. Either way, Reiki has the ability to break those blocks and prevent new ones from forming by assuring the proper flow of energy through the mental channels, so that fresh energy is continuously brought in and old, tired, wasted, spent energy is removed.

Emotional Blocks

Similar to the breaking of any mental blocks that may be impeding learning, breaking emotional blocks that are gumming up the works is just as vital. These emotional blocks are any negative emotions or feelings that might be getting in the way. Dislike of the subject being studied, the teacher, classmates, the classroom or any other related concern is enough to stop energy from flowing freely and again, Reiki can be quite helpful in breaking through such blocks.

Stress Free Tests

One of the areas where the ability to decrease stress is of the greatest concern is at test time. Relaxing for a test will not only oftentimes improve your score, but also make the ordeal a bit more enjoyable, so that the build up of stress before any test is avoided.

Eliminating stress from the education equation is probably the best thing Reiki can do for the education process and the education system in this (and many countries) can surely use the help. Breaking through stubborn blocks that are preventing effective learning from taking place is beneficial no matter what subject is being learned and can go a long way towards improving motivation and decreasing the bad attitudes that are making learning a somewhat less than enjoyable activity.

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

In Chinese Metaphysics, centuries of study have identified 5 stages of Ki, these are Wang Ki, Sheng Ki, Tui Ki, Si Ki and Sha Ki. Although cultural differences between Japanese and Chinese systems abound, generally speaking many Japanese beliefs made their way to Japan through China. Once they hit Japan they are altered, sometimes to such an extent that the original form is hardly recognizable. Japanese Buddhism is as different from Chinese Buddhism as Kung Fu is from Karate, but it takes a knowledge of at least one of them to notice and/or appreciate the difference.

5 Stages of Ki

Wang Ki, or Prosperous Ki, is the most energetic, vibrant and powerful form of Ki. It strengthens, nurtures and accelerates the quality of all it interacts with.

Sheng Ki, or Growing Ki, is life generating and healing. It balances and stabilizes the quality of energy it comes into contact with.

Tui Ki, or Retreating Ki, is Ki that is weak, old, and beginning to lose its strength. It has a tendency to weaken all it comes into contact with.

Si Ki, or Dead Ki, is, as the name indicates, completely dead. It upsets the balance of otherwise healthy systems and obstructs the flow of healthy Ki.

Sha Ki, or Killing Ki, is destructive, harmful, violent and potentially fatal. It can be quite damaging on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels.

5 Stages of Ki in Reiki

OK, so what’s all this got to do with Reiki? Well, generally speaking, when we talk about Ki in Reiki, we treat it as if there is only one classification of Ki. I believe that with a deeper understanding of these Chinese stages of Ki, as an organic form in and of itself, we can derive a deeper understanding of how Reiki does its thing… and improve on its effectiveness at the same time.

From the stages outlined above, we see that Ki has a type of life cycle. In its birth it can be quite powerful, or destructive, and as it loses its vitality it can get weak and can becomes quite toxic by doing so. In that disease, whether physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, is generally the result of energetic imbalances or blockages, i.e., Si Ki or perhaps Tui Ki which has not been flushed from the system, Reiki’s interaction with those energies balances them and the systems they belong to.

Some disease, like Cancer, is more likely attributable to Sha Ki having found its way into a vulnerable system. While presenting a worthy adversary, even Sha Ki is merely energy, as is Reiki, and with persistence and determination can be transmuted into Ki of a much less harmful amd destructive nature. Continued Reiki will dissolve and eliminate it altogether as will be discussed sometime in the future when I am ready to address the issue of Cancer in greater detail.

I’m no expert in Chinese Metaphysics by any means, its just something I’ve recently come across that I believe holds some potential for adding something of benefit to the wonderful world of Reiki. Any arguments?

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