Into The Heart Of Reiki by Maggy Whitehouse

Reiki Master Maggy Whitehouse looks at a system of healing which has become so popular that it may be in danger of losing sight of its roots.

Reiki is a Japanese word meaning Universal Life Energy. It refers to a system of healing rediscovered in Tibet at the end of the nineteenth century by a Japanese theologian, Dr Mikao Usui and brought to the West about 60 years ago.

Like most esoteric disciplines Reiki is an oral tradition, meaning that the knowledge is intended to be passed down by word of mouth from teacher to pupil. A Reiki teacher is termed a “Master” although this simply means that they have mastered the techniques and not that they are enlightened beings…

Reiki was developed from Sanskrit symbols of healing which, correctly used, open channels in the energy centres of the healer so that they may be the conduit for healing from the world of Spirit. These channels are specific passages into the upper worlds and are ideal for the beginner in healing as they appear to carry automatic safety limits on how much can be channelled — according to the healer and the client’s personal development.

The symbols are intended as sacred knowledge, although, as with all symbols, they are themselves purely neutral forms. It is how they are used and with what intent which matters. Knowledge in all esoteric traditions can be misused, derided or misunderstood and although the spiritual source of this healing system has made it difficult to use Reiki for other purposes than Divine will, it can be done through ignorance.

Until recently, the Reiki symbols were kept secret, generally not because of elitism but because of the belief of the teachers that the knowledge needed to be sought and earned with consciousness, love and discipline to ensure that the student would be able to handle it responsibly. However, books published in the last few years have brought the symbols into the public domain. This is not necessarily a bad thing as times change and traditions need to keep pace, but it can lead people to believe they know more than they do. Just having the symbols and being told what to do with them is the form of Reiki. The intent, together with the knowledge of the spirit of Reiki is vital to make the system whole. Without those it is far easier (and more costly) to make mistakes.

If the wider knowledge of the symbols encourages people to seek the inner heart of Reiki then publication is a good thing. So far it has proved to be a double-edged sword and the system is being derided and discounted by many because of the lack of inner knowledge of some practitioners and teachers.

The symbols themselves are traditionally taught as being four in number and are structured in visualisations or hand movements which match the holy numbers and formations of the Tabernacle as set up by the Israelites in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. To the Western Judaeo-Christian teaching they represent the four worlds of Divinity, Spirit, Soul and Physicality and within them are other number structures representing aspects of creation. The symbols work in opening the practitioner to the presence of healing energy.

Some Reiki teachers use extra symbols, either saying these actually are the original number and some have been lost or that they are extra ones recently discovered in the Lamaseries of Tibet where Dr Usui studied. The structure of these other symbols also adds up to known esoteric numbers and they will probably work just as well.

It is known that Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the Western world, initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters before her death. Legend has it that Hawayo Takata taught each Master slightly differently and the Western esoteric tradition would suggest that each difference would highlight an aspect of that particular teacher and his or her abilities and responsibilities. A complete union of the essence of Reiki would therefore be best achieved by the twenty-two Masters working together. Sadly, this has not happened.

There are traditionally three levels of learning Reiki: First Degree (the equivalent to GCSE Healing), Second Degree (A Level Healing) and Third Degree (University Degree Healing), which gives you the knowledge and ability to teach others. Nowadays, the third level is often divided into two sections, the first being the teaching of the knowledge of the level and the second being the initiation into being a Reiki teacher oneself.

The primary function of Reiki is self-healing. Unlike those who train with organisations such as the National Federation of Spiritual Healers, a Reiki practitioner is let loose on the world after just one weekend of training. This has caused howls of protest from many quarters, especially from those who have had to spend a long time learning to heal in different systems. However, Reiki is not so much taught as experienced as the teacher gives each student four “attunements” to place the sacred symbols — in a certain order and in a certain way — over the appropriate energy centres.

This is intended to be done in a beautiful and sacred ritual which allows people to contact their own inner truth and to experience contact with the higher worlds. The effect is not unlike pouring a bottle of bleach into a clogged drainpipe! Some people find the experience intensely moving and others feel very little at the time, according to their own personal make-up.

After the attunements and after learning the hand positions for self-healing and treating others as well as the responsibilities of being a student of healing, the Reiki practitioner is trusted to continue with his or her own self-development. This includes going to regular support and practice groups, studying and practising regular self-healing treatments to bring higher energies through to help them through the period of adjustment after the attunement.

After a Reiki workshop, many changes can occur in the healer. What they have done by attending the course is to make a commitment to their own development and to bringing Spirit into the world. This is a big undertaking. If they have the discipline to heal themselves and to observe the changes within, they will increase the strength of their ability to channel healing as well as their self-knowledge.

Continual self-development is important for those who wish to learn Second Degree Reiki, where some of the sacred symbols themselves are revealed, together with how to use them for absent healing and for healing on the mental and emotional levels. It is even more so for those who wish to become a Reiki Master. Both of these levels carry great responsibility and require the ability of the practitioner to see the difference between allowing perfect healing to occur between Divinity and Mankind and using healing to try and control the lives of people by “making” them better.

I wince when I hear of people who have learned First and Second Degree or Second and Third Degree together in one weekend, or who have not been taught to allow the experience of Third Degree Reiki to settle within them and who rush out to attune others immediately. The art of patience is a vital part of esoteric training and the unwillingness to wait frequently signifies that the seeker is not ready for the knowledge. The Reiki will be passed on, as the system works, but the practitioner may well have missed out on some of the beauty, discipline and love of the tradition and it is less likely that they will be able to teach those delights to others.

I also sometimes wonder about the advisability of teaching Reiki cheaply. Traditionally it is very expensive — with the Master’s level costing many thousands of pounds. There are many teachers nowadays who believe the system should be “available to all” and who charge much cheaper prices — and the important question there is the integrity of the teacher and why they have chosen to do so.

Originally Reiki was priced highly so that the student has to really want to receive the knowledge and be prepared to make sacrifices and show he or she is ready to make a commitment to do so. In most systems of mysticism it is said that an aspirant to the Higher Worlds must demonstrate that they are able to handle the physical and psychological worlds first to ensure they are sufficiently balanced for higher knowledge.

In truth, if the student is ready, either the money or a suitable alternative will appear almost automatically. The Universe is entirely just and the Reiki student will be expected to give back to God the value of the course in some way, even if it is not in a direct payment to the Reiki Master who teaches them.

For those who despair at the thought of raising the hundred pounds or so needed to start a traditional Reiki course, there is always an answer if they are prepared to look for it and willing to communicate clearly with the teacher from whom they want to learn. Some Reiki teachers who discount may well be doing so for the highest good and their teaching may be excellent; just as some teachers who charge the full amounts may not be very good. Others who give discounts may have prosperity issues and be unable to teach balance to their students — or they may not understand the sacred knowledge they possess. If you want to learn Reiki, it is up to you to choose your teacher with discernment — and you will always choose the one who can teach you the most about yourself and your self-esteem.

In just the same way as with all other therapies, there are teachers with the highest qualifications to whom you would not send your worst enemy and people who seem to have very few qualifications at all who just shine with integrity. If in doubt it is best to contact an organisation such as the Reiki Association for advice — but in the end the decision is yours and nobody else’s.