The Reiki Digest for January 3, 2007: Happy New Year!

They say that Reiki is practiced in every country in the world, and after half a year of publishing The Reiki Digest, I believe that's probably true. As we celebrate our half-a-versary, our readership now extends to 37 countries on every continent but Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Many new subscribers have joined us during the holiday break, and the entire staff of The Reiki Digest (that's me!) sends Reiki-filled greetings to all of you. Meanwhile, we'll keep hoping to reach at least a few readers in Antarctica, and for that matter, the Czech Republic, which is conspicuous by its absence since we know there's a lot of Reiki being practiced there.

In recognition of our international readership, The Reiki Digest resolves in 2007 to reach beyond the limits of a single language to connect with non-English-speaking practitioners as well. To that end, a few words in Czech (non-Czech-speakers, just skip ahead to the next paragraph): Ahoj! Jak se mas? Vitame, a stasne novy rok! Chcete edice The Reiki Digest v Cestine? Je mozna. Pro dalsi, moje e-mail address je: janet @ healingmovement.com. Dekuji vam!

And if there are any Reiki practitioners in Antarctica, please raise your hands.

Next week, we'll take a closer look at news about Reiki in languages other than English.

During the holiday break, we also established connections with two major online communities: About.com and zaadz.com. Phylameana lila Desy, the About.com guide for Holistic Healing, is herself a Reiki practitioner. While About.com is part of a huge media empire -- The New York Times -- Zaadz (from the Dutch word for "seed") is a small sprout of a company with a small but thriving online community where Reiki types fit right in.

This year, The Reiki Digest also resolves to connect locally with a combination online/real-life community, the New York City Reiki Meetup group.

Of course, there's still time to pre-register (and save $25) for the New York Open Center's January 15 all-day Reiki Symposium. I'll be among the practitioners leading workshops, discussion forums, and other activities.

This next announcement seems almost belated, even though the event won't take place until April. Nonetheless (drum roll, please), we proudly announce what we hope will be the first of many Reiki-Digest-sponsored events: Shinpiden Level III with Master Teacher Frans Stiene, co-author of The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, The A-Z of Reiki, the Reiki Techniques Card Deck and the forthcoming Your Reiki Treatment. I traveled to Chicago last October to take the class myself and I got so much out of it that I decided to sponsor it here in New York. So what makes this announcement belated? The class is already more than half full! More details here.

We've got a fascinating assortment of Celeb-Reikies this week. First, actress Pam Ferris plays a midwife (and Reiki practitioner) in the new movie Children of Men. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm sure a little Reiki comes in handy in the dystopian future it protrays.

Next, please send Reiki to our four-legged Celeb-Reiki, a little two-year-old elephant calf named Rinky in Guwahati, India, who was hit by a bus and gravely injured last month. Little Rinky received some Reiki as veterinarians tried heroically to save her, but the last news item about her is dated December 19, when euthanasia seemed the only option left.

Also in India, artist Jenny Bhatt is also a Reiki practitioner.

We stay in India for one more Celeb-Reiki: Paula Horan, known as "the lady who brought Reiki to India."

Hey, hey, it's a Monkee: ex-Monkee Davy Jones is among the clients of Reiki Master Pat Branch of Memphis, Tennessee.

Finally, Reiki Master Michelle Berry, Ithaca, New York city council member, who mentioned her Reiki practice when asked by a reporter about her New Year's resolutions.

Our Celeb-Reiki feature is brought to you by Miriam's Well Healing of New York, New York, specializing in the health and well-being of performing artists.

On to the first Reiki Roundup of 2007. The Los Angeles Times reports on 200 American Jews, including some Reiki practitioners planning to set up a clinic, who are moving to Israel. Perhaps they'll run into some of the Reiki practitioners (among others) from Palestine and Israel who recently got together in Turkey to discuss peace education.

In Maine, we find 75-year-old Reiki practitioner Vivian Franck in the hospital, recovering from being hit by a truck. Can't help sending a little Reiki her way, along with our admiration.

Next stop: the dentist's office, or should we call it the pleasure palace?

Reiki is becoming more popular in the Ozark mountains of Missouri, according to KSFX-TV.

Last stop on this week's Reiki Roundup is Camano Island, Washington, USA, where Reiki plays a part in a dramatic true-life, true love story in two parts, headlined, "The Light Within" and "I'm Coming Back to You".

Reiki obituaries are becoming a regular feature, as they should in any community publication. We'd like to round it out with a few birth announcements, so please let us know about the arrival of any Reiki babies.

Rest in peace:

Reiki Master Victoria Marie Catani-Rossena, 52, of Rye, New Hampshire.

Reiki Master Nancy Bordley Hall, 68, of Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

The Reiki Digest for March 21, 2007: Reiki gets a reprieve

Last week, as you may recall, the natural healing practice of Reiki was under threat in the Indian state of Maharashtra and the U.S. state of New Hampshire, in both cases from bills before the legislatures that would have, if enacted, banned or severely restricted the practice of Reiki.

This week, things are looking up on one of those fronts: the New Hampshire bill, apparently intended to regulate the practice of massage therapy, was amended to specifically exclude Reiki -- appropriate, since Reiki is not massage. Meanwhile, opposition to the bill has grown to include an editorial in the Portsmouth Herald headlined, "Heal this bill, or let it die a natural death."

Meanwhile, the so-called "Black Magic" bill has passed the lower house of the Maharashtra legislature and is now before the legislative council. One news article quotes a section of the proposed bill and interprets that as meaning it would not apply to Reiki: "For the removal of doubt, it is hereby declared that nothing in this Act shall apply to the acts involving religious rites and rituals which does not adversely affect any person mentally, physically or financially."

Reiki is not a religion, or a religious rite or ritual, but it also has never been found to harm anyone, so that exemption is ambiguous, to say the least.

A Hindu group still had some doubt as to whether the bill would outlaw their religion: they held a three-day hunger strike this week to draw attention to their objections.

Speaking of India, the nation's Reiki-assisted cricket team lost to Bangladesh in their first test in the 2007 World Cup, then rebounded to whip Bermuda by a record margin. If you happen to be interested in distance Reiki, whether or not you care about cricket, you might want to send some Reiki to the World Cup coaches, two of whom (one active, one retired) have died of heart attacks during the series so far. At least one of those deaths is being investigated as "suspicious" by the local authorities.

In other Reiki Roundup news items this week, The Guardian reports on an experimental project to fight crime by offering Reiki, head massage, golf and cooking lessons to help at-risk boys stay out of trouble.

One young man who didn't stay out of trouble -- he killed his own mother during a psychotic episode -- tells his sad story in The Independent under the headline "The day I lost it: Confessions of a killer." He says Reiki has helped him heal.

In Glasgow, Scotland, Reiki is among the therapies offered at the Phoenix Center, now celebrating its 20th anniversary.

In Bakersfield, California, we find a minister and Reiki practitioner who's retiring after 30 years in the pulpit, and planning to devote more time to her healing practice.

In Australia, the Herald-Sun features an article on Reiki for pets.

Reiki gets a mention this week in the venerable gray lady herself, The New York Times, but the story itself isn't about Reiki -- the subject is pet channeling.

The Journal-News in New York's Lower Hudson valley mentions Reiki in a series on the alternative health economy, but the best seems yet to come: this Friday, the series will conclude when the reporter goes into the "Reiki room."

In Maryland, another reporter offers a first-person account of his visit to a Reiki Circle, although he didn't stay long enough to observe or receive any Reiki. Apparently the discussion of things unrelated to Reiki made him uncomfortable, a cautionary tale for all.

