The Indigo Path:
Reiki For The Soul - A Holistic Approach To Harmony & Balance

Reiki Healing :
Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a method of natural healing based on the application of 'Universal Life Force Energy'.
The name 'Reiki' literally means Universal Life Force Energy.
Reiki is an Ancient Tibetan natural healing method that uses the hands of a healer to channel energy to another person through chakras or energy centers.
It has been practiced for thousands of years.
It was reintroduced in the 1800's by Mikao Usui in Japan.
Healing refers to the balancing of the energy, sometimes called chi or prana, in the body to heal itself.
It has been found to have a calming effect on the body. It can restore balance to the body.
It supports the body's natural ability to heal itself. Reiki is not intended to be a cure.
It does however improve the body's natural ability to heal itself.
It should be reinforced that Reiki is not intended to replace your physician or other health care providers.
It can be given to all people, as well as animals and plants.
It is not associated with an organized religion, therefore, it is open to all.

What is Reiki?
Rei in Japanese means spirit. And ki means life force energy.
Together they can be read as "spirit led life force energy." The first "attunement" given by a Reiki teacher to a new student is a fairly simply process.
Ideally it is given as a sacred ceremony in an atmosphere of reverence.
How the attunement is given will depend on the teachers style and intuition.
The process involves the teacher opening up the student's crown chakra (or the energy center at the top of the head), and the chakras in the palms of the hands.
An energy channel is then created between the crown chakra and the chakra's in the palms.
Once this is done, the channel is then "attuned" to Reiki energy.
From this point on, the simple intention of channeling Reiki energy will cause this channel to open, allowing Reiki energy to flow into the top of the head and out through the palms.
At this point the teacher will probably show the student how to administer a treatment.
Just for definition, a Reiki practitioner is someone who administers Reiki treatments.
Reiki treatments are ideally given in a quiet peaceful atmosphere with no distractions.
While the "patient" is lying or sitting comfortably, the practitioner (the new student in this case) simply rests his/her palms on the patient's body and allows the energy to flow.
Trying to direct the energy can actually restrict or block its flow, so it's best for the practitioner to take on a passive observant attitude by just being present.
In a sense the energy is pulled through the practitioner by the patient's body and goes where it is needed.
Only as much as needed will be channeled, you can't channel too much.
Most practitioners find that their hands will get warm from the energy flow and will cool off when it stops.
In the beginning a formal set of hand placement positions are taught.
With practice though, intuition will direct the practitioner where to place the hands and for how long.
A typical session takes anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, depending on the health of the patient.
One distinction between Reiki and other energy healing techniques is that a practitioner can channel the Reiki energy through their hands into their own body.
Another distinction is that a practitioner will be more full of energy after working on someone, because they are not transferring their own energy.
Reiki is not intended to be a cure.
It does however improve the body's natural ability to heal itself.
It should be reinforced that Reiki is not intended to replace your physician or other health care providers.

So What is Reiki?
It is not massage.
It is not a religion.
It is not a belief system.
It is not a substitute for traditional medical treatment.
It is a form of energy healing.
It works whether one believes in it or not - even if the recipient is unconscious.
It works on animals and plants as well as humans.
Practitioners can easily use it to treat themselves as well as others.
It works well with things positive.
It can enhance the effects of other types of treatments.
It accelerates the healing process.
It may help with personal and spiritual growth.
The name originates from the Japanese language where there is no equivalent to the English 'R' sound.
Japanese pronunciation: resembles "lay-key" in English, but with the tongue briefly touching the palate, just back of the teeth, when pronouncing the 'L'.
Anglicized pronunciation: "ray-key" Literal translation: "energy of the spirit"
Common interpretation: "universal life energy" "Reiki" refers to both the energy and the practice.
It should be clear from the context which usage is intended.
One cannot learn to do Reiki by simply reading about it.
In order to become a Reiki practitioner, one must be initiated, or attuned, by a Reiki Master.
When a Reiki practitioner treats someone, it is not the practitioners energy that is passed on.
We are merely channels or conduits for the energy and are not drained in Giving A Treatment.
On the contrary, we receive a treatment while giving one.
Many have been taught that the Reiki energy, which exists all around us, enters the practitioner through the crown chakra (the top of the head).
From there the energy moves down and out through the palms of the hands.

