Computers, frustration, and Reiki

The behind-the-scenes work here at The Reiki Digest can take up a lot of space and time, and this week was no exception. This week, in the background, we've been spending time with some business software -- installing it, trying to use it, getting error messages, trying again, and again, and again, with even more error messages, going to the software company's web site in search of help, finding an update for the software, downloading it, installing it, rebooting, launching it, getting new error messages as well as a message telling us to call customer support, talking to a nice young lady in India, waiting on hold for the nice young lady, talking, waiting, talking, waiting, finally being told the only solution was to uninstall the software, hanging up, uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting, reregistering, being advised to download another update, downloading, installing, rebooting, relaunching, re-re-registering, and, finally, getting it to work the way it was supposed to. By then my workday was over, but at least it ended on an up note.

With the Reiki precepts in mind, I made a point of not getting angry, and not worrying that all my data would be lost. Yes, it was frustrating, but there are levels of frustration, from a resigned shrug to clenched fists. I'm happy to report that Reiki helped me stay closer to the former than the latter. I decided to pause at every interval in that long series of steps for a brief Reiki moment of at least three deep breaths. And I'm happy to report that at the end of the day, my shoulders weren't in knots, I was relaxed and almost amused at the experience, though it did help that everything worked OK in the end. Otherwise, I'd still be on the phone with that nice lady in India, and we'd both need Reiki table sessions to help us recover.

For more ways to work Reiki into your daily life, click here to download our article "Instant Hands-Free Reiki Self-Care" in handy PDF form. The PDF will pop up in a new window.

The article is published under a Creative Commons some rights reserved license: reprints are permitted as long as you credit the author and make no changes. For other uses, please contact editor@thereikidigest.com. Translations into other languages are permitted, as long as you credit the original source of the material.

Comments so far on the topic of "What is Reiki?"

We haven't gotten many comments so far in response to last week's request for short and sweet answers to the question, "What is Reiki?" But the responses we have gotten are succinct:

From Wendalyn J. Kirpanos:

"What do you do for a living? Multifaceted healing with the Japanese art of
Reiki."

From Harlene S. in Massachusetts:

"Hi,

I'm asked this question alot.

What is Reiki? relaxation, stress and pain management for your mind, body and soul.

what do you think?

And posted as a comment:

Hello. My name is Regina, and I am a Reiki II practitioner for about 4
years now. Responding to last Thursday's posting: This week's challenge.
Answer the question: "What is Reki?" - i.e. accupuncture: Little Needles
etc., I would like to suggest that Reiki is: Healing With Hands or Hands On
Healing. This is a suggestion for describing Reiki as a practice rather than
Reiki as an energy.

Thank you.

Thanks to all who've responded so far. If you'd like to add your answer, here's the question again:

"What do you say when people ask you, 'What is Reiki?'" Read the original post for more details.

You can post your answer as a comment to this post on our web site: just click on the word "comments." Or you can email your comments to editor@thereikidigest.com or click here to speak them directly to our 24/7 voicemail.

Carnival of Reiki #3 postponed

Carnival of Reiki #3, originally scheduled for today, has been postponed because we received so few submissions that were actually about Reiki. For now, instead of monthly Carnivals, we'll publish one whenever we get enough for an interesting collection.

For those just joining us, the Carnival of Reiki is a blog carnival: a collection of blog posts on a certain topic, in this case, Reiki. If you have a blog or other web site and you'd like to share your post (or posts) about Reiki, just click here. If you've already submitted a post, we'll hold it over until the next Carnival of Reiki.

Reiki Roundup

With more than 4,000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq in the past five years, and thousands more returning home injured and traumatized, the American military is beginning to consider what Wired magazine's Noah Shachtman calls "wild-sounding" therapies such as qigong and Reiki to help Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries. But first, they want to do some research, so the Army is offering $4 million, to start with, for preliminary clinical studies. The deadline for proposals is May 15.

Next stop, Warwickshire, U.K., where we find a wonderful story about a little boy who loves both Reiki and Star Wars and sees a connection between the two. When he's sick, he says, "Use the Force, Mummy," and his mother gives him Reiki. Too bad the article is marred by the all-too-common misinformation: it refers to Mikao Usui as a doctor (he wasn't) and says Reiki is an ancient healing art he "redeveloped."

For today only, do not anger: Also in the U.K., the Mental Health Foundation warns that anger leads to many serious health and societal problems, and asks for more research, education, and early intervention, the BBC reports.

"When I saw her, it was like the sun shining," says a recovering cancer patient in St. Albans, U.K., about her Reiki therapist.

And finally, Carver, Massachusetts, U.S.A., where a group of practitioners get a very nice writeup in the local paper on their wellness center grand opening. Here's something we haven't seen before in one of these articles: "Both are licensed massage therapists and are trained in Reiki principles." Nice to see some emphasis on the Reiki principles, however.

A Celeb-Reiki first

Human Celeb-Reikies were scarce this week, so we decided to open the category to include other species as well. Introducing our first four-legged Celeb-Reiki, Sully the Shetland Sheepdog, a canine agility champion from Long Island, New York, who, with his owner Mary Jo Johnson, is on his way to American Kennel Club national championship. Sully and many of his competitors are regular recipients of Reiki and other wellness modalities, the article says.

