The Techniques

What is Reiki?

Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a technique for healing and meditation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life.

The word "Rei" means "spiritual wisdom."

The word "Ki" means "life force energy."

Reiki, then, can be called spiritually guided life force energy.

It is "hands on" healing, whereby a Reiki practitioner allows the life force to pass through the hands directly to the person in need of healing. It has its own wisdom and goes directly to what needs healing. The person who transmits the Reiki energy does not control the healing effect.

Hospitals across America are recognizing the benefits of Reiki training and some states offer education credits for nurses learning the techniques.

But it is not limited to people in the health professions. Anyone can learn Reiki and anyone can receive Reiki treatments.

Reiki healing capacity is within every human being and only awaits "attunement" from a Reiki Master to those willing to learn Reiki.

There commonly are three levels of Reiki:

• Reiki I, whereby the practitioner can heal self and others.

• Reiki II, which adds long-distance healing and other techniques.

   

• Reiki III, the Reiki Master level, whereby attunements may be passed on to others.

Different Reiki teachers modify the teachings somewhat, but they all derive from the Reiki technique discovered by Mr. Mikao Usui in 19th century Japan.

It is said that the symbols used in healing came to him during a 21-day meditation on Mt. Kurama where he received his early Buddhist training.

There is some dispute over whether Mr. Usui was a Christian or a Buddhist. It is said that he was trying to discover the "hands on" healing power Christ used. Symbols associated with Reiki can be traced back to several hundred years before Christ's birth.

Parallels exist between the Kurama-Koyo Buddists' symbols and philosophy and Reiki.

Reiki was brought to Hawaii by Mrs. Hawayo Takata, a student of Chujiro Hayashi, in 1937.

She established several clinics and became associated with the teaching of Reiki in the West.

Reiki was kept as a closely-guarded technique until the mid-1980s, not only because it was not well known, but the fees for the master level of training were quite high. For example, it is said that Mrs. Takata didn't begin initiating Reiki Masters (who are able to teach others) until 1970 and she charged $10,000.

Iris Ishikura, one of Mrs. Takata's Reiki Masters, began charging a more reasonable fee and her Reiki Masters charged less as well, making it more available to more people here in the West.

Various Reiki practitioners have come to believe that the healing power should be shared with minimal cost, usually only to defer the cost of training or fair compensation. Reiki Master Diane Stein in her book, "Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art" explains: "In this time of change and crisis for people and the planet, healing is too desperately needed for it to be kept secret or exclusive any longer."

Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion.

Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion.

The Reiki power is sacred and should be treated with respect. But it can only be used for good.

As Stein explains it, the healing power of Reiki "can be described in any way the healer chooses to name it. I call it Goddess.

"Other terms might be God, the Higher Self, the First Source, the Universe, or whatever can be termed primary creation or life energy.

"A Reiki attunement connects the receiver in an increased way to its limitless source. Upon receiving the first attunement in Reiki I, the receiver becomes a channel for this universal healing energy. From the time of the attunement and through the rest of her life, all she needs to do to connect with healing Ki is to place her hands upon herself or someone else and it will flow through her automatically. . . . .

"In the few short minutes of the attunement process, the receiver of Reiki energy is given a gift that forever changes her life in every positive way. The process of attunement or initiation is what sets Reiki apart from every other form of laying on of hands or touch healing. The attunement is not a healing session, it creates the healer. It is the attunements themselves that are Reiki, and without this process -- which must be passed directly from Teacher/Master to student -- the healing system is not Reiki but something else."

Although Reiki is often used by medical professionals, it is not a standard medical practice and should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment.

Anyone using Reiki -- or any vibrational medicine technique -- should do so only under the supervision of a medical professional.

The International Center for Reiki Training is a clearinghouse of information and training in the ancient healing art of Reiki. See the Center's Web page for more information, classes, books and materials: http://www.reiki.org (or write: 21421 Hilltop #28, Southfield, MI 48034).

Also, see: "Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art" by Diane Stein (The Crossing Press Inc.; Freedom, CA; 1995), a "must" guide for understanding this universal energy and its applications in healing others, the Earth, ourselves.

What is Shamanic Healing?

Shamanic Healing uses a natural, non-drug induced, altered state of consciousness brought on by rhythmic percussion and ritual to facilitate health in self and others.

Shamanic Healing can help with:

Depression
Feeling Fragmented
Dealing with Losses
Chronic Pain or Illness
Personal Empowerment
Childhood/Past Traumas
Recovering from Accidents

Shamanic practice can also help with: distance healing, healing of the Earth, blessing homes, crops and businesses, accessing the spirits of a place, helping souls enter the Afterlife, divination, finding life purpose, recovering lost objects, recovering stolen souls, spirit depossession.

