All posts by taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk

The 10 Rules of Reiki

intuition, meditation, mindfulness, precepts, self healing, , , , , , , , , , ,


In this article I thought I would set down ten things that you can do – ten principles to take account of – to benefit your practice of Reiki. This is not something that has come from Japan, or from early practitioners of Reiki: it is just something that I have put together myself. I hope that this article will be of interest to people at all Reiki levels.

(1) Reiki is all about you

Although Reiki is sometimes presented in the West as a sort of complementary therapy, a hands-on treatment technique, or a form of Japanese spiritual healing, that is not what Reiki is all about. If your practice of Reiki consists mainly of treating other people then you are missing the point because Reiki is all about you! Reiki is a personal practice for your self-healing and your spiritual and self-development. You are the priority here.

In Usui’s time the treatment of others was not focused upon or emphasised, in fact treatments were a bit of a distraction from the main thrust of his teachings, which Usui Sensei referred to as a “system to achieve personal perfection”. Right from the start, the system was about personal development, not working on others.

So to gain the greatest benefits for yourself through Reiki, you need to establish a decent routine of working on yourself in whatever way that you were taught. If you were taught Western-style then do your hands-on self-treatment regularly, if you know about Japanese-style Reiki then practise your Hatsurei ho; if you know about Usui Sensei’s original system then add his self-treatment meditation to your regular Hatsurei.

I know that some people seem to have the view that working on yourself is in some way ‘selfish’, but if you cannot look after yourself properly then how can you help other people? By working on yourself regularly you make yourself a better channel and more effective at what you do in terms of treatments, so there are plus points all round for those who make themselves their Reiki priority.

(2) Base your practice on the precepts

Usui Sensei established a simple spiritual system that was rooted in his precepts, his ‘rules to live by’. Rather than being an interesting set of instructions to read on a course and put to one side, Usui’s precepts are at the very heart of his system, and it was said that as much spiritual development could come through following the precepts as would come through doing any of the energy work. If we are consider ourselves as ‘practising Reiki’ then we will follow the precepts.

So we need to think deeply about the precepts and how they affect our lives. We need to consider each precept in turn and reflect on how that precept might impinge upon and guide our thoughts and behaviour and relationships and priorities. And we need to do this regularly, using the precepts as an ongoing source of guidance, the effects of which will make a real difference to us, and the people around us, over time.

The precepts are something that you we drip-feed into our lives, something that we refer to regularly and reflect on regularly, for our own benefit and for the benefit of the people with whom we come into contact.

(3) Practise mindfulness

Although not referred to on most Reiki courses, the practise of mindfulness was as important part of Usui Sensei’s system as were the precepts, and in fact mindfulness is hidden in the precepts! Mindfulness is a form of meditation that one can perform at any time, when carrying out ordinary, mundane activities like walking somewhere or washing dishes or sipping tea, and involves becoming consciously and fully aware of your thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgmentally, existing in the moment.

When you are living ‘in the moment’, fully engaged in what you are doing, fully aware of the present moment, then you are existing in a state where there is no anger and there is no worry. By not dwelling on the past or speculating about the future, by embracing fully the present moment, you are living the precepts, and mindfulness brings with it humility, honesty, compassion and forgiveness.

So mindfulness is a way of experiencing Mikao Usui’s spiritual principles.

(4) Work on yourself daily

Reiki isn’t something that you can pick up once in a while, play around with for a bit, and then drop again… not if you are looking to receive the many benefits that are available from the system, anyway. If you are looking for consistent benefits then you need a consistent practice. The precepts say “just for today”, and that is a good starting point: just do something with Reiki today. You can manage that. It doesn’t have to be hours and hour’s worth. Just do something for 10 minutes: you have ten minutes. Do something for 20 minutes. And if you don’t have ten minutes, get up 10 minutes earlier: problem solved.

Don’t worry about what you will do tomorrow: just focus on today.

When tomorrow comes, do the same. Just do something with Reiki, even for ten minutes. Don’t worry about tomorrow: just do something today.

(5) Commitment is the key

There are spectacular benefits to be enjoyed through practising Reiki, and all you need to do is to work with the energy consistently, focus on the precepts and practise mindfulness. The benefits build up cumulatively, you see, and sporadic and occasional practice isn’t enough if you want the very best out of your Reiki. You will get out of the system what you are prepared to put into it, so Reiki deserves a little of your time each day. You need to plug away at a few simple things, a few simple exercises or routines, and make them a regular part of your day, as regular a part of your routine as brushing your teeth or your hair.

