OTHER THINGS REIKI PRACTITIONERS UNIVERSALLY DO

HAND POSITIONS:  In your initial Reiki class (Level I or First Degree) you should have been taught a specific set of hand positions referred to as "holds" in the Reiki world.  I have found, over the years and having read over 70 or more Reiki books, that these hand positions will vary greatly depending on who your teacher is.

The initial set of "holds" are just your foundation positions so you have a grasp of where it is best to place your hands when doing a full body Reiki treatment on someone else or yourself, and they generally correspond to the 7 major chakras (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown) and all the major organs and major joints of the body, and the brain.

Once you've been doing Reiki for awhile however, you are encouraged to move beyond the foundational positions and go to where you feel guided or lead to go, or just have an intuitive knowing that your hands need to be here  or there, in a special way, not necessarily the way you were taught.

Including the chakra system into Reiki treatments was not really a part of the original system beginning with Dr. Mikao Usui, the creator of the system.  No one is really sure when or who added them in, but we could safely say sometime after Mrs. Takata's time, probably through one of the people she attuned to Reiki Master Teacher before she passed in the '90's.


SWEEPING THE AURA: You are also taught in Level I how to "sweep" the aura (biofield, energy field) of your client after a Reiki treatment.  Again, there are a myriad of ways to do this, some even involving using crystal wands, feathers, singing bowls and even drumming.  Typically though the hands are "raked" or "combed" through the energy field of the receiver (person you are giving Reiki to) from head to toe, and this is performed a minimum of 3 times.  I like to think of it as removing the "dust bunnies."

It's done by dragging or raking your hands over the body with the intention of removing any dirty or negative energy from the aura that might have been released during the session, or that they might have come in with, and then you may do several different things with it.  Some throw what they've removed into a candle flame, some into a Violet Flame they've mentally constructed, and others send it up to the light to be transformed to a more healing energy for whatever you'd like to send healing energy to.

You start by sweeping from above the head (remember energy field starts several feet above the top of the head) to several feet past their physical feet also. Additionally make sure you are taking your hands way out to their sides, as the aura extends several feet out on the sides of the body as well, not just above and below it.

In another energy medicine modality I'm trained in, we do this BEFORE we start a healing session.  I like the idea, kind of starting with a clean slate!

TO USE OR NOT TO USE SYMBOLS

I've heard a lot of Reiki people say that when you've been Reiki for awhile, you don't really need to add symbols into the mix anymore, that the energy will just "take care of business" or something to that effect. If you don't know what I'm alluding to, in the Reiki World, there are three traditional "symbols" given at the second level of training called Reiki Level II or Reiki Second Degree. These symbols effect the energy in several ways, have a purpose and are really rather remarkable and necessary.

The first one is the "Power" symbol, which is said to amp up the power of the energy (like stepping on the gas). The second one is the "Mental/Emotional" symbol which is good to use for issues like anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, over thinking, monkey mind, anything involving the mind. The third one is the "Distant" symbol which is all about being able to send Reiki to any person, place or thing, past, present or future, sort of a like a portal. We can use them on our clients or ourselves to help to facilitate deeper healing or we can use them to send Distant Reiki to people, pets, and all kinds of other things (kind of like praying).

I've been Reiki, meaning I took the training and have been attuned (connected) to the energy since 2004. In my lineage, which is how we trace our connection back to the original creator of the system Dr. Mikao Usui, we are given 5 symbols at Level II. One is for issues of the heart like grief, and the other is for karmic and interdimensional issues, and for those who were abused in any way as a child. We are also given another one at Level IIIa (Master Practitioner) which magnifies the karmic one and takes the healing much deeper. The additional symbols are called non-traditional symbols meaning we know that Dr. Usui did not use them but somehow they ended up being a part of our lineage.

Ways we can use them are we can draw them over the body in the energy field of our clients or ourselves and send Reiki through them, or we can draw them on our palms and pat them in before we put our hands on others or ourselves to channel Reiki, or we can visualize our "etheric" or energetic hand drawing them inside the body of ourselves or others and more, and use them to send Distant Reiki Healing.