Perhaps a reporter will soon check out the Reiki house parties offered in the Chicago area by Paula Battaglio, this week's guest on The Reiki Show podcast from the International House of Reiki.

Speaking of the International House of Reiki, there is still one space remaining in the Shinpiden workshop with Frans Stiene in New York City April 14-16, 2007, sponsored by The Reiki Digest.

Frans and Bronwen Stiene will also be giving an evening talk at East West Books in New York on April 12, followed by a book signing.

This week's Celeb-Reiki report features some well-known names in the world of Reiki itself. First, New Age musician Deuter, whose music is often used to enhance Reiki sessions, recently did a signing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to publicize the release of his 11th album, Koyasan. If you click on the word Koyasan, you can hear some free previews.

In Bahrain, Frank Arjava Petter, author of numerous books on Reiki, will speak on "The Legacy of Dr. Usui" on April 20. As Petter was one of the people who debunked the false claim that Reiki founder Mikao Usui was a doctor, perhaps he will explain why the word "Dr." is included in the title of his talk.

Next, meet entrepreneur and Reiki practitioner Mandy Allen, whose line of skin-care and fragrance products is a success in the UK.

Two young British boys have achieved Celeb-Reiki status: Ben and Charlie Bright of Warminster, England, have made their Reiki practitioner mother proud by being invited to audition for celebrity judge Simon Cowell. Ben, 12, and Charlie, 10, are being considered for a new television show, Britain's Got Talent.

Rest in Peace

Reiki Master Teacher Kristine Rasmussen, 53, North Baltimore, Maryland.

Reiki and reincarnation

The Reiki Digest is celebrating its first birthday this week: as of July 1, we've published a full year of weekly issues. And we just got an influx of new readers, thanks to The Reiki Show podcast from the International House of Reiki, which this week is about The Reiki Digest. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or are just joining us, whether you're a full-time professional Reiki practitioner, a dedicated amateur, or simply curious, we thank you for your kind attention and hope you find this publication of value.

We've never really tried to be controversial -- haven't tried not to be, either -- so it was a bit of a surprise to see this description from Bronwen and Frans Stiene, hosts of The Reiki Show: "She tackles subjects that most Reiki resources dare not touch."

This week, however, we tackle a controversial subject that does get touched quite a bit in other Reiki resources: the concept of reincarnation. So what does the notion of past lives have to do with Reiki? As far as we know, Reiki founder Mikao Usui did not include it in his system. Yet even in a recent issue of the only Reiki magazine on the shelves at mainstream bookstores in the United States, in an article on another subject, one well-known writer makes a point of telling readers that he is the reincarnation of "the enlightened high priest of Sayayi, the Great Goddess venerated and loved so much by the people of Lemuria." Then there are all the newspaper articles I've read in the past year in which the reporter assumes that Reiki and reincarnation are connected because the practitioner they interviewed is a believer in both.

I've got nothing against the concept of reincarnation. I've always liked the idea myself. I'm not necessarily a believer, or a nonbeliever, but I do find it an interesting notion, a spiritual parallel to Einstein's E=mc2 equation, which tells us that matter and energy are just different forms of the same thing. If the makings of the universe are sometimes matter, sometimes energy, then couldn't its inhabitants also sometimes have form and sometimes not? In any case, there's no way we can know for sure, so belief in reincarnation comes down to just that: belief. And that's where linking it to Reiki becomes problematic, because as we've said many, many times here, Reiki is not a religion: neither practitioner nor recipient need believe anything in order for it to work. And Reiki is practiced all over the world by people of all faiths, or no faith. Connecting Reiki to any particular religious belief system is generally not helpful to the overall public image of this valuable practice. Many Reiki practitioners are Christian, for example, but when Reiki is presented as a Christian practice, it only excludes people of other faiths.

A 2003 Harris poll found that 27 percent of Americans believe in reincarnation, and young adults (40 percent) were much more likely than senior citizens (14 percent) to do so. A 1998 study found that 35 percent of people in the United Kingdom believe in reincarnation. In many other cultures, the concept of reincarnation is so deeply rooted and pervasive that such a poll would be laughable. Belief in reincarnation even predates Buddhism in Japan, Reiki's birthplace. And the 14th Dalai Lama, leader-in-exile of Tibet, is called the 14th because he is considered the 14th incarnation.

Anecdotally, I had a high-school classmate who was convinced he was the reincarnation of Abraham Lincoln because his birthday was the same as Lincoln's. But that didn't seem to help him much on history exams.

That's where I believe it's important to maintain a clear separation between the system of Reiki and the notion of reincarnation or other religious beliefs. If it doesn't help, then why bring it up? Let's say, just for the sake of discussion, that you fervently believe you were once Cleopatra. Fine. But whether you were, or whether you weren't, you're not Cleopatra now, are you? So why mention it at all? Most of the time, it isn't helpful to go around telling people you used to be Cleopatra, and it can definitely have a downside. People might take you less seriously, especially if you bring it up in the wrong context. Let's say you are a surgeon about to perform a delicate operation, and you're talking to your patient beforehand. If you must talk about your past, it would probably be more helpful to talk about your training and experience in this lifetime, especially with the operation in question, rather than saying, "By the way, I used to be Cleopatra." Now let's say you're not a surgeon, but a Reiki practitioner, working with a client who has come to you for help. Do you think it would give the client more or less confidence in Reiki, and in you, to announce your Cleopatra connection at the beginning of a session?

OK, now let's imagine that it is not you but your client who believes she was once Cleopatra. If your client brings it up, if that's her/his cultural context, then there is nothing to be gained by declaring there's no such thing as reincarnation (if that's your belief). If your client doesn't bring it up, but seems to have, say, a fondness for Roman conquerors, an irrational fear of small snakes and a tendency to wear a lot of eye makeup, it also seems less than helpful for you to conclude, "You must have been Cleopatra in a previous life!" After all, Reiki practitioners do not diagnose, nor should we jump to conclusions or interject our personal beliefs into our work.

It may seem like a contradiction to segue from what you've read so far to what follows, but so be it. If it doesn't help (or have anything to do with the subject at hand), then don't bring it up. But sometimes it can be helpful to consider the possibility of reincarnation -- whether or not you actually believe it -- and there is no better example of that than the book Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth? by Robert Schwartz, published earlier this year by Whispering Winds Press (click here to download a chapter free). Reading this book didn't make me any more or less likely to believe in reincarnation, but it did make me a happier, calmer, less frustrated person overall, as does my Reiki practice. You don't have to believe in reincarnation at all to benefit from just considering the possibility that many of the challenges we face in this life may well be tasks we assigned ourselves.

Most books about reincarnation focus on past lives, but this one is different. Here the focus is on what Schwartz calls "pre-birth planning." Schwartz delves into the stories of people dealing with some of the most difficult situations imaginable, working with several mediums who tell astonishing but plausible stories about how they set themselves up for just such challenges in order to learn and grow during their lives.

Even if you dismiss the notion of reincarnation, it's still possible, even probable that even within this lifetime, many of our problems are actually obstacle courses we set up for ourselves, whether consciously or not. And even if you dismiss the idea that we set ourselves up for some of our own difficulties, simply looking at our problems as learning opportunities, as chances to grow, can help us see our whole lives in a different light.

This week's Celeb-Reiki is, ahem, yours truly.

Our Reiki Roundup turns up fewer stories than usual, perhaps because of the 4th of July holiday here in the US that for many meant a day or week off.

In Ohio, Cox News Service columnist Elizabeth Schuett whimsically suggests that Reiki should be a constitutional right.

The York Press (UK) introduces us to "a former Reiki healer" who now works with an image consultant to give clients "a complete mind and body makeover."