Reiki Treatments:
Reiki treatments are not just for the ill or injured.
Reiki can help to maintain and enhance health.
It can be used for stress relief, for relaxation.
Reiki can benefit at four different levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
This is how I usually perform a hands-on treatment: The client lies on a massage table, fully clothed. I place my hands on various positions, beginning with the head, then front, then back.
The treatment is conducted with respect for body privacy, there is no "inappropriate touching".
The length of a full session may vary, but generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
Permission in Reiki.
There are two opposing viewpoints on sending distant treatments:
1) No permission is necessary.
Since Reiki can never do any harm, there is nothing wrong with sending Reiki energy without the person's consent or even knowledge.
Reiki will not work if the person rejects the energy, so if the energy is received and it benefits the person, the energy has been accepted at some level.
2) Only send Reiki if asked or consent is given.
It is the person's right to refuse the energy for whatever reasons s/he may have.
Everyone living has certain lessons they must learn if they are to progress.
Perhaps some individuals need to learn when, or from whom, to ask for help.
The Reiki energy can benefit the individual even if consciously rejected.
It is the person's conscious decisions which must be respected, as this is who is faced with life's lessons.

What Occurs During A Reiki Session?
A Reiki session lasts about an hour.
You remain fully clothed.
You will be asked to lie on your back on a massage table.
Or sit in a chair… it depends on the Reiki Practitioner and their technique that they use.
During the session, the Reiki practitioner will gently rest his/her hands on various part of the body in patterns which include the head, abdomen, legs, back and feet.
The body is touched lightly.
A sensation of warmth from the practitioner's hands is common.
After the session you will be asked to lie on your back for a few minutes.
Clients have described a feeling of relaxation and often fall asleep.
It is non-invasive and painless.
Your body only absorbs the healing energy it needs.
Therefore, you cannot receive too much Reiki energy.
There is no limit to the number of Reiki sessions you may have.
In all… Reiki is a spiritual discipline.

The principle of the practice is to pull into our bodies and increase the Chi / Ki / Prana etc. energy that exists everywhere in the Universe.
The reason(s) that we do not have an abundance of this animating energy is due partly to our lack of consciousness/connection or our neglect of Spirit.
Our worldly attention to materialist matters has weakened our connections to Source and to the image of perfection that is our birthright given by the Creator.
If you doubt this, then look at the human race; disease is everywhere, people lack love and joy, humans perform devastating abuses to one another and to Mother Earth. Reiki, however, is not usually taught as a spiritual discipline, but rather, a healing technique.
We do not see it limited to this purpose; we see healing as a by-product of connecting more strongly and building up the Spiritual energy within our physical dimension and bodies.
Reiki (as it is usually taught) is instructional methods for caring for the 'Self' as well as others.
So Reiki is a higher vibrational frequency that we can call into the physical, and it has numerous affects on our many dimensional energy bodies.

It breaks through all levels of energy blocks that have starved our bodies into disease, it balances our chakras and fields, it increases our awareness of subtle energy beyond only what we receive through physical sensory organs, it fills us with Love (the God-energy/purpose for being) and more. Reiki is perhaps the easiest of most spiritual techniques known to humankind at this time.
All it takes to learn is a "physical attunement" by someone that understands the principles behind the technique, and the laying on of the hands on one's own or another's body.
We are conduits or channels of these higher frequencies, and as such, we can do very little (if anything) to manipulate this energy to our will and desire.
Rather,each person that accepts the energy will use it in a manner that is in their own Highest good.
Anyone can learn to tap into this level of higher energy, but most people are not sensitive to subtle energies, and would take perhaps years of practice to achieve consistent results and understanding.
The popularity of Reiki is due partially to the ease of learning and to the immediate results that are extracted from its use.
But it is not absolutely necessary to learn, although it is a faster study than many popular spiritual/healing techniques.

