The Online Reiki Manual
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![[Dr. Usui]](usui.jpg)
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Introduction to Reiki
Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is the Japanese word for the Universal Life Energy that permeates and sustains our entire world. There is an infinite source of this energy, creating and supporting all of us, the animals, the plants, plus a whole lot more that is unseen by us. This one uniting energy has been used by many cultures in a variety of ways, for example Tai Chi, Acupuncture and Yoga.
Forms of the Reiki healing system have been used throughout Japan, Tibet, India and other countries since ancient times. It was Mikao Usui in the mid-twentieth century who re-introduced this ancient healing system in Japan, and now it is becoming increasingly widespread all around the world.
Reiki is a completely natural healing method, accelerating the body, mind and spirit's healing process. Reiki healing sessions naturally encourage holistic health and well-being, balance, purpose and spiritual harmony in yourself and others.
Reiki energy is directly connected to the Source of our universe and our being, and so is completely linked with Universal Intelligence. This intelligence allows it to focus on the most needed areas of healing completely automatically, thereby suiting the needs of the receiver in the very best way.
During the healing sessions you will be placing your hands on the receiver according to traditional methods, but you will not actually be directing the energy to areas within the body. The Reiki energy directs itself to the correct areas; both the exterior bodily symptoms and also the deeper root causes that may exist in the mental, emotional and spiritual connections.
For example the symptom may be a headache but the cause may be stress from a current situation in life. In this case the Reiki would not only help the receiver to release the pain and tension, but also it would help them recognize ways of resolving the stressful situation. In this way, Reiki is a completely transformational method of deep healing.
During the healing, both you and the receiver may feel sensations of heat, cold, vibration, tingling, etc. Sometimes the healer and the receiver experience opposites, for example the healer may experience feelings of heat while the receiver experiences cold.
Other times there will be no experiences at all. Whether or not any sensations are experienced during the healing session, you can rest assured that the energy has flowed correctly and effectively. This is one of the amazing and beautiful gifts of using Reiki, due to it's intelligence you can always be sure that the session has been very beneficial to the receiver.
Reiki passes easily through absolutely anything, so it is not necessary to remove any clothing during the healing session. This can also be useful when energy is to be passed through plaster casts, and any other obstacles to direct hand contact.
The receiver doesn't need a problem to be eligible for a Reiki session - it's great for relaxation and overall health and well-being. The vast benefits of regular Reiki sessions are innumerable and completely encompass the entire mind/body/spirit connection, greatly increasing the quality of life in every aspect.
Both the healer and the receiver simultaneously benefit from the healing session. The more Reiki sessions you give, the more natural harmony you will experience in your own life. You can even give Reiki sessions to plants and animals.
Unlike other spiritual healing methods, Reiki sessions should always involve NO effort from the healer to send or direct energy. This ensures that the energy uses it's own intelligence to guide itself. After you have been attuned to Reiki, healing energy will naturally begin to flow as soon as you place your hands on anyone or anything AND have the INTENT to heal. It will flow completely automatically and always with positive and beneficial effects.
If you start concentrating on sending or directing energy, it will reduce the optimal flow. Greatest success will occur just by allowing it to work by itself. Always remain relaxed and detached from the process.
It is important to remember that with Reiki there is nothing you can do wrong. Reiki will take care of everything.
Relax and enjoy! Trust in Reiki.
The Reiki Attunement
The ability to heal ourselves and others already exists within all of us. All that is needed is to learn specific techniques to focus this ability. There are numerous spiritual healing systems that are able to help the individual gain this focus. But Reiki is unique in that it uses Attunements to instantly transform the individual's healing ability into a very effective and powerful force.
Reiki Attunements are not easily described, but can be compared to tuning a radio. The first attunement can be compared to finding a station amongst the static. The second attunement brings the station in clearer. The Master Attunement brings the station in perfectly, leaving the station loud, clear and static-free.
Instead of simply adjusting a radio, we are tuning the human body's own energy system to the higher energies of the Universal Life Force.
Before receiving this booklet you were permanently attuned at a specific time to the Reiki energy. At that specific moment, or at some time since then, you may have noticed sensations of energy, light, colors, or just feelings of general positivity and peace, or you may have experienced particularly vivid dreams. However it is perfectly okay to have noticed nothing unusual yet, as these sensations are not an indication that the attunements have been given.
We each experience the Reiki energy in our own unique way, and you may only start to experience it consciously after some practice. The most common sensation associated with Reiki is a hotness or tingling sensation in the hands when performing healing. In the early days this sensation may appear at odd times when you are not healing. That will pass. It can also happen to the soles of your feet, again at unexpected times. All this will pass as your channels are cleared and the energy settles in. It may be that you will not feel these sensations at all. It could be that you will feel a heat in your chest or your solar plexus (or anywhere else for that matter). None of these sensations are necessary, but are quite common. Although I do know at least one Reiki Master who has no sensation at all when giving Reiki except a slight tingling in his tongue! We are all different.
