Reiki - the Energy

The first question people ask me about Reiki is "what is it?" The first question that people don't ask (but almost always wonder about) is "how do you pronounce it?" Let's start with the simpler of the two.

Reiki is pronounced RAY-key. It's a Japanese word that has been translated and mis-translated many ways. The best translation I've found of the word itself is "spiritually guided universal life force energy." That begins the answer to the first question.

Reiki is spiritually guided universal life force energy. "What is THAT?" you may ask. It's the energy in all life, guided by the Divine Spirit. That is to say, the life force in everything in the universe. We all have it. It's the life-blood of the universe. It's what keeps you ticking. It's what keeps the plants growing and the sun shining. Whatever you call it, it's that thing that keeps it all together. By saying that Reiki is spiritually guided, I don't mean that some ghost is out there telling Reiki what to do. Reiki, as the energy in everything, is from God/Universe/Goddess/All That Is/The Divine by whatever name. The Divine is the guiding force of Reiki.

The next question is usually "How does it work?" Simple. A Reiki practitioner is anyone who is trained and attuned tobe a conduit to run the energy through their body to another. The Divine guides the Reiki to the person the practitioner intends, and the Divine and the person receiving the energy work together. Reiki, when channeled to a person, gives the person more universal life force energy so that they can heal. Note that the key there is they can heal. No one can force another to heal, and the Divine will not. It is up to the person that the energy is being directed to to accept the energy on some level and use it to heal, or not. Often this decision is made subconsciously or unconsciously.

Healing with Reiki is a natural process. The life force energy is a boost for the person's own energy so that their body/mind/soul heals naturally. This means going through a regular healing process. For instance, if you have a cold and you get Reiki, the body will go through it's normal healing process. Since you have more energy for the healing, though, the process may be accelerated. Thus, your nose may run worse and your head ache more and so on, but for a much shorter length of time. There is also the possibility of an instantaneous healing. The body/mind/soul in this case still goes through its normal healing process, but so quickly that it's not noticed. All in all, Reiki is a rather amazing experience.

(article written 8/97) ©1997 Robyn A. Harton All Rights Reserved.

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