There are symbols that are taught in the second level Reiki classes and they are understood as increasing the power of the Reiki as we channel it, as well as tapping us into specific sub-bands of energy that work specifically with mental and emotional issues and karmic programming.
I can tell you that I have felt the results of the work with the symbols.
The symbols are not secret....they are, however, considered sacred.
They were not given to the un-initiated, to people who were not working consciously on their spiritual growth.
And anyone can find them published in several Reiki books and even on the internet, but we feel that the fullness of their purpose cannot be accessed without the attunement procedure.
Another way of saying this is that when the system and its tools are not practiced with discipline and directly felt/experienced, then many times the tools are laid aside.

What some people don’t understand from soul level, they often discard and demean or put down.
A person who has not developed concentrated mind-focusing techniques (resulting in increased awareness) and disciplined practice, will gain little from reading books on Reiki.
Most people are not self-motivated enough to learn and practice disciplines on their own, and need to learn and practice with others, or they will lose interest in the technique.
This is another positive trait of Reiki; it gets stronger with the more people who practice together (Universal Law of Increasing Return -with each additional person holding a similar thought, the stronger the return of energy to the creative agents).

Lessons we have learned through the practice of Reiki:
Intent is prime mover of all form throughout the Universe.

The combined desire of many manifests more quickly than the one or few.

Healing is a result of right-thought, right word and right action (as I was taught by My Reiki Master).

The more people that practice a common system of spiritual work, the stronger the system becomes and the more energy that can be drawn from it by its supporters (lineage).

The more one stills the mind, the more their consciousness expands beyond the physical plane (again, Reiki Master knows best!).

The more energy one puts into a study/practice, the more one receives from its innate intelligence (knowledge is power).

The more one lets go of ego-will and control, the more one will experience the Source/Creator.

Healing is limited by our projected expectations of time, space, and reality.

The Universe is in a constant state of flux and change.

Everything is cyclic/repetitive, and therefore uncontrollable.

The Universe is a system of checks and balances.

And Chaos is the motivator of balance.

There is ultimately nothing to do; being is our goal.

Thought/imagination is behind all manifested form.

All of humanity are either victims or co-creative agents.

Discernment is the tool of evolvement.

Judgement of any kind limits our energy flow, and if not released, will keep us from growing spiritually.

We are all One in Spirit.

What we do to one, we do to all.

We are multi-dimensional beings learning and experiencing on many dimensions simultaneously.

Reiki is not easily explained in the medium of language.
It must be experienced.
It is not limited; it evolves/grows/changes with the needs of humanity.

Each person will experience Reiki in a different manner, according to their belief system, experiences, openness or limitations.

Reiki Lineage:
The Reiki Ideals on Usui Sensei's tomb

Today I will not be angry.
Today I will not worry.
Today I will be grateful.
Today I will work hard (spiritual practice).
Today I will be kind.

Mikao Usui Sensei, in the 1870's, developed a system of healing based on a formula he found in ancient Sanskrit Buddhist sutras.
Following the formula he went into the mountains and fasted and meditated for 21 days.
On the last day he had a vision which completed his system.
Some say that during his vision he received the Reiki symbols that are part of the system.
Others say he got the symbols before hand from the Temple where he studied.
In either case, the system he developed became an effective tool for healing.
Usui Sensei spent the rest of his life sharing his Reiki system and trained many others how to teach it.
Before his death in 1926 he had set up a group called the Usui Shiki Ryoho in Tokyo to continue on with the practice after his death.

