When I first told my family and friends that I was a Reiki Master, they looked at me befuddled. Inevitably, the response was a question along the lines of, "What is Reiki?" To me it seemed obvious, but I had taken hours of classes to understand and connect with Reiki. So it is only fair to share my knowledge with all of you too!
"Reiki" in Japanese roughly translates to "universal life force". The concept is that Reiki, or the universal life force, is the energy that encapsulates and connects everything in the universe. It is around you, it is in you, and you are connected to everything through it. While Reiki is not associated with any religion, it is sometimes compared to the "Holy Spirit" found in Christianity.
Then from there the questions turn to, "What do you do with it? How do you control it? What good is it to get a Reiki treatment?". All of these questions are complex but also intertwined, and to answer them requires an equally complex and intertwined answer.
For starters, Reiki practitioners, like myself, do not control Reiki. Through our training we become attuned to the universal life force, allowing us to feel and connect with it in a pseudo-tangible way. Once attuned, practitioners can act as conduits for this energy, allowing it to flow through our body, out of our hands, and into the body of a client or a space. The purpose of doing this is to clear negative energy from the space or body and replace it with Reiki, which is inherently positive. This sort of treatment can help alleviate symptoms from illness or injury, calm anxiety, and reduce stress - amongst many other things.
At this point it is VERY important to clarify that Reiki treatments are NOT replacements for professional medical care. Reiki will not cure you or diagnose you. Reiki practitioners are not (with some exceptions) licensed medical professionals. Receiving Reiki is a supplementary treatment to professional medical treatment. If anyone ever tells you it can cure or diagnose, run away!
"But how do you know if you have negative energy?"
Have you been angry lately? Have you felt stressed, anxious, self-critical, and/or generally dissatisfied? Then you have negative energy built up in you. This isn't a flaw, just part of the human condition. And just like anything else that gets built up (think like an air filter), it needs to be cleared out. That is where the Reiki practitioner steps in and clears out your negative energy and replaces it with positive energy.
"But you said you were a Reiki Master. What's the difference between that and a practitioner?"
On the most basic level, nothing. A Reiki Master is also a Reiki practitioner - someone who performs Reiki healing. The term "Reiki Master" itself is a level of experience achieved - similar to the way different belt colors in martial arts indicate the level of the individual. In Reiki, there are three levels, with Reiki Master being the top level. Now, this doesn't make a Reiki Master a better healer than practitioners at other levels, they simply possess a broader skillset.
"So I need to clear this negative energy out, but there are no Reiki practitioners near me. Now what?"
This is where the differentiation between practitioner levels comes into play. Reiki I practitioners, those who have received the first level attunements, can only perform healings on those they can connect with physically. But Reiki II and III (Master) practitioners can perform what are called "distance healings". Remember when I said that Reiki, the universal life force, connects everything in the universe? Practitioners at these levels are able to send Reiki energy to anyone, anywhere in the world, so long as the person is willing to receive it. The differentiation between Reiki II and III practitioners is that Reiki III practitioners have received the highest level of attunement and can pass on the practice of Reiki and attunement to those who wish to learn it.
"Alright, I understand Reiki. But you have a picture of the chakras on here. How does that connect with all of this."
The seven chakras are energy centers throughout your body - sort of like mini-energy-powerplants. Energy gathers in these places and connect with you in different ways. Like with negative energy, these energy centers can also get blocked by negative energy or not engaging with what it represents in a positive or healthy way. Reiki, when used in healing, helps to unblock these centers - usually over a period of time. This allows you to feel more balanced and at peace with yourself and the world around you.
Now that I have explained in detail what Reiki is and how it is used, you might be considering trying out a session yourself. I would highly recommend it - you just might be surprised by the positive results you feel afterward!
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