Drawing the line against plagiarism

Please note this important addition to The Reiki Digest:

Copyright © 2008 Healing Movement LLC

And please note this important information, which has been part of The Reiki Digest from the beginning, and has just been updated with new images that might be easier to understand:


The Reiki Digest by Janet Dagley Dagley, The Reiki Digest, a division of Healing Movement LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Just to be sure, here's an explanation of what the little icons mean.

The "By" means that if you take advantage of the Creative Commons license to reprint material from The Reiki Digest for noncommercial purposes, you MUST include attribution -- that is, you must credit the author and owner of the material: Janet Dagley Dagley, The Reiki Digest, Healing Movement LLC.

The dollar sign with the slash through it means you may not use this material for commercial purposes. "Commercial purposes" includes any business purposes, such as promoting your own Reiki services, products, or classes. The slash is the international symbol for "No."

The equal sign with "ND" under it means No Derivative Works. You do not have permission to use material from The Reiki Digest as the basis for a derivative work. That means you cannot take my work, change it, and publish it yourself: not without permission.

If you want to use material from The Reiki Digest in any other manner, for any other purpose, it may be possible to get permission: but you have to ask first. That's not only good manners, it's the law. It's also one of the Reiki Precepts: Be honest in your work.

This applies to any use whether in the United States or elsewhere.

Unfortunately some of our readers have not respected our generous Creative Commons license and have published material from The Reiki Digest on their own web sites, with no attribution and in some case with changes, including introduced errors. That is a violation of our license, and it is also a violation of U.S. and international copyright law.

A recent search, and hardly a comprehensive one, found that some readers have lifted entire sections of text and posted them as their own work, and one has even posted the entire email edition of The Reiki Digest on his web site, complete with photos and advertisements. That web site promotes his Reiki business, which is clearly a commercial purpose.

If we discover that you have used material from The Reiki Digest in violation of our copyright and Creative Commons license, we will contact you and ask nicely, once, for you to comply with our reasonable restrictions by adding attribution, removing your changes to the material, or removing it from your web site. After that, our attorneys and/or the authorities will take it from there.

Our copyright and license apply not only to web sites but to email, print, audio, video, and other forms of publishing and reproduction.

For further clarification, please check out this definition of plagiarism, or contact editor@thereikidigest.com.

This publication is currently free, whether you read it on the web site, by email, or RSS feed. Respecting our rights will help keep it that way.

You still have the right to forward the complete email edition to anyone you'd like, but you must leave it intact with no changes.

And you can always, always link to The Reiki Digest or any article here rather than republishing it yourself.

Thank you.

Coming next week: Carnival of Reiki #3

Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, March 26. If you've got a Reiki-related blog or other web post to add to our next collection, click here to submit your contribution.

Reiki Roundup

This week's Reiki Roundup begins at a familiar place: Mystickal Voyage, the New-Age bookstore and cafe in Nottingham, Maryland, USA, operated by a subscriber and recently expanded to three times its previous size, thanks to MegaMillions winner and Reiki practitioner Rev. Bunky Bartlett. Congratulations, and we're now even more interested in visiting the shop next time we're in the Baltimore area.

Next stop: Manhattan Beach, California, USA, where a local botanical garden will be the setting for "Reiki in the Garden" in May.

From there we move on to the town named after a game show, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, USA, said to be a magnet for practitioners of the "healing arts," including Reiki.

And finally, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, where a group of Reiki practitioners has just returned from a trip to India to see how the money they raised is being used to help charities there.

Celeb-Reikies of the week

According to various web sources, Nicole Kidman, Charles and Camilla, Madonna, and Kate Moss are all Reiki aficionadoes. If that's true, wouldn't it be nice if one or more of them would talk publicly about it?

Getting to the point

First, another round of thanks to all those who have contributed their comments so far to our discussion on the proposed points of consensus about Reiki. I think we’re making great progress, and I believe this is important work. As our conversation continues, however, instead of adding to our proposed list, let’s focus on just one point of consensus -- if we can find it.

When people ask, “What is Reiki?” there needs to be a clear, simple answer that most everyone associated with this wonderful practice can agree upon, even if we disagree on many other aspects.

I know full well that the answer we decide upon isn’t going to be 25 points long. Nor should it be: the shorter, the better. We need to have what’s known in the business world as an elevator pitch, just in case someone asks, “So what do you do?” on the 10th floor and we have to give them an answer PLUS a business card by the time the doors open onto the ground floor. We need a succinct answer to that question because every other healing modality already has one. For example:

Acupuncture: Little needles.
Oncology: Cancer treatment.
Chiropractic: Spinal alignment.
Massage: Rubdown for sore muscles.
Cardiac surgery: Heart operations.
Reflexology: Footrub that affects your whole body.
Aromatherapy: Essential oils.
Reiki: (_________________?)

What we need to describe here is Reiki as a practice, rather than the energy of Reiki, or for that matter the history of Reiki. People curious about Reiki just want to know what it might do for them or their loved ones.

