Reiki - About
Reiki - What is it?
Reiki is an ancient system of energy healing. Reiki means UNIVERSAL LIFE FORCE or ENERGY OF LIGHT – (Rei meaning universal, Ki meaning life force).
Energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to the quality of health. We call this unseen energy “life force energy”. Life force energy flows within the body through pathways called chakras and meridians. It also flows around us in a field of energy called the aura. Life force nourishes the organs and cells of the body, supporting them in their vital functions.
When this flow is disrupted or our chakras are blocked or out of balance we become ill.
The life force is also responsive to thoughts and feelings. It can become disrupted when we have negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. These negative thoughts and feelings attach themselves to the energy field and cause a disruption in the flow of life force. This diminishes the vital function of the organs and cells of the physical body.
Reiki as a system utilizes ancient symbols. Each symbol functions as a key to activate a specific frequency of energy. These energies are then used for natural healing. It is a technique for body rejuvenation, stress reduction, healing and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy”. Reiki treats the whole person - body, emotions, mind and spirit.
Reiki heals by flowing through the affected part of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings and energies are attached. This causes the negative energy to break apart and fall away. In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways. This allows life force to flow in a healthy and natural way. As a consequence the body can better rejuvenate and heal itself.
A Reiki practitioner channels energy through the laying on of hands.
Seven main “Chakras” (energy centers) are focused on. These chakras are vertically aligned running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head and are like whirlpools, where energy flows in and out of the body.
History of Reiki
The use of Reiki for natural healing was rediscovered by Dr Mikao Usui in the late 1800’s in Japan. The name “Reiki the Usui System of Natural Healing” was coined. A teacher in Japan, Usui was a student of medicine, psychology and religion. He began a 7 year search for how physical illness could be healed.
He studied the history of healings and found an elderly Abbott of a Zen Buddhist monastery with knowledge of physical healing. He studied the Buddhist scriptures and sutras there and learnt Sanskrit to read the original Buddhist writings. He doing so, he found in Buddha’s teachings the formula, the symbols and the description of our Buddha healed.
Since the discovery of Reiki, it has been taught throughout the world. Initially there were very few Reiki Masters who taught this healing practice. It was not until the late 1940’s that Reiki began to take roots in the Western world. In 1980 there were only 22 known Reiki masters in the West. In the last 25 years, there has been a virtual blossoming of Reiki as a healing path. Now the number of people transmitting and practicing Reiki energy has become enormous with many different variations of Reiki being taught.What is a chakra?
Eastern religions believe that the human body contains seven main energy centers. These energy centres are called “Chakras” and are vertically aligned, running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.
Each Chakra is like a whirlpool where energy flows in and out of the body. The life force flows through the Chakras vitalizing the auric field and physical body. There is also a channel that runs through the centre of the body called the Hara Line. The life force flows through this channel and connects us to the earth.
When our Chakras are out of balance or blocked we become ill.
As we increase the energy flow through our Chakras the healthier we become, the more we grow and know ourselves. Each chakra is associated with an endocrine gland. The universal energy flows through the chakra to the nervous system, the endocrine system and then the blood to nourish the body. Each chakra has a colour and balanced and unbalanced energy.
