The Five Reiki Tenets

The five tenets of Reiki were adapted by Mikao Usui who was a reader of the works of Emperor Meiji. These principles came straight out of Meiji’s writings. Usui took these principles a step further and incorporated them into his Reiki practice. The good news is you do not have to be studying Reiki to apply these principles to your life.

The first principle is “Just for today, I will not worry.” This is probably the toughest principle listed. It is hard not to worry about things which we have no control over. But in meditation and prayer, we can learn to hand those worries over to a higher life force and become more open to trust and have faith about th world we live in.

The second principle is “Just for today, I will not anger.” Sometimes when we get angry, we need to figure out what is causing the real issue. Is the person who cut in front of you or is it the person in line at the store with ten returns? Sometimes we can find behaviour in other people that mirrors our own self. That is sometimes hard to accept. Look at other people as teachers and try to figure out what lesson they are there to teach you.

The third principle is “I will honour all life.” You should honour all creations of God. You can help by planting trees and flowers, appreciating the food you have, the love from your family, the very air you breathe, and all the animals, rocks, and oceans.

The fourth principle is “I will live my life honestly.” Did you skip the family picnic because you were sick or because you were too afraid to tell Aunt Martha you really didn’t want to go? Ask in prayer for guidance in your dreams. You must honour the truth of your emotions and not keep it all bottled up inside.

Th fifth principle is “I will give thanks for everything.” Trust that love and happiness are supposed to be in your life and find yourself becoming grateful for the smallest of things and the gift of being here on Earth.

Reiki Lesson - A Discussion of the Levels

As it has been previously discussed, Reiki is an art that needs to be inculcated to the learner only by a Master. The Master gets qualified to teach the new students after he has earned the Master Level or Master Degree. Reiki has been practiced for such a long time now especially if we are to trace its conventional roots. As it got rediscovered by a Japanese national, it became entwined into the Japanese roots. Throughout time, it traveled into several foreign places and pertinent changes were merged as it evolved. For now, Reiki therapy is more contemporary and at the same time versatile in nature and the Reiki lesson has become more stuffed too.

Getting to Know the Original Tradition

The original version for which was pioneered by none other than Dr. Usui Mikao. There are times that the terms Usui Teiki Ryoho, Reiho, and Reiki Ryoho are used too. Again, traditionally speaking, the practice entails three levels or degrees. However, in this time and age, the schools or institutions that offer the course are offering up to seven levels. Its travelling into various parts of the world has contributed much changes to the original system.

The Levels Described

You will find below the brief discussion of the four types of levels or degrees of Reiki. The lessons as taught in these levels are also covered. You know though that the lesson format varies from one school to another or from one Master to another. The Masters normally include the teachings that are based on their personal experience and expertise.

Reiki’s First Degree. The first level deals entirely with the healing process as applied on the self. The lessons covered include the history of Reiki, the mythos that encompass it, the various associations that exist all over the world, and the traditions that have existed before and those that still exist in the present time. The lessons are also coupled with the teaching of the practical hand positions, their descriptions, their benefits, and the Reiki correspondences that make it applicable in healing pets, plants, family, and friends. This level emphasizes that the Reiki energy can rejuvenate both the self and other people.

Reiki’s Second Degree. A more advanced level, the Reiki symbols are revealed to the learners who have successfully passed the First Degree. The methods on how to utilize the symbols are imparted by the Masters to their students. The so-called distance healing is also taught in this level.

Reiki’s Third Degree. This degree is known as the Personal Mastery level and is taught for the more prepared and more advanced students. The channeling of the Universal Spiritual Reiki Energy is imparted along with the balancing of the chakras, execution of some psychic surgeries to eliminate the bad blockages from the aura, and the establishment of the crystal grids to further transfer the Reiki energy to invite light, harmony, and peace into this world. The other more progressive steps in distance or absentee healing are also revealed.