So, here’s this week’s challenge. Answer the question, “What is Reiki?” Post it as a comment on our web site (click on the word ‘comments’ right under this post), or email it to editor@thereikidigest.com. Or if you prefer, click here and our call button will pop up; just follow the easy instructions to leave a spoken comment on our 24/7 voicemail, courtesy of GrandCentral.

What do you say when people ask you, "What is Reiki?"

See below for the comments we've received since last week.

Comments from Pamela Miles on the proposed points of consensus

Pamela Miles of reikiinmedicine.org, author of Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide, has contributed the following comments to our discussion:

Is there another way we could conceive of energy blockages? The phrase seems to contradict itself. No matter how dense 'energy' becomes, it's doesn't even approach cardboard. How can there be evidence that Reiki removes energy blocks when there isn't any evidence of energy blocks to begin with—not in conventional science, anyway (a point you already made).

Making a distinction between religion and spirituality can be very helpful. Reiki is spiritual and non-dogmatic. Religion involves dogma. Religion and spirituality are two different types of experience. Reiki as spirituality is compatible with all religions but not all religions are open to individual spiritual experience—which is why mystics are often proclaimed heretics. Mysticism/spiritual attainment arises when dogma gives way to the immediate experience of the absolute. Of course this is the promise of Reiki, a practice which began as a subset of the spiritual practices taught by Mikao Usui.

Much like your comment on the dangers of a positive attitude that is not grounded, Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of hope as taking one out of the present.

In "Reiki works for many aspects. . ." what does works mean? Seems that when we use that word in an area that we can't quantify, we appear to be making claims.

The healing that comes with Reiki practice comes from within; the practitioner is not doing anything to the recipient, not invading or imposing on the recipient, but rather the treatment enhances the essential wellness from within.

Thank you, Pamela! I look forward to further discussion on these important points.

Comments from CJ on the proposed points of consensus

CJ just sent in some well-thought-out comments, so I'm posting them right away. I'll add my replies later, but meanwhile we hope to hear from other Reiki practitioners as well:

I love the idea of creating consensus! Thanks so much for this. I'm just
getting up to speed, so my comments go back a bit. As I read the list, I note two
things I have trouble with: statements that as a collection, aren't logical or
supportable; and statements that may be accepted as theories, but in their
current, sweeping form can't be supported as proven truth. To that end -

I don't see how if (10) is true (10. We aren't quite sure how Reiki works.),
we can know for sure that 11,12, 13, 14 are. If we aren't quite sure how
Reiki works, then we can't be sure about the scope of what it does or how it acts.
We have indications, observations. We have theories. We can have our experiences,
which increase our individual faith in it as practitioners, but that is not the
same thing as consensus around a known fact and understanding (knowing that
rubbing two sticks together makes fire does not mean that all fire is made that
way, or how the rubbing creates it, or the effect of different types of wood,
atmospheric conditions, etc. etc.) Could we rephrase 11 and 12 to say 'seems to
be' or 'appears to be'*?

Also regarding #11, the word 'catalyst' suggests that the practitioner adds something to the experience or effect. Usui Reiki specifically says that this is not the case. The practitioner appears to serve as a conduit for healing universal energy; energy that is then is available for the recipient's body/mind to use as it will. (Some use the energy to die more peacefully. Some may not use the energy. Some may, but may not be aware that they are. Some may not believe they are and thus not recognize evidence of healing!) Thus, being the conduit does not mean that the recipient will become
engaged, or know themselves to be engaged. What about: A Reiki practitioner seems
to function as a conduit for universal energy which the recipient may then use for
physical, emotional, and/or spiritual purposes.

And I can't support including 13 and 14 - the claims about no contraindications and never been known to harm. As far as I know, we have stories, but no collected, standardized body of knowledge that allows us to responsibly make these statements. Even a body of stories/clearing house of people's experiences with unexpected or unusual outcomes would help to substantiate this, but to my knowledge, such a thing does not exist. I'm not saying it isn't true, just that we don't know it is. We are guessing. I feel that to state them so strongly goes against the precept we profess - to live honestly. I also believe these statements have the potential to damage our credibility with the scientific community; a community that is just beginning to open itself to the possibility of these modalities.

Regarding:

19. Reiki can be used alone or in conjunction with other natural healing
modalities.

20. Reiki can be used alone or in conjunction with conventional
medical care.

Could we combine and rephrase so not so sweeping? Reiki is being
used alone and in conjunction with a variety of natural healing modalities and
with conventional medical care.

Is there a place for the precepts? A statement that practitioners take a daily oath not to worry, anger, to live honestly, honor others and show gratitude?

PS - I support the decision to leave the 'religious' statements out, beyond those which clarify that Reiki is not a religion and is practiced by practitioners of multiple faiths.

Thanks, CJ. Let's keep the conversation going!

A Re-Celeb-Reiki, and a first-timer

This week's Celeb-Reikies include a familiar -- if oddly spelled -- name. Supermodel (and daughter of a Reiki practitioner) Agyness Deyn makes headlines in both The New York Times and The Independent. Since Deyn has already been a Celeb-Reiki once, she's now a Re-Celeb-Reiki.

The other famous name this week is a first-time Celeb-Reiki. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), the presumed 2008 Republican presidential nominee, featured in a Washington Post article on his recent barbecue for the press in Sedona, headlined "At McCain's Arizona Retreat, Ribs With a Side of Chi?"

