Reiki Healing: Part Two
By Karen J. Gordon

In the late 1930s, Reiki (ray-key)-a simple yet powerful hands-on healing art-was brought out of Japan and offered to the Western world by a first generation American woman, Hawayo Takata. She was third in the spiritual lineage of Reiki healing which began with Mikao Usui and was passed to Chujiro Hayashi and then to her. The fourth and current lineage bearer of the Reiki system which Takata taught is Phyllis Furumoto, Takata's granddaughter and one of the twenty-two Reiki Masters initiated by Takata in her lifetime.

Hawayo Takata received her Reiki training from Hayashi in Japan after being successfully treated for a medical condition. This natural healing system, which has its roots in a spiritual discipline developed by Usui in the late 1800s, has evolved and changed over time. In all of its many traditions and forms it's now practiced all over the world.

In Part One of this series, we looked at Reiki from the perspective of its history. We also examined the theory behind Reiki-a Japanese word meaning "universal life energy." In Reiki Healing: Part Two, we'll look at Reiki as a "folk art" and explore how the practice of this healing art can enhance our lives.

In the oral tradition of the Usui System of Natural Healing (Usui Shiki Ryoho), Reiki is taught in three levels: First and Second Degree and Master (teacher). At the First Degree level, there are four initiations (attunements) into the system, and the instruction by the Reiki Master takes place in four sessions, over two - four consecutive days.

It's all a Reiki practitioner needs to work with the energy. At this level a person learns self-treatment and treating others, and the Five Principles of Reiki as passed down from Mikao Usui are shared (see Reiki Healing: Part One).

It's recommended that a period of several months be spent in practice at the First Degree level before a person considers entering into the Second Degree training. In this time of practice, a person begins to have her own personal experience with Reiki or the "Universal Life Energy." As she practices the self-treatment daily, works with Usui's Five Principles, and offers Reiki healing to others, the person begins to feel Reiki moving in her life and begins to trust the flow of energy moving through her hands.

It's through this experience and through this growing recognition of and trust in the flow that the student will begin to learn about Reiki: what it is and how it works. This knowing doesn't come through mental pursuit, but rather through the steady and continuing hands-on practice of this healing art.

First Degree Reiki is all anyone needs. It's complete unto itself. But some people are drawn to go deeper into their own experience with the energy. For these people, Second Degree training is offered. At this level there is one initiation (or attunement), and the training by the Reiki Master takes place over two or three sessions, sometimes, but not always, with a week between.

In Second Degree, the Reiki Master passes on three symbols through which the student can begin to explore additional applications of Reiki, including distant healing. It's through this practice and exploration that the student has the potential to go deeper into her own personal healing process and her own understanding of Reiki.

Though the system of Reiki healing has evolved over time, and changes were naturally made when Reiki was brought to a Western audience, it's worth noting that Mikao Usui, Chujiro Hayashi, and Hawayo Takata all trained and initiated their students in person. This Master to student relationship is an important part of the oral tradition of Reiki as taught by Takata.

First Degree Reiki is all anyone needs. Entering into the Second Degree level of training is for those who are drawn to go deeper into their practice of this healing art. A third level, called Mastery, is entirely separate from the first two levels and is considered by many to be a lifetime commitment to the practice of Reiki.

It's recommended that a person work with Reiki at the First and Second Degree levels for several years before approaching a Reiki Master about this training. It is by her own years of experience working with Reiki through self-treatment, treating others, and applying Usui's Principles to her life that a person develops and builds the foundation of Reiki healing from which to teach others.

At all levels of Reiki-First Degree, Second Degree, and Mastery-one is always a student. There's not a finishing point where one has learned it all or mastered the practice or even fully understands the workings or the effects of the energy. Entering into the system and practice of Reiki healing becomes an ongoing exploration, one in which each student can move into her own personal healing process as deeply as she chooses.

Self-treatment is at the heart of the Usui System of Natural Healing. Without holding any particular intention or desire for result, the initiated student uses a series of hand placements which allow the subtle vibration of Reiki to flow spontaneously. This movement of Reiki supports and encourages the person toward balance on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of her being. These same hand positions are also used to treat others. The practitioner simply acts as a passive conduit, while the Reiki goes where it needs to go.

When practicing Reiki as a folk art, no special equipment or environment is required. The Reiki can be shared with family, friends, and pets at any time and in any setting. All the initiated student needs are her Reiki hands and a personal commitment to carry the Reiki with sincerity and respect.

© 2005 Karen J. Gordon