There are still spaces available in the October Shinpiden (Master/Teacher level) course with Frans Stiene in New York City, sponsored by The Reiki Digest. For more information, contact: editor@thereikidigest.com


Rest in Peace

Sinie Klomp, Reiki Master/Teacher, The Netherlands.

O! Another Oprah-Reiki connection

As many of you will recall, back in February Reiki got a brief mention on the influential Oprah Winfrey Show. In a program on alternative medicine in which Oprah had acupuncture in front of a live audience, celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz mentioned Reiki in passing when making his case that "the next big frontier is energy medicine." We were thrilled to report that news here and excited about what a mention on Oprah might mean for this natural healing practice. Alas, as far as we can tell, there's been no further mention of Reiki on Oprah, and no "everybody gets a Reiki session" shows as we had hoped.

This week, however, we discovered another Oprah-Reiki connection. Her name is Lisa L. Oz, she's the wife of Dr. Oz, and guess what? She's a Reiki Master. No wonder Dr. Oz knows about Reiki! Now if Oprah would just invite Mrs. Oz to appear on her program....

Like her husband, Mrs. Oz is a best-selling author, because she has co-written some of the "You: The Owner's Manual" series of books. She and Dr. Oz, along with RealAge.com co-founder Dr. Michael F. Roizen and personal trainer Joel Harper, are traveling the United States on their "It's all about YOU!" tour, answering questions and offering handy health hints in an all-day workshop. The tour comes to New York on August 5, and The Reiki Digest will be there (in the audience) for Mrs. Oz's presentation on "Energy, Spirit, and Making Sense of Life."

For now, we hereby name Mrs. Oz this week's Celeb-Reiki, and we thank the DC Express newspaper for publishing an interview with her.

On to the Reiki Roundup. This week we begin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Post-Gazette features an item about a retreat center founded and operated by two Franciscan nuns, one of whom is a Reiki master.

On the other side of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Inquirer is the latest newspaper to report on Reiki for animals.

You'll need a tissue or handkerchief for our next stop, Seattle, Washington. A tear may come to your eye when you read about Tom Ingram, a massage therapist, Reiki practitioner and cancer patient who just had his last radiation treatment and is forgoing further chemotherapy so that he can make one more trip to Moldova, where he and his wife do volunteer work for children Ingram isn't using Reiki as a substitute for medical care. He seems to be trying to live life as well as he can while he's alive. The Ingrams were originally scheduled to go to Moldova in September, but his doctor advised him to go sooner because "she isn't sure he will make it until then," according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer article.

On to Kuwait, where the Kuwait Times features an article headlined "Reiki: The infinite flow," in which we meet a pharmacist and Reiki master who says, "I don't believe that medicine and Reiki can be separated."

That leads us to this week's podcast of The Reiki Show, UK Reiki Practitioner Claudia Bonney talks with hosts Bronwen and Frans Stiene about "Demystifying Reiki in the Mainstream Health System."

In Missoula, Montana, we find a Reiki practitioner who tells a reporter about, among other things, her "Reiki baby."

And in Ocala, Florida, yet another reporter bravely climbs onto the table to receive a Reiki session and write about it.

The Prevention magazine article we told you about last week that mentions Reiki is now available free online, so you can read "The Best Zen for Your Personality" without buying the magazine.

There are still spaces available in the October Shinpiden (Master/Teacher level) workshop in New York City with Frans Stiene, co-host of The Reiki Show and co-author of The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, The A-Z of Reiki, the Reiki Techniques Card Deck and Your Reiki Treatment. The workshop is sponsored by The Reiki Digest, so if you're interested in reserving one of the remaining spots, e-mail editor@thereikidigest.com or go here for more information.


Rest in peace

Reiki Master Kathleen E. Passarelli, 46, Cumberland, Rhode Island

Instant hands-free Reiki self-care

After last week's post on Reiki self-care, I heard from a few readers who protested that they just don't have time for self-care every day, or they don't always have a private place to practice hands-on. I'll agree that most of us are way too busy these days, with packed schedules, hectic commutes, and obligations in all directions. But every one of us has time for a little self-care now and then during our busy days. Here are 10 ways to give yourself an instant energy shift with Reiki in complete privacy even in public.

1) Use a precept. When you notice yourself feeling stressed, choose whichever Reiki precept seems most appropriate to your situation and say it to yourself, once or many times. For example, if you're driving and another driver cuts in front of you, almost causing an accident, you might react with anger. You might also notice that your heart is pounding. The precipitating event is over, but your body is still in alarm mode. Tell yourself, "Do not anger." Repeat as necessary. The other Reiki precepts can be used in much the same way.

2) Ground yourself with earth energy. Stand with your feet flat on the floor, pointed straight ahead, about shoulder width apart. Imagine yourself sending your energetic roots down through your feet, through the floor, and deep into the earth. Breathe into your lower abdomen (lower hara, tanden). If you're on your way to an important meeting, and feeling apprehensive about it, try this as you wait for the elevator or before you go into the room.

3) Reach to the skies. Focus on the crown of your head. Imagine you are being pulled upward from that spot, by a string reaching up into the heavens. Feel your chin drop, your jaw relax, and your spine straighten. Try this early in the morning, or during a boring afternoon meeting.

4) Feel the connection. Combine the two previous methods and feel yourself stretching energetically in both directions.

5) Visualize yourself. Imagine yourself standing or sitting in front of yourself. Focus on sending Reiki energy with your eyes to whichever part of your visualized self seems to need it most. Can be done with eyes closed or open, and should not be done while driving.

6) Breathe. Use one or more Reiki breathing techniques to rebalance yourself without anyone around you even noticing. Try it next time you're waiting in line at the post office or supermarket.

7) Have a ball: This is usually done with the hands, but if you exercise your imagination you can do it without. Visualize a small ball of energy, about the size of a baseball, in front of you. As you inhale, visualize that energy ball getting larger and more diffuse. As you exhale, imagine it getting smaller again. Let it get as big as a basketball, small as a ping-pong ball, as big as a beach ball or as tiny as a marble. Also not recommended while driving.

8) Inhale the energy. Can be done anywhere, anytime. As you breathe in, imagine that Reiki energy is being drawn into your body along with the air going into your lungs. Now imagine that energy traveling to whatever part of you needs it: if your left knee is sore, for example, feel the energy going there. Don't forget to exhale, and as you do, let the pain, stiffness, and stale energy go out with your breath. Repeat as desired.

9) Use a symbol (Reiki 2 and above). Visualize it, or draw it in your mind or with your eyes or nose. Repeat until you feel an energy shift. Not recommended while driving.

10) Use a jumon (mantra) (Reiki 2 and above). Even if you can't safely draw or visualize a symbol when you're driving or otherwise need to keep your eyes on your task, you can use what Western Reiki traditions consider the names of the symbols without the visual component.

Even if you don't have time for a full self-care session, try one or more of these (or other Reiki techniques) now and then throughout the day. I do.

Speaking of energy practices, I'm happy to bring you some exciting news. Beginning July 11, I'll be teaching an early-morning Qigong class, Easy Energy Exercises for Everyone, at Moonheart Healing Arts Center, 59 W. 19th St., New York, New York, every Wednesday beginning July 11. Class starts at 8 a.m. and the cost is $10. What does that have to do with Reiki? Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, practiced qigong himself (called kiko in Japanese) from boyhood.

After telling us about her visit to Reiki birthplace Mt. Kurama in Japan and following up with some advice about etiquette for visiting temples, this week Special Correspondent Michelle Shinagawa introduces us to an 800-year-old tree, and a 21st-century webcam where you can monitor temple visits from anywhere in the world.

