Reiki Shares

Just over a week ago I attended my first Reiki Share since completing my Level lll, Master/Teacher course and was invited to participate by being one of the Empowerment givers.

Reiki shares are opportunities for qualified Reiki practitioners from all levels and (in many cases) any tradition to get together, share experiences and give and receive healing between each other. What takes place at a share varies from group to group and depends a lot on the tradition of the organiser.

The share I attend lasts just over 2 hours and is held once a month. We start by exchanging introductions and news then generally have a short time where we either try a new exercise or learn about something which is appropriate for any level of practitioner. This is followed by the Hatsurei Ho exercise, sending Distant Healing and individual Empowerments (Tandai Buddhist Blessings). We have a short break for refreshments, then divide up into pairs to give and receive healing.

I felt very humbled to be one of the Empowerment givers for the first time.

Energy Exercises

Many of the meditations taught in traditional Japanese Reiki took the form of energy exercises. They focused on channeling through the use of a mixture of visualisations and mantras.

Reiki courses following the Japanese tradition place great emphasis on these exercises and encourage students to create their own daily space to practice a regular routine.

The first of these exercises to be taught is generally Hatsurei Ho. This cleanses the student’s aura, connects them to the Reiki energy, and opens up and balances the channels for the energy to flow correctly. By practicing it on a daily basis the student gradually increases the strength of their connection to the energy.

Next in order of importance are daily self-healing meditations. These can take a number of different forms depending on the student’s individual stage of development.

Once the students reach 2nd degree they are encouraged to meditate on the Reiki Symbols either using visualisations or the kotadamas (mantras) associated with them.

There are many other energy exercises which students are encouraged to practice including alternative self-healing exercises such as Makoto No Kokyu.