And once you have established a regular habit of working on yourself with Reiki then you will find that it is difficult to stop: you will find that you really miss your hatsurei session or your self-treatment if you miss a day. That is the sort of position you are looking to get yourself into and by committing yourself to working with Reiki each day, even if it is a little inconvenient, you will reach that point.

(6) Don’t try too hard

While we do need to commit ourselves and establish a decent routine of working on ourselves in order to obtain the many benefits that are available to us through Reiki, we should at the same time make sure that we do not try too hard, work for too long, or take our practice too seriously. Reiki is best enjoyed in a gentle, laid-back and light-hearted fashion rather than in a fists-clenched, furrowed-brow, tense, ‘ready for a lot of hard work’ sort of way. We do not force Reiki and we do not force a fierce practice on ourselves.

Reiki is rather like a flowing stream of water, and we are a rough rock sitting in that stream. The rock will become smooth, of course, but this will be achieved gently, through having the water flow consistently, and this will be done in its own time.

We might read about some of the experiences that other Reiki people might have when working on themselves, or receiving attunements/empowerments, or treating others (seeing colours, feeling particular things) and we may not notice all these things ourselves; we may notice very little. We may then think that if only we tried a bit harder then we would notice these things and then we would then be ‘doing it properly’.

But trying hard and trying to force things is the best way there is to put a great big block on your progress. You will progress fastest when you give up trying and just be. Stand aside (metaphorically), do the exercises, treat people, and don’t think or worry about what you do or do not experience. Be a bystander, be neutral and empty, have no expectations. That is the best approach, the approach that will lead you to progress at the right speed for you.

(7) You don’t need to be perfect

Along with the need to be relaxed and laid-back and light-hearted about your practice, you should also make sure that you are not beating yourself up for not being perfect! You do not have to be perfect in order to obtain benefits for yourself through Reiki, or to treat other people successfully. No-one else is perfect, so you don’t have to be either.

So perhaps your mind wanders when you do a treatment or work on yourself. So what? This happens to everybody else. Don’t worry about it (there is something in the precepts about worrying). It you make a big thing about it and try through ‘force of will’ to have an empty mind, you have just made things worse: now you have two lots of thoughts… the first thoughts and then all the new thoughts about getting rid of the first lot of thoughts! Don’t worry. Pay the thoughts no attention. Let them go. Bring your attention gently back to what you were doing. Feel the energy flowing through you; imagine yourself merging with the person on the treatment table. Over time your mind will settle, and you’ll spend more of your time in a nice empty meditative state, but thoughts may well intrude again, and some days will probably be better than others. That’s ok. You’re human. It will sort itself out with time.

(8) Don’t keep trying to puzzle out ‘why’

To get the best out of your Reiki I recommend that you don’t spend too much time trying to puzzle out why you are – or are not – experiencing a particular thing. Don’t keep trying to work out what a particular colour that you or the recipient saw during a treatment means, or ponder the significance of a colour that you saw when self-treating. Don’t keep wondering what a particular sensation in your hand means or why you felt a lot of energy flowing into a particular area of someone’s body, or why you didn’t feel any energy flowing into a particular place. It doesn’t matter.

Your head can really mess up your experience of Reiki if you keep on frantically thinking about, analysing and questioning things. Don’t think! Just be. Empty your mind, merge with the energy, if you are treating someone then merge with the recipient, and let it happen. Follow the flow of energy when you are treating, yes, and allow your hands to stay for longer in areas where more energy is coming through, but don’t start frantically trying to puzzle out what is going on: Reiki works on lots of levels and you won’t know what’s happening so you may as well give up thinking about it and let go: enjoy the process, enjoy your treatments and give up the mental effort! It makes it so much easier that way!

(9) Trust your intuition

Along with not questioning everything that you feel or don’t feel, you should also not keep on doubting the things that you are feeling and noticing. If you feel something, you feel it: you are not making it up. You cannot make yourself feel something.

So if you notice that energy is flowing into you more strongly in a particular area when you are self-treating, accept that and go with it, self-treating for longer there than in other positions. The same applies when treating someone else: if you feel that there is a ‘hot spot’ or ‘fizzy area’ then accept the sensations and treat for longer there. You are not making it up.

Neither are you making it up if you feel strangely drawn to a particular area of the body. You are intuitive and you can work intuitively straight away. All you need to do is to stop second-guessing and doubting yourself, be still, and simply accept what comes to you. It doesn’t need to make sense. Don’t try and puzzle it out: just accept it and treat in the way that feels appropriate.