Reiki Roundup

This week's Reiki Roundup begins in Kuwait, where a Reiki practitioner is campaigning for a ban on advertising fast food to children. While many Reiki practitioners are also interested in good nutrition, that's generally considered beyond our scope of practice.

In nearby Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a Reiki Master writes a letter to the editor warning "Be careful when accepting help from Reiki master."

On to the United Kingdom, where the Daily Mirror includes a brief mention of Reiki in an article headlined, "Put spring in your step: Now is time to get healthy," reminding us that for the Northern Hemisphere, spring is right around the corner.

In Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., we discover that no charges will be filed in the case of a police officer who hit and killed a local Reiki practitioner in a speeding patrol car while on his way to breakfast.

And in Hamilton, Massachusetts, U.S.A., we meet Reiki practitioner Pat Scanlon, recently named a Red Cross Hero for her volunteer work at a local hospice.

Also in Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, we learn how cancer survivors adapt in the long run.

My replies on the proposed points of consensus

After an encouraging start, we've received no new comments in the past week, despite our new audio feature that we'd hoped would make it easier to speak up. In any case, last week I promised to reply to the comments we'd already received. I'm reprinting all the comments we've gotten so far. My replies are in italics below.

Hi: As your list grows, it would be helpful to separate what Reiki is from what Reiki isn't. Reiki can help reduce stress is a very weakly written "advertising" claim and to me confusing. People believe Meditation can help reduce stress, so this claim doesn't make Reiki seem very wonderful to me. Do you have or know of any legitimate medical evidence of studies pre/post Reiki treatments with physical or emotional measures of stress changed? Or is this only anecdotal and testimonial in nature. that people say they feel better?

As a Master, I don't doubt the power of Reiki. The reason I ask is that strong evidence can make for a stronger, truer claim of what Reiki is. And the statement about stress is critical because many believe 75% of all illness begins with stress. Perhaps a definition of stress can help improve the strength of the claim.

In the meantime, I also like something about the following new statements regarding healing. I guess the comments are difficult to grasp because in a way, we are describing the unseen.

1. Reiki removes energy blockages which promote stress and disease.

2. Reiki promotes the free-flow of "chi" or universal life energy, increasing the individual's ability to heal themselves naturally.

3. Reiki complements and enhances traditional healing therapies.

I enjoy your column. Keep at it.

Best,

CeCe Inwentarz

Thanks, CeCe. First, you ask if there is any “legitimate medical evidence” that Reiki helps reduce stress. Of course, we could argue all day about what “legitimate medical evidence” is, but in short, yes,, there is evidence. For example, several studies are cited in this article, “Reiki for Mind, Body, and Spirit Support of Cancer Patients,” by Pamela Miles in the journal Advances in Mind-Body Medicine. You might also want to take a look at some of the other articles on Pamela’s web site, reikiinmedicine.org, as well as this January 2008 article from the University of Arizona News on a Reiki study done there.

A definition of stress? Dr. Hans Selye, the Austro-Hungarian endocrinologist who began researching the subject in the 1930s and later popularized the term, defined stress as “the non-specific response of the body to any demands made upon it.”

I like the three points you propose, although we must concede that so far there is no “legitimate medical evidence” of the existence of either chi (ki, qi) or energy blockages.

I’d love to hear/read what others have to say.

Thanks again,

Janet

Hi, I've recently started to receive the Reiki Digest newsletter and am really enjoying it. I've been Reiki since 1987 and a teacher since 1990. I love the idea of a list of points of consensus. I would like to suggest one: No intuitive or psychic abilities are needed to be able to do Reiki.

Blessings,

Arline Rowden, Reiki Master Teacher

That’s a good one, Arline. Let’s add it to our list and see if anyone disagrees.

Thanks,
Janet

Hi, here is a humble contribution to the debate on three of the issues:

Whilst the statement “17. Reiki is practiced by people of all faiths, as well as agnostics and atheists” may be correct, it is not possible to verify that practitioners of all (every) religion practice Reiki. It may be safer to refer to members of the principal religions (although not all denominations of the major religions or faiths).I especially do not think one can say: “16. Reiki is compatible with all religions” for the simple reason that it is for the adherents of religions to decide the criteria on which that matter needs to be decided and it is simply not practicable to do that even if it were logistically possible, which I suggest it is not. Further (and much more straightforwardly), there is indeed evidence that members of some religions assert strongly that Reiki is antithetical to doctrines they hold to. So that claim is I believe not possible to fairly make.

I will though add a couple of practical examples that may help make my point from a slightly different perspective:

(1) I eat all kinds of meat (although much of family are vegetarians and not all of the same beliefs on religious issues). I believe it is compatible for me and they to eat meat of all kinds — from both a religious and moral point of view. My kids happen not agree with me or at least have for themselves made a choice not to eat meat (even though some of us happen, in fact, to share practice of Reiki. . . and we share many otherwise “moral” values).