Yesterday morning, I woke up with pain in my left SI joint, so I put my hands in the area and began giving it Reiki, but not much was going on. Then I tried adding the Power Symbol and the Mental/Emotional symbol, still not much going on. Then I put in two non-traditional symbols, (the one for karmic issues and the one that magnifies that one) and then things cranked up! I've had this kind of experience many times, not only on myself but on clients and when sending Distant Reiki. So I definitely do not agree that at any point we can just let go of the need to use the symbols, maybe we just need to be doing more experimenting with them.

Some Thoughts on Universal Practices of Reiki Practitioners

One of issues that arises frequently in the Reiki World is that everybody is doing something different and calling it Reiki.  So I thought I'd mention some points that I feel are universal to most Reiki practitioners, not only for validation and confirmation for Reiki Practitioners, but to educate the public when they are considering having Reiki sessions.

Setting An Intention: It's a good idea before you start a Reiki session that either your client mentally sets an intention for what they would like to be the results of the session, or that you and the client set an intention out loud before they perform a Reiki session in their space. I used to have my clients just set it mentally, but now we set it together and I feel it is much more powerful.

Phantom Hands: Occasionally a client will report feeling other hands on them other than yours during a session, or feeling like your hands are still in the area you were just in but you've moved to a different area. Some practitioners refer to this phenomenon as "phantom hands". Many of us were taught and believe that there are Spirit Guides, Angels, Archangels, Ascended Masters (Jesus, Mother Mary, Quan Yin, Buddha, etc.) working side by side with us when we channel or run Reiki. Explaining this to your client can be tricky if they are not into "woo woo" stuff , so you'll have to decide who is comfortable with this explanation and who isn't.
Setting Sacred Space:
It is the job of every Reiki practitioner to make sure that the space they perform their healing work in has been cleared of negative, lower vibrational energies, etc., before they start each healing session and after. There are a myriad of ways to do this, either involving smudging with sage or some kind of incense, or using specific Reiki symbols that are drawn in the air in all the corners, walls, ceiling and floor of the room.

Disconnecting from Your Client after the Session: There is an energetic cord established between the practitioner and the client  as the practitioner's and the client's energy fields merge during the session. After the session, this cord needs to be severed. You can do several things to accomplish this:  Running cold water over your hands, even up to your elbows after they've gone, or do a ritual called "Dry Brushing" or "Kenyoku", or place your hands on yourself somewhere and just run Reiki for about 10-15 minutes. You can also smudge yourself if you know how to do that.

Grounding Your Client at the end of the Session: Offering a glass of water right after you get your client sitting up when their session is over is pretty standard procedure.  It grounds them (they might be pretty spacey after the session, especially if they were sleeping through most of it). You may also offer them some chocolate or have them hold some grounding crystals, but you never let them just stand right up immediately after the session, they might fall or stumble.

Instructions for After Their Session:  Reiki is detoxifying, so it's a good idea to instruct your client to drink lots of extra fluids after their session  for the next 48-72 hours to help move those toxins along through the system.   Also many people say that the night after having a Reiki session they sleep better than they have in a long time and may have vivid dreams.

There are a lot more of this little "tips" I could put up here, but I think I'll save them for the next article!

HOW TO USE A REIKI BOX

Sending Distant Reiki Healing to those in need is part and parcel of being a Reiki Practitioner and this skill is learned in Level II traditionally of Usui Reiki.  I recently got asked about how it's done and when I looked it up on Google I found a lot of what I considered to be false, misleading or just plain wrong information and explanations.  Some people say that there are always many ways to do the same thing, and in the Reiki world that is true of almost everything about it.  So I just wanted to put it out there what I was taught and how I do it and teach it.  

Find a box that would be suitable to hold small pieces of paper and also that you will be able to hold in your hand comfortably.  A stationary or greeting card box works well or small wooden jewelry box.  You can decorate your box anyway you like – paint it, glue on small stones or shells, put glitter on it, glue pictures to it, cut out pictures of the Reiki Symbols from the internet and paste those on or draw or paint your own and glue them on it, whatever you feel drawn to do with your box – make it yours, get creative!

Begin by writing the persons name that you wish to send Reiki to (first name, last initial) on a small piece of paper, along with a brief description of the situation that you are sending Reiki for, and their location if you have it, and who asked for the Reiki to be sent if they didn't.  Date the piece of paper in the upper right hand corner.

