Reiki is a form of healing that uses divine energy to heal on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. Reiki is a Japanese word meaning “divine life force energy”. A Reiki practitioner acts as a channel for Reiki energy, offering healing by “laying on of hands”. Reiki practitioners of level 2 or higher can also give distance healings.

But what is it? Most people experience Reiki energy as calming and warm. Personally, I experience it as a warm golden light. I refer to this as ‘God Light’. I tend to think that Reiki energy is the same substance that our souls are made of, but this is just my personal opinion.

Unlike other healing or energy modalities, Reiki is not dualistic. Unlike white/black magic, good/bad medicine, etc., Reiki can only be used for good. This is because Reiki is ‘divinely guided’ energy; it has divine consciousness. The healer can ‘guide’ the energy, but the guidance is not particularly necessary because Reiki will go where it needs to go. Also, because it is divinely guided, Reiki cannot violate anyone’s free will. I can send it to anyone I want all day long, and it will not harm them. If they are not open to the energy for whatever reason, Reiki will not have an effect at all.

A full Reiki session is usually given on a massage table or bed, where the recipient lies fully clothed. Calming music is often played quietly in the background. The practitioner usually utilizes a series of hand positions, allowing the Reiki energy to flow into the recipient. Reiki can also be given without a ‘full session’ by just sending Reiki to the person or holding the hands over the affected area.

Reiki can be used to assist the healing process with physical illnesses or injuries, but Reiki also has the advantage of healing on every level. For instance, if a person is working through emotional traumas, Reiki healing sessions or receiving attunements can help greatly. If there is a mental or emotional problem that is manifesting itself through reoccurring physical illnesses, Reiki can help the person become aware of the problem and help guide them in working through it.

Though Reiki can help ‘heal’ various illnesses or maladies, it will not ‘cure’ someone whose time it is to pass on. Reiki can, however, make the process easier and more comfortable.

Reiki is sometimes associated with ‘clearing’ the aura or chakras. Because Reiki does work on the spiritual levels, it can have this effect if necessary. What Reiki really does is help the receiver become more aligned with his/her life path. If the person has been straying from their path, or living with choices that do not serve his/her highest good, Reiki can help bring their awareness back into alignment with their soul purpose. This effect of Reiki is more noticeable when a person has received an attunement or long-term healing sessions.

So what is an attunement? An attunement is the process that creates a Reiki healer. A Reiki Master opens the student to the Reiki energy through attunements, preferably after teaching a class or series of classes on Reiki. However, even if no class is taught and the student only receives the attunement, s/he is still open to the ability to channel Reiki. From then on, all the person has to do is hold their hands on someone with the intent for Reiki to flow and it will flow.

An attunement must be passed from a Reiki Master. Yes, many people can do energy healing without any attunement process from a teacher, but this is not Reiki energy. In fact, most energy healers who do receive Reiki attunements find that their skill level increases dramatically. They will also find that a client’s illness will not be ‘absorbed’ by the healer. In fact, the Reiki healer receives a healing session just by giving one, by allowing Reiki to flow through him, and does not have to worry about ‘picking up’ symptoms from clients.

If Reiki is Divine Energy, does this mean that an atheist could not use Reiki? No. Quite simply, if the person has received an attunement and is truly open to using the energy, it will work. Reiki doesn’t even have to be believed-in to work. An atheist could rationalize this by considering the energy to be ‘Universal Matter’ or some other such thing, and it would flow and work just as well. However, I personally doubt that anyone could receive a Reiki attunement and not become aware of the Higher Power actively at work in his life.

Practically, how do I use Reiki energy in my daily life? I Reiki everything: my kids, pets, plants, food, cookware, medicines, my car… When my daughter gets a boo-boo, I Reiki it. If I’m feeling stressed, I give myself a few moments worth of Reiki. I offer it to friends and relatives who are feeling ill. I give myself a few minutes of Reiki while I’m preparing to write a story, or call a client. If I have a meeting that I’m nervous about, I’ll send Reiki ahead to myself when I know I’ll be needing it. I do nightly distance healings for friends and family. I send my Beloved Reiki if we’re fighting. I also contribute energy to the Reiki Pool, a place where Reiki Practitioners send and contribute their energy for anyone who wishes to access it.

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