Do You Really Need To Ask Permission?

A hotly debated question in the world of Reiki Practitioners is whether or not one needs to" "ask permission" before sending Distant Reiki Healing.  Many feel we need to ask permission of the persons "higher self" or soul/spirit, but others object to this saying that there is an "unfairness" about it or it is unethical. That we are somehow bypassing their free will by going straight to their higher being.  I'm on the fence about this, so I just say at some point during the process, "with their permission."

There are those who feel that before you perform an "in person" Reiki session on someone you need to verbally ask their permission also.   If you perform Reiki sessions on the public and charge a fee for it, it is standard operating procedure to require your client to fill out a "permission to treat" or a release form.  I personally feel that if they read and signed it, I have their permission, making it a moot point.

If you are sending someone Distant Reiki (also called Absentia Healing or Long Distance Reiki) and they did not ask for the energy to be sent to them (the request came in from a family member or friend), then yes, you need to energetically ask their permission.  When sending the Reiki energy to someone under these circumstances, after you have gone through whatever procedures you were taught to use when sending Reiki and have stated their name, location and why you are sending Reiki to them, you can simply add that you are sending it with their permission and for their highest and greatest good.  

My feeling about the debate is that Reiki, being spiritual energy and coming from the Divine (whatever the Divine means to you)  asking permission from their higher self, spirit/soul whatever you want to call it, makes perfect sense.  But as not everyone is in agreement on this issue either, best to just do what you personally feel is right.

More On Crystals and Reiki

In my last post, I talked briefly about the synergy between crystals and Reiki when combined.  As it happens,since then I've read a book entitled " REIKI WITH GEMSTONES' by Ursula Klinger Omenka.  I have a Reiki Facebook group and it is the latest book we are reading in our "Reiki Book Club".

I found out many things about the world of Reiki and crystals/stones I didn't know before, which is quite remarkable considering that I am certified as a Crystal Healer by two different teachers and have taken innumerable crystal healing courses.

One of them was "less is more" meaning it isn't desirable nor a good idea to load a body up with crystals/stoens (moderation!) when combining them with Reiki, (or probably when just doing Crystal Healing period), as this could elicit an "overactivation" causing the recipient to "close up" or even to experience a reaction such as tiredness or exhaustion.  

Also it's a good idea to have both the recipient of the session and the practitioner remove any and all jewelry as any type of jewelry emanates and can have an impact on the session. This includes watches, but especially any jewelry that has any kind of crystal or stone in it.

One of my favorite quotes from Ursula's book is "The stones are activated in their light vibrations through the concentrated light energy and the love from the divine, universal source that radiates on it's own from our Reiki hands.  In this way, the emanations of the gemstones are not only cleansed but also brought into the powerfully healing, harmonizing vibrations that correspond to the energy flow of Reiki.  It is only when they are touched with light and love that concealed, subtle powers of light are highlighted in the gemstones.  Reiki hands do this on their own in a completely simple and natural way". (page 38).

According to Ms. Klinger Omenka, long after the treatment and subsequent cleansing of the stones/crystals, they continue to radiate the Reiki energy out into the room where they were used, or if the practitioner is guided to do so, given to the recipient to take home to continue the healing process.  So it is a good idea to leave the stones you used during a treatment in the room because they are imparting a beneficial, pure and lovely atmosphere there.  

Just as you can gift the recipient with a crystal/s  as described above, you can also do the same for yourself.  So if you laid a particular crystal/stone/s on yourself during a Reiki self-treating session, just tuck it into your pocket for the day (or longer afterwards), or pop it into one of those little silver cages and wear it around your neck (close to your heart center is best I am told).

Placing crystals/stones on the energy centers (chakras) the light powers of the stones will be intensely activated and the recipient will take in their energy more thoroughly during the Reiki session.

So as you can see there is A LOT more about working with crystals/stones while doing Reiki then meets the eye

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REIKI AND CRYSTALS & STONES - A POWERFUL COMBINATION!

Many Reiki practitioners use crystals and stones in their Reiki practice, either for their own use or healing (placing them under their tables or setting up crystal grids under them, or just laying around in the office, or on their person), or for their clients healing as in Crystal Chakra Balancing.  However, incorporating crystals and stones into Reiki is not a part of Reiki.  Dr. Usui, Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Takata (to my knowledge) did not do this.  It is a "New Age" thing and what I like to call and "add on" to Reiki.

Whether it came about as practitioners of Crystal Healing or other alternative healing modalities that used crystals in their practices already began experimenting with the combination or some other way/s, I don't know for sure but suspect that is how it happened. Those already experienced in Crystal Healing probably just added it in to their Reiki practice and found that it worked and it worked very well.

