Received an interesting email this morning about one aspect of Reiki Training that isn’t discussed very often that I thought I’d share my response with you.

The question was: How do you give Reiki to someone who doesn’t want it, doesn’t believe in it, or doesn’t trust it?

Basically I would answer… you don’t!  But this isn’t entirely accurate. So let me explain how I handle this type of situation.

First of all I will try to make sure they understand exactly what Reiki is, i.e., a non-intrusive energy that helps to balance out energetic imbalances in the human energy field(s). Some people understand things better on a scientific level, others on a practical level and others on an intuitive level. I find most of those that understand things on an intuitive level are generally more conducive to the idea of Reiki, so they usually don’t need any coaxing.

For people that don’t respond to an explanation of the benefits of Reiki delivered in a way most suited to their understanding (which varies greatly from case to case) another tactic is needed. In their defense, I believe that most people really don’t know what they want or what’s best for them, especially in times of turmoil… which is when they need Reiki the most. Many people live for instant gratification… the NOW generation, and anything else doesn’t even appear on their radar. Others only believe in things they can actually touch… anything else just isn’t real. So there really is no rhyme or reason as to what people want, what they believe and/or what is good for them. And when this is being coupled with some kind of energetic imbalance… the mental faculties are even less dependable than usual.

Luckily, men (and women) were created with a mechanism in place that takes care of this. It is called the subconscious mind. Without it, those people who can’t actually touch the air would’ve probably stopped breathing a long time ago. So when I run across a reluctant case, I direct the Reiki to their subconscious mind, and let it decide what to do with it.

The subconscious mind has access to a great deal that the conscious mind never will. Besides being a vast repository of memories, it also has the ability to communicate with other subconscious minds. So I basically just direct my subconscious mind to communicate with the subconscious mind of the receiver and let them sort things out. 99% of the time I then can feel the Reiki flowing, which indicates that it was, after all, received.

There have been a few occasions where I felt, for one reason or another, the Reiki was not flowing and it was not being received. Why it would be blocked is a mystery… although I’m sure there are some legitimate reasons, as the subconscious mind does not make decisions on impulse…. as does its conscious counterpart.

At any rate… there you have it… make of it what you will and please do tell if you have any alternative suggestions.

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

Have you ever noticed how some of the littlest things in life make such a big difference? On the surface I believe Reiki to be one of those little things. Of course, deep down we soon come to realize that its much, much more… but for most of us it began as something so small… almost an afterthought of something that someone mentioned during the day that we just shrugged off as more of that new age mumbo jumbo. Again, for many of us, that initial understanding, or simple introduction, festered until we just had to do something about it.. and then… oh boy… it was almost as if we were given a new lease on life… I mean, think of the possibilities! Endless miracles in the palm of your hand…

The golden gate to Reiki lies in the promises made by its healing potential. That’s usually the hook that brings newcomers to Reiki Shares and the more introverted ones directly to a private class with a Reiki Master. Whether healing ourselves, healing others, or even healing at a distance, the healing part is fascination embodied. An understanding of how it works is not necessary… just like an understanding of the mechanics involved in a combustion engine is not necessary to drive a car. It works and it doesn’t need gas… that’s all the information I need.

Reiki energy is also unfathomable in its mechanisms, but it works (and it doesn’t need gas) and that’s good enough for me. As we delve deeper into the mysteries of Reiki, one of the first areas of interest is Reiki energy. It so fun to play with and exercise, that we don’t need a book to tell us how powerful or how special it is.

Spiritually speaking, when Reiki comes to most of us, we are not really looking for a new spiritual discipline. For many, that never really even enters into it. But for quite a few its almost like a calling. Something familiar, yet so strange. Something amazing, yet so ordinary. And before we know it we are namaste-ing all over the place (at least in the countries where it is legal).

In these three areas of healing, energy and spirituality there is something for everyone, and room enough to grow our own Reiki practices into something special and unique. Practicing Reiki truly does give us a new lease on life… and there is very little else that compares (except perhaps the receipt of a Reiki treatment from someone else).