The Reiki Principles
The Reiki Principles are a set of traditional guidelines that are essential to the Reiki system. Consider the following ideas:
Just for today, I will not worry
Just for today, I will not be angry
Just for today, I will live honestly
Just for today, I will respect the oneness of all life
Just for today, I will be kind to everyone I meet
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings
These are all common-sense ideas for bringing harmony into our lives, yet our society doesn't usually consider them necessary. Benefit of each Principle:
(1) Nothing is gained through worrying.
(2) It is better to stay calm instead of allowing anger and stress to enter your life.
(3) It's difficult to maintain self-respect without living honestly.
(4) + (5) If you respect and are kind to others, your efforts will generally be reciprocated.
(6) If we focus on the things we appreciate in life, we will not be so disturbed at inconveniences and difficulties.
Actually living by all these ideas may not be quite so easy.
Our healing attempts become far less effective when we fail to employ these concepts in our daily lives, as we lose our harmony with the Universal Life Energy. We can also make our healing efforts substantially more efficient if we can also encourage the Reiki receiver to try following the Reiki Principles. Perhaps you would like to give them a copy after the healing session.
Self Healing
Giving yourself healing is a very important aspect of Reiki. I very strongly advise that you perform self healing regularly. At least once a day. Each hand position should be held for approximately 5 minutes.
Many manuals show many more hand positions and if you have the time you should include as many as possible.
In addition to the hand positions described here you should be sure to regularly Reiki your feet and knees. The feet and knees are often left out. They are a very important part of bringing the energy through you.
As well as improving your health, regular self healing will balance and centre your mind/body/spirit system, thereby allowing for a dramatically increased flow of Reiki energy during healing sessions. Most importantly, it will definitely increase your inner guidance, helping you to pilot everyday situations more successfully, as well as providing spiritual guidance when appropriate.
You will be placing your hands in a number of different positions on the body. Spend around 5 minutes in each of the hand positions, making the complete session last a minimum of 30 minutes. It is important to follow these guidelines precisely at first.
Once you are familiar with the basic procedure and have gained confidence, let your hands be guided by your intuition.
Practice, Experience and Patience will surely bring you to the stage where you can trust your inner guidance. In any case, the universal energy is always overlooking your healing sessions, ensuring that none of your attempts will ever go unrewarded.
The process is equally effective in either a sitting or lying down position.
Keep all fingers together throughout the process.
The hands should be placed gently on the body, however if the skin is irritated or in any way sensitive, it is perfectly okay to have your hands an inch or two above the body.
Try to position your hands and arms so they will remain completely comfortable, as tension will distract your natural relaxation and stillness.
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Hands Resting On Eyes |
Hands Resting Over Ears |
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Hands On Back of Head |
Hands On Throat & Heart |
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Hands On Solar Plexus & Navel |
Hands On Hip Area |
You may find that you naturally enter a meditative or sleep-like state during self-healing and also while healing others. This is good, as there is no need for conscious control, and a clear mind allows the energy to flow most freely.
The solar plexus area, in the centre of the body just below the breasts, is an important energy point in the body. You will find great benefit by placing one or both hands on this area during any situation throughout the day in which you find yourself feeling anxious or upset. It will greatly calm and strengthen you.
Healing Others
After you have practiced the self healing procedure until it becomes natural and comfortable, you may begin working with others. Be confident in your abilities, and have faith that Reiki will be looking after the procedure and ensuring it's success. You may like to start with willing family members and friends. Even if there's nothing physically wrong with them, they will receive relaxation from the process and will gain more harmony and other non-physical benefits.
Most problems or illnesses should be started off with a series of four sessions on separate days, preferably over a period of not more than two weeks. After these four sessions you can assess the need for further healing, with perhaps another series of four sessions or maybe only once a week or even more infrequently.
Everybody's healing process is unique. Obvious physical symptoms may disappear, but it is important not to ignore any repressed emotional blockages which may become apparent during the healing process. These often will occur as inner revelations to the receiver, either during or sometime after the session. Often while performing the process you will yourself 'sense' feelings, ideas, or images that relate to the deeper causes of the receiver's illness. It is very important that you let them know what you are sensing. Sometimes the information can be understood logically, and other times the information will be more symbolic. It will usually relate to past negative experiences or issues that have not been resolved satisfactorily.
Forgiveness of the past is all-important to effective healing. Often during Reiki sessions the receiver experiences forgiveness automatically at a subconscious level, but in more stubborn or deeply ingrained cases there will have to be a conscious decision to forgive and let go of the past.