Reiki turns up on the London stage this week: one of the characters in the play "The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder" is a Reiki practitioner. Otherwise, however, the play seems to have very little to do with Reiki.

This week's Celeb-Reiki is British television and radio personality Fearne Cotton, who recently scored a big "get" when she interviewed Princes William and Harry about the 10th anniversary of the death of their mother, Princess Diana. Cotton told a reporter for The Independent that her mother "loves alternative therapy and Reiki but is by no means a hippie, in fact she's uber-glam" -- so does that make Reiki "uber-glam" too?

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a Reiki Master introduces a group of cancer survivors to chanting and dancing.

This week's edition of The Reiki Show podcast from Bronwen and Frans Stiene of the International House of Reiki is part two of "Japanese Arts and Ways."

There are still spaces available in the October Shinpiden (Master/Teacher level) course with Frans Stiene in New York City, sponsored by The Reiki Digest. For more information, contact: editor@thereikidigest.com

Rest in peace

Reiki Master Heidi Jo Zinda, 42, Sedona, Arizona

Reiki practitioner Sheila F. Goldstein, 60, of Upper Southampton, Pennsylvania

Touching into My Own Master Within

By Mari Hall




For many years I searched for the truth outside of myself. It was quite easy to see others as having more knowledge or being more spiritual than myself. I tried various forms of meditation, carried all sorts of crystals in my pocket to help me in what ever I was doing. If something didn’t work then it was of course that I had the wrong crystal that day, or my pendulum was not working properly or worse yet my angels and guides had taken a holiday leaving me to fend for myself.


The problem was that I did not see that there was something so magical I could find in my self and depended on an external source seen or unseen to support me. Now don’t get me wrong - I believe in angels. I am also very attached to spiritual masters such as Mother Mary. The difference now is that I work with them from the center of myself where my love, light, and inner master resides.


I believe that Reiki helps us to come into a place where we can discover this inner source of peace and support. Reiki helps us to create an inner landscape for our meeting with the divine.


I am certainly no different than many of you who may be in Reiki. We all have come to Reiki for many reasons and I would imagine that like me you have experienced big changes in your life and living. I had no idea that the way I had lived my life before kept me energetically outside of my being. I was separate from others but also separate from myself.


After I took my Reiki course my whole life changed. My deep depression lifted. I was more willing to accept what life had brought to me. I took responsibility for myself. I saw beauty and love around me and experienced it inside me. I was living life. I felt whole. The more I changed, the more I responded to others. I was no longer closed. The layers of defense that I had so carefully built up all this time one by one were stripped away as I continued to work on myself by giving daily Reiki treatments. The deepest healing for me was not physical; it was emotional and mental. I began to have hope and trust in life. Even when things happened that normally I would have reacted to by closing or condemning I saw as a gift to help me wake up spiritually.


My life began to have a natural ebb and flow; I was swimming with life, not against it. When emotions came up to be expressed and released. I did not need to understand why, only to do Reiki on myself. I allowed the natural process of coming back into my center to continue. I could see how the world was constructed of people who had forgotten their basic truth of oneness.


But how do we experience this oneness and what will we do from the center of ourselves once we have found it? When we surrender into the practice of Reiki the energy itself becomes our teacher. What I had experienced in the form of change was nothing more than becoming more centered and in tune with other people and our world. It is a continuing process. Each day becomes a miracle as we see and experience this shifting and coming back into our divine nature. As we let go of what we have fought so hard to attain, “the definition of our individual self”, we also realize we are one with all things.


I have felt in my soul that the way to harmony is not climbing above others but to go deep inside myself and bring light to my own darkness. The way to be transformed is becoming one with myself and in this moment I am also one with all others. I have reached the inner most core of my being, the light and the master within.


I have found that Reiki gives me the ability to process life events in a clearer more objective way. By using Reiki on a daily basis to stay in harmony I am better able to handle life’s messages. I know that all events in my life are miracles if I am open to receive them. It is life’s way of waking me up and to come back into the center where the love is. The more resistance I have the more of my ego is involved. I use Reiki to release my need to be right and safe. It is a process that becomes part of your life like breathing. I am not separate from Reiki I am Reiki and it supports me to live a life with much more majesty and grace.


When I want to have a dialogue with my inner master I normally give my self a Reiki treatment first. This is to relax my body, mind and soul. I will sometimes put on lovely uplifting music and find a quiet place to be still. I do not have a body position or special practice. I feel that the intention of connection is so important. I breathe and become aware of my surroundings the smells, the sounds all the things that make up that moment of the day. I use all my senses to become more vibrant and alive. Then I close my eyes and go inside. Each breath I take I feel myself going into to the center of my being and into the light. This is the place I call oneness.


I do not asked to see anyone in the space. What I know in my heart is that this is the place of deep contentment and peace. It is the everything and also the nothing. I sit and bless my day, the people who have come into my life. I give thanks for a good rest and dreams. I send blessings for the people near to me in my heart using the 2nd degree Reiki symbols. I am willing for what ever happens to be there. At times I ask questions and sometimes I get answers however I make no demands. I open and spend time connected to the source within myself.


As a result of my time with the divine my sensitivity has increased so much so that I feel the slightest changes in my surroundings, because I am the surroundings. I am one with all things and sourced beyond measure. It has been a profound lesson for me to experience my relationship to all things on so many levels. I also have realized that when I am with people and I am in harmony I can feel if they are in harmony or not. I can hear the music as we come together. I send them second-degree Reiki energy when I feel a “sour note” so that they can heal themselves and come back in to tune.


Everything is so interdependent. Once you have given yourself this gift of connection there will never be any doubt of these interrelationships. I gaze at the stars at night, feel their energy, and know that this connection also extends out past this world to the universe and what lies beyond. How I treat Mother earth is also an indication of how I treat myself. If I am concerned about her and how she has become contaminated I must also be concerned enough to see how I have polluted my self with thoughts, emotions, food that have become toxic in my body, mind and spirit.


One of the most beautiful aspects about Reiki is the experience of returning to an inner and peaceful core. As more of us make this return we will also see a change in our environment. Instead of making war with each other we can then work together to make environmental changes. We are naturally more response-able to our world. The work always starts within and radiates outward. The journey home is then a profound one because its effects are experienced on a global level.


Our inner landscape that houses our inner light and the master within is then mirrored in our external world. We see the light in all beings and recognize the master in them.


Namaste.


I honor the place in you where Spirit lives...
I honor the place in you that is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace.
When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me;
then we are One.


Blessings,
Mari

Healer, heal thyself

Featured Practitioner: Bobbe Bramson, Reiki Master Teacher, Westchester County, New York



By Bobbe Bramson

If I had to pick the one lesson that has been the most prevalent in my soul’s journey it would be this: learning how to take care of myself without guilt, without justification, without apology.

Like so many women of my generation, I was taught to sacrifice my own needs on the altar of everyone else’s, to hide my dreams deep down where they wouldn’t be found, and to tamp down the spark of my unique self lest my light offend or overwhelm those who took care of me. To protect myself I became hyper vigilant, reading facial cues from those around me to tell me when and how I should act and stifling my own self-expression. This was not an environment that fostered feelings of confidence, deservedness, or self-love. Bottom line: Take care of others first. Put thyself last.

A Native American elder once told me that I was a shaman healer precisely because of the "sacred hurt" that I had endured as a child. As the black sheep of my family I took on other people’s projected hurts and adopted the errant (heir-ant) belief that if I could just fix their problems then I could finally attend to mine. I was indoctrinated early and well into patterns of self-neglect and I have spent a lifetime learning how to undo them.