(10) Ignore silly rules and restrictions

While we are making sure that we are not cluttering our practice with endless thoughts, questions and doubts, we should also thrown out as unnecessary the various rules, regulations and restrictions that we may have been taught. Reiki does not need to be controlled, blunted and restricted by man-made rules that have no basis. Reiki is safe and Reiki is simple, and simple approaches are usually the most effective.

So we do not have to slavishly follow a prescribed set of hand positions when treating ourselves or other people and we do not need to say a set form of words for our Reiki to work. We do not need to follow ritualised sets of hand and body movements in a particular sequence to be able to treat someone and we do not need to refrain from treating people with various medical conditions. Reiki is safe and Reiki is adaptable. It allows many different ways of working that are all valid. There is no ‘one’ way that Reiki has to be used, and we should ignore admonitions that we should ‘always’, or ‘never’, do a particular thing.

So, to get the most out of your Reiki, I recommend that you make a commitment to yourself to work on yourself each day as your top priority, but not beating yourself up if you miss the occasional day. Use Hatsurei ho and self-treat, focus on the precepts and drip-feed mindfulness into more and more of your daily activities. Don’t try too hard though: be light-hearted and forgiving towards yourself because you don’t have to be perfect. Try not to clutter your mind with lots of thoughts and doubts and questions: just be neutral, have no expectations, be empty and content. And make sure you keep it simple.

My Reiki Story – Gail Vettraino

My Reiki Story

This is another in our series of “My Reiki Story” posts that we will be adding to the Reiki Evolution blog, where a Reiki person talks about their journey with Reiki. In today’s “My Reiki Story” we hear from Gail Vettraino from Lanarkshire…

The popularity of Reiki in recent years has resulted in Reiki being regarded as an holistic energy therapy. Whilst there is some merit in this essentially Western interpretation of Reiki, to experience the true wonder of Reiki, it is best understood from the Japanese perspective. I experienced Reiki from the Japanese perspective through Reiki Evolution a website owned by Taggart King. Taggart is a Reiki Master based in Spalding, Lincolnshire. He teaches Reiki on live courses and unusually online with distance learning courses.

At the time I enrolled for First Degree Reiki online with Taggart, I was emotionally, spiritually and physically wrecked from helping my young sons come to terms with the death of their father. I had been drawn to Reiki for about ten years and always felt amazing after a treatment, energised, positive and even strong enough to deal with an abusive husband. After I had left my husband and he died, I really struggled financially and couldn’tafford regular Reiki treatments, but I knew Reiki was the only therapy that would heal me completely. With the stress of widowhood my health had deteriorated and I had a virtually constant tremor in my leg, my balance and co – ordination worsened and I was using a walking stick. So much for your thirties being the time of your life !

I decided the way forward was to train in Reiki and self heal. But the killer question was, ‘Where do I find the right Reiki Master ?’ Finding the right Reiki Master is like finding the right partner – a game of needles and haystacks ! Having little money and no transport (Reiki Masters seem to delight in deeply spiritual, isolated and generally inaccessible habitats, which is bad news for single mothers !) the idea of doing my training online was a genius concept. Until of course my inner cynic came out to play. I am highly adept at being a technophobe and the idea of regularly emailing Taggart to receive guidance and receiving my empowerments (the ritual tuning into Reiki) long distance irritated my logical nature. But as ever, my intuitive side won and I trained online. The distant empowerments literally knocked me off balance ! The immense feeling of raw energy descending onto your aura is very hard to explain. Initially it felt overwhelming, yet before I realised it, I quickly adapted to the feel of the energy. I can’t imagine life without Reiki coursing through my system. Let’s just say I’m more mindful with my cynicism these days !

I rapidly began to heal on every level and passed my First and Second Degree Reiki quite quickly. It’s two years since I needed my walking stick, the tremor has ceased and my balance, co – ordination and energy levels have improved massively. According to my neurologist, I had a congenital balance disorder that was progressive, incurable and not treatable with medication. In his opinion, drugs would exacerbate my symptoms. So much for expert medical knowledge ! I have returned to work and bought a house, things that simply weren’t possible three years ago. I am currently scheming a way of finding the money to train as a Reiki Master – hopefully my bank manager doesn’t read this !