Through this group many teachers have been trained in Japan. Dr. Chujiro Hayashi At the age of 47 Dr. Hayashi received Reiki teacher training from Usui Sensei. For about 10 years he ran a Reiki clinic.
During those 10 years he came up with a more complicated set of hand positions and divided the Reiki training into 3 levels or degrees.
He trained several teachers. Mrs. Hawayo Takata After being healed from serious conditions in Dr. Hayashi's clinic, Mrs. Takata decided to learn Reiki.
She spent at least a year working for Dr. Hayashi in his clinic before receiving the 2nd degree training.
Then she opened up a clinic of her own in Hawaii. In 1938 she received her teacher training from
Dr. Hayashi. Within the 10 years before her death in 1980 she supposedly trained 22 teachers.

Iris Ishikura
Iris is one of the teachers trained by Mrs. Takata between 1973 and 1980.
She was one of the first teachers to break away from Takata's tradition by charging less for attunements.
She died a few years ago.

Definition of Usui Reiki Ryoho and Usui Shiki Ryoho Usui Reiki Ryoho or Reiki Ryoho or Reiho (‘Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method’):
Reiki means, ‘spiritual energy’; and Ryoho means, ‘healing method, therapy, remedy, cure’ - is the original name(s) attributed to Reiki by Mikao Usui. When Usui achieved satori (enlightenment) on Kurama Yama, he developed a system of wellness and spiritual growth, which he called Usui Reiki Ryoho, Reiki Ryoho or Reiho, for short.

Usui Shiki Ryoho (‘Usui Style Healing’):
Shiki means ‘style, ceremony, rite, method, system, form’; and Ryoho means, ‘healing method, therapy, remedy, cure’ - The method taught by the Reiki Alliance and some Independent Reiki Masters.
It is not known where the name Usui Shiki Ryoho originated.
Perhaps with Dr. Hayashi or Mrs. Takata, however in one recorded session in 1979, she tells the history of Reiki and refers to the name of the system as Usui Reiki Ryoho.
Mrs. Takata did use the name Usui Shiki Ryoho on the certificates she issued to her students.
When comparing the information contained in the Usui Hikkei, Hayashi Hikkei and the Gray book, ‘A Memorial to Takata Sensei’ compiled by Alice Takata Furumoto, one will notice that the information is very similar.
Little has changed.
The information, the way it was presented and some of the techniques remained intact.
It is known, that Mrs. Takata changed the history of Reiki, perhaps to have this wonderful system more readily accepted by a primarily Christian country (U.S.).
It must also be kept in mind that when she began to teach (1938 - 1980), Mrs. Takata was faced with passing on a primarily Japanese Buddhist discipline, to American Christians during and after a major war (ending in 1945) with Japan.
It is not surprising she made some changes.

The Reiki Kanji The kanji characters Rei and Ki both have an old and a modern form.
The old form Kanji (written by Usui and Takata Sensei's) best describes Reiho, rediscovered by Usui Sensei. The word Reiki with a capital “R” is the word, which describes the energy of this system.
The old style kanji is the form that is currently used by the Radiance Technique and some independent Reiki Teachers.

The old form kanji as written on the precepts by Usui Sensei, best describes the system known as Reiho.
It is easily explainable as follows: Rei - Strokes, 24. Consists of 3 parts.
Top is rain, middle is things and bottom is Shaman.
Rei means "spirit or spiritual".

The Japanese dictionary defines Rei as:
(1) Spirit; the spiritual aspect of the human being as contrasted to the physical.
(2) Divine, numinous, charismatic, supernatural, mysterious.
(3) The luminosity of the spirit; the luminosity of a God or Sage.
(4) Inconceivable spiritual ability; charismatic power; charisma; wonderful; a wonder.
(5) A rainmaker, a diviner; a person or being with spiritual or supernatural powers.
(6) A shaman.
(7) Goodness; good, excellent, efficacious.
(8) Clever, nimble, sharp.
(9) Life.
(10) A living being. a human being.
(11) A supernatural (mythical) beast or being; a fairy, an elf.
(12) Pure, undefined, unpolluted.
(13) Bright, clear. Ki - Strokes, 10. Consists of Breath with rice (Rice in Japan is sometimes used as a synonym for people). Ki means "energy".