I do not feel unique in this regard. In my experience many people who become healing professionals have similar stories to tell, and many are much more harrowing than mine. Let’s face it. As a group we caretakers are great at giving-giving-giving and not so good at being on the receiving end ourselves.

My entrenched patterns reached crisis proportions in my late 40’s. I had overworked for decades in a career that I’d come to by default and didn’t enjoy, all the while pursuing fame and fortune writing songs that went against what I believed in. Almost everything I did was either fake or done for the wrong reasons and it was bleeding me dry. Still I chose to ignore the warning signs until finally my body gave up the charade and literally bled out. Surgery saved my life, but I knew that something else horrible would happen if I didn’t address the root of the problem: chronic self-neglect. I simply did not know how to listen to or serve my own needs.

What followed was a very dark night of the soul and it was my attunement to Reiki that brought back the light. Reiki became my new lifeblood. It was a lifeline that I grabbed hold of, praying that it would bring me back to my true self and it has never let me down since. From the very beginning I felt a passionate connection to Reiki. It astonished me that this flow of energy could water me, nourish and sustain me. It thrilled me that it was dependable beyond any measure I could fathom, infinitely available to me just for the asking. Its insistent urging called me back to me, opening a space within that would allow me to love me, wearing down the hard rock of my self- neglect and melting away my resistance to getting better, my fear of being seen and heard in the world.

Reiki changed my life, but it might be more truthful to say that the regular use of Reiki was what made the change, and for the better. Even though I have become a practitioner and teacher, my primary focus in using Reiki is as a path of self-discovery, spiritual growth and self-empowerment. I have used Reiki on myself every day, almost without exception, for six years, and I would like to share with you some of the ways I have found to weave it into my life, why I feel it is so important for all of us to do so, and why it can be hard to give to ourselves on a regular basis.

I love this quote: "The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others." (Chuang Tsu c.360BC-275BC) While it would seem completely logical to look after our own well-being first before attending to others, most of us don’t. And it doesn’t help that we live in a culture that judges such behavior as selfish and in fact encourages overworking and busyness to the point of exhaustion.

Imagine yourself and your precious energy as a high-yielding savings account. Now imagine that every day you withdraw money from this account, but never once put in any deposits. Pretty soon the inevitable is going to occur; you go in to take out your money and, whoops, there’s not a cent left. I’m exaggerating, of course, but this is exactly what we do when we give to everyone else (including clients/students) and don’t take the time to "make a deposit" into our own account. What does it say about us when we counsel clients to take better care of themselves while not doing it for ourselves? How can we expect our clients, loved ones, and co-workers to do their healing work if we don’t?

So what is it that keeps us from making an investment of time towards our own healing? There are lots of reasons, but some common rationalizations are "I’m too busy," "I have to do these more pressing things first," "I’m tired now, I’ll do it later," "I can’t do Reiki now because (insert your own)". I think the core reason we don’t, no matter what guise it takes on, is that we don’t feel we really deserve it, or that somehow we aren’t good enough to warrant that kind of loving attention. Here is the truth: any time we give ourselves a Reiki treatment, any time we put our hands on our bodies and run the energy we are participating in a radical act of self-love.

Is it okay for us to give to ourselves so that we can feel good and be more at peace even if around us others are struggling, miserable, or have lives filled with chaos? I would advocate for its being not only okay, but imperative. It’s really very simple: The healthier we are the more we have to give. The more we use Reiki on ourselves the more ki there is flowing through us all the time and the stronger channel we become. Reiki fills in the gaps and clears the places we block our light, and when our light shines other people benefit from its clarity and warmth. The more we are "being Reiki," the more grounded and calm we can be in the midst of life’s storms.

Reiki will heal the issues around not allowing ourselves to receive. One of the first things we can do to address any unworthiness and/or guilt that may underlie our reasons for not doing regular self-treatment is to ask the Reiki for help by coming up with a positive affirmation such as "I request and intend that Reiki support me in finding ways to self-treat every day" or "I request and intend Reiki support me in creating ways to incorporate it into my life on a daily basis." So even if at the beginning you are only doing one self-treatment a week, by stating your intention during that treatment or meditation you are making an alliance with Reiki to make a positive change in your life. If you have a Reiki box you can also write down your affirmation on a piece of paper, Reiki the paper for a few minutes and then place it into your Reiki box. Put the box in a highly visible place and whenever you go by it pause for a minute or two and Reiki the box holding your intention in your mind as you do so. Better yet, seize the moment to actually sir down for five or ten minutes and give yourself some Reiki!

I think that another thing that gets in the way is how we define self-treatment. A lot of people were taught they must go through every hand position in order to get the full effect of a session, but this just isn’t true. And as far as we know, Mikao Usui did not teach self-treatment this way either. During Reiki I training I wasn’t able to hold the self-treatment positions for the prescribed time because of shoulder and neck pain. As a result I discovered that the Reiki flowed anywhere I intended it to without putting my hands there. Never bound by the constraints of having to self-treat in a certain way, I have developed alternative ways that work great for me and I encourage everyone to do the same.

I always invite Reiki in while I meditate. I like the ritual of drawing the symbols as I quiet my mind. Resting my hands on my thighs or lower abdomen for the duration I intend that the Reiki flow with its Divine intelligence to exactly where it is most needed on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels and that it bring healing, balancing, and harmonizing to every fiber of my being. If there is a place that I know could use special attention then I put my hands or my mind there. When I am done meditating I intend that the healing that has occurred integrate with grace and ease for my highest good and go about my day. This is the heart of my Reiki self-treatment.

A wonderful way to remove emotional blocks to receiving is to do the Japanese technique called seheiki chiryo ho, (or for level 1 nentatsu ho which is done without the symbols). You would again come up with a positive affirmation like "It is safe for me to put myself first," or "It’s easy to carve out time to nurture myself," or "I’m finding small ways to give to myself each day," and then sit or lie down placing one hand on your forehead and the other on the back of the head. As you give Reiki to these two spots repeat your affirmation either out loud or to yourself for three to five minutes. Then stop repeating the affirmation, remove the hand on your forehead and continue giving Reiki to the back of the head for another five minutes or so just allowing yourself to rest in its soothing energy. You will begin to notice shifts in attitude if done consistently once a day over a period of time. (An illustration and description of this technique can be found in The Reiki Sourcebook by Bronwen and Frans Stiene.)

Learning*

You should know
From the way
Children learn
When you practice more
You (will) get better results

One of the most common concerns that students bring up once they have learned Reiki is that they have no time to practice it. When I talk to them awhile, though, it becomes clear that they have made an unconscious choice to NOT use Reiki. We live in a world that inputs information to us 24/7 unless we consciously unplug from the mainframe and spend some time going within. All of us living in the 21st century must grapple with the time thieves of phones and emails to answer, TV shows to watch, bills to pay, and endless errands to run. Still, when you get right down to it there are at least as many opportunities to tune into Reiki as there are to not tune in to It. We just have to decide that we will. Here is but a small sampling:

• Before getting out of bed in the morning take 5-10 minutes and bring in the Reiki.
• In the shower/bath Reiki the water intending that it fill your aura and cleanse your body.
• Stuck in a traffic jam that isn’t moving at all? Invite in some Reiki to keep you company.
• At lunch take a moment to bless your food and yourself with Reiki and spend a minute or two in gratitude.
• If you are standing on a long line, waiting for the kid’s bus, etc. Reiki, Reiki, Reiki...
• Try doing Reiki during a yoga class or when cooling down after you exercise.
• When you get into bed at night bring in the Reiki and intend that it work its healing magic as you sleep.

If you were to do even two of these a day you would have given yourself an hour’s worth of Reiki at week’s end!

