Articles on Reiki Ryoho Page 6
The Reiki Cleanse - or getting rid of stuck stuff! Published in the November 1998 issue of "The Messenger"
We recently did a class in another state...and people were very excited about the possibility of speeding up their Spiritual awakening. The students received all of the instructions and techniques of the appropriate levels for which they were ready, as well as repeated notices regarding the 21 day purification cycle. We stressed that other students have gone through this cycle and successfully survived the "uncomfortableness" of the purification. We strongly suggested that when energies mounted, and "stuff" surfaced to be eliminated from cellular memory, that they continue to give themselves "daily treatments". We explained that Reiki digs deep into levels of memories/patterns/learning and when the dysfunctional/outdated emotions surface, that the intensities are lessened by doing more Reiki. We stated that if anyone had difficulties dealing with the energy of the cleansing, to call us and we would support their process, help with "absentee treatments" and just be there for them. Did we get called? Not by the students, but by the friend that hosted our classes. She explained that several of the students were having trouble with their emotions, and that it was so uncomfortable, many had decided to stop doing Reiki. They began to question the co-ordinator as to why anyone in their right minds would want to go on to higher levels of Reiki training and attunements. Sound familiar?
Well, I write this in response to this re-occurring situation. No matter how much we insist that this process is lessened by the continued practice of Reiki, there are always a few that decide that Reiki may not be for them. They dig into their "stuff", bring it to the surface, then stop the completion of the process of ridding themselves of all that was imbalanced within their being. I share this experience to help every student of Reiki to understand that this is a result of introducing a very high energy vibration into a dense mass (the body), and that there will definitely be stuff arise and changes that take place; these will be quite uncomfortable to their "established" way-of-being. Reiki speeds up the natural flow of events; it pushes repressed imbalances/dysfunctions/stuck-energy through our body to be dispelled through all the channels of elimination. The process is not different from the "pain" of losing someone dear to us; we have held onto this excessive baggage far longer than needed, and we have come to think that it is part of us; that it is the glue that holds us together. Not so... this stuff blocks the energy meridians, causing pain/discomfort, changes our energy flows, causes us to be out-of-touch with inner processes. We most often adjust our physical structure to compensate for any pain, and after a while, we repress our awareness of it altogether, sometimes for years. One of the benefits of being attuned to Reiki is a heightened awareness.... increased sensitivity to what is happening in our bodies and energy fields. We sometimes think that we didn't have all of this pain before our attunement, so the Reiki must have caused it. This erroneous thinking escalates... we then think that if we stop doing Reiki, that the discomfort will subside, but more often, all we have done is to sensitize the body, and bring the imbalanced energy to the surface, where it gets stuck again. So we carry around this sensitivity until we can effectively sublimate/repress it once again. And furthermore, we are not so likely to want to repeat this scenario again soon. So we let it lie dormant within us. Can you see that this is not the most effective way to deal with our clearing process?
What to do? Reiki, Reiki, and more Reiki. Allow other Reiki practitioners to assist you in your process. Submit your personal information to "Healing Request Sites" on the internet. Build a "crystal grid" and put a surrogate of yourself into the grid to speed up the purification cycle. Get together with Reiki friends for weekly "Reiki Sharings". Set up a "Reiki marathon" to help you over the rough spots. Indulge yourself in simple pleasures.... long walks in natural settings, take long, hot, candle-lit baths, adding minerals that will clear your energy fields. Sleep-in longer in the morning, take frequent cat-naps, and read metaphysical/spiritual/philosophical books that are calming to your body, mind, and spirit. And did I mention to do lots of Reiki? There are many memories/traumas from a lot of lifetimes to be cleared.... "karma". Just remember, you are not going to have to re-live the karmic indebtedness, unless you block the energy from rising to the surface and pushing it beyond your aura. It may not feel like it...but it is easier to deal with the "carried-over" memories energetically than it is to have to re-live the experiences in future lifetimes. Thank you for your openness to read these thoughts.