Can one practitioner do all this?

A practitioner, or "healer," who has had adequate training can perform these tasks with varying degrees of success. Even in tribal cultures, individuals who do this work possess greater abilities in one area over another.

Does this technique actually heal?

First one must consider the nature of "dis-ease." In the shamanistic way of viewing the world, this can come about through:

1. Loss of a person's guardian spirit (loss of "luck," protection from unfortunate events, illness).

    

2. Suffering a spiritual intrusion (energy is drained, diverted or blocked; depression, anger or a physical ailment can be the result of a spiritual intrusion).

    

3. Soul loss: loss of life force (feeling apart from life, depression/suicidal, addiction; post-traumatic syndrome; excessive grief/mourning).

It is important to note the difference between "curing" and "healing."

Healing is bringing back into spiritual harmony/balance. But unless someone changes the relationships that caused the dis-ease, the person will not be "cured."

We often "hold on" to the situations that cause loss of personal power because they are our patterns of life. Though painful, they are our "cross to bear" in life. At least, that's what we perceive our lives to be either through family expectations, education, background, cultural beliefs, or other factors. A healer can perform the rituals that "work" to restore human health and vitality, as tribal cultures have done for some 40,000 years, but it's up to the individual to maintain health or accept the energy that's given back in a meaningful way.

An example: Consider a child who is an incest survivor. A piece of that child's soul may be lost to "block out" the pain. Over the years, the individual feels that loss, though doesn't know why, and it's reflected in day-to-day living as a loss of vitality, a sense of meaninglessness in life or is expressed in non-productive behaviors.

The healer can often retrieve that soul piece. It can bring back the dreamer, the lost innocence, the joy that child lost through that traumatic event. But, it is up to the adult to allow room for that soul piece in his/her life to find expression so it won't be lost again. (By the way, soul loss can occur at any time, at any age, through any event or trauma -- from auto accidents, divorce, business failures, as well as early childhood or adolescent events.)

How does this "healing" differ from medical practice? Such healers are usually not a medical doctor, although many members of the healing professions are studying shamanic practices and/or traditional healing methods to incorporate into their practices. In the above example, the modern Western medical model (if its effects were deemed profound enough, e.g. resulting in chemical dependency, clinical depression, etc.) would be to offer psychotherapy and/or prescription drugs to deal with the trauma and its effects. These techniques can act as a less intrusive way to help the individual heal his/her own wounds or aid in modern medical practice.

Is Shamanic Healing sacrilegious?

Hardly. Healers using these techniques have various religious backgrounds. Many follow Native American teachings or hold Celtic beliefs; some of the the most fundamental truths are found in Tibetan Buddhism. Shamanic practices are found today in Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, Indonesia, Siberia, the South Pacific, the Arctic Circle . . . blending with the world's religions through time.

There is nothing sinister or anti-religious about this practice. Most Christian churches in America today circulate prayer lists or form prayer circles for those in need. You could call shamanic practice "visualized prayer."

What is the scientific basis (if any) of Shamanistic Healing?

These techniques involve the body/mind in ways that are only now being discovered by cutting edge-science, blending physics and biochemistry.

Matter (now described as slowed down or "frozen light") and energy are now known to be interchangeable and interconvertible.

The "energy" of the life force, the vital, animating spirit present in all living things has been recognized by cultures around the world throughout history by such names as chi, ki, prana, ka, orenda, etc.

This life force creates the conscious entity that uses the body/mind, its electrical neurotransmitters, chemical secretions, vibrations and frequencies that can be measured in the laboratory.

The "field concept" that all energy systems (including healthy and dis-eased ones) create differently charged particles and the holographic principle that every piece contains the whole, suggests that each organism contains a DNA roadmap for cellular repair.

These techniques use ancient methods to access the hidden, subconscious realm of healing and repair that have yet to be fully explained scientifically.

But, the most basic questions that science asks of any activity is: Does is work, how and why?

Those who have benefited from these healing techniques may have differing reasons on how and why, but they can attest that it does work.

Now is a time of change and crisis for people and the planet.

As seekers of light and knowledge, we use the tools given by the Creator -- and can explain them to our own satisfaction later.

For more information, about classes, books, background, check out the website of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies: http://www.shamanism.org (or write: P.O. Box 1939, Mill Valley, Calif. 94942).

Also, see Sandra Ingerman's book "Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self" (Harper; San Francisco); and "The Way of the Shaman" by Michael Harner (Harper; San Francisco).