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

This post is mainly directed towards the Reiki teachers out there, but can equally applied to dedicated Reiki Practitioners at any level as well. In that we are gearing up for a little mini-challenge here, there is a bit of the challenging spirit in the air, and it would be of great benefit to make sure those energies are pointing in the right direction… whichever direction may be most personally beneficial to you.

The idea of a challenge, whether conducted by yourself or by others, like testing in school, is to motivate you to stretch just a little bit more than you would otherwise. In Reiki this stretching can be done in many different ways, depending on exactly which Reiki muscles you’d like to stretch. Stretching yourself to learn more, to practice more, to meditate more, to teach more, to do more hands on or distance healing, to become more familiar with the subtle Reiki energies, etc. are all ways in which one might wish to extend or expand or evolve their Reiki abilities.

As Reiki teachers it should be part of what we do to challenge our students to improve their Reiki. Whether being directly challenged, tested, dared, cajoled, or any other type of motivational stimulus. A little bit really does go a long way.

Personally, I have never had such motivation from my own Reiki teachers. In Japan, the teachers expect you to fend for yourself and the idea of actually helping their students to improve is simply not part of the job requirement. There is an old Japanese proverb something to the effect of the student needing to steal techniques from his (or her) master if he (or she) wishes to improve. This goes for grade school as well as Reiki and, for many possible reasons, this sort of thing is simply not part of the curriculum. Therefore, the only challenges I have had are the ones I have given myself. They are also the way by which I have learned the most.

So I would encourage you to challenge yourself and others to be the best they can be, to constantly strive for improvement, to go for the gold ring… the rewards are simply too good to pass up.

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

A few folks have asked me about the 21 Day Cleanse when one is attuned to Reiki and while I’ve never experienced it, I know many people who have so I thought I’d take a moment to address it here.

Theory has it that when the Reiki energy is introduced to your energy system it must travel through the 7 main Chakras until it is assimilated. For some people this assimilation is instantaneous, and for others it takes a bit longer, all depending on your energetic constitution.

Most of my students have shown few symptoms that can be attributed to this phenomena, but a few have reacted quite severely, one in particular who actually spent the night in the hospital for observation of strange spots that appeared on her skin the evening of the attunement and had vanished by morning, leaving the doctor completely baffled.

Some people’s energetic systems are more permeable than others, that is to say that they vary in the degree in which they allow foreign energies to enter without incident. I haven’t been able to find any correlation between energetic sensitivity later on or the energetic quality of the Reiki in relation to this cleansing cycle, but it is certainly very interesting and something that merits further observation.

Anyone else have any experiences with this?

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

After my recent post on Reiki Weddings what more appropriate way is there to follow it up than with a Reiki Honeymoon? Too bad the type of honeymoon I have in mind refers to the honeymoon phase of your Reiki training and not the Romantic Reiki y’all were no doubt hoping for stumbling over each other to get a good seat for the reading… I’ll do that one some day, though… I promise….

The Honeymoon Phase of your Reiki training refers to that initial bubbly feeling that you had when you first started. Remember the first time you heard about Dr. Usui stubbing his toe? Your first attunement when you had no idea what to expect? Your initial exposure to the sheer awesomeness of the Reiki symbols? Do you remember how it felt giving your first Reiki treatment? How about receiving your first? For many Reiki practitioners this was not such a long time ago and these experiences are fresh and may still retain that initial excitement. For many of us though, it has long worn off and news of miraculous healings is run of the mill. Well, today I’d like to talk about that initial phase and offer some suggestions for making it last as long as possible, as well as some ideas for rekindling that initial excitement for those of you in whom it may have worn off.