What Is Reiki... Really? Published in the August 1998 issue of "The Messenger"
We are often asked questions about Reiki, and more often to explain what Reiki is. We have come to understand that Reiki is so much more than a "healing technique", if fact, we are not sure that it is a healing technique. We have read many of the books that are written on Reiki, and in fact, we too sat down for countless hours and input enough information to write our own book. But, as we read back through the material, especially with a few weeks or months allowed to pass, we found that we were limiting potential readers of truly understanding the scope and breadth of the system. We saw that we continued to gain additional understanding, and that the book froze our earlier concepts of Reiki, as if Reiki were limited by the words we used to describe it. Needless to say, the book sits in the hard drive of two computers, accumulating "cyber-dust". It seems that our understanding is growing daily with our continued self-treatments, reading newly published books, and the practitioners we communicate with, and teach. Every class we teach, every person we chat with on-line, every article we write seems to expand our awareness of what Reiki is. In this article, I will try to put down our overall understanding...... to date.
We had the good fortune to have some cyber-friends call and say they were in Sedona, and that they wanted to meet us, so we joined them for breakfast. The conversation soon centered on Reiki, and we were asked to define it. And these concepts rolled out of my head, over my tongue and out my mouth. I said, "Reiki is usually said to be a "healing technique", but we have come to know that is so much more. When we humans were created and we decided to incarnate into dense physical bodies, we were fully connected to the Universal life-force that animates all living form. We could easily remember that we chose to experience solidity only temporarily, and that we could move between solid form and Spirit Essence. But over eons, we decided that it was fun to experience all the emotions, drama, and intrigue of forgetting our Spiritual side, and to stay fully immersed in the "playing of roles". As we moved our consciousness more deeply into the physical realm, we began to forget the Source of our creation/energy, and we began to become more out-of-balance to what we truly were. We spent more time "thinking" about material things, competition, money, power, control, and eventually we cut off our own conscious connection to Source. Add to that the loss of "vital Chi or Ki" through our addictive sexual appetites, our perception of servitude to work/jobs, our fascination to mind-numbing substances, and our struggle to survive in 3rd dimension. It is easy to see why we are developing dis-eases, imbalances, and conditions that are literally killing us."
Reiki is a subtle energy discipline that can replenish our bodies with the "life-sustaining" energy of Source. It is known to purify and eliminate everything toxic to our total being (all energetic levels holding our physical body in solid form). When we have more of the Diving Essence flowing through us, we are more filled with the "Love" of the Creator for his/her "creations", and with the "Light" that is the vibration of pure energy from which we come. When our bodies are filled with this vital life-sustaining energy, we will come back to balance/vibrant-health/wholeness. There are many ways/tools available today to accomplish this state of being, but one of the easiest is Reiki. All one has to do is to become attuned and lay their hands on the body for a minimum of one hour daily. That is all.... just one hour a day; while we awaken, fall to sleep, rest, eat, drive, work, watch television... etc. What could be easier? Basically, we can talk about Reiki, or we can do Reiki.... the proof of its effectiveness is in the state of our body/mind/spirit. What are you waiting for? If one hour could do this, imagine what two or more could accomplish.
Reiki to Remember the GardenIf Reiki is Universal (existing in all matter, solid or gaseous), then do we really need to study Reiki, to receive attunements? In a word..... NO. But let me explain.... we untimately do not need any tools/teachings/techniques/diciplines that are so popular today. All we need to do is to remember everything that has happened to us, in all previous lifetimes, in-between lifetimes while in Spirit-state, and to recognize that all in this dense 3rd-dimensional plane is temporal. Easy, huh? Well, not too easy apparently; there are not a lot of people who have come to that state of consciousness. That is what this and every other dimension is.... a state of consciousness. Either we are awake and aware of what we truly are, and of our purpose of being, or we are asleep, lulled and driven by the materialism of this physical world. Everywhere we look, television, billboards, newspapers, magizines, etc., we are being bombarded by not-so-subtle messages that in order to be "important", we need to wear this, or do that kind of work, or drive this vehicle, or to strive to be in that status, etc. I believe that this world is the "original Garden of Eden"... filled with trees that sustain us with their wonderful fruits, with all the natural materials to shelter us, and with "life-sustaining energy" that eminates from all matter. What more could we want? Apparently, sometime in our past, we were led to believe that we did not have it "all", that we needed more, and the race was on to accumulate and horde possessions. We became fearful that someone else might get ahead of us, own more than us, live longer than we do. And humanity has been held in this "stuckness" for eons. And yet, it is really a simple thing to see the the falsehood of our thoughts; we only need to let go of the impermanent, and to focus all of our attention on the permanent. Spirit is permanent, and it exists because Creator made us and placed us in all dimensions of the Cosmos to enjoy Creation... each other, and life. We have been given sensory organs to enjoy all things, to be able to see the Creator in all we experience.