It probably goes without saying that the Reiki precepts are a beautiful template for self-care. These five golden rules (six if we include "just for today" as an all inclusive one) are nourishment for body and soul as long as we do our best to remember them. For me two of them in particular resonate with this topic:

Just for today I will be kind to my neighbor and all living beings. Now add INCLUDING MYSELF. If you want to be a true rebel you might change this precept to read "Just for today I will be kind to myself by putting my needs first, and from there I will be an overflowing well of kindness from which I allow others to freely drink."

Just for today I will do my work honestly. For me this means I will do my best to walk the Reiki path with integrity, honoring the Reiki by using it on a regular basis by doing my spiritual work and loving myself enough to take an active, responsible and compassionate part in MY OWN HEALING.

Am I perfect at self-care? No, I’m not. I still catch myself sabotaging my best efforts and shortchanging myself now and then, especially in the past couple of years as I go through the on again-off again vigilance and triage necessary to care for my ill and aging father. Just when things seem to be letting up and I am beginning to return to a sense of stability, just at the moment when I feel like I can use my energy to build a fire under my own dreams, that’s precisely the moment when a new crisis emerges and another opportunity for spiritual growth presents itself. I am using this karmic petri dish to conduct a powerful Reiki experiment. Each new trial puts me to the test again so that I can grow up, become the adult, and learn how to take better care of myself. Whenever I have felt myself spinning out of control or sinking into a vortex of fear, Reiki has been my energetic intervention of choice, my saving grace. My way of making peace with whatever is happening is to ask the Reiki to flow where it is most needed, not only for my highest good, but for that of the entire situation and everyone involved. I know I’ve made positive progress because now I can say in the middle of a highly charged emergency situation, "Wait a minute! Before I rush headlong into the fray to fix what’s out there, what do I need to do for me first?"

I would like to leave you with this acronym to help remind you to self-treat with Reiki.

Remember to use Reiki. Those of us lucky enough to be attuned to Reiki have been given an amazing healing gift. Remember that this incredibly adaptable, evolving energy works on all levels of our being gently and persistently, but it has to be used!

Every day Even small regular applications of Reiki can make a big difference overall, so use it on yourself every day (or at least as often as you possibly can). If you meditate on a daily basis throw some Reiki into the mix.

Intend I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but really, intention is everything. Reiki flows where intention goes. Intend that you are finding more time to devote to you and your self care and it will be so. Intend that Reiki support you in learning how to nurture yourself and you will be rewarded.

Kindle a relationship with Reiki and then keep the flame alive by regularly interacting with it. Reiki is a vibrant and responsive partner in your self-growth and healing so ask it questions and expect the answers to come over time. Ask for its support and guidance and don’t be afraid to experiment with different ways to make it a part of your life. I promise you, much will be revealed.

Invest in you. Every time we give ourselves Reiki we are making an investment in our own bankable resources. What you put into Reiki you will get back, and with interest! And don’t forget, this is NOT a selfish act because the more you deposit in your "bank," the more you will have to give to others and the world.

We are all precious beyond measure, beautiful diamonds in the rough waiting to radiantly glimmer and shine our light out into a world that needs it now more than ever. So in support of this heartfelt sentiment here is another waka from the Meiji Emperor:

A Precious Gemstone*

The precious stone
Is not shining
It seems
Because you forgot
To polish it.


©2010 Bobbe Bramson RM

Bobbe Bramson is the founder of Lotus Song Healing Arts in Westchester County, New York, and is a Reiki Master Teacher of the Usui System of Natural Healing, a certified Karuna Reiki Master, I.E.T. (Integrated Energy Therapy) Master Instructor, and Green Tara Seichim teacher. With over 30 years experience in the creative and metaphysical arts she offers guidance, resources and inspiration for the soul’s journey, both privately and in group settings. Her guiding intention is to create custom-designed healing strategies that empower people to live lives connected to the sacred and beautiful within themselves and the natural world. She can be reached at (914)673-0976 or bramsongs @ verizon.net


*All waka are from The Spirit of Reiki
by Lubeck, Petter, and Rand:

The Reiki Digest for January 17, 2007: Our biggest, most interactive issue EVER!

Last week, as you recall, we took note of the elephant in the room. This week, we bring you not just elephants, but whales, and beyond that, a whole circus of features. Not only do we have a jam-packed Reiki Roundup, we offer a guest article -- that's right, a whole article, written expressly for The Reiki Digest by a Reiki Master Teacher who's also a registered nurse.

We have a report from the First Annual Reiki Symposium at the New York Open Center this past Monday, as well as more from controversial cyber-Reiki purveyors Chikara-Reiki-Do, along with a few words from one of their online students.

But wait...there's more! Our new printable edition made its debut at the Symposium. Starting with the January 10 issue, The Reiki Digest is now available in convenient, printable PDF form. You'll still have to go online to follow the links, but now you can print out The Reiki Digest and take it with you. Yes, you can even copy and distribute The Reiki Digest, because our "some rights reserved" license allows copying for noncommercial purposes as long as you don't change the material, and as long as you credit the source. Read The Reiki Digest on the subway (but not on the highway!), print out a copy for a friend or for your files. Best of all, it's still free. We'll always be publishing the original edition first, followed by the printable version by the following day.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of this edition of The Reiki Digest.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of last week's edition of The Reiki Digest.

The Reiki Digest has gotten bigger, and so has our community: Greetings to our new reader, or possibly readers, in the African island nation of Mauritius (just east of Madagascar). We now reach 38 countries! Only 155 more to go!

A day ON

We don't have many traditions yet for Martin Luther King Day, one of the newest United States holidays, but there is a growing movement to make January 15 a day ON, rather than a day off. It certainly was a day ON for me this year, a day ON spent at the New York Open Center's First Annual Reiki Symposium. We had an invigorating Qigong for Reiki Practitioners session (nearly two hours!), numerous panels and discussions, classes in aromatherapy with Reiki and using Reiki with candles (that classroom smelled so good!), and of course our much-touted Reiki in Cyberspace discussion. If you were there, or even if you weren't, we'll have additional class resources available soon, including a list of our Qigong exercises so you can continue gathering qi at home, and a Reiki in Cyberspace blog.
(Update: To the many who've asked -- yes, we will have more detailed coverage of the Reiki Symposium next week, as well as links to the still-to-come supplemental materials.)

Speaking of Reiki in Cyberspace, we've had further conversations with Judith and Chris Conroy of Chikara-Reiki-Do about their controversial attunements by webcast and self-attunement materials. I commend them for taking our questions so graciously, and was surprised when they objected to one of the words I used last week. Apparently in British English, the word "tout" has a negative connotation that it doesn't in American English, and while we have been speaking frankly, we didn't mean to insult anyone.

The Reiki Digest: I learned about your upcoming attunement webcast from your press release, headlined "Squeals of Protest in the Reiki Community." Have there actually been "squeals of protest"? If so, could you give us an example or two? Your press release refers to "extortionate prices" being charged by others -- the word "extortionate" carries a strong negative charge. An observer might conclude that you are seeking controversy as a way of publicizing your work. Would that be a fair assumption?

Chikara-Reiki-Do: Yes, there have been many squeals of protest sent to us by Reiki Masters, who have used our own web form to contact us.

Each and every time they do this they do not have the courage to leave their names and always use false email addresses...

...very, very frustrating we can tell you.

But the messages always take a similar format - you should be ashamed of yourselves, you have cheapened Reiki, don't you realise the bad karma you're creating etc etc etc.

Obviously we don't keep any of these messages, as they are just purely abusive and do not have anything constructive to say.

We do not consider using the word extortionate as controversial, merely factual... as it is the most common description used by our customers when referring to the Reiki Master pricing structure around the world today.

