HOW LONG DO YOU HOLD HAND POSITIONS?

A common question that a Reiki Master Teacher gets asked a lot is "how long do I hold a hand position?"  The standard answer in most Reiki lineages and books is 3 to 5 minutes.  When teaching a new student how to perform a Reiki session on themselves or others, that is what I teach. When they are right "out of the box" so to speak (have just been attuned to the Reiki energy so they can channel it for themselves or others) they may very likely not be able to detect the subtle flow of the energy coming out of their hands and finger tips  at first

If someone had been practicing something like T'ai Chi or QiQong or possible some yoga breathing  techniques for years and had developed a sensitivity to energy in their hands already then this might not be the case.  I know this firsthand because I taught and practiced T'Chi Chi and QiQong for decades and that was my experience. I could immediately ascertain the energy flow (and see it), but that is not the norm.  Most new students are beginners at sensing subtle energies so it will take them longer to get to that place, therefore they need a time frame.

As they progress by doing daily Reiki self-treatments, giving Reiki to others and sending Distant Reiki, they will eventually become more and more aware of the subtle feelings:tingling, pulsing, swirling or a fizzing like feeling) in their hands and fingers, and warmth or heat in their hands.

Eventually they will sense the process of the energy ramping up at first then slowing down and eventually stopping. Or that some areas of the body are just not needing any Reiki at that time (some say that this indicates a blockage in the body but that is not my experience). There is just nothing going on in and under their hands in whatever position they are in at that time, so it's time to move on.

For new practitioners I recommend that they purchase a CD or two that contains bells and chimes that go off at 3 to 5 minute intervals, or songs that last 5 minutes each to help them keep track of time when practicing Reiki.  Or they could just watch a clock or count to sixty 3 or 5 times, but it is more more pleasant to use the CD's. 

Here's a few I recommend: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CiTHYH51H0

http://www.amazon.com/Reiki-Healing-Hands-Anuvida-Tyndall/dp/B0000009CX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REEvuqO9w60

http://www.amazon.com/Reiki-Mind-Body-Soul-Series/dp/B00000DLWH/ref=pd_sim_15_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=17R64CSJR48CG8HN48Z1&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_

I'M ALREADY DOING THAT, WHY DO I NEED AN ATTUNMENT?

Some people have said "I've been putting my hands on people or animals since I was a kid (or for years)
and my hands heat up and I heal them, so I don't need an attunement, I'm already doing "Reiki".  

How does a Reiki Master Teacher respond to a comment like that?  Number one, that may be so, but you are not channeling Reiki, no how, no way! Unless you have been connected to the energy via a ceremony called an "attunement" by a Reiki Master Teacher, you cannot channel Reiki pure and simple.

Number two, more than likely you are using your own personal energy to "heal" others and THAT IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA! Using your own personal energy to heal can cause serious illness and possible death. Here is how it woks, when you are born you come in with X amount of "natal chi", the energy you need to fully function in your body for as long as you are alive in that body, which is stored in your kidneys (according to Chinese Medicine). Think of it as a pie.  When you have difficulties in your life like major illnesses, loss, major stress, etc., visualize slices of your "pie" being used up.  When all your slices have been used up, you leave the body and transition. 

You can replace some of the pie slices (cultivate more chi, Prana) by doing things like T'ai Chi or QiQong, and some yoga breathing exercises, all of which are designed to bring more "chi" (life force energy) into your body, also getting adequate and deep restorative sleep nightly, eating a good healthy diet, drinking plenty of clean, fresh water and getting out in a nature regularly help to increase your chi. So using your personal energy to heal others uses up your pie slices faster!

You might subscribe to a belief system or practice that teaches you how to connect to and channel the energy of the earth, heaven, fire, air,etc. and are using this when you put your hands on people for the purpose of healing.  Again, this is not Reiki, and you may run the risk of tapping into your own personal energy again along with these other energies.

Other people claim to have sat in meditation and "pulled down" a Reiki attunement.  I have a say as a Reiki Master Teacher and just as a skeptical human being in general, I don't think so!   A Reiki attunement optimally is performed by a certified and trained Reiki Master Teacher in person, one-on-one with another human being.  It is not something you can pull out of the air, just doesn't work that way, sorry.

I don't pretend to have all the answers. I am just telling my truth as it was taught to me by my teachers, my personally experience and feelings, and what I have read and understood in a slew of Reiki books and articles I have read in over a decade.

What is an attunement and why do you need one.