The psychology of the honeymoon phase, can, of course, apply to many more things than just a honeymoon. All things that are new go through this stage… new houses, new cars, new schools, new jobs, and new hobbies of all shapes and sizes. The honeymoon phase in one’s marriage can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. In the extreme some have claimed it lasted a few decades… and I’m sure there are those for which it barely lasted a few hours. Here’s what Country & Western Music Legend Roy Clark had to say about it…

Honeymoon Feeling

I still get that honeymoon feeling
After all these years my heart goes reeling
Every time you touch me it’s the living end
I still get that honeymoon feeling
I can still hear those wedding bells ringing
Every time we love I get that honeymoon feeling again.

It seems like only yesterday you walked into my life
And answered all my prayers and made my dreams come true
And even though it’s been some time since I made you my wife
Every day I find I’m even more in love with you.

I still get that honeymoon feeling
After all these years my heart goes reeling.
Every time you touch me it’s the living end
I still get that honeymoon feeling
I can still hear those wedding bells ringing
Every time we love I get that honeymoon feeling again.

I’m thankful that I wake up with an angel by my side
You make my world a better place to be
And though were far from newlyweds you’re still my brushing bride
But most of all I’m glad you show just how much you need me.

I still get that honeymoon feeling
After all these years my heart goes reeling
Every time you touch me it’s the living end
I still get that honeymoon feeling
I can still hear those wedding bells ringing
Every time we love I get that honeymoon feeling again.

I still get that honeymoon feeling
After all these years my heart goes reeling
Every time you touch me it’s the living end
I still get that honeymoon feeling
I can still hear those wedding bells ringing
Every time we love I get that honeymoon feeling again…

Finding your Prince (or Princess) Charming and spending your time together surrounded by complete bliss and happiness where the days pass like minutes and the utter perfection you have found seems like a dream. Then one day you wake to the realization that this angel who you have contracted to spend eternity with is… of all things… human!!! Egads!!! Talk about a balloon being deflated! That cute little laugh starts to grate on you, that beauty not only takes your breath away, but every other guy (or gal) you see her (or him) talking to, dishes start to pile up in the sink, the grass hasn’t been mowed in weeks, one of you keeps dropping the TV remote behind the couch, the phone NEVER stops ringing, and slowly, but surely,… reality sets in!

Applying the above scenario to your Reiki practice shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. In the beginning it is completely unbelievable, with limitless potential. Healing with just your hands… who’d've thunk it? Not only physically… but mentally, emotionally and spiritually, too! Amazing! Then perhaps one day you wake to find that it isn’t working as quickly as you anticipated, or you need to actually meditate and do energy exercises in order to boost your abilities in those regards, or you read some article by a nay-sayer who can prove scientifically that it is impossible, or friends roll their eyes when you tell them about it, or you hear about someone selling the same thing you got on eBay… and once again… reality sets in.

Of course, the best way to prolong the initial sense of wonder is to expect the change. Look for any sign of it with the alertness of a cat waiting for the mouse to peek out of the mouse hole. At the first sign of something or someone’s attempt to take the sparkle out of your diamond… dispel it. Say in a very strong and very loud voice (to yourself of course) “You are not going to rain on my parade!” And scoff at their ignorance and jealousy for not having achieved the same level of satisfaction with the universe. In other words, don’t let anyone take this away from you, there is no reason to lose that glow unless you allow it. Simply don’t allow it!

For those of you who have already lost that internal bling, I have two easy solutions. The first is cultivating Zen approach to Reiki. In my post on Reiki Eyes I offered the following:

The Eyes of a Child

In his wonderful book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, Shunryu Suzuki introduces the concept of looking at the world through the eyes of a child (check out our Reiki Book Reviews for more information). Compare your reaction to the first time you played in the snow or bit into a luscious red apple to the way you currently (in all likelihood) take them for granted. So many wonderful things are happening around us all the time, but we are so used to them that we hardly bat an eyelash. When one cultivates the ability to look at the world through the eyes of a child it becomes an automatic reaction and you begin to examine everything you encounter as if its the first time. A similar thing happens when you are exposed to Reiki, and through cultivation of this ability you begin to look at the things happening around your through your new Reiki Eyes.

