THE
GUIDE TO
REIKI
Dear Reader:
Whenever we hunger for knowledge or inspiration, I believe we are drawn to the exact right person or book that will nourish us. This has happened to me more often in my lifetime than I am able to recall. You might think the saying, When the student is ready, the teacher will appear, has become a tired clich, but that doesnt make it any less true. If you are ready to learn about Reiki, either as a beginner or because of a desire to explore the nature of Reiki more deeply, then I am honored that you have chosen to read this book as a means to help feed your spirit and alleviate those gnawing hunger pangs for self-fulfillment. Further, by sharing what I have learned about Reiki, I am granted the amazing opportunity of guiding you along the vast, far-reaching, and always evolving path of Reiki. My personal Reiki journey began in 1996 when I participated in a Reiki Shiki Ryoho class under the careful guidance and tutelage of my beloved Reiki teacher Beverley Jean Voss. Since then, Reiki has been my forever companion. If you wish, it can become your forever companion, too.
Reiki blessings,
Welcome to the
Series!
These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.
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We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When youre done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!
PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing
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EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander
LAYOUT DESIGNERS Erin Dawson, Michelle Roy Kelly, Elisabeth Lariviere, Denise Wallace
Visit the entire Everything Series at www.everything.com
THE
GUIDE TO
REIKI
Channel your positive energy
to promote healing, reduce stress,
and enhance your quality of life
Phylameana lila Dsy
To my parents, for teaching me the true meaning of unconditional love.
Acknowledgments
Reiki hugs and love, along with my most heartfelt gratitude, go to all my friends and family members who continually provide their love, support, and encouragement for all my endeavors.
And for the love of my life, Joe Dsy, thank you for supporting me always and generously giving both your time and assistance whenever I asked for it. I also wish to thank the many readers and fellow Reiki practitioners who have rewarded me with their enthusiasm and appreciation for this books original publication. Among these loving individuals are Mary Maddox, Jim Pathfinder Ewing, Scott K. Smith, R. A. Van Landingham, J. Keefe, Mary J. Shomon, Elizabeth (Rainbow Dancer), and Sherry Giardiniere. Special thanks goes to my agent, Barbara Doyen, for recognizing my potential to write a book about Reiki when I was not so confident about taking on such a project. I will also be forever grateful to Eric M. Hall, my editor at Adams, who kindly took me under his wing when I was writing the first edition of my book, The Everything Reiki Book, in 2003.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge the numerous Reiki teachers who have contacted me, giving praise and showing their gratitude to me for writing about Reiki. Reiki Master/Teachers, you have shared with me that you use my book as a teaching manual, include it in your list of required reading materials in your course syllabi, and even provide copies of my book to your students. Thank you for helping me spread my love for Reiki to the students of Reiki everywhere.
The Top 10 Benefits of Practicing Reiki
- Reiki is an effective self-help tool that promotes balance, relaxation, and overall well-being.
- Reiki serves as an immediate first-aid response during times of trauma and injury.
- Reiki is a community in which its practitioners automatically become members of its energetically connected family.
- Reiki harms no one and serves as a complementary tool for assisting all other types of healing therapies.
- Reiki helps practitioners develop stronger and healthier relationships with their loved ones.
- Reiki helps practitioners bond spiritually with their environment.
- Reiki extends its healing properties into all past, present, and future experiences that need soothing.
- Reiki increases awareness, allowing practitioners to bring to light any innate intuitive abilities that have been buried or repressed.
- Reikis restorative properties are especially helpful in the care that follows medical treatments or surgical procedures.
- Our pets benefit from Reiki energies by becoming healthier and calmer under a practitioners care.
Introduction
Usui Reiki is a simple and natural system of touch healing that originated in Japan through the discovery of a Zen Buddhist named Mikao Usui. The history and healing techniques used in Reiki are continuously passed down from teacher to student through a unique attunement process. Today, there are a variety of different lineages, all of which stem from this one mans influence.
Although Reiki is a spiritual healing art, it is not associated with any one belief system or doctrine, organized or otherwise. For this reason, Reiki practitioners make up a very diverse community. Reiki can be practiced by anyone who is open to its love energies. All that you need in order to give yourself a Reiki treatment are your hands, your body, and a willingness to touch it. Regardless of the status of your health, whether you are as fit as a fiddle or troubled by dis-ease or injury, Reiki can offer great benefits. When you are ill, Reiki treatments can help restore you to good health. When you are healthy, Reiki treatments will reinforce your vitality and strengthen your immune system.