So what does this have to do with Reiki attunements, you ask? Just this... until we decide to remember who we are, and to let go of fear, and to just enjoy our brief time on this level of consciousness, we need tools to assist us in awakening to our potential. We need initiations, attunements, empowerments... we need to understand that we are responsible for our reality... individual and collective. This 3rd dimension is about "manifestation"... creating first the thoughts/images of what we would like to experience, and to call forth the energy of the Universe/Creator to supply us with that experience. How do we do that? By voluntarily participating in the rituals and ceremonies that we invented earlier in the history of civilization... all to help us remember. And one such tool is Reiki... it empowers us to be more sensitive to vibrational frequencies beyond this dense/gross band of energies we call the physical plane. It opens our awareness to subtle energies that make up even higher dimensions of our being. It helps us to remember that we are not limited to this plane of consciousness, and that we chose to come her for only short visits to experience the beauty and to Love all levels of being... physical and spiritual. Reiki helps us to remember that we can "influence" matter at this and all levels of consciousness. And when we recognize anything that is out-of-balance, all we need to do is to focus our attention/mind on that imbalance, and "effect" will follow "cause". When we can hold our reality in a continuous state of stability, and we have trained our brain/mind to concentrate on everlasting "Truth", then we can experience the physical and move up the ladder through the higher vibrations/dimensions back toward our "real self".... Spirit. Reiki to us is therefore a spiritual discipline/tool that will lead us to "enlightenment"... Spirit temporarily having a physical experience... nothing more. Blessings on your awakening and see you in the Garden....
More on Reiki and MoneyMoney is not the problem. Reiki teaches that the world works more smoothly when there is a "win-win" situation between everyone that co-operates in a common task. If a practitioner desires to "gift" someone with a treatment, there is nothing wrong with that; I personally feel that if the recipient does offer some form of "exchange", it should be accepted with "gratitude" by the practitioner, otherwise, the recipient may think that the practitioner is "better" than s/he. If the practitioner "gives" something, then s/he needs to give it freely, without expectation (then or in the future). Otherwise, the practitioner will continue to "save stamps" (collect negative thoughts) and may one day trade in all the "stamps collected" and feel that s/he has the right to take all his/her frustrations (over lack of worthiness) out on one of his "clients". This is a matter of perspective..... and little more. The world runs on energy..... things get done to better our circumstances...... individually or collectively. For that, there is usually some "need" that can be fulfilled in trade for a service rendered. This does not have to be in the form of money; it can be as simple as a hug...... a smile...... a compliment. All it takes is that the recipient of the "service" thinks about what the provider might need. This "thoughtfulness" keeps the machinery of progress well-oiled. Everyone wins. Take one part of the equation out of the formula, and there is a possibility of "disaster". We all need something...... a service we don't have time to perform ourselves, or the know-how to accomplish, or money enough to pay for it, etc. If we ask someone to do something for us, we better be aware that person has taken the time from their own schedule of doing for themselves, and that deserves some form of showing-of-gratitude/re-payment. This issue is about "flow" also....... if a practitioner provides a treatment, that gets "Universal energy" flowing in one direction. If nothing is accepted for the time, training, service, then the practitioner is stopping the flow/abundance that comes through another back to them. That is "one-sided" and can have the effect of creating karmic lessons that may require additional lifetimes in physical incarnations. This pattern may also stop the flow in the recipient's life..... because everything that we do, teaches others what we believe about our own lifes; in other words, we teach others by our actions/way-of-being. When we also explain and encourage exchange for everything we give and receive, we are showing others that we value Reiki; if we don't ask and accept, it may be showing others that we don't have much faith in what it can accomplish. One more thought (at this time)........ if any reader does not agree with the above statements, then consider this. If we give (from the heart), accepting what is offered in return, and that not everyone can give material energy, then please accept that when you give in gratitude, everything that you need will come back to you; not necessarily from the same source given.... but from somewhere. This 'Law' works wonders in our lives.