Well OK, I hear you say. You felt lousy, did Reiki, got better. What’s the significance of Japanese Reiki ? The answer’s very simple – it’s the real deal. Taggart has studied extensively Mikao Usui’s teachings and has replicated them as authentically as possible. By paring down Reiki to it’s simplistic Japanese origins, Taggart reveals the immense power of this therapy. Unlike the Western interpretation of Reiki that sees it as a transference of energy with added angels, crystals and possible leprechauns (it could happen !) to give it ‘va – va voom’, Japanese Reiki connects the person with divine. Although Reiki has its roots in Tendai Buddhism and Shintoism, it remains spiritually neutral. Consequently, a person experiences profound peace from whichever deity makes sense to them. The connection with the divine provides access to the unconditional magnanimous love of the Universe and both body and soul are equally attended to. According to Taggart, Mikao Usui never used the term Reiki – that came later. The use of hands on healing and the significance of symbols was evolved for military medics to use a triage system to treat patients with serious injuries, until appropriate treatment could be given. It was from the military doctors that the term Reiki evolved. Instead Usui described his teaching as a ‘Method to Achieve Personal perfection’. The Precepts of Reiki were instituted by Usui and essentially revolve around the significance of being at peace with yourself and others, being constructive with your life and not being anxious.

The teachings of Mikao Usui were a synthesis of ancient cultural traditions and a reflection of the impact of modernity on Japan in the late nineteenth century. Usui did not use a uniform teaching stratagem, instead he tailored his teaching to the student’s needs. Taggart has replicated this approach by combining ancient wisdom with the convenience of computers. So Reiki, the spiritual linkage between the human and the divine, has become universally accessible through the internet. Hopefully, reading this encourages you to experience the unlimited healing of the Universe through Reiki. Obstacles such as lack of time or transport are no longer relevant, thanks to Taggart’s online training. May your Reiki journey, whether it is in the flesh or in cyberspace be as rich and as rewarding as my journey.

With thanks to Taggart King for his permission to write about Reiki Evolution.

Gail Vettraino

If you would like to tell your Reiki story on the Reiki Evolution blog then send a jpeg head/shoulders photo of you, your name, and let us know about your story: when and why did you learn Reiki, what happened on your course, how do you use Reiki and how has Reiki changed things for you? Send your contribution to taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk.

And if you like the sound of what Reiki can do for you, or if you’d like to take your Reiki further, remember that we have Reiki courses running throughout the UK, as well as multimedia home study courses.

Live UK Reiki training courses
Home study courses

Scanning at a distance

distant healing, reiki sensations, , ,

reiki scanning teddy bear

Using props

In “How to send Reiki distant healing (Part IV)” I spoke about different ‘props’ that you can use when sending distant healing: sending Reiki into a teddy bear, or a pillow, or even into your upper leg.

All these props serve to represent the recipient’s body, helping you to focus your attention on the recipient and direct the energy into a particular part of their body at a distance. You are bolstering your intent by using the prop to make your intention ‘concrete’.

But in the same way that you are using the intermediate of the teddy bear, say, to help ‘transmit’ the energy, you can also receive information from the recipient about where the energy wants to go in greatest amounts, and we can do this by ‘scanning’ the teddy bear (or pillow).

Scanning a prop

Scanning, when used on a client on a treatment table in front of you, is a method where you hover your hand(s) over their body, a few inches away, and drift your hands from one place to another, paying attention to the sensations of heat, pulsing, fizzing, tingling, heaviness etc in your hands, by way of finding those areas that are drawing most energy, so that you can spend longer treating those areas.

Your hands can then guide you in terms of how long you treat in a particular area since you will notice that, after a while, the flow of energy subsides and you can then move on to another hand position.

And we can scan the teddy bear or pillow, who represents the recipient, and we can hover our hands, drifting our hand from one place to another, noticing the flow of energy through our hand into the prop, into the recipient.

An area of great need in the recipient will show itself by a more intense flow of energy into a particular part of the prop.

Just like in a live Reiki treatment, when you find an area on the prop that is drawing a lot of energy then you can treat that area for longer, until the flow of energy subsides.

So the distant connection to the recipient works two ways: as a way of directing Reiki to them, and also as a way of receiving information about where the energy needs to go.

Over to you

If you haven’t experimented with this sort of thing before, why not have a go and let us know what happened by posting a message below.

Want to find out more about Distant Healing?

reiki book second degree manualsA whole collection of distant healing methods are contained in the 110-page Reiki Evolution Second Degree manual. This isn’t just available to Reiki Evolution students: anyone can work with our manuals.

You can order a professionally-printed copy, or you can download your manual right now.

Here are the links that you need:

Reiki Second Degree manual

Reiki Second Degree eBook



Author: 

Picture Credit: Horia Varlan

	

	
	


							


	

		
				

			What if I get it wrong?
		