The Japanese dictionary defines Ki as:
(1)Vital energy connected with the breath. Invisible life-force, somewhat equivalent to the Indian prana.
(2) In the view of Zhuxi and other Neo-Confucians, the material force of the Universe.
The generative forces of heaven and earth, by means of which all things are constantly reproduced.
(1) In the view of Zhuxi and other Neo-Confucians, the material force of the Universe.
(2) The generative forces of heaven and earth, by means of which all things are constantly reproduced.
(3) Air.
(4) Breath, steam.

Description of the old form Reiki Kanji:
On the earth stands a shaman with his arms raised against the sky. From the heaven the rain comes down with lifesaving energy. Consisting of 3 parts, Light, Love and Wisdom. The shaman acts as a channel (channeling this energy down to all the people of the Earth). The Reiki teacher is the channel when s/he initiates students and the practitioner is the shaman, when s/he channels this spiritual energy to the people treated.

New Kanji and its description from the dictionary:
The meaning of the new form kanji from a Japanese dicitonary is, 'aura'. The new form kanji does not give an accurate description of Usui Sensei's Reiki Ryoho. Rei - Strokes, 15; (1) soul; spirit; departed soul; ghost Ki - Strokes, 6; (1) spirit, mind The Reiki Ryoho Principles Dr. Mikao Usui the founder of Reiki Ryoho, adopted five admonitions to live by from the Meiji Emperor, that if applied with Reiki, would heal the body, bring peace of mind, and happiness in life.

Following are those admonitions, taught as the Reiki Principles/Precepts/Ideals. It is interesting to see the variations from the various Reiki Organizations, even in the translated version (from the original document in Usui Sensei's handwriting). From Usui Sensei's memorial, 'when it comes to teaching, first let the student understand well the Meiji Emperor's admonitory, then in the morning and in the evening let them chant and have in mind

The five admonitions which are:

Don’t get angry today.
Don’t be grievous.
Express your thanks.
Be diligent in your business.
Be kind to others.

The Ideals as taught by Mrs. Takata:

Just for today, thou shall not anger
Just for today, thou shall not worry
Thou shall be grateful for the many blessings
Earn thy livelihood with honest labor
Be kind to thy neighbors

Reiki Principles as taught by Reiki Alliance Masters:

Just for today, I will not worry
Just for today, I will not be angry
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings
Just for today, I will do my work honestly
Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing

Reiki Principles as taught by The Radiance Technique:

Just for today, I will let go of anger
Just for today, I will let go of worry Today
I will count my many blessings Today
I will do my work honestly Today
I will be kind to every living creature

Reiki Principles/Precepts as taught by some Independent Reiki Masters:

Just for today, do not worry
Just for today, do not anger
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders
Earn your living honestly
Show gratitude to every living thing

Reiki Ryoho Principles Other translations (Version of translation from The Center for Reiki Training):
The secret art of inviting happiness The miraculous medicine of all diseases

Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work.
Be kind to people
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer
Pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth

Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind (Version of translation from Traditional Japanese Reiki School TJR):
The Secret Method of Inviting Blessings The Spiritual Medicine of Many Illnesses

For today only, do not anger, do not worry.
Do your work with appreciation.
Be kind to all people.
In the morning and at night hold your hands in prayer, meditate on and chant these words.
Don't get angry today
Don't mind or worry today
Don't be afraid
Thanks to the world and every being
Work hard
Be kind to every being
Make morning and evening Namaste' and say thanks to all beings
Thanks to God and existence
Observe throughout the day, with all your effort, the arising of anger, then look deeper for its true cause.
Observe your mind throughout the day for the arising of worry and restlessness, look deeper at their roots.
Be mindful, each moment of your day, appreciating the gift of life, find the right livelihood for yourself and be honest in your work.
In your day, as you appreciate your life, be kind to yourself and to all beings.
Your mind and body will truly transform with the power of Reiki, practice daily, connect to the universal nature of mind, and develop these Reiki ideals everyday