(2) More widely, on religious grounds, I feel it is fine to eat pork but Jewish and Muslim friends do not. Just because I think it is OK to eat pork I cannot enforce that viewpoint upon those who do not accept that. Me saying it is OK does not make it OK for them! Likewise, whilst as a practicing Christian I accept Reiki, that does not mean I can enforce that belief on others who may have different beliefs than me, whether Christian or otherwise. I would in fact object most strongly to being told by an atheist, agnostic or Buddhist (or even someone who feels to be a Christian) that Reiki is compatible with my religion, even if I believed that myself; that is a matter for me to decide. It would of course be OK, and indeed rather nice, if we could agree that Reiki (in the way we each practice it) is OK!

Good points, and well stated. I’ll withdraw both of those items for now.

On the issue of whether, “14. Reiki has never been known to harm anyone. . ." There is in fact some difficulty in determining whether one is receiving Reiki, albeit “packaged” as such. I know of a couple of cases where people have felt “attuned” to something (said to be Reiki) that they felt was harmful to them and they sought to be “un-attuned”.

Some practitioners are into all kinds of add-ons which could not be said to have anything to do with Reiki (at least how it was originally practiced by its founder or even ‘conventionally’ by most practitioner standards or the major schools). Whilst I know of no harm that could be done by what I would consider Authentic Reiki, the determination of what a person actually receives might be a different thing. . . When one can (online) and without any questions become supposedly attuned as a Reiki Master for free, without having prepared or even knowing the slightest thing about Reiki — can anything be considered wholly safe from harm?

Another good point, and somewhat related to your previous ones. As there is no standardization, there is no way to know or control what some people are doing under the name of Reiki, whether offering free online attunements or adding religious or other practices that go far beyond the system Mikao Usui developed. When those religious practices get tacked on, then that can lead those of other faiths to believe Reiki is not compatible with their traditions.

I hope this is helpful. . .

Mike Oram Lineone

Yes, it is helpful. Thanks, Mike!

Janet

Hello, My name is Jeanne and I have been a Reiki practitioner for 3 plus years, a Reiki master for one. I have to say I strongly disagree with number 18 this week (18. Neither practitioner nor recipient need believe anything about Reiki in order for it to work.) I think it is important to note that you need faith and/or believe in something for it to have any positive effect on you/ your healing. I attribute this to people who hear they have cancer and view it as a death wish versus others who have cancer and fight their damnedest to beat it. I think it is especially important for the practitioner to believe in Reiki. What kind of message are we sending the world otherwise? Here is the great healing modality but we don't even believe in it, but we practice it. There has to be some degree of a positive view on Reiki for it to have any kind of lasting impression on the practitioner and the recipient.

Kind Regards,

Jeanne Tedesco, Certified Reiki Master

Dear Jeanne,

With all due respect, I’m going to hold my ground on this point. Reiki founder Mikao Usui himself was once asked “Do I have to believe in Usui Reiki Ryoho to get a better result?” His reply was that no belief is required, and he pointed out that children and the unconscious are unlikely to either believe or doubt whether Reiki can help them. To that I would add that one of the most rapidly growing areas of the field is Reiki for animals, who also would not be expected to believe. While I do agree that it’s helpful to have a positive attitude, or at least some hope, when dealing with illness, I don’t believe it’s a prerequisite. If belief is required, then it’s faith healing, not Reiki. And sometimes a positive attitude can be unhelpful, as illustrated by the recent book Swimming in a Sea of Death, by David Rieff, son of the late Susan Sontag, about his mother’s final days and her insistence on hope to the point of denial.

Obviously those of us who practice Reiki have some belief that it is of value — otherwise why would we bother. Even so, we believe that it can be helpful, not that it can solve any or all problems.

Have you ever had a client who was skeptical but reluctantly agreed to try a Reiki treatment? In my experience, those people often go on to be regular clients and even refer others.

I have a question about one of the proposed points of consensus, "Reiki has no
contraindications". I have read many, many places that we should not treat an
accident victim if we believe there might be broken bones, due to the effect
that Reiki healing might have in mending the bones before they are set. This
might mean that the bones would have to be re-broken in order to set them
properly. Is this a myth?

Yes, though it has been widespread in modern Western Reiki lineages. Many of Mikao Usui’s students in the 1920s were Japanese navy officers who wanted to be able to use Usui’s healing system for first aid while at sea.

I also have read that when using Reiki with diabetics, it can change their blood
sugar levels and must be very carefully monitored.

When I read that Reiki has no contraindications, it seems as though Reiki can be used in any circumstances without any concerns. As a newer Reiki practitioner, it would be important to know if these situations (or any others) require special consideration.

Thanks for your efforts,

Linda Smulka

Thanks, Linda.

I agree that diabetics and those who are taking prescription medications should be watchful, whether adding Reiki, meditation, aerobic exercise, or other activities that could bring about metabolic or other changes. That’s something to pay attention to, but not a contraindication.

All the best,
Janet

16. Reiki is compatible with all religions.
Where is your evidence for this claim? Even covering all major religions seems difficult.

Posted by
Chris @ Martial Development to The Reiki Digest at 6:42 PM

Thanks, Chris. I’m conceding that point and deleting it from the list for now. Maybe Adam’s comment (below) is a solution.

