What is Reiki? Short answer, Reiki is a word. It is Japanese in origin, and can be translated many ways. Japanese language it must be noted, has no direct correlation with English or it's pronunciations. However, a standard was created in 1885 providing a framework wth which to operate. So, Reiki is pronounced in English as Ray-Kee.
Let's start with Rei. It is translated, based on usage, as soul, spiritual, divine, sacred. And also as blessing and also as blessing, miraculous, even. Departed spirit. A source of power.
Looking at the overall meaning of the word grants an understanding greater than any one usage. It is useful to note that soul, divine, sacred, spiritual, and miraculous all appear in japanese dictionaries. It is my belief this combines telling us that our spiritual self, the soul, is miraculous and sacred, sharing essence of the divine.
The second part is Ki. Translations include breath, vapor, atmosphere. Ki is something present but not seen. Vital energy, and more commonly, Energy of the Universe. You may have come accross Reiki being translated as "Universal Life Force Energy", but that seems to skip over "Rei" entirely. When reapplied, it becomes "Spiritual/Divine Universal Life Force Energy".
Interestingly, the founder of the system of Reiki, Mikao Usui, did not name it as such. Nor was he attempting to create a "healing others" method. His own study created a pathway to the understanding of self, however it was quite by accident.
As a side effect of understanding, meditating and observing the flow of energy, he was able to move this energy in others. The spiritual/divine universal energy.
The energy of the universe, divine energy. The universal font. It's fun to remember that you, and the universe, are one and the same. Your body is made of stars, same as the planet. Reiki, the spiritual/divine universal life force energy, does not flow through, but FROM you.
The complete history and philosophy can, and has, filled libraries. In fact, if you would like to learn more history and philosophy, check out "The Reiki Sourcebook" by Bronwyn and Frans Stiene. Excellent read.
But this space is mine, so here's my piece...
Reiki is Divine Energy. But what is divine energy? Pure love. Unconditional love and compassion. Unconditional. "But what about"... yep. That too. It's the highest frequency energy can vibrate at. The fact is, energy is ridiculously easy to move. It's the sole purpose our bodies are built for. We can eat to covert food to energy, we breathe to convert air to energy, we use that energy to sustain life. We get a "good feeling" about something, or feel the "bad vibes" people put off. Our daily words to describe life give this away. Being positive is always an energetic approach to happiness, while being negative is an unhappy energy drain. The human body is itself an engine for the reception, production, and transmission of energy. But what are you sending? How much time have you spent cleaning, tuning and repairing your engine? If the highest vibration you can manage is lower than the intended recipient, you have effectively lowered their vibration. Forcefully.
Proper training involves monitoring and clarifying oneself, to prevent this exact problem. How high one can raise the vibration, and how freely it can be channeled, and for how long, all vary. For the sake of it being said, what you channel will fill you first, then flow.
(Any negative energy you create will consume you first)
So, Reiki is energy. It is used to clean, enhance, supplement, and refresh. To calm, soothe, and heal. It is energy, and it is for the purpose of life.
So, you know... check it out!
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