In order for someone to be able to "channel" Reiki (connect to and use the energy that is Reiki) they must have an attunement - a sacred and secret ceremony performed only by a qualified Reiki Master Teacher, in whatever modality of Reiki you choose be it Karuna Reiki®, Seichim Reiki, Usui Tibetan Reiki, or in the original form of Reiki - Usui Reiki, etc. Worknik definition of an attunement:  n. The quality of being in tune with something In many Reiki traditions, there are a minimum of  three levels (four in mine) of training that one has to take in order to became a Reiki Master/ Reiki Master Teacher.  Each new level of training requires that you have another attunement.  Each attunement imitates a 21 day detox (possible 30 day) or cleanse in the 7 major chakras of the body. Each persons response to each detox/cleanse is different and individual, and each level of attunementss detox or cleanse is different and individual. I recently read a blog post where someone said that an attunement initiates a "healing crisis" not a 21 day cleanse. In all the books I've read on Reiki (over 60) and as taught by both of my Reiki teachers, that is not the case.  One person out of thousands might have a more intense cleanse if they do something stupid like I did and take all three levels of training in one weekend (I didn't know what I was doing and had "drive through" Reiki as I like to call it).  There is always an exception to every rule! The attunement connects the individual to the source of the Reiki energy so that they can channel it for themselves and others. Without it, you cannot connect to Reiki period.   There are many people and websites offering "free" or low cost Reiki attunements on the internet.  My take on that is if you are living out in the "boonies" and you and there are no Reiki Master Teachers available to you for hundreds if not thousands of miles away, or you have such limited finances that there is just no way you can afford the training, and you have a very strong desire to be become Reiki, then this maybe your only alternative, albeit a poor one. The advantages of having your attunement performed live and having access to that person for continued education, possible treatment (some people require a Reiki session or two after an attunement to help them get through the cleanse easier), and providing community through Reiki Shares, far outweighs the benefits of distant attuning.  How do you really know that the person claiming to attune you is actually doing anything at all besides taking your money? I recommend that you interview several Reiki Teachers and have sessions with each one to see who you resonate with.  Each teacher has unique qualities that they bring to their practice and someone might not "feel" like they are the person you want to attune you and mentor you on your Reiki journey, and someone else might feel "just right."  I believe the Universe or Spirit will guide you to the perfect teacher for you.

"CORD CUTTING" - HOW YOU DO IT REALLY MATTERS!

Well I've gotten Rose's book (Cutting Cords of Attachment for Self Healing) and read a few chapters and talked to lots of others about cord cutting.  Apparently lots of folks think they are cutting cords with this method or that method but Rose says "not so much".  She says if not done correctly, they will come back.  The person who does the cording is called the "cordee" by the way, new information for me!

Many people call in Archangel Michael to help them cut cords. As I said in my last blog, I call in lots of angels, Archangels and my guides to help me with this, and even the Holy Spirit. Rose gives the impression that calling in "the big guy" is a bit of a joke.  She obviously does not think that whatever you have asked him to do is enough.  By the way, he or any of your guides, angels, etc., will never cut cords of love - the ones that connect us to those we love (our partner/spouse, children, etc.).

Another thing Rose recommends is that you find a partner to read the book with you and practice the methods together. I've asked a friend to join me and we are just waiting for her book to to come in, so more to follow when we get going on this.

If what Rose says is true, cords are causing many, if not all, of your problems (health wise and emotionally wise), so learning this skill would be "over the top" important for any type of healer or anyone who has tried everything else and is getting nowhere.

When I asked a group of Reiki practitioners if they were cord cutting for their clients, many of them said they are and their Reiki teacher taught them how. They were laboring under the misconception that it was just another part of Reiki.  Let me tell you folks, IT IS NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!  Just like using crystals and essential oils, or whatever else kind of goodies you add to a Reiki session, that is not Reiki. That is what is known in the massage world as "add on's

The original system of Reiki, is still being practiced as it was initially taught in Japan by Reiki's creator, Dr. Mikao Usui by the members of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (the memorial society established around the time of Usui's death).  They'd be the first to tell you this is not a part of Reiki.  One could say that they are "Reiki purest".

Cutting Cords - Yes - VERY Necessary

I had been feeling very tired (not my usual state of being) lately and had began to notice that I wasn't feeling the flow of Reiki energy coming out of hands as much as I had previously.  I also began to notice I wasn't receiving as much guidance during Reiki sessions as I usually do. I just felt "off."  Then a friend of mine did a practice session on me who is HIGHLY intuitive and told me I had a lot of cords and "webbing" on me and she removed them.  I felt like my old self again. Full of energy, happy and not so out of sorts!  Lesson:  YES, even if we think we are clearing ourselves adequately, we reallllllllllly need to be aware of cutting cords and dod it often!

But how?  There are many different ways, some involve Archangels, others involve crystals, and possible rattles/feathers and more.  One thing we did discover when my friend worked on me is you have to take responsibility for cutting your cords and not just ask the Angels to or other beings of light to do it for you. That was new information for me.  I had previously been doing a technique that involved just that.  

Some advise going into meditation and trying to "see" or "feel" where the cords are (and even from who they came from and why) and then using whatever technique you resonate with to remove them and then to heal the area where they were (yes you have to do that too!).  This is a HUGE topic and I plan to write more about it over the next several weeks as I research and try different techniques.

Just looking for an image this morning to get more information about this, I came across this book "Cut Cords of Attachment" by Rose Rosetree, who wrote an awesome book for empaths that I recommend to all of my students who are empathic so I know it will be a good one!

