What is Reiki?
What we shortly call Reiki is in fact healing method defined by Mikao Usui in 1922 as “Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho” meaning “Usui Reiki Therapy for Improving Body and Mind”. It is a form of natural energy healing that uses universal energy. In Reiki treatment, a therapist receives the energy and passes it on to a receiver. The energy triggers and stimulates the body’s natural self-healing.
Reiki as a word means Universal life force energy. It consists of two kanji (logographic alphabet – meaning each character has a meaning), the first – Rei 霊 – means spirit or soul. The second – Ki 気 – means energy.
Natural self-healing is something recognized by western/conventional medicine. Our body is a perfect self-sustainable system. We all have the ability to use the universal energy to stimulate self-healing. However, and unfortunately, we are our best enemies as well. Our life style throughout history got us a big progress, made us “the rulers” of the world but at the same time cut us off from the universal energy and our natural selves.
In Jikiden Reiki seminars we get re-connected to the universal energy. I very much love the following analogy: a chimney when new enables a perfect air flow so your fire burns efficiently and easy. Over time, what you burn creates a kind of tar in the chimney and it gets difficult to start and maintain the fire. What you then do – you swipe the chimney and it gets efficient again. The more “polluted” wood you burn, the more clogged the chimney gets. And we all know how much our modern lives are polluted – we eat, breath, expose ourselves to so many things our bodies are not designed to digest. So “tar” accumulates. In Jikiden Reiki seminars we swipe our chimneys.
Anybody can learn to give Reiki method treatments. Reiki practitioner does not have a special gift and there is no magic involved.
When you look up on the Internet there are so many different flavours of Reiki, many of them claiming their flavour is the only “right” one, sadly some of them trying to discredit others.
One may feel overwhelmed, even lost among the multitude of Reiki offers. My only advice, as with everything else in life, is: use your common sense and trust your instincts.
What is Jikiden Reiki?
Jikiden Reiki is Reiki as it was originally taught in Japan. It is simple, pure and effective.
Jikiden means original or “directly transmitted”. What we learn and practice in Jikiden Reiki is exactly what Usui sensei and Hayashi sensei (Usui sensei’s direct disciple) taught.
Reiki is known in western world mostly through teaching of one os Hayashi sensei’s students – Takata sensei. She was an American of Japanese origins who brought Reiki to the US at the beginning of the second world war. In seventies, she started to teach and trained 22 masters. They spread Reiki throughout the world and we are all grateful to them.
Teaching that originated from Takata sensei is often referred to as “Western Reiki”.
A Reiki lineage is the line of teaching that a teacher has been trained in, similar to a family tree.I went through two schools, two different lineages of “western” Reiki in Switzerland and in France. The essence was there, Reiki was there and I benefitted from it profoundly but many things did not make sense to me. Before I learned that original Japanese teaching and practice exist I was feeling that what I learned was spiced up.
I love explanation of Mari Okazaki, Dai Shihan who lives in Canada. In her blog “Tuna roll or California roll?” she compares Western Reiki to California Rolls which have been created to suit the Western taste, based on the Japanese sushi recipe.
Mari said “If you want to learn Reiki, the most important thing is that you choose the Reiki teacher and style that you feel connected.”
Simple and rational, Jikiden Reiki clicked with me, my education and long career working with energy from different perspectives.
If you would like to learn more about Jikiden Reiki come to a Jikiden Reiki seminar and/or read Tadao sensei’s book “ Light On The Origins Of Reiki “ and Arjava sensei’s book “This is Reiki”.
Jikiden Reiki Institute
Jikiden Reiki Kenkyukai (Institute) was established in Japan, founded by Chiyoko Yamaguchi and her son Tadao Yamaguchi. The Institute ensures that authentic Japanese Reiki is taught in the same way that Chujiro Hayashi taught Chiyoko Yamaguchi and her family in 1930s, without any influence by other cultures, with nothing added or amended.
The Institute maintains the register of all trained and certified Jikiden Reiki practitioners and shihans (teachers).