It is very important to note that it is not appropriate for you to diagnose a person's illness, even if your intuition can sense it. Firstly, it is not at all necessary for effective treatment. More importantly it is definitely considered illegal to diagnose unless you are officially a doctor.
In most situations the ideal is for your healing sessions to accompany orthodox medical treatment. You may find that medication can be reduced due to healing sessions - but only with a doctor's approval.
It is also not appropriate for you to promise any specific results from the sessions, as the healing process is always unique and unpredictable. You can however promise that Reiki definitely benefits everyone who receives it.
Don't be disappointed if your healing produces no noticeable effect at first. Ultimately the healing process relies on the receiver forgiving past hurts and letting go of repressed negativity. The Reiki healing sessions will always be working automatically towards resolving these deeper problems. Meanwhile the external symptoms will usually be reduced, but sometimes this takes longer and is not an indication that Reiki's inner transformational work is ineffective.
Occasionally the Reiki sessions may seem to make physical symptoms worse. This is only temporary and is simply a part of the body's natural healing process as it releases toxins and other accumulated nasties. There may also be mental or emotional releases that cause the receiver's usual behavior to alter a little. Often this is experienced as being more contemplative than usual, but sometimes it can be the opposite - they may become irritated. This too will only be temporary. Regardless of these releases, continue with the healing sessions and trust in Reiki.
Sometimes the receiver will start to tell you about their problems. It is very important to be non-judgemental. Be very careful when offering advice. Usually the best thing you can do is just listen with compassion.
Occasionally during a healing session the receiver may experience a very deep emotional release which may appear externally as a brief moment of laughing, crying, anger, restlessness, etc. This will only be temporary and it is not important to analyze it.
It is your responsibility to remain completely supportive throughout the release. Let them know that whatever they are feeling is okay, just re-assure them and continue the session when comfortable. Reiki's intelligence will ensure that you are only presented with these situations when you have more experience and will be ready to handle it.
Some forms of spiritual healing leave the practitioner feeling drained after giving a healing session. This will never occur when using Reiki, as you will not be using your personal energy to heal, but rather you will be channelling Universal Energy to stimulate the person's own self healing process. Rather than being drained, you will usually be energized yourself from the channelling process, which will occur naturally and spontaneously as soon as you place your hands on them with the intent to heal. The Reiki energy will also protect you against absorbing any of the receiver's disharmonious energy during the healing process. Occasionally you may tune into the disharmonious physical or emotional sensations of the receiver, but this will dissipate very quickly. You will always be protected.
Full Body
This session will take around one hour and is performed with the receiver in a lying position, preferably on a massage table but any bed, strong table, sofa or even the floor may be okay, as long as it is comfortable for them and you. You may either stand or sit next to them.
Start by asking them to close their eyes and to take a few deep breaths. Before placing your hands on them, take a few moments to still your mind and centre yourself. You may like to silently say a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to help someone, Ask for help from your guides etc. Whatever feels right for you.
The energy will begin to flow as soon as you place your hands on them with the Intent to start healing. Spend around 4 to 5 minutes in each of the positions. As with the self healing, with practice you will learn to trust your intuition and alter the procedure as necessary. It is good to always finish off with the legs and feet, as it help to reconnect and ground them before the session finishes.
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Hands resting on crown of head |
Hands gently on eyes |
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Hands resting on ears |
Hands on shoulders & collarbone |
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Hands on upper chest & heart region |
Solar Plexus area |
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Hands on navel region (do both sides) |
Hands on hip sides area (do both sides) |
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Hands on top of knees |
Hands on bottom of feet |
The corresponding positions on the back of the body should also be done. (i.e. back of the head then divide the body into four equal sections and position both hands across the body in each section.)
An additional and very useful hand position is with one hand on the base of the spine and one hand on the back of the knee. This can be very good for lower back pain and arthritis.
Lightly brush the aura towards the feet. Return hands to shoulders briefly and then let them know that the session is complete.
Short Session
The short session takes around 30 minutes and is performed with the receiver sitting on a chair or stool. This often makes it more practical and convenient than the full body session, but still with very effective results. You will be standing while performing the first four hand positions, but will need a chair for the final two as it makes the lower positions more comfortable. It is good for the receiver to remove their shoes, but this is not essential. Their hands should rest gently on their lap.
As with the full body session, start by asking them to close their eyes and to take a few deep breaths. Then take a few moments to centre yourself in whatever way you choose. Spend around 4 to 5 minutes in each of the positions. Please note that during the back positions it is okay for your hand to be on the other side of the chair if it has a back support. Reiki energy will pass straight through the chair and into the appropriate part of the body.