Here are some links to cord cutting exercises to try:

http://askingangels.com/psychic/cutcords.php

http://www.gateways-to-inner-peace.com/etheric-cords.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=771_2KjUm4M

REIKI AND INTUITION

I took my first Reiki classes in 2004. Every Reiki class does and should contain a "practicum" component to it (where the students get to practice doing Reiki on each other).  In our very first one, I was to give Reiki to young woman I'd never met who was complaining of back pain.  We had her lie on abdomen and as I put my hands on the area of her back where the pain was, I immediately had a vision and received guidance that she had fallen off a step ladder. I had never ever experienced anything like that before and was compelled to ask her, " did you fall off a stepladder?"  She immediately twisted around to face me and said "how did you know that, I fell off a step ladder weeks ago and come to think of it that's when the pain started!"

That, my friends is called "Intuition", "Guidance", whatever you want to call it!  After that  I began to have more and more of these of experiences: seeing or knowing an Angel or Angels were around, seeing someone in spirit in my home, receiving information about my clients health issues.

Since then I've come to almost expect all of these things and more to happen when I channel Reiki for someone and so do many others including many of Reiki students and Reiki friends.  

Reiki enhances any gifts you have brought in with you this lifetime be it musical, mathematical, writing, gardening, good with children, cooking, IT skills, etc. It works like this: the more levels you go up in Reiki (Reiki training is usually done in several increments or Levels - I, II and III or as in my lineages: I, II and IIIa and IIIb), the more styles of Reiki you are trained in, and the more Reiki you do on yourself and others, the more they are enhanced and continue to be enhanced.

For more information on Reiki and intuition, I highly recommend Amy Z. Rowland's book " INTUITIVE REIKI FOR OUR TIMES".  I cried my eyes out when I read this book because it validated everything I had been experiencing and feeling about Reiki for years but was being told that I was playing with fire when I allowed these things to happen (like I had a choice) and knew that to be just bunk!

More Myths About Reiki

Just like everything else, there are a lot of myths surrounding Reiki or do's and don'ts. You can't do Reiki on someone with Diabetes, has a Pacemaker, is schizophrenic or has seizure disorder. Well I've worked on 'em all, no problem! But just the other day I heard about a new one - the 21 day self-treating rule.

The attunement (sacred ceremony that a certified Reiki Master Teacher performs on you that connects you to the Reiki energy so that you can channel it for yourself), elicits a 21 day cleanse or detox in the body. This cleanse clears out any old negative, stuck energy in your energy field or body for the purpose of making you a clearer channel for the energy, in essence. 

We instruct all of our students to began performing daily whole body self-treatments with their now "Reiki hands" as soon as they become Reiki. Some teachers are telling their students that you only have to do this during the 21 day cleanse/detox, hence the confusion possible. NOT SO! A Reiki practitioner is expected to perform this daily ritual for themselves EVERY SINGLE DAY for ever, especially if they are doing a lot of Reiki on others or sending a lot of Distant Reiki Healing to others, or going through a particularly rough cleanse (that's pretty rare).

I think this myth about only doing a daily self-treatment for the 21 days you are going through your cleanse has more to do with our crazy western lifestyle (on the go all the time, little time for self)  so when you tell someone they have to perform this ritual on themselves (a one hour or more process) every day they freak out. So maybe some teachers  thought they might be able to convince more of their students of the necessity of doing it if they shortened it. (Just a thought - I know lot of my students do!). Others think it got confused with the 21 day cleanse/detox.

Doing a daily Reiki self-treatment removes negative energy from your energy field and recharges your body, as well as opens, clears and balances your chakras and much more.  So you can see it is very beneficial and of course, if you are having some kind of issue other than just your daily stuff (a cold, flu, allergies, injuries, surgeries,  major stress,etc.) it will help you recover faster and maybe get sick less often.

The problem with Reiki and myths is twofold.  We bombed the holy H word out of Japan in WW II and a lot of records were destroyed that possible could have given us a better picture about it's origins and history and it's founder Dr. Mikao Usui. The memorial society that some say was formed after Dr. Usui's passing (the Usui Reiki Royho Gakkai), is a very secret and secretive society. Reiki had to go underground after the war as the United States forbid anyone in Japan from practicing it. The Gakkai is still in existence today and they teach and do Reiki exactly as Dr. Usui instructed them to over 100 years ago. It is a closed society and not really interested in sharing it's secrets with us.  Can't say as I blame them. 

We have made contact with one of it's President's and one of it's members defected in a sense and has shared information with us, and more and more information is being uncovered about Reiki, thanks to the efforts of people like Reiki Master Teacher and author of many books on Reiki "Frank Arjava Petter, and many others.

It is very unlikely that we will ever know the complete history of Reiki and all there is to know about it and it's founder, so we just have to trust that it works and not get too hung up in the whys and wherefores, and try to clear these myths as they come up.