Whether you’re sending Reiki out to one person or multiple people the formula is the same. Connect to Reiki in whatever way your teacher has instructed you to do so and place the piece of paper in your non-dominant hand. Then draw the Power Symbol, the Mental/Emotional Symbol and the Distance Symbol, in that order above the paper, saying their mantras 3 times while visualizing them and then send Reiki into the paper by hovering your dominant hand above it about two to three inches, and send Reiki through the symbols into the paper.

When you sense that the process is complete, place the paper into the box.  If you’re doing more than one "sending" (meaning sending Reiki to one person), do the same to all the other pieces of paper and place them all in the box, one at a time.  Then close the box, place it in your non-dominant hand, draw all those Reiki symbols over the box  again and Reiki the box as described above (a 5-15 minute process).  Repeat for seven days, and at the end of seven days, take out the papers and re-evaluate the situations.

If more Reiki is required after the 7 days, simply change the date on the paper and start the process again. If their situation has improved or healed, burn the pieces of paper or shred them.

You can have as many pieces of paper in the box as you want, or as few.  Just remember to check the dates often and remove those that have been in the box for over a week and you feeel their situations have improved or healed,  and burn or shred them. I feel it is very important to burn the requests afterwards.  It solidifies the process and is more respectful to the situation that just tossing the papers into the trash.  I also feel that burning it has further healing effect, seals in the healing energy possible or sends one last major shot of energy out to them!

                                                

YOUR TRIBE

So many of my students, Reiki friends and even some of my clients voice their despair often about not having anyone to talk to about Reiki and all the other cool modalities that typically go hand and hand with Reiki and Spiritual Growth like Crystal Healing, Meditation, Shamanic Journeying, Essential Oils, etc.

Finding ones TRIBE is so necessary and so needed among Lightworkers on the planet right now.  If your family members and friends make fun of or patronize you around the things that you love, that light you up, or worse, it makes for a lonely journey.

Finding a teacher who holds regular Reiki Shares/Circles is one way to help you connect with like minded individuals and to have a save space to talk about all your awesome experiences, ask questions, answer a question for someone else, or maybe strike up a friendship so you two can regular chat on the phone or met for coffee/tea, or do trades.

Maybe forming a group of your own for just discussion?  Find your tribe!  Feel accepted and understood!!!!!!!!!!!

IF REIKI IS AN INTELLIGENT ENERGY, WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE INTELLIGENCE?

I just took a two day class in another healing modality. They asked that we practice the techniques we learned in class without incorporating any other healing modalities. Well, this a big problem if you are Reiki.

Reiki activates (as we call it  "turns on") whenever we touch another person or ourselves with the intention of healing happening, whether or not we've consciously perforated any ritual or commanded it to do so. It just turns on.

Reiki is said to be an intelligent energy, so we can surmise that it has somehow made the determination that when we place our hands on another body for the purpose of healing, it activates. But what or who is the entity involved behind Reiki that is making this determination?  

Two of my students that have been retrained by me and were originally trained by someone else, claim that they can just walk by an ailing individuals room (they are both nurses) and they will suddenly became very aware that Reiki has turned on and is flowing strongly from their hands (possible whole body) to the patient in that room. This flips them out, and I can't say I blame them.  They have no control over what's taking place, which is very disconcerting as you can imagine. I mentioned that they were originally trained by someone else for a reason. They feel that whatever the other person did when she attuned them, caused them to have this issue.  However, occasionally one of the students I have trained mentions this happening to them too.  It doesn't happen for me though.

So what's going on here?  We just don't know. I did hear a rumor once that Reiki has some ties with crossed over spirits/souls, as far fetched as that sounds. One of the translations of the Japanese kanji characters for Reiki mentions "spirit directed" energy.  So maybe those spirits involved in the Reiki system are making the determination to have it come on?

Many of us say prayers or invocations when we are about to perform a Reiki session to call in the Spirit Guides, Angels, Archangels, Ascended Masters or other enlightened beings (even Mother Father God for some), who work with us when we channel Reiki to be present to assist us, protect us and guide the session. So there is some kind of link to the world of spirits that I mentioned earlier .

I can't fathom any other explanation. Could energy just have an intelligence of it's on?  How?