In order to think about Reiki with that initial feeling of awe you need to empty your mind of everything you know about Reiki. Not the facts, just the feelings. Don’t expect that it will always be the same. Don’t anticipate reactions from other people. Don’t rely on your filters to perceive, see it as it is with no filters. With practice this will become second nature, not only with Reiki, but with everythign in your life and it will make life much more exciting.

The second suggestion I have is, in marriage terms, refered to as a Second Honeymoon. This can be accomplished most easily either by Learning A New Reiki Style or teaching Reiki to a complete beginner and making it a point to experience what they are feeling. Ask questions, be curious, don’t think you know all the answers. Experiencing Reiki anew through the eyes of a beginner or through the eyes of an experienced Reiki master of another style is a wonderful experience, and who news, with a little bit of effort you might just be able to get your second honeymoon phase to last for the rest of your life!

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

Imagine Reiki were a person. What would that person be like? What would that person look like? What character traits, personality, quirks, charms, demeanor would that person possess? If you put a face to Reiki, who’s face would it be? Dr. Usui’s? Quan Yin’s? Your teacher’s? Mine? Yours? Studies in psychology show that personifying things makes them more real, more alive, more vibrant and understandable. Let’s take a moment to apply this concept to Reiki.

Personification means giving human characteristics (qualities, feelings, action, or traits) to non-human objects (things, colors, qualities, or ideas). We often hear descriptions of Reiki including such adjectives as compassionate, intelligent, warm, all-knowing, caring, etc., which give quite the human touch to Reiki, and this is exactly how it is personified. How would you describe it?

I remember Old Bessie. When I was young we had this old clunker of a station wagon that seemed to be forever on its last legs. We only used it for errands around town travel, taking the boat to the lake, teaching us kids to drive, and stuff like that. But Old Bessie, as she was affectionately called, had a personality of her own and just wouldn’t quit. Every time we took her out we wondered if it were her final drive, but that old gal had some spunk in her. She coughed and gasped but she never let us down.

Ask B.B. King about Lucille and you’d swear he was talking about a woman. Ask any fishermen about their boats. Bikers about their rides. Skateboarders about their wheels. Firemen about fire. And of course lets not forget John Henry’s hammer. What kind of things have you personified over the years and what extra dimension did that add to whatever it is you were personifying?

When you first allowed Reiki into your life, was it a what or a who that you are letting in? As you became more familiar with the Reiki energies did this change at all. When you think about Reiki now, is it merely an energy field or have you built it in to something more in your mind. Did you know that the more you actually do build it in to something more in your mind the more energy you are putting into transforming Reiki into that which you are instilling into it? You are actually manifesting a Reiki that is much more than it was when you originally got a hold of it.

Now imagine that millions of Reiki practitioners around the world are doing exactly the same thing, and that what they are manifesting is connected to what you are manifesting. Get the picture? When we talk about the evolution of Reiki, or its organic nature, we are not only talking about he scientific development of the ability to manipulate the Reiki energies… there is much more to it… and the only limit to what it will be come is the limits of our imagination.

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

My old trusty dog eared dictionary defines clairvoyance as “the supposed power to see objects or events that can’t be perceived by the senses.” Since Reiki teachers the ability to sense energies that can’t be normally sensed, does that make us, as Reiki Practitioners clairvoyant? These are the kinds of questions that keep me awake at night… luckily I have a very short attention span so I don’t stay awake for very long.

Clairvoyance is generally broken down into 5 different types: Clairsentience (feeling/touching), Clairaudience (hearing/listening), Clairalience (smelling), Claircognizance (knowing) and Clairgustance (tasting). The two that are of interest to us as Reiki practitioners are Clairsentience and Claircognizance and perhaps the more we know about these two types of Clairvoyance the more we might be able to put that knowledge to good use.

