Reiki (or Rei-Ki), is a old Japanese healing art rooted in the idea that life force energy (known in other traditions as qi, prana, lung, mana or vital spirit), flows through all of us, and that when this energy is plentiful and harmonized, we feel good, whole, grounded, and at ease.  If on the other hand it is blocked or unbalanced, it will tend to have the opposite effect. 

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For thousands of years Asian masters have studied how to understand and use energies.  Various systems were developed, some using sounds,  some symbols and / or movements for healing and optimizing qi.  As these practices evolved, many different "schools" came into being.  Mikao Usu, the founder of Rei-ki, likely studied and was influenced throughout his life by Shugendō, Buddhism, Christianity, psychology, and Daoism and possibly medicine.

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According to accounts Usui was 57 years old when seeking a deeper connection with the ultimate source, he embarked on a profound spiritual retreat at Mount Kurama, a sacred mountain north of Kyoto, where he spent 21 days in fasting, prayer, and meditation under the guidance of his Zen master. 

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In the final days of his fast, Usui reached a state of profound ego dissolution, often called the "Great Death", a state of total surrender and non-dual awareness.  He described a violent rush of universal energy,  a blinding beam of spiritual light which descended from above into his mind's eye.  He experienced intense waves of colours, the kind found in a rainbow - followed by a radiant white. Rather than a physical loss of consciousness, accounts describe the experience as a sudden spiritual awakening bringing about a moment of alignment and profound clarity, in which the sacred symbols and healing teachings that he had studied became clearly illuminated.  Usui realized he had become a channel for this unlimited source of universal life force, allowing transformation to occur without exhausting his own personal ki (qi). He called this Rei-Ki; Rei, meaning Higher Power, and Ki - Life Force. 

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As this practice evolved, today through a gentle, hands-on (or near-body) touch, a Rei-Ki practitioner acts as an antenna or channel for this pure source energy, helping it to move, circulate, transform and replenish.  Qi /Chi energy goes where it is most needed, not always where we intend or wish. While setting specific intention can be very helpful, during and after a session it can sometimes move in unexpected ways, creating long term, profound shifts.  As it moves through, it tends to eventually releases that which is no longer beneficial, helps steady and calm the mind, clear blockages, supports the restoration of a sense of wellness, and the balancing of Yin and Yang.

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Unlike some energy paths such as Kundalini, Shaktipat, Tumo fire or the more elaborate manipulations of etheric and other templates (which can be experienced as quite powerful but also challenging), Rei-Ki tends to be more on the gentle, often subtle side, where transformation has the tendency to be more gradual. 

 

It's a beautiful and transformative practice, which can deepen one's connection to oneself and others, and also become a way of life.  Rei-Ki is not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any diseases, rather it enhances the body's innate ability to heal (especially emotionally) and can be a wonderful addition to other healing modalities both conventional and holistic.  Although this universal force flows through everything, including us, it should not be interpreted as the vital energy of an individual person (such as bio-energy, the personal auric field, personal LEF, etc.)

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Whether you are looking to recharge, seek personal transformation or simply want to get "your feet wet" as far as energy healing modalities go , Rei-ki sessions tend to be a wonderful and soft way to bring harmony into ones life, and serve as an introductory gate-way into other energy medicine.