When you have finished the session, place your hands on their shoulders gently for a few moments and let them know that you are finished. Of course as with all Reiki sessions, with practice you will learn to trust your intuition and alter the procedure if necessary.
If someone only has a short time to spare or is afraid of being touched too much, you may give them a brief session just using the shoulder position. Even a few minutes of this alone can give great peace and relaxation, and allow the healing process to begin.
Whenever you come across someone experiencing pain, you may give a brief session by just placing your hands on the specific painful area, or nearby if that is more comfortable. This may not be quite as effective and lasting as a complete session, but will often bring immediate relief.
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Crown |
Forehead & Back of Head |
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Shoulders |
Upper Chest Area |
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Solar Plexus Area |
Abdomen Area |
Other Applications
There are so many ways you can use Reiki to improve your life and the lives of those around you. Following are just a few ideas of applications that may interest you. I will not go into too much detail because the applications are limitless and the procedures will vary depending on the circumstances. Use your intuition as a guide, and always remember that even the simplest of treatments will be effective because Reiki energy will ensure success. Be creative, and don't forget to use the symbols to enhance your efforts.
1) Potted plants love Reiki. Try placing your hands around the pot, allowing the energy to pass through into the root system.
2) Animals love Reiki. Don't worry if they keep wriggling around, just place your hands in any way that is convenient.
3) The same applies to wriggling babies! A simple touch is enough to allow the Reiki to flow. In fact it can flow through any part of your body, so for example you can hold the baby against your tummy or chest.
4) Pregnant women will appreciate Reiki, and the unborn baby will benefit simultaneously.
5) Those people who unfortunately have life-threatening illnesses may not find a complete removal of their problem, but it will certainly bring peace into their lives and make the process of moving on far easier.
6) Group Reiki may be given when a number of Reiki practitioners are available. The energy level will multiply amazingly with two or more healers.
7) Reiki can be given to a situation. This can be done by silently contemplating the situation and imagining energy flowing from above, down through your head and out to the situation through your heart and hands.
8) Regular Reiki sessions used in conjunction with orthodox medications will usually reduce or eliminate the necessary dosage and the side effects. But be sure to consult with a doctor before making any changes to medication.
9) Reiki can be given to non-living things. For example, you may wish to give a little Reiki to medicine before taking it, thereby making it more effective. Or you may give it briefly to your food and drinks to increase their nutritional value. You could even give it to a paintbrush or a musical instrument to help increase the creative ability of whoever uses it.
A little Reiki is better than none, and the more the better. You can't receive too much Reiki. But don't force yourself on someone who doesn't want it!
There is never a situation in which Reiki is inappropriate or in any way harmful.
The Reiki energy knows no limitation. So the only limit is your imagination. You don't have to be solemn and serious while using Reiki. Have fun with it! Good Luck in finding ever more expanding uses for Reiki in your life.
Conclusion
You now know all that you need. Obviously this hand-book is a lot more compact than many books on Reiki. I believe that Reiki is a journey of self discovery. Follow the guidelines in this book, and with regular use of Reiki in everyday situations, you will discover exactly what works best for you as an individual. I believe this is far more appropriate than for you to reproduce other people's experiences and viewpoints.
There are many good books published about Reiki. All of them have something to offer you. It is unlikely that your experiences of Reiki will be exactly like any other person's experiences and, as with everything, you should take what you find works for you from these books and discard what you find does not resonate well with you. Never believe that anybody else's way is any better than yours. Nobody is completely right and nobody is wrong. There are so many diverse opinions, and in some cases dogma, attached to the practice of Reiki that sometimes you will find people who will not accept any way other than their own as being "true Reiki". This is sad for them, but should not affect you.
Some of these people are even Reiki Masters who should definitely know better than to discriminate. There is only one all-encompassing energy in use by ALL healers. It is available to ANYONE who wants to use it. Even without the attunements, all efforts at healing still take place using the One and Only Reiki energy, but with less focus. Most of the people who air these views are just uninformed, but many unfortunately are caught up in egotistical and hypocritical notions of secrecy and exclusivity. Please try to be patient and tolerant with these people, allow them to continue believing whatever they wish. One day they WILL discover the true nature of Reiki.
At present we are living in rapidly changing times, and the Reiki system is evolving along with it. In fact we are returning to the real origins of Reiki. In ancient times, Reiki training was non-secretive, non-exclusive, and available to anyone who wanted it.
Personally, I never turn away anyone for healing or attunements, even if they have no money. I hope you will do the same. This is the most ethical use of an energy that really doesn't belong to us - it is a universal gift from the Source. In fact any payments made at all should be seen not as required fees but as donations... as an acknowledgment of your time and commitment.
I wish you the very best on your journey
The information in this article relates to healing and not medicine. This information does not constitute medical advice.