The Reiki Digest: The people receiving attunements -- or learning to do their own attunements -- from you: do they get Reiki Master certificates from you as well?

Chikara-Reiki-Do: Yes, all our Reiki Master attunement ceremonies are fully certificated.

The Reiki Digest: What is your own Reiki lineage? Do your online students then become a part of that lineage?

Chikara-Reiki-Do: Our Reiki Lineage follows two bona fide lines, and yes, our participants (for us, there's no such thing as a student) do become part, and can receive a copy, of this lineage.

Chikara-Reiki-Do also sent along a testimonial they received from one of their 'participants':

"Hello. I am writing to request my certification as a Reiki Master. I have trained as a Reiki Master here in the U.S. but have yet to recieve my certification due to the death of my instructor's husband. His passing struck her really hard and I'm not sure whether she'll return to teaching.

Divine providence brought your literature to me in a very serendipitous manner. I must say that the attunement ritual is absolutely lovely. I was touched far more deeply than I ever was in a class. Thank you so much for making this information available. I also have a greater understanding and appreciation of the symbols and their use. You have answered the questions no one else seemed able to. Namaste!"

Reiki Master Teacher and registered nurse Katherine Simonton of Concord, New Hampshire, was inspired by last week's issue of The Reiki Digest to write the following article, and she has given us permission to publish it here:

Reiki Paradigms

By Katherine Simonton, R.N., Reiki Master Teacher

The topic of “free Reiki” has at times frustrated and upset me. My story to myself about that has been that “they” are unprofessional, inauthentic, give Reiki a bad name, are not practicing “real” Reiki, compete with those who are charging for Reiki, etc. However, I have realized, in reading your article, that it no longer holds much of a charge for me. As a student of the Abraham teachings, I am deepening my understanding of how Law of Attraction works and how I can, through the power of my thoughts, influence my own reality. By spending a lot of thought energy on my perception of the “wrongness” of this other style of Reiki, I was in fact, moving away from the direction of the precepts and going down a rocky, unpleasant feeling road and creating a lot of resistance. Gradually, I shifted my focus, worked with Reiki as I understood it and continued to seek information on Reiki that resonated with me. While I do not personally support the idea of “free Reiki”, I am willing to allow that there are supporters. I will give my opinion, if asked, and I try not to make a judgement – each of us has our own path to follow and our own lessons to be learned. I personally choose to put my energy into being (becoming) the most authentic Reiki practitioner/teacher that I can be and charging a fee for my services. That is not to say I never share Reiki for free - I do at times, as part of promoting Reiki and as part of my volunteer work, when appropriate.

However I do not teach Reiki for free. Sad to say, in this culture, we associate monetary amounts with things we value and we tend to assign lesser value to those things that are “cheap” or “free” (even though we all look for bargains!). We also, paradoxically, tend to provide, on average, lower salaries to teachers, some healthcare workers, ministers/spiritual care providers - for services we say we value! I consider Reiki and training in the system of Reiki to be highly valuable. As for the comment that we all have Reiki within us and a teacher doesn’t “give” it to the student, I agree. The fee isn’t for Reiki energy, the fee is compensation to the teacher for her time, the space for the class, resource/teaching materials, the teacher’s experience and expertise obtained over time and at a cost, etc. The fee can also be seen as part of an energetic commitment by the student - money is energy and often, without the money, the energetic commitment is missing.

To me, saying Reiki is made available for free to those who “can’t afford it” is disempowering and supports “lack - consciousness”. Offering someone the possibility that they COULD afford it and supporting them in that belief opens space for that possibility to become a reality - often in the most serendipitous ways! I’m also aware of people teaching Reiki for free in underdeveloped countries – is that right or wrong? I don’t know – it just is.

To some degree, much of this is really a matter of opinion and perspective - and paradigms. Paradigm is defined as a model or pattern. We all operate on the basis of a whole variety of paradigms that we have learned or absorbed. This applies to the world of Reiki as well. I see Reiki as something you”be” as well as something you”do”. It is the “doing” of Reiki as it interfaces with our Western paradigm of healthcare that is challenging us in “being” Reiki. The paradigms of particular relevance here are those related to Alternative/ Complementary Medicine, Western Medicine and Holistic or Traditional Medicine.

The paradigm or model for Western medicine is based on curing ( relieving the signs and symptoms of disease) and views disease as the result of mainly external causes. It uses primarily pharmacological and surgical interventions and has a “fix-it” approach. It also claims to be scientifically validated. The practitioner is primary - he/she prescribes and directs the treatment, the patient receives/experiences the treatment and both hold an expectation for certain results.

Holistic or Traditional Medicine (also known as Alternative and in a broad sense refers to Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Energy Healing, Homeopathy, Chiropractic) is rooted in a holistic & energy based paradigm. This model holds the perspective of wholeness - body, mind, spirit are inseparable, interrelated. The concept of energy is primary and blockages, stagnation, excesses or depletion of energy is believed to be the root cause of dis-ease in the body, mind or spirit. Interventions are aimed at facilitating healing, “making whole”, restoring balance & healthy energy flow, reconnecting all the parts. Healing is usually a process, which can be spontaneous or can take various amounts of time. Outcomes are related not just to the skill of the practitioner but to the openness & willingness of the client to change. Practitioner and client work together to support & restore the innate health of the client. Most of these practices have not been scientifically validated, but they do have consistent, positive anecdotal history extending from the present back over hundreds of years.

The term Alternative Medicine, later called Complementary and now called Integrative Medicine, is newly evolved and still evolving. It is a response to the influx of Holistic/Complementary practices being offered and utilized by healthcare consumers. Can you see the challenge here? We have two very different models trying to combine. It is my belief and experience that as Western Medicine absorbs these practices, it changes them to fit the Western model - everything needs to be scientifically validated, practitioners face licensure issues frequently regulated by non-practitioners, consumers want insurance to pay for these practices - insurers want scientific validation, the Holistic interventions get costlier, the underlying, holistic paradigm gets diluted & distorted as it gets applied as a “fix” for specific disease states, healthcare consumers are confused by conflicting messages, practitioners are competing, etc. My preference would be to see both systems work side by side, honoring and respecting what each system does best and the right of individuals to choose their care.

Now back to Reiki - where we face some similar issues. Many people want Reiki to be accepted into the halls of Western medicine and in some ways, it has been. What now? Now we have to “prove” that it works, now we have to show outcomes, now there is drama over who gets to practice “professionally”, now we have Reiki sessions offered at Spas for $100/hr and offered free, by volunteers, in hospitals and over the internet. We have “my Reiki is better than yours” attitudes and confused healthcare consumers (and confused Reiki practitioners). Should Reiki be free or for a fee? Is it a medical treatment or spiritual/energy healing? How do you “prove” that it works? Who gets to decide? As Reiki has developed in the West, it seems that there has been a distortion of the original paradigm. New Age paradigms and now Western medical standards have been overlaid upon it. Yet, the model offered by Mikao Usui and now being re-discovered, was one of spiritual self development, first and later, the hands on healing was incorporated. In my opinion, we have skipped lightly over the spiritual self development and quickly moved on to the hands-on healing. Without that grounding and foundation in the fundamentals of the system of Reiki, distortion, confusion and misunderstanding result.

Fortunately, we have individuals now who are committed to researching the roots of the system of Reiki, committed to spiritual self development and committed to bringing it much needed clarity & grounding. If we can continue our individual & collective journeys using the guidance of the precepts to light the way, it is my belief that the answers will present themselves.

***

The Reiki Digest: Many thanks, Katherine, and thanks again to Judith and Chris from Chikara-Reiki-Do. Let's keep the discussion going. Feel free to add your comments, or e-mail them to editor@thereikidigest.com.