If you consider that most crystals and possible most stones contain some amount of water and that water is an excellent conductor of energy, then it's a "no brainer. " Apparently it's common for quartz crystals to contain varying quantities of water that (becomes) trapped within the crystalline structure, most commonly as water vapor which gives quartz its misty hue, or in other cases as in Enhydro, an actual pocket of water is encased within the crystal. In the case of the Enhydro formation, sometimes a small amount of air also ends up in the same space occupied by the water and as a result you have these wonderful specimens of quartz with bubbles inside them" (says one very adapt crystal lover).

Using Crystals/Stones with Reiki is quite the rage, well in my area at least it is. There is even a book out titled "Reiki with Gemstones" by Ursula  Klinter-Omenka  Many Reiki Practitioners become Crystal Healers (like myself) so that they can speak intelligently about them and have a good working knowledge about which ones do what and what to do with them.  The world of crystals and stones is just a big as the world of Reiki - so much to know and so little time.

I tell my clients and students that the Reiki energy is enhancing what the crystals are doing when we place them on our clients bodies or our own , and the crystals/stones are enhancing what the Reiki energy is doing during a session. Most definitely a very powerful combination!  

We typically see crystals/stones placed on the body during Reiki in several ways: l) Being placed on each of the seven chakras in the corresponding colors of the chakras for the purpose of bringing the chakras into balance. 2 ) We may receive guidance from "our team" (the Reiki Spirit Guides, Angels, and other Divine beings who are working with us at any given moment when we channel Reiki) to place a certain crystal or stone here or there on our clients body, or that they need to be working with a particular crystal/stone for their healing, either wearing it or carrying it on their person, or other ways (making gem elixirs, etc.).

In the more advanced levels of Reiki training, I teach my students how to set up a particular kind of crystal grid for sending Distant Reiki Healing and how to set up individual crystals that have been cleared, programmed and charged with Reiki to send out distant healing, empower affirmations and more.  
 

THE NEED TO BE RE-ATTUNED AND RE-TAKE SOME CLASSES WHEN YOU WORK WITH A NEW TEACHER

Many people ask to be trained in the higher levels of Reiki who have been initially trained by someone else and are are surprised to hear that they need to be re-attuned and retake any previous training before that can happen. One of the main reasons is that in my lineage (the way I trace my connection back to the creator of Reiki Dr. Mikao Usui through my teachers) in both of my lineages (I took Reiki from two different teachers) we give 5 Reiki symbols at Level II, 2 more at Level IIIa (Master Practitioner), and 1 more at Level IIIb (Master Teacher.

A lot of the students from other other teachers wanting to move up a level or two in training but were initially only given 3 Reiki symbols at Level II and 1 at the Master Level (some not offering the separate Reiki Master Levels like we do). Because we give and use these other symbols we attune people differently using these symbols thus creating the need for the re-attuned in order for them to train under me or anyone else in my lineage.

Another reason one would need to re-take the training (audit the classes they've already taken and be re-attuned) is because each teacher does things just a little bit differently according to who taught them and how. I've also had many students tell me their teachers only gave them a few poorly xeroxed copies of pages out of a book as a manual and no diagrams of hand positions for either self-treating, treating others, or proper explanations of how to send distant Reiki. I've also recently heard of a teacher who does not even give certificates for each level of training, something that would be a definite deal breaker for me. You should be given a certificate of completion of training for each level of Reiki you take.

These kinds of teaching practices tarnish the reputation of Reiki and it's practitioners. Teachers like this are only in it for a fast buck and have been either poorly trained or not trained at all possibly just read a few books and poked around a bit on the internet, therefore we have no way of knowing if the student was even properly attuned.

It is very important to find an accredited and experienced teacher to train with. Word of mouth is probably your best source of finding one, but there are many ways you can tell if the person you are thinking of taking your training with is really accredited, trustworthy, and knows what they're doing. I'll be talking about that in my next post!

Why Reiki Doesn't Work Sometimes

There are several reasons why Reiki doesn't work sometimes - yes, there are times when the magic just doesn't happen.

l) The expectations of the client are just too high.

A practitioner should never claim that Reiki can make miracles. If a client comes to you thinking they will be instantly cured of what ails them and they aren't here's why. Reiki doesn't work that way. Multiple applications are required, probably some life style changes or emotional and attitude changes need to be met like stop smoking, drinking, leave job or relationship that is not working for you anymore, etc. Other healing modalities may need to be happening simultaneously like massage, Acupuncture, Herbs, Psychotherapy, Medication, Chiropractic, etc.

2) The client is closed off, unreceptive, super skeptical.

I've seen this happen many times, people will come to you for treatment claiming they want to get well, to heal, to feel good, but when they get on the table, there is just not much going on. They are literally blocking the energy. They don't trust the practitioner, they don't trust Reiki and they don't really want to make the changes necessary to heal their life and circumstances.