Janet

16. Reiki is compatible with all religions.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to put it more in term of this:
'Reiki does not exclude practitioners of any religion'

Just a suggestion — this would not then make any claims about the beliefs or requirements of any religion and yet cover what I believe to be the intent of the statement, that practitioners and receivers of Reiki are not judged on their personal beliefs.

Adam

Thanks, Adam. That does sound better to me.

Janet

Here is a comment made by one of my students regarding the list about Reiki you are putting together for the Reiki Digest. Arline Rowden is my teacher and she sent me the info.

Reiki can foster personal insights for both the practitioner and the client, and it can to heighten intuitive and/or spiritual sensitivities in both practitioner and client. I don't know if these fit into your list or not, but they seem to occur regularly in my practice. Thanks for sharing this. Jo M.

Regards,
Patty Penner, Reiki Master Teacher

Thanks, Patty (and Jo, and Arline). I agree, and since Arline also suggested this point:

No intuitive or psychic abilities are needed to be able to do Reiki.

I would also point out that those two points don’t necessarily contradict each other.

Hello

Thanks so much for putting together these suggestions.
The two that I would add are

Reiki is effective being sent from a distance.

Reiki works for many aspects of life including relationships, health, sleep, pain relief, right livelihood, guidance, and prosperity.

Feel free to modify the above as you see fit and as fits best with your experience.

Blessings

Caley I. Powell

I would tend to agree with those points, Caley, and I’m curious as to what others think.

For now, since we’ve got some discussion going, I won’t add any more proposed points of agreement. If you’d like to join the conversation, you can do so by adding a comment to this post on The Reiki Digest web site, sending an email to editor@thereikidigest.com, or clicking on the “call me” button below to leave your spoken comments on our voicemail.

Lessons from a paper crane

This crane was folded after weeks of daily practice...

I began dabbling in origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, several years ago, and found it not only a good — if sometimes frustrating — meditative experience, but also helpful in dealing with the pain and stiffness of carpal tunnel syndrome. Using my hands in a different kind of delicate, precise work helped offset the repetitive motions of typing at a keyboard, not least because it kept me away from the computer while I was folding paper into birds, flowers, and other decorative items. My interest in the practice has waxed and waned, and I’ve never made it a daily practice. That is, until last December when I decided to decorate our home for the holidays using nothing but folded cranes made from the brightly colored paper of catalogs and other unsolicited advertising. Day after day, I took time to sit down with the to-be-recycled paper and turn it into art. By New Year’s Eve most every potted plant in my house had paper cranes perched in it, and I was able to fold a crane in under a minute, with barely a glance at my hands. Unfortunately by then the decorating was all done, so our household didn’t really need any more cranes. And since I felt like I could fold a crane in my sleep — been there, done that — I got busy with other things and stopped practicing.

Then one day last month I had the pleasure of escorting some visitors around the city, including a young girl who had come from the other side of the globe. While we sat waiting for our food at a restaurant, I decided to offer my young guest some entertainment. I took a colorful page from a magazine and began folding. And folding. And folding. And then unfolding, and folding again. It may have been entertaining, but no matter which way I folded, I couldn’t get the paper to turn into a crane. In just a few short weeks without regular practice, I had lost a skill that I thought I had burned into my memory for a lifetime. Eventually, the waiter brought our food, and I put the would-be crane away until I got home. When I looked at it again, I realized that I didn’t need to fix it. I needed to leave it just as it was, a three-dimensional lesson in the importance of daily practice.


This crane (?) was folded after weeks of no practice.

My young friend was kind enough not to embarrass me by asking, “What’s that supposed to be?” But when I saw her a few days later, she had acquired some paper and an instruction book and was creating entire families of paper birds herself. I’m glad she found it of interest after all, and I guess it’s just as well that instead of someone handing her a paper crane, she had the pleasure of making her own: a lesson to her, a lesson to me, and to us all.

Spring Intensive Training at The Reiki Dojo

INTENSIVE REIKI TRAINING

(click image for a free printable poster)

You give us 2 weekends, 1 evening, and 20 minutes a day for 21 days, and we'll give you a Reiki practice for the rest of your life!

Reiki Intensive Training is an accelerated method of learning Reiki, but there are no shortcuts -- just practice, practice, practice!

Reiki Every Day, from Day 1: Personal practice is the foundation of Reiki, and Reiki Intensive Training focuses on building your daily Reiki practice right from the beginning.

Complete program includes:

Level 1 Shoden
Saturday and Sunday
April 5 & 6, 2008
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
$300

Two days that can change your life: There are no prerequisites for learning Reiki. Arrive on Day 1 with a notebook, pen, and an open mind, and you'll be practicing this gentle, natural healing art on yourself the same evening at home. You'll learn not only how to practice Reiki self-care, but how to give Reiki sessions to your friends and family. Students who complete all program requirements will receive a Level 1 (Shoden) certificate in Usui Reiki Ryoho.

International House of Reiki
21-Day Online Program
Sunday, April 6 – Saturday, April 26, 2008
Self-scheduled
$40

Get your new Reiki practice off to the right start with this online program from the acclaimed International House of Reiki, and develop the discipline you need to build on your initial training. It's easy – just sign up and every day, for 21 days, you will receive an email in your inbox that will teach, support and guide you in your healing and spiritual self-practice. This three-week workout, on your own time, will help you clear yourself energetically and integrate your new Reiki practice into your daily life.

Level 2 – Okuden
Saturday , April 26, 2008
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
$300

Beyond the limits of space and time: (Prerequisite: Level 1 Shoden.) After your initial training and your first 21 days of practice, return to the Dojo to take your Reiki practice to a deeper level, where spirituality and quantum physics intersect. You'll discover the power of the Reiki symbols and mantras as used in traditional Japanese Reiki practices. Students who complete all program requirements will receive a Reiki 2 (Okuden) certificate in Usui Reiki Ryoho, and will be eligible to attend The Reiki Dojo's weekly private sessions for advanced students.

Open Dojo Practitioners Day
and Student Clinic at The Reiki Dojo
Sunday, April 27, 2008
$25

Drop by the Dojo and develop your professional skills at our student clinic, working alongside your classmates as well as advanced masters. Group practice, meditations, Reiki exchanges, and more!

The Reiki Dojo
Regular Weekly Meeting
Monday, April 28, 2008
7¬9 p.m.
$10 minimum donation

Put the finishing touch on your Reiki basic training and enter the Dojo's private meditation session, open only to advanced students. Stay for our second hour to receive the energetic blessing of Reiju and share Reiki energy with others.

Total time:

2 weekends
1 evening
20 minutes a day for 21 days

Total cost: $675

Make a commitment and save $50! Only $625 when you register for the complete program! Includes Levels 1 and 2, 21-Day Online Program, Open Dojo Day and your first regular weekly meeting at The Reiki Dojo, as well as all class manuals. And you'll get free mentoring by email and phone, plus a discount on recommended reading as well as other products and services to assist you in further developing your Reiki practice.

Prefer a slower approach? Just give yourself more time between levels by opting for our August 9 Level 2 - Okuden class instead. You still get the savings by booking the full program -- but you still have to practice every day in the interim.

Not ready to commit to the full program? No problem -- just sign up for the classes and events you choose.

Special offer: The first five students to sign up for the complete Reiki Intensive Training program will receive a free copy of The Reiki Sourcebook by Bronwen and Frans Stiene.

Instructor: Janet Dagley Dagley
Founder of The Reiki Dojo and editor of The Reiki Digest
For more information:
The Reiki Dojo
917-512-1330
editor@thereikidigest.com

And this week's Celeb-Reiki is....

YOU!

The readers of The Reiki Digest, each and every one of you, are this week's Celeb-Reiki's.

We've received so many comments about our proposed points of consensus about Reiki that we're devoting an entire edition to them, and asking for more. Those comments also constitute this week's Reiki Roundup.

I'll be replying to each one of the comments as well, but I wanted to give others a chance to join in the discussion before offering my responses.

Keep reading (scroll down) to find out how to add your voice to the conversation.

A few words from the editor...

It's our very first audio edition! To demonstrate how our new audio comments feature works, I used the "call me" button to record a few words from the editor. Now that you can see, and hear, how it works, I hope you'll contribute a few words of your own as our discussion continues.

Let your voice be heard!

If you'd like to contribute your comments to our discussion on the proposed points of consensus about Reiki, just speak right up. Click on our new webcall button, wait for your phone to ring and start recording your message. You and other readers will be able to hear your comments right here on our web site. Ready...set...click!

Consensus? Not yet, but plenty of discussion

We have yet to reach agreement on our list of proposed points of consensus about Reiki, but we are getting lots of comments. Let's see what our readers have had to say so far:

Hi: As your list grows, it would be helpful to separate what Reiki is from
what Reiki isn't. Reiki can help reduce stress is a very weakly written
"advertising" claim and to me confusing. People believe Meditation can help
reduce stress, so this claim doesn't make Reiki seem very wonderful to me. Do you have or know of any legitimate medical evidence of studies pre/post Reiki
treatments with physical or emotional measures of stress changed? Or is
this only anecdotal and testimonial in nature. that people say they feel
better?

As a Master, I don't doubt the power of Reiki. The reason I ask
is that strong evidence can make for a stronger, truer claim of what Reiki
is. And the statement about stress is critical because many believe 75% of
all illness beginswith stress. Perhaps a definition of stress can help
improve the strength of the claim.

In the meantime, I also like something about the following new statements regarding healing. I guess the comments are difficult to grasp because in a way, we are describing the unseen.

1. Reiki removes energy blockages which promote stress and disease.

2. Reiki promotes the free-flow of "chi" or universal life energy, increasing the
individual's ability to heal themselves naturally.

3. Reiki complements and enhances traditional healing therapies.

I enjoy your column. Keep at it.

Best,

CeCe Inwentarz

***

Hi, I've recently started to receive the Reiki Digest newsletter and am really enjoying it. I've been Reiki since 1987 and a teacher since 1990. I love the idea of a list of points of consensus. I would like to suggest one: No intuitive or psychic abilities are needed to be able to do Reiki.

