Reiki, the "ray of light" is among every one

            This week I was blessed to discover a healing modality called Reiki, also known as “ther ray of light”. Bill came in to talk about the ways of Reiki, how they are used, where Reiki originated from, and the 8 major chakras that are used for healing certain parts of the body. As Bill had mentioned, there is minimal research done involving Reiki; which is why he went on to discover the ways Reiki can heal through a “test”. He found that Reiki truly does work, and also that Reiki can be transported long distances. “Ray of light”, the meaning of Reiki, is essentially a form of energy that can be transferred by hands to flow through the body’s meridian lines as a way of healing. Before this presentation I was unsure of what Reiki actually was, I had an idea but was not aware of the powerful effect it has on the human body, as well as the powers that we possess to heal in such a manner.

            As Bill had discussed, Reiki originates from Eastern philosophy and ancient Indian Sutra’s that tell us everything is energy vibrating at different levels. The Japanese rediscovered Reiki and only men were first taught to practice Reiki for healing; men such as Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Christian Bible Scholar and Dr. Nayashi, responsible for spreading Reiki energy throughout the world. Yet, Madame Takata (a woman) was responsible for introducing the U.S. to Reiki. This form of healing is very powerful, and has proven to relieve all signs of cancer in some patients as Bill had said. Before talking with him I only thought of Reiki as a type of relaxing session at a day spa, never had I known that Reiki had strong healing powers.

            During this time Bill also touched upon the eight major chakras. Each chakra honors different parts of the body, Reiki comes into play when a part of the body is out of balance and needs energy to be transferred through this chakra. I found this very interesting. In the book Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine (p.127), I found that “there are between 12 and 20 different Reiki hand positions. Each position is held until the practitioner feels that the flow of energy has slowed or stopped.”  I am still trying to wrap my head around how we as humans can simply place our hands upon one another and transfer an energy that can be incredibly healing. We are more powerful than we really understand, and when we practiced Reiki attunement in class to align the chakras I experienced some strange feelings. Almost everyone in the class experienced a tingling feeling, and warm hands (as discussed in the book), but some even saw a flash of light while having their eyes closed. There is a strong energy force within us, and we might as well put the “magic” to good use if we can. This was a great presentation and it really opened my eyes to a new alternative way of healing.

            I was also blessed with the experience of having a Reiki session with Terrie Look at Dreaming Mountain Resort in Vermont. She combines Reiki with the healing powers of aromatherapy. One of the essential oils she used was lemongrass, a beautiful smell and especially relaxing during the Reiki session. In this session I experienced flashes of vibrant reds and purples, correlating with the root chakra and the crown chakra. After leaving the table I felt light as if a weight was lifter off my shoulders. I highly recommend this practice to anyone maybe in need of healing support or a boost of energy healing. I felt this experience to be very spiritual and would like to learn more about this modality in my future. It is incredible what can be done with the energies of the human body and healing hands; I think we should all learn from this and remember the power and fire we have within us, with this we can heal the world.