What does Reiki look like? Here are some answers

Ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration and contemplation, The Reiki Digest hereby presents the entries in our first contest. "What does Reiki look like?" we asked, and here are the answers we got from our readers. Next week, we'll announce the winners, so if you've got an opinion as to which of these images looks most like Reiki to you, please vote by adding a comment to this post on our web site, or if you prefer to comment privately, send your responses to editor@thereikidigest.com. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we'll go straight to the pictures, and follow up with this week's regular features. Many thanks to all those who entered the contest.

If you click on the images on our web site, you can see larger versions of them, but that might not work in your email.































Yes, some of the contestants submitted multiple images, which explains why there's a family resemblance between some of them.

Thankee, thankee verr verr much. Don't get all shook up, because this week's Celeb-Reiki is still very much a part of our culture even though he died 20 years ago today. That's right, it's Elvis Presley. And what does Elvis have to do with Reiki, or vice versa? Reiki Master Kristi Weldon has just come out with a new book, "Health and Happiness Elvis Style, "a personal guide to living life to the fullest, just like Elvis did."

Well, maybe we shouldn't try to do everything "just like Elvis did," but in any case, Weldon's work reminded me of a touring display of Elvis memorabilia I saw a decade ago in the Czech Republic. The show featured one of his Cadillacs, some other items I can't recall, and a cryptic note said to have been written by Elvis himself:

"Less than 1/2 of 1% of the pop. has any concept of true spitual (sic) wisdom of what we are discussing."

Uh-uh-huh. Wouldn't you love to have been in on that conversation?

On to this week's Reiki Roundup. We begin back at Mt. Kurama in Japan, where Special Correspondent Michelle Shinagawa paused in her visit to the legendary birthplace of Reiki at a cafe called Senshintei (Washing your mind).

From there, we follow the bouncing story. Last week, as you may recall, Reiki was included in the news that The New York Times found fit to print. This week, that same article about Reiki practitioner Jim Weathers and his pro golfer and baseball team clients is still bouncing around cyberspace, and has made it into The Reiki Digest's inbox at least 10 times, sent by people who apparently didn't realize we'd already taken note of it.

Next stop: Florida, where Naples Sun Times columnist (and Reiki Master) Silvia Casabianca tells us that the demand for wellness in the corporate world is growing.

Meanwhile, in Sarasota, Florida, Reiki practitioners are among those looking back at the "Harmonic Convergence" 20 years ago and ahead to 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar, which some say will bring about anything from the end of the world to the beginning of a, pardon the expression, new age. (Last year I was in a class with a teacher who told us the earth would "ascend" in 2012, but when I asked him what he meant by that, he got a bit irritated with me and said he didn't have to defend his beliefs to anyone. Maybe not, but it would be nice if you explained them....)

In Monroe, Wisconsin, we find a therapist who uses Reiki-Reflex and Reiki-ssage, both developed by our friends at The Reiki Council in suburban Chicago.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, we find another Reiki hybrid: Sufi-Reiki.

Have you come up with a Reiki hybrid of your own? If so, tell us about it.

Finally, all the early registration specials have expired for the Shinpiden (Master/Teacher level) class in New York City with Frans Stiene of the International House of Reiki, sponsored by The Reiki Digest, but there are still a few seats available.

The Reiki Digest and its parent company, Healing Movement LLC, are looking to sponsor some other natural health workshops in New York, so if you'd like to send us a proposal, the address is editor@thereikidigest.com.