My Yin/Yang Relationship with Reiki

In 1991, when I was first introduced to Reiki, I was in awe. Today, some 22 years later (is that possible?), I am still in awe.  Why?  Well, it’s not because Reiki has changed, it’s because my understanding of Reiki has changed. Even to this day, I continue to grow, heal, and expand as I delve deeper into its mysteries. So why do I have a Yin/Yang relationship with Reiki you might ask? Truth be told, it’s not with Reiki itself, it’s with the way we have placed it in a little box to such a degree that we now confuse the energy with the technique we use to access it. Let me explain a little more…

For those of you who may not know, Reiki a Japanese word which roughly translated means “universal life force energy.” Personally, I like the Chinese translation “life force from beyond the beyond” a little more as it seems to imply an even greater vastness to the term “universe.” Either way, you get the idea this energy is Source energy, ever expanding and never ending. Logic tells us that he has been around since the beginning of life itself since it is life force energy. Yet, the current and most common understanding of Reiki today is that it is a healing energy discovered by Dr. Usui of Japan in the early 1900s and that it is something you “do.”

Let’s face it, the earth itself is vibrating with this energy, some places more than others for sure, but nevertheless, we are immersed in it. Shamans and small groups of spiritual seekers throughout the history of our planet have been using this energy all along, they just didn’t call it Reiki because they weren’t Japanese, except for the ones that were.

The dominant left brained society of today has effectively taken this awe inspiring, unlimited, energy of incomprehensible magnitude and reduced it to a technique that you “do.” Its origins have been argued, some of its symbols trademarked, and even lawsuits have been threatened as people have tried to make it their own. This is neither a good or bad thing. It has, however, created an energy very unlike the Reiki itself. It was during these times I thought to abandon my practice viewing it as a dysfunctional system. Then I thought, “What a waste. How could I abandon such a beautiful energy? How will it keep its integrity if I don’t keep mine?” So it is that I have gratefully continued to immerse myself in its energy without attaching myself to any particular school or philosophy around it. The one thing I feel sure of is that I have only scratched the surface.