Reiki Practices such as Byosen Scanning fall under the category of Clairsentience where one is able to sense (generally with the hands) the energies in another persons auric field. As we learn to sense the Reiki energies, hibiki and the subtle differences between the different Reiki symbols, we cultivate this sense and can eventually use it as well as our other senses.

Reiki Practices such as Reiji fall under the category of Claircognizance where one is able to move their hands directly to an energetic imbalance without understanding exactly how we know to move them there.

Through the practice of Reiki you can develop these abilities if you care to. If for some reason you feel that they have negative connotations, just ignore them and ignore whatever people say about them. I find tinkering with them quite enjoyable and although unexplainable by practical scientific standards there is a lot that we don’t understand and I’ve always been interested in finding out as much as I can about things as intriguing as this.

Clairvoyance itself has received a bad reputation over the years due to the number of impostors and charlatans using it just to make a quick buck, but I am personally of the opinion that we are each born with all of these abilities and they are programed out of us as we grow older. Spiritual awakenings and spiritual practices such as Reiki meditation can restore them and continued practice can extend them to very high degrees. For me, this explains a great deal about education, instincts and certain innate talents… and make a spiritual pursuit such as Reiki all the more compelling.

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

Reiki – What It All Be Like (that’s us) is excited to announce the 30 Day Reiki Challenge, designed to bring your Reiki to the next highest level… regardless of where you are currently at. For each of the 30 Days of the challenge, you will be given an assignment that will propel your Reiki higher and higher (don’t worry… nothing too difficult)… so buckle up and tell your Reiki friends and get ready for an exciting ride that will bring your Reiki to a whole new level of enjoyment, excitement and power!!!

First off… this challenge has nothing to do with the traditional Reiki Levels. Rather it is about your personal Reiki ability. The challenge is against yourself to reach new heights in your Reiki capabilities in all of the major areas of Reiki.

Do you accept the challenge?

30 Reiki Challenge Schedule

Week 1 is all about determining your current levels as far as the Three Pillars of Reiki are concerned. What level is your healing ability and practice at? What level is your ability to discern Reiki energies? Where are you spiritually? Week 1 is designed to answer to those questions so that you can begin to make a map of where you are going. Of course, in order to use that map you need to know where you are and your destination is. In Week 1 training, you will find out just that!

Week 2 is mainly geared towards growth in your Reiki healing ability no matter what level you are currently at, if you follow the assignments that accompany each day’s lesson you will experience noticeable improvements in your ability to perform Reiki healing.

Week 3 is mainly geared towards growth in your mastery over Reiki energy. Develop new skills as you reach new heights in energy awareness and manipulation that will directly applied to the abilities developed in Week 1 to bring your Reiki healing ability to and even higher level.

Week 4 is mainly geared towards Reiki Spirituality and, again, no matter what level you are currently at, you will understand exactly what is needed to reach the next rung of the ladder… should you have the discipline to do so.

30 Day Reiki Challenge Kick Off

The 30 Day Reiki Challenge officially kicks off on Monday, August 25th… so take your phone off the hook, program the TiVo, charge up your iPhones and wind your watches because you won’t want to be bothered with such trivialities once you get rolling!

Over the next few days we will give you a chance to get physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually ready for what may prove to be the best thing that has ever happened to your Reiki practice and is surely destined to become a Reiki classic!!!

Results are guaranteed or your money back!! And since its FREE you have absolutely nothing to lose… except under-performing Reiki abilities!!!

So spread the word… tell your Reiki friends and even tell the ones that aren’t (they’ll surely appreciate it) because this is one event that is definitely NOT to be missed!!!

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

In my post on Reiki’s Byosen Scanning I discussed the process of scanning for energy vibrations, and in response to several questions on this I’d like to take a quick look at an Advanced Reiki analysis of the sensations felt in the scanning itself… so, here goes…

Byosen is refers to an energy disturbance caused by the negative vibration emitted by a diseased part of the body. With practice, you can detect these energetic disturbances by passing your hand over the diseased area, in which case your hands will vibrate, tingle or buzz depending on the nature and intensity of the affliction. This sensation felt in your hands is referred to as Hibiki.