Reiki Roundup

We begin this week's journey in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the Sun-News features an article about Reiki that includes most of the key points, as well as the oft-repeated untruth that Reiki founder Mikao Usui was a doctor. My favorite quote from the article: "If people would just get one Reiki treatment and see how they felt, it would blow them away." My favorite nonquote: For one thing, the existence of life-force energy has not been proved scientifically. (In my opinion, the fact that we can distinguish the living from the dead is proof that life-force energy exists, but of course I'm not a scientist.)

The subject of Reiki for cancer patients comes up again in this week's roundup, with an article in the Camarillo, California Acorn on a camp for cancer patients. And a Philadelphia television station finds Reiki in the holistic approach of the local Cancer Treatment Center of America. And a cancer survivor in England says Reiki (and reflexology) helped him recover from cancer that destroyed one of his vertebrae.

Next stop, Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota, where we find a labyrinth with, among other things, a Reiki station.

In Norwalk, Connecticut, we find a hospital chaplain who is both a Reiki Master and a rabbi.

Reiki turns out to be a popular search term among the over-50 crowd, according to a San Francisco Bay-area newspaper.

And now, our Celeb-Reiki feature, brought to you by Miriam's Well Healing of New York, New York, specializing in the health and well-being of performing artists: First, an update: last week's Celeb-Reiki, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), who is recovering from brain surgery, is now able to talk again.

Another prior Celeb-Reiki turns up in the headlines again: Boy George, or more specifically, his parents, Gerry and Dinah O'Dowd. Gerry became a Reiki master late in life and is said to have used Reiki to help his son kick the drug habit, but Boy George's mother, who by then was divorced, disputes that in a new book about her late ex-husband.

Reiki is a gentle art; NFL football isn't. Reiki Master, and Celeb-Reiki, Philip Clark has practiced both: before he took up Reiki, Clark played for the Chicago Bears, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New England Patriots. Clark was interviewed for a suburban Chicago newspaper article on current Bears quarterback Rex Grossman.

Finally, we travel 3 years into the future, a future in which by-then-former British Prime Minister Tony Blair may (or may not) have become a Celeb-Reiki, according to the new play "The Trial of Tony Blair."

The Sounds of Reiki:

The Reiki Show: In this week's podcast, Bronwen and Frans Stiene follow Reiki into the dentist's office, where we meet Pam Ross, a Reiki practitioner who specializes in giving Reiki to patients in the dentist's chair.

Whale music is back in fashion, especially for Reiki,, according to the UK's Guardian Unlimited. They even offer a few samples of whale sounds in case you're curious, or perhaps nostalgic.

Shinpiden Class update: There are still a couple of spots left in the Shinpiden class with the International House of Reiki's Frans Stiene in New York April 14, 15, and 16, sponsored by The Reiki Digest.

Rest in Peace

Reiki Master Jan M. Nicolai, 53, Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Reiki, stress, and the holidays

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Or so claims the incessant holiday music that fills the air in December, along with equally incessant pressure to buy, buy, buy -- for your loved ones, for yourself, and of course for the economy. Gifts can be a nice way to keep the energy flowing, but holidays aren't just about presents. They're about something far more important: presence. We gather together for the holidays, with people we love and with people we might not get along with so well.

The month of December gives us a year's worth of opportunities to answer the question, "So what are you doing these days?" Each time we have the opportunity to say, "I practice Reiki." Or not. I still remember one somewhat distant family member's reaction a couple of years ago when I explained that I practiced natural healing arts. "I don't believe in natural healing," he declared. Thanks in part to my Reiki training, I just smiled and stifled the urge to reply by asking, "So you only believe in unnatural healing?"

Fortunately Reiki does not require belief on the part of either practitioner or recipient. That's one reason it's practiced by people of all faiths, and even agnostics and atheists. So whatever holidays you may celebrate this time of year, Reiki can help make them more enjoyable for all.

Even if your family happens to be conflict-free, you may run into holiday stress while shopping, traveling, or at work.

Holidays, like emergencies, are a time when ordinary rules are broken, regular routines suspended. They're also very busy times. But it's important to hang on to at least one regular routine: your Reiki practice. Maybe you can't devote as much time or energy to your meditations and self-care during the holidays, but don't just suspend your practice. Modify it or abbreviate it if you must, but keep on keeping yourself grounded and balanced.

Holidays also mean high expectations, and unrealistic ones at that: our culture tells us we're supposed to be happy, and make other people happy, this time of year, so when we or our loved ones feel something other than happy, we're disappointed.

When frustration, disappointment, or other negative emotions cloud your holiday celebration, Reiki can help. Here's how:

Remember the precepts. If you stay humbly in the present, avoiding anger and worry, your presence will be a gift to yourself and the people around you. The Times of India had a nice article about the Reiki precepts headlined, "Invite Happiness Into Your Daily Life" just the other day.

Breathe. Use the Reiki breathing technique of your choice, or simply breathe slowly and deeply into your hara center (also known as the tanden) -- your lower abdomen.

Use your counseling skills. If you're a professional Reiki practitioner, you should have learned counseling skills as part of your training. If you didn't get that from the person who taught you Reiki, find another teacher to help you learn how to listen effectively, mirroring your client and reflecting their words back to them. Everyone will enjoy your company all the more, and keeping the focus on others may help you avoid any awkward questions about you.

For more Reiki-related ways to deal with holiday stress, check out this column in the Norwalk, Connecticut, Advocate by Reiki practitioner Kimberly K. Kristoff, and these handy hints from the Herald-News in suburban Chicago, headlined, "Let there be peace during the holidays, and let it begin with you.".

Reiki shows up in a couple of other holiday-related stories this week -- in Berryville, Virginia, a Reiki center won a prize for decorating a parking meter as a "Spirit of Christmas" tree. Back in suburban Chicago, animals got a chance to receive Reiki when "Santa Paws" and "Mrs. Claws" visited a local animal shelter. And in Nevada City, California, a local Reiki practitioner is literally painting the town for the holidays.

Before we move on to the rest of our bountiful Reiki Roundup, let's meet this week's Celeb-Reikies. First up is a second-time Celeb-Reiki, Agyness Deyn, Britain's new Model of the Year, who got her unusually spelled stage name from her mother, a Reiki practitioner. Our other Celeb-Reiki this week is award-winning Welsh poet (and Reiki practitioner) Mab Jones.

On to the Reiki Roundup. We begin this week in a spa, because Spa Finder has identified wellness treatments, including Reiki, as one of the Top Ten Spa Trends to Watch in 2008.

Next stop: Jerusalem, Israel, where Reiki is among the treatments offered to domestic violence victims.

In Lewis County, Washington, The Chronicle features an article about Reiki with some surprising information -- according to the article, Reiki is performed with "a brown fleece-type covering and a rounded pillow" and "Reiki schools don't exist in the U.S." -- that may come as a surprise to those of us who use other types of blankets for our clients, and other shapes of pillows, not to mention those of us who learned Reiki in schools or other formal group educational settings.

In Buxton, Warwickshire, in the U.K., Reiki is among the modalities being offered to firefighters and other first responders who survived a deadly warehouse fire that claimed the lives of four firefighters.

In India, Reiki gets a mention in a Hindu Business Line article headlined, "The seven pursuits of consumer India."

And in Bismarck, North Dakota, Reiki makes the television news, complete with online video, featuring a practitioner who works in Hawaii but is in North Dakota to teach Reiki at a local college.

Next week: Reiki-related gifts

In two weeks: The Carnival is coming! The Reiki Digest hosts the Carnival of Healing to finish off the year.