3) Not doing or having adequate practice:

Just like everything else, practice makes perfect. If you are new to Reiki, don't do self-treating on yourself daily, and work on very few Reiki others, then the Reiki you channel will reflect that the more Reiki you do on yourself or others and the more levels of training you go up in Reiki, the more energy you will feel coming out of yours hands because you will be a purer channel for the energy. This is one of the main reasons why I am very against a Level One or Level Two practitioner doing Reiki on the public and charging for it. They are not channeling the full flow of the Reiki energy that their system can handle (you only do that at the Master Level) and lack experience.

4) Too attached to the outcome:

Have you ever heard the phrase - it's about the journey, not the destination"? Healing brings many revelations and lessons with it, it's said thta your greatest pain/challenge is your greatest fuel for reinvention. When you want a specific outcome and you don't get it, then you're disappointed. Garth Brooks wrote the song "Thank God for Unanswered Prayers." The outcome you think you want may not be in your best interests and the lessons from whatever you have going on in your life will not be learned. Life is all about learning lessons for your soul growth, the evolution of your soul.

THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN DURING A REIKI SESSION YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

Many of you may already be aware of the myriad of sensations and affects that one may experience while having a Reiki session, so this article is for those who don’t or who have experienced what I will describing and didn't know what was going on.

To begin with, the person having a session is called the RECEIVER and the Reiki person is called the PRACTITIONER. The Receiver may feel tingling, swirling, pulsing or fizzing sensations and/or heat in their hands/fingers or feet, or in other parts of their body, other then where the practitioner is working.

The things I’d like to talk about today though are twitches and jerks, sometimes even convulsive movements of the body. These again can be in the area where the practitioners hands are on the body, or in other areas of the body.

Twitching and jerking movements represent tension being released from the muscles in whatever area they occur. Just like any affect you my have during a Reiki session, not everyone is going to experience this.

Convulsive movements of the body (a very rare occurrence), either in one area or the whole body (yes that can happen) is a whole different matter. After doing a little research, I have come to understand that this can be somewhat dangerous, and if your receiver begins to do this, it is advisable for the you to back off.

In massage therapy, they use the phrase “issues in the tissues” and I feel that can be applied here. Some of the possibilities are that deep trauma or shame is being taped into, or possible old suppressed memories. Several of the practitioners I've talked to, including myself, were guided to stop working in the area they were in, remove their hands from the area and maybe even back away from the client for a short amount of time, and continue the session elsewhere, or stop the session altogether, depending on the severity of the convulsive movements.

This is new information for me. I will be conducting further research on it!

YOU JUST CAN’T MAKE A MISTAKE IN REIKI!

One of the things I love most about Reiki is you just can’t get it wrong!   I studied two other healing modalities several years ago.  One of them was riddled with rules – do this wrong and this bad thing could happen, do that wrong and that bad thing could happen, and yes, you could kill someone if you did this one thing wrong or didn't do this one thing the way you were supposed to.  Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!  Also they were both incredible complicated and involved and left you open to taking on the negative energy or worse of the person you were working on.  Ah, not working for me sorry.

If you are not familiar with Reiki, we talk a lot about the divine beings who work with us when we channel Reiki – Angels, Archangels, Guardian Angels, Spirit Guides , Ascended Masters (Jesus, Mary, Kwan Yin, Buddha, St. Germain, Sai Baba, Saints, etc.), and other divine beings.  Those of us who are intuitive and are Reiki (some more so than others) see them, hear them, or feel them when we are giving someone a Reiki session or working on ourselves (a very big part of Reiki is to be treating yourself with Reiki everyday for your own healing). 

Here’s the kicker – if you make a mistake, like drawing a symbol wrong or don’t pay attention to the guidance you are getting from your team of divine beings that are working with you, they will correct whatever part of the symbol you've drawn  or visualized incorrectly,for you!  If you didn't listen to their guidance and move your hand to this or that place of put it just so, they will take care of it. They will also put in a symbol/s where it’s needed if you doubted your guidance and didn't do it.  I love that!!!!!!!!!

Some of the symbols are long and complicated and some of them are easy peasy, so just knowing that they “got your back” takes a lot of pressure off us Reiki practitioners!

When a Reiki Master Teacher attunes someone to Reiki (performs a sacred ceremony on them that connects them to the energy that is Reiki so that they can channel it for themselves or others) we use many Reiki symbols.  Again your team will come in and correct any symbols you didn't draw or visualize correctly or put one in if you forgot one – which, believe me as a Reiki Master Teacher of many years, this does happen, it’s a complicated procedure. 

I call that a “win win” for all!