Different styles of Reiki divide up the different types of Byosen and Hibiki differently ranging from barely perceptible sensations to acute pain in the hands of the Reiki practitioner. In this post I’d like to look at one variation of these different degrees of Hibiki.

1st Degree Hibiki is rarely more than a very warm feeling in the palms or fingertips of the Reiki practitioner. This is the first indication that a problem is coming and, generally speaking, if you can catch an affliction at this stage it can be dealt with quite easily and will not progress to the higher, more problematic stages. Some more serious injuries, if they are caught immediately after they occur (like Dr. Usui’s toe stubbing metaphor) can be nipped in the bud, so to speak, so that even the ripping off of a toenail, if dealt with immediately can be instantly (miraculously?) healed.

2nd Degree Hibiki is usually experienced as much greater warmth. The fingertips or palms getting VERY hot indicates that there is a more serious problem in its developmental stages, and again, these can be dealt with rather quickly if caught early enough. 2nd Degree Hibiki is of greater concern than 1st Degree Hibiki and as the stages increase so too does the level of severity or concern.

3rd Degree Hibiki is where the vibrating, tingling or buzzing begins and different Reiki practitioners can sense the same disease differently. This is why its important to constantly practice or test in order to be able to distinguish between the levels. Other peoples sensations should never be taken as anything more than a report of their own perceptions… not yours.

4th Degree Hibiki is, in my experience, where Reiki actually takes over. Instead of just detecting the Byosen, Reiki actually starts flowing, so the experience of a higher intensity of vibrating, tingling or buzzing is joined by your own perception of what it feels like when Reiki is flowing.

5th Degree Hibiki is also experienced differently by different people. In one case while treating a cancer patient the pain I experienced shot all the way up to my shoulder, causing me great alarm as I knew that this was a rather severe life threatening situation.

This is the Hana Reiki breakdown of Hibiki, it may have been explained to you differently by your own teacher as different styles approach it in different ways. As usual, I encourage you to experiment with it and determine your own easily discernible levels and use that as a starting point for developing your own Reiki treatment style.

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

This is another Advanced Hana Reiki Original exercise for you to try out should you wish. I call it the Reiki Bridge Meditation.

Reiki connects us to the unknown. There is a source of Reiki energy out there someplace (or perhaps it is really inside… who knows) and this meditation is an attempt to connect to the source, where, upon arrival, one may partake in any number of activities. This meditation can be used as a stand alone Reiki meditation, or as the meditational component of Hatsurei-ho… both have their benefits.

To do this exercise, enter your meditation in any way that you find effective. See my post on Reiki & Meditation for some tips in this respect. Once your mind is sufficiently calmed and the inner voice(s) silenced (or at least temporarily stifled) visualize a bridge extending into the distance where you can’t see the other side (perhaps it is obscured in darkness or light or clouds like in the photo or maybe it is just a really long bridge that just fades out of sight). Once you are clearly focused, direct all your Reiki energies along this bridge and as it spans further across, when you are ready, you will eventually feel it connect to the source.

Once you are connected to the source of Reiki energies, you can just absorb the incoming energies, play with it (try to compare it to other energies, test the symbols, etc.), use it for relaxing/centering/focusing, attempt to communicate with it (ask it questions about Reiki, the Reiki energy, your higher self, etc.) draw larger amounts of Reiki in to grow your Reiki channels, use it to connect to other Reiki Practitioners (teachers, students, Usui Sensei, etc.) or just be aware of the connection and attempt to see what it is communicating to you.

The more you practice this Reiki meditation, the easier it will be, the stronger it will feel and the quicker you will be able to connect. After you have gained some proficiency, connect during a Reiki healing session and compare the resulting energy to that Reiki energy when you are not unconnected. Reiki Masters can also connect during attunements to bring a clearer, stronger energy into the student’s auric system. Please let me know if you find any other practices helpful using this meditation or any variations thereof.

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