		
		

			attunements, reiki sensations, reiki treatments, , , , 					

	


		

		
When we go on a Reiki course, whether at First Degree, Second Degree or Master Teacher level, we are given instructions telling us how to carry out various tasks, and if we are conscientious then we will try our best to follow those instructions to make sure that we are ‘doing it properly’. So whether we are treating ourselves, giving someone else a Reiki treatment, or performing an attunement on a student, we hope to achieve the desired results by doing it right, by following the instructions to the letter, and if it appears to us that the desired results have not been achieved then we tend to surmise that we have not followed the instructions properly, that we have forgotten something vital and done it wrong, and we may believe that the lack of an expected result is our fault.


If only we could have done things properly then things would have been different.


But there are two problems with this. Firstly, in reality, not following all the instructions will have very little effect on the efficacy of our treatment or attunement and, secondly, a lack of an expected response or result does not mean that we have done it wrong, or that something has not worked properly.


Treatments that ‘go wrong’


Let’s think about Reiki treatments for a while. We have been given a set procedure to follow by our teacher and perhaps we have a certain ritual to carry out before we commence the hands-on treatment. Perhaps we have been given a standard set of hand positions to follow or a set of things that we are ‘supposed’ to do at the end of a treatment, to bring things to a close. We carry out the treatment and then the recipient says that they didn’t feel very much, or they didn’t feel anything at all, or they felt unsettled and not relaxed, and we think back and realise that we missed one of the ‘introductory’ stages, or we got the words wrong, or we forgot to say something, or we used the ‘wrong’ sequence of hand positions, or we missed out a hand position or two, or neglected to carry out one of the closing stages of the treatment.


Because the treatment ‘didn’t work’ (apparently) we then assume that this is because we got the treatment wrong, we did the wrong thing, we forgot a vital stage, and it’s all our fault.


But we should remind ourselves that not everyone in the world of Reiki is taught to carry out treatments in exactly the same way. Other people may have stages to go through and phrases to say that are very different from how you were taught; they may not have even heard of half the things that you were taught to do, and yet their treatments work perfectly well. Should we assume that they are not doing things properly because they are not doing it the same way as you? Or should we assume that your treatment is inadequate because you are missing out vital stages that other people were taught to go through? Of course not: there are many different ways of approaching giving Reiki treatments, different traditions, different styles, different flavours, some simple, some complex, and they all achieve the desired results.


So we should realise that the ‘vital’ stages that we were taught to go through are perhaps not quite so vital as we first thought. Reiki accommodates many different ways of working and no phrase or hand movement or ritual is absolutely necessary. Reiki is above all that fiddly detail. It doesn’t matter.


What matters when you treat someone is that you focus your attention on the person you are working on, that you feel yourself merging with the energy and the person in front of you, that you allow yourself to disappear into the energy, neutral, empty, no expectations, and just let it happen. Anything else beyond that is just frippery, icing on a cake that was fine when it was plain. We don’t need to gild the lily, we don’t need to adorn unnecessarily something that was already beautiful, or to make superfluous additions to what is already complete.


So follow the instructions that you were given, by all means, but don’t fret if you don’t follow the sequence exactly, and please allow yourself the freedom to tailor your routine according to what feels right for you; find your own style and comfortable way of working rather than slavishly following a set of instructions passed on to you by another person. Go with what feels right for you on that occasion; be guided by intuition.


And why should we assume that the treatment did not work, that the session did not give the recipient what they needed, just because they felt very little, or felt nothing happening, or felt unrelaxed during the treatment? While many people have a wonderful time while being treated, seeing coloured lights, feeling tingling sensations or intense heat from the practitioner’s hands, experiencing deep relaxation and peace, melting into the treatment table, not everyone experiences that. Not everyone is the same. Not all recipients have a great time when they receive Reiki. Some people feel nothing, some feel very little, and some are quite unsettled by the whole experience. But no matter what they noticed happening, they received what they needed, and they experienced whatever sensations they needed to experience.


It’s nice to have positive feedback at the end of a treatment session, and people saying how relaxed they were and how hot our hands were etc. helps to boost our confidence, but such things are not compulsory and not everyone will say these things. We didn’t mess up their treatment because it would be very difficult to mess up a Reiki treatment: Reiki is foolproof!


Attunements that go wrong


The same comments apply to the carrying out of attunements. There are very many different attunement styles being used in the world, some quite simple, some quite complicated, and there will be stages and ritual movements or phrases/affirmations being used by some teachