New comment on the Reiki precepts

Hi Janet,

I thought I'd drop a line and say a few things about my experience in working with The Reiki Precepts.

In general, I'd have to say that the more I work with them the more profound my experience with them becomes.

Two or three times a month I get together with another Reiki Master to practice various Reiki techniques. Sometimes we exchange treatments, sometimes we practice techniques such as Gyoshi-Ho, and other times we talk about topics such as intention, the Precepts, what is and is not Reiki, etc.

A couple of months ago, I had the idea that we needed to keep a record of our discussions and experiences. Since we both do some of our journaling online, I had the idea to set up a private blog, just for the two of us. That way our respective Reiki thoughts are all in one place and we each have instant access to each other's posts, yet we still have complete privacy. Surprisingly (or perhaps not so), we've discovered that we talk about the Precepts more than any other topic. It's been a richly rewarding practice.

Since it's a private blog I can't very well share it or the link, but here's an excerpt from a post on the precepts that I wrote last month:

I have been taught, most notably by Frans Stiene, that the Reiki Precepts are the foundation, the very heart and soul of Reiki. I try to be ever mindful of this both in my own practice of Reiki and in my teaching. Therefore, I often reflect on this connection so as to increase my own grasp of it and to improve my ability to communicate it.

Paramahansa Yogananda taught that eliminating anger and worry, two of the Reiki precepts, increases one's ability to "control the life force." He emphasizes and often reiterates the concept of being "calmly active and actively calm."

In Reiki, we are not so much interested in "controlling the life force" per se as we are in becoming better conduits for the Reiki energy, but I think this concept of active calm and calm activity can be used to tie together the Precepts and improving our energy pathways so as to be better vehicles for channeling Reiki.

Focusing on the past or future ("for today only"), anger ("do not anger"), worry ("do not worry"), pride and arrogance ("be humble/grateful"), greed and sloth ("be honest in your work"), and intolerance and unkindness ("be kind to yourself and others"), all create mental and emotional states that stir us up, agitate and irritate us, thus creating clouds and storms in our energy fields. We cannot have clear energy pathways in those states. Thus, practicing the precepts enhances our energy pathways.

Similarly, receiving and giving Reiki heals us such that our capacity to practice the Precepts calmly and actively is enhanced.

This is all just another way of saying that practicing the Precepts in our lives enhances our ability to channel Reiki and giving ourselves Reiki--or receiving it from another--helps us to practice the precepts.

Doreen Gordon
Reiki Master
Sycamore, Illinois

Thanks, Doreen! I'd love to hear what others have to say on this topic.