Symbol Energies

Reiki Symbols are used as a way to connect to the different subtle types of Reiki Energy.

One of the biggest difference of opinion between Eastern Reiki Masters and Western Reiki Masters centres around the question of whether or not students need to be attuned to Reiki Symbols for them to work. Eastern Reiki Masters say it is unnecessary, Western Reiki Masters say it is essential.

Speaking from personal experience, I have not received attunements to any Reiki Symbols – my lineage follows the Eastern tradition of Empowerments – yet I am able to meditate on, experience the energies of and use in treatments all the Reiki Symbols with no problems whatsoever.

Another difference concerns whether Symbols should be used alone or together. Eastern Reiki teaches that they should always be used individually; Western Reiki teaches its students to use them together and make ‘Symbol Sandwiches’.

Traditional Japanese Reiki did not have any symbols. The subtle energies were connected to using Kotodamas or Sacred Mantras. This would make it virtually impossible to mix the energies.

Again speaking from personal experience, I have tried changing symbols for different parts of the body while treating a client and compared it to using a single symbol throughout the treatment. Both my clients and I have experienced far more powerful healings using just one symbol throughout.

Differences aside – both methods work. Reiki energy follows intent. Providing the practitioner intends for the treatment to be for the highest good of the client – it will be! It is up to the student to decide which tradition they wish to follow.

eunice7

By on Thursday November 22nd, 2012 at 09:00 in Reiki - No Replies - Leave a Reply

Reiki Meditation

In the Japanese Reiki tradition, meditation was the central practice, considered essential if anyone wanted to progress on the path to spiritual enlightenment. This continual meditation, which comprised the daily practice of mindfulness and a wide range of energy exercises, by balancing and clearing the student’s energy system made it possible for them to carry out self-healing and treatments on others.

Mikao Usui’s students were taught to meditate daily on the five precepts and it was believed that this meditation alone had a greater effect on the students spiritual development than any of the other traditional practices.

When Reiki travelled to the west with Mrs Takata the emphasis changed from spiritual enlightenment and self-treatment to treating others. The use of Formal Hand Positions together with the Reiki Symbols more or less replaced the meditation practices of the original tradition as a means to connect with the Reiki energy.

Today in Western Reiki, although there is a move back towards teaching the original meditations, the main emphasis is on receiving attunements, practising self-healing and using formal hand positions together with the Reiki symbols to treat others.

eunice7

By on Thursday November 15th, 2012 at 09:00 in Reiki - No Replies - Leave a Reply

Attunements

If you study Reiki with a Western trained Reiki Master you will go through a series of ‘attunements’ as part of your training programme. There are an enormous number of different variations within each tradition.

Attunements are the procedures which Western Reiki masters use to connect their students to Reiki Energy at Level 1, to three Reiki Symbols at Level 2, and to the Master Symbols and various other symbols at Level 3. Each level has a prescribed number of attunements attached to it depending on the tradition being taught.

Attunements are for life. Once you have received the attunements at a given level there is no need for them to ever be repeated. However some students like to have them repeated and there is no problem with this.

eunice7

By on Tuesday November 13th, 2012 at 09:00 in Reiki - No Replies - Leave a Reply

Different Traditions

Studying for the masters level of Reiki is helping me to better understand the differences between traditional Japanese Reiki and Western Reiki.

One of the biggest difference I see between them is that of focus. Where traditional Reiki focuses on the practitioner and experiencing the energy, Western Reiki Focuses primarily on the client using predefined procedures for channelling the energy. This creates a number of fundamental differences which can be very confusing.

Over the next few posts I will be covering the following different approaches in an attempt to make things clearer.

Empowerments
Attunements
Meditations
Energy exercises and Reiju
Precise Hand positions and timings
Experiencing symbol energies
Ritual use of symbols

Although there are so many different approaches to Reiki, amazingly all of them work, making it a matter of personal preference which tradition you train under.

eunice7

By on Tuesday November 6th, 2012 at 09:00 in Reiki - No Replies - Leave a Reply

Reiki Study

Reiki study is normally divided up into at least three levels:

Level l – Shoden
Level ll – Okuden
Level lll – Shinpiden

Level l – Shoden forms an introduction to Reiki giving the student a grounding in the history of Reiki. It teaches about the Reiki energy, provides attunements/empowerments which align the student to the energy, teaches treatment of others, self-treatment and on some courses, the use of distant healing.

Level ll – Okuden builds on Level l deepening the student’s connection to Reiki. It teaching three symbols – Cho Ku Rei, Sei He Ki and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen – how to draw them, pronounce their names and use them. The course includes further attunements/empowerments and focuses particularly on distant healing.

Level lll – Shinpiden otherwise known as the Master/Teacher course summarises all that has gone before. It teaches the master symbol and possibly other symbols and mantras and includes further attunements/empowerments. Most importantly it teaches the student how to teach all that they have learned and how to pass on the attunements/empowerments.

There are many different traditions and styles of Reiki to chose from. You should research carefully before deciding on a specific course.

eunice7

By on Tuesday October 23rd, 2012 at 09:00 in Reiki - No Replies - Leave a Reply