How do I cope with the death of a Loved One? This is my (Light) personal understanding after several near-death experiences, several long-term "out-of-body" adventures, and hundreds of hours of reading, discussing, meditating and generally seeking inner counsel.
We have come to the understanding/knowing that we are Spirit and as such, always alive and aware. The physical body is but a temporary vehicle for moving around in a dense plane so we can experience others (also Spirit) through our sensory organs…..what a miraculous thought….God experiencing "Itself" through a myriad of forms. When the physical body departs this plane of consciousness, it still is conscious/aware and exists right here beside us. We just cannot see them with our limited visual perception. Instead of missing our loved ones, and being miserable (sad, mad, lonely, left alone, etc.), we only need to focus our mind/consciousness on them and we are drawn into a "space" of common energy sharing. They are as close as our ability to hold that thought/image, and after some practice, we will be able to feel the presence of our loved ones. We have actually been trained to hold our concentration on the body until we believe that this body is all that we are. We suggest that a practice of meditation is done with this goal in mind. And please read "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche; this will help to gain understanding and see death for what it really is…… a movement/transition from one form of experience to another form. If we understand that passing on to other planes of consciousness is akin to climbing a spiritual ladder….. wouldn't we want our loved-ones to find and experience the Love/Peace of the Creator? After such a "struggle" here on Earth, we deserve a time of stillness, perfection, deep abiding Love of Creator/God. We are not helping our loved-ones if we are always pulling on their energy fields with our "selfish" longing for their continued presence on Earth. And that is exactly what we are doing when we "pine" for them….. holding them in the vibrational fields of this dense plane of existence we call "home".
Do Reiki on yourself and your departed loved one (absentee), unconditionally… knowing that the energy will work for your highest and best good, helping you to move through your grief; and will help your loved one move into their next level of experience peacefully.
Also see the grief and bereavement links under Helpful Links for more help and understanding.
Why do I sometimes feel drained after I give a Reiki Treatment?Think of the relationship between a client and a practitioner in this way: each person has a bubble of energy surrounding the physical body. When one person approaches another, and the auric fields interact... the person with the least energy begins to pull energy from the person who has the higher amount of energy. If a practitioner has a weakened energy field, and they work with "chronically imbalanced" people with a greater amount of energy, then the practitioner will receive some of the client's energy, including the distortions/negatively-charged energy molecules. If the practitioner's immune system is also low in energy or malfunctioning, then the imbalanced energy now in his/her aura "may" further weaken it, and it is possible for the physical body to begin to mimic the symptoms exhibited in the client. But we usually are able to shower, regain our energy level, rebuild our immune system so that our cellular make-up does not have ample time to duplicate dysfunctional patterns of dis-ease. That is how we are able to work on so many people and not take on every dis-ease experienced in clients. I would suggest that when we are not "feeling" energized, or we feel our bodies going through changes, that we consciously withdraw our services, so that we can focus on our most important task-at-hand... that of regaining our balance/well-being. Otherwise, we are not taking care of ourselves sufficiently, and we may be doing others an injustice also. If we ignore these "signs/suggestions", then we are extending the time that it will take for us and others to return to wholeness.
Should children be attuned to Reiki?Yes, by all means, do give your child of any age first level Reiki. Kids have great ability to utilize and feel the energy. They, however, will not necessarily work the discipline daily as adults are taught to do. If you make a game out of it, and do treatments on yourself simultaneously, your child will develop a better understanding/desire to keep-up the practice. We would recommend that you translate the logical part of the class (techniques) into "languaging" that is appropriate to your child's age (in other words, make it simple and fun). Once attuned your child will have within their hands a tool to help ease pain, stop bleeding and curtail the bruising of the everyday minor spills of childhood.
Hold teaching of second level for a few years, until your child is able to grasp the concepts, better understand the symbols and follow the procedures of "absentee treatments" without losing interest/attention. And we feel that if a first degree practitioner can regularly practice (self-treatments) they will continuously open their energy meridians and eventually be able to transfer energy equal to a newly attuned master-level practitioner.
Give your children the Gift of Reiki and see what wonders they discover with it.
Reiki and the Use of SymbolsPublished in the April 1999 issue of "The Messenger"
There is no doubt that Reiki is popular today. One only has to go to a metaphysical bookstore to see increasing numbers of books or to the internet to find a rapidly growing number of web sites about this ancient energy discipline, In fact, when we first connected to the internet 2 1/2 years ago, we only found nine sites on Reiki; today there are literally thousands, and more added each week. There are many questions posed to us, mostly about the symbols..."Which ones are correct, do they really work, and are they necessary?" are the ones most often asked. This article will help to answer these questions; but remember, dear reader these answers are based on our perceptions...stemming from the countless teachers we have studied and talked to, the numerous books we have read, and our personal experience based on hundreds of client treatments, self-treatments, and our own inner guidance. If you connect to the information contained within this article, we suggest you work with it until you receive your own inner answers. Your ability to receive Higher teachings/understanding from the inner dimensions of Reiki will develop with continued practice, and by your openness to receive. But, you have to let go of belief systems that limit your ability to receive. The practice of Reiki can lead a practitioner to enlightenment... in our understanding, this means to expand our awareness beyond only the input of information through our physical sensory organs.
Many non-Reiki and level 1 practitioners think the symbols are the power behind Reiki. Perhaps if the symbols could be obtained, then anyone could utilize Reiki without the necessity of training. This is just not true. The symbols are not the power of Reiki; they are not secret; they are not special. In and of themselves, symbols reveal little of the teachings of Reiki. But, the symbols are tools that help an attuned practitioner to hone his/her awareness of higher understanding contained within the system itself. We use the following analogy...Reiki is like a large hollow pipe. The pipe is one sub-energy of all energy existing everywhere in the Universe. Contained within this pipe is the totality of all that is understood of Reiki by humanity at this time. Within the large pipe are smaller pipes made up of information packets representing all of the teachings of Reiki. Each smaller pipe represents the different branches of Reiki, the symbols - their meanings and uses, the attunement techniques, all the esoteric and exoteric information that has been acquired from all philosophies/religions thought to make up Reiki. The symbols are the keys that open up the doors to the information packets. When we have fully experienced the information within each sub-pipe, we will be considered "masters" of Reiki.
Traditionally, there are only four symbols that were passed down through the lineage of Usui, Hayashi and Takata. So where did the many other "Reiki" symbols originate? Most have been intuitively channelled. Some have been incorrectly remembered, and taught to others as original. In truth, most symbols are variations of the four traditional ones. Many people have researched the origins of Reiki, and when information is found in ancient manuscripts and documents, it was sometimes offered as Reiki, even if it has little similarity to today’s Reiki. We receive a lot of manuals and symbols from practitioners, and most are but variations on a theme...traditional teachings that has been changed to accommodate one's belief systems. This is not to say that the contemporary symbols do not have some purpose and use; they help us to understand ourselves and humanity as a whole. But they are not the original information taught by the lineage holders.
Do the symbols work, and how does one use them? As keys to Higher understanding of Reiki, the symbols do indeed unlock information beyond what is taught in classes. We recommend that practitioners find ways to use the symbols to help open their awareness to these higher meanings. In our classes, we draw oversized symbols in the air, and have students step into them, intuitively feeling their energy and possible meanings. We recommend the symbols be focused on at the beginning of meditation sessions, calling upon Higher guides/teachers in deep meditation to give greater insights, journaling the mind's responses. Symbols can be visualized at the beginning of sleep, and the mind programmed to remember "dreams" for even greater understanding. Wearing symbols on the body can trigger spontaneous memories from the collective un-conscious. The methods for working with symbols are unlimited.
Are symbols necessary? Does a practitioner need to use them? As in all tools, they are only necessary until a practitioner integrates them into their waking consciousness; until they become a response to everything life throws at us. Most of us humans do not fully understand what it means to be "responsible" for our reality...to be a conscious 'co-creative agent' working within the Divine Plan of the Creator. There are indeed many paths to the mountain-top, and Reiki is one of them. Through the disciplined practice of this 'energy accumulating' system, a practitioner's sensitivity can be heightened so s/he can utilize the innate powers of perception that we call "psychic". These include the abilities to perceive subtle energies beyond our limited five senses, to discern energies that are out-of-balance within physical bodies or in all matter, to supply greater amounts of energy to everything that exists...extending it's usefulness and lifespan. Working with symbols can awaken these abilities within us more quickly. Reiki is a spiritual ladder... use it to discover what and who you are and your purpose for being.
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