The Master Level. This applies to those who believe that they have been designed to teach the methodologies of Reiki. Prior to being admitted into this level, the person should acquire an advanced level of Personal Mastery. He should perform Reiki on a regular basis and the techniques taught in the third level must be proficiently executed.

Overall, the Reiki lesson is meant to transform an individual into a wiser, responsible, and good being.

Getting to Know the Reiki Hand Positions

With Reiki treatment, the energies are balanced so a new kick for life is furthermore promoted. Through all of these, the Reiki hand positions play a vital role.

As the treatment session is conducted, the hand positions are importantly executed. They are able to let the individual feel the strong sense of coldness, heat, tingling, or pulsations vibrating within him. It is also possible to be devoid of any sort of feelings. Reiki treatment may be performed on yourself or to another. The positions of the hand are definitely meant to cure the diseases that affect the parathyroid, thymus, thyroid gland, asthma, and the throat, among others.

If you have not witnessed an actual healing procedure, then you may not be familiar with the various hand positions. This article is going to give you an idea of what they are. Read on and find out below.

The first position is the hand that is placed on the face. To do this, you should put your palms either on your own face or on the person who is receiving Reiki. The palms should form a cup over the eyes while the fingers are on the forehead. There must be no pressure at all but only a gentle touch.

The second position includes the hand on the crown and on the top of the head. Both hands must be on the sides of the head whereas the heels of the hands are located near the ears. The fingertips must be able to touch the crown.

The third position is at the back of the head. Form a cross by using your arms. One of the hands must be on the head while the other one is above the neck’s nape.

The fourth position includes the touching of the heart and collarbone. Make a V-like shape with the thumb and fingers. You must be able to easily hold your neck via the V formation. Lower one of your hands and have it resting in between the collarbone and the heart.

The fifth has something to do with touching the jaw line and the chin as well. Again, let your hands form a cup and let your chin rest in it. Let your hands wrap themselves on your jaw line.
The sixth position includes your ribs. Put your hand on the upper portion of the rib cage and provide some support to the bended elbows. The other hand should be on the abdomen. Let your fingertips touch your tummy.

The pelvic area is included in the seventh position. Put your hands on your pelvic bone and allow your fingertips to touch your pelvic region.

Then the eight position concerns your shoulders. Bend your elbows and arms over the head and touch your shoulder blades with your hand. While your elbows are bent, put your hands onto the center part of your back.

The final position includes the lower back and the sacrum. Let your hands rest on your lower back. Lower your arms and then place them on the sacral area and then proceed to relax.

The main intention of the Reiki hand positions is to let the energy flow and retain its balance once more. A practitioner will not apply a heavy pressure on the body parts but will simply touch them to promote the general flow of the somehow trapped energies.

Skeptics view on Reiki

Many believe Reiki to be a pseudoscience. Many medical personnel think it is a waste of time. Doctors express concern when people with serious diseases such as heart problems, stroke, and cancer choose Reiki over conventional treatment. The practitioners are playing on the patient’s fear and just stealing their money, doing nothing in the process.

Reiki practitioners maintain that while you should still get the treatment your doctor has planned, you can use Reiki as a complement to that therapy. The Reiki community would never advocate causing harm to anyone.

There are also many controversies about the different Reiki schools and how they differ. Some use different symbols. Some use energy healing instead of laying in of hands. Some go through each degree in one year, whereas others can take up to ten years to get to Master.

The churches have issues with Reiki as well. The Catholics believe it opens the door to evil. Some religions don’t even recognize it as a healing force. They believe that there is no way that a universal force could flow through one person at any given time.

The best way to help these skeptical people understand Reiki is for them to have one treatment before they claim it as bunk. They would find that they are very wrong. Treatments are very relaxing and very gentle with soft music playing in the background. They would lay on the table while the practitioner makes a circle of their entire body with the Reiki force. They would start at the patient’s head chakra and go all the way down to the root chakra opening any that have closed. The they do each knee chakra. Then you flip over, and they work on your back chakras. After that, they give you an affirmation and anchor it in with a symbol and you are done. It takes about an hour to go through the whole process.