Blessings,

Arline Rowden, Reiki Master Teacher

***

Hi, here is a humble contribution to the debate on three of the issues: Whilst the statement “17. Reiki is practiced by people of all faiths, as well as agnostics and atheists” may be correct, it is not possible to verify that practitioners of all (every) religion practice Reiki. It may be safer to refer to members of the principal religions (although not all denominations of the major religions or faiths).I especially do not think one can say: “16. Reiki is compatible with all religions” for the simple reason that it is for the adherents of religions to decide the criteria on which that matter needs to be decided and it is simply not practicable to do that even if it were logistically possible, which I suggest it is not. Further (and much more straightforwardly), there is indeed evidence that members of some religions assert strongly that Reiki is antithetical to doctrines they hold to. So that claim is I believe not possible to fairly make.

I will though add a couple of practical examples that may help make my point from a slightly different perspective:

(1) I eat all kinds of meat (although much of family are vegetarians and not all of the same beliefs on religious issues). I believe it is compatible for me and they to eat meat of all kinds - from both a religious and moral point of view. My kids happen not agree with me or at least have for themselves made a choice not to eat meat (even though some of us happen, in fact, to share practice of Reiki… and we share many otherwise “moral” values).

(2) More widely, on religious grounds, I feel it is fine to eat pork but Jewish and Muslim friends do not. Just because I think it is OK to eat pork I cannot enforce that viewpoint upon those who do not accept that. Me saying it is OK does not make it OK for them! Likewise, whilst as a practicing Christian I accept Reiki, that does not mean I can enforce that belief on others who may have different beliefs than me, whether Christian or otherwise. I would in fact object most strongly to being told by an atheist, agnostic or Buddhist (or even someone who feels to be a Christian) that Reiki is compatible with my religion, even if I believed that myself; that is a matter for me to decide. It would of course be OK, and indeed rather nice, if we could agree that Reiki (in the way we each practice it) is OK!

On the issue of whether, “14. Reiki has never been known to harm anyone…" There is in fact some difficulty in determining whether one is receiving Reiki, albeit “packaged” as such. I know of a couple of cases where people have felt “attuned” to something (said to be Reiki) that they felt was harmful to them and they sought to be “un-attuned”.

Some practitioners are into all kinds of add-ons which could not be said to have anything to do with Reiki (at least how it was originally practiced by its founder or even ‘conventionally’ by most practitioner standards or the major schools). Whilst I know of no harm that could be done by what I would consider Authentic Reiki, the determination of what a person actually receives might be a different thing… When one can (online) and without any questions become supposedly attuned as a Reiki Master for free, without having prepared or even knowing the slightest thing about Reiki - can anything be considered wholly safe from harm?

I hope this is helpful…

Mike Oram Lineone

***

Hello, My name is Jeanne and I have been a Reiki practitioner for 3 plus years, a Reiki master for one. I have to say I strongly disagree with number 18 this week (18. Neither practitioner nor recipient need believe anything about Reiki in order for it to work.) I think it is important to note that you need faith and/or believe in something for it to have any positive effect on you/ your healing. I attribute this to people who hear they have cancer and view it as a death wish versus others who have cancer and fight their damnedest to beat it. I think it is especially important for the practitioner to believe in Reiki. What kind of message are we sending the world otherwise? Here is the great healing modality but we don't even believe in it, but we practice it. There has to be some degree of a positive view on Reiki for it to have any kind of lasting impression on the practitioner and the recipient.

Kind Regards,

Jeanne Tedesco, Certified Reiki Master

***

I have a question about one of the proposed points of consensus,"Reiki has no contraindications". I have read many, many places that we should nottreat an accident victim if we believe there might be broken bones, due tothe effect that Reiki healing might have in mending the bones before theyare set. This might mean that the bones would have to be re-broken in orderto set them properly. Is this a myth?
I also have read that when using Reiki with diabetics, it can change theirblood sugar levels and must be very carefully monitored.

When I read that Reiki has no contraindications, it seems as though Reiki can be used in any circumstances without any concerns. As a newer Reiki practitioner, it would be important to know if these situations (or anyothers) require special consideration.

Thanks for your efforts,

Linda Smulka

***

16. Reiki is compatible with all religions.
Where is your evidence for this claim? Even covering all major religions seems difficult.

Posted by Chris @ Martial Development to The Reiki Digest at 6:42 PM

***

Here is a comment made by one of my students regarding the list about Reiki you are putting together for the Reiki Digest. Arline Rowden is my teacher and she sent me the info.

Reiki can foster personal insights for both the practitioner and the client, and it can to heighten intuitive and/or spiritual sensitivities in both practitioner and client. I don't know if these fit into your list or not, but they seem to occur regularly in my practice. Thanks for sharing this. Jo M.

Regards,

Patty Penner, Reiki Master Teacher

***

Hello

Thanks so much for putting together these suggestions.
The two that I would add are

Reiki is effective being sent from a distance.

Reiki works for many aspects of life including relationships, health, sleep, pain relief, right livelihood, guidance, and prosperity.

Feel free to modify the above as you see fit and as fits best with your experience.

Blessings

Caley I. Powell

***

I'll post my replies to these comments later this week. Meanwhile, let the discussion continue. Add your comments to this post on our web site (just click on the word "comments" at the end of the post) or email them to editor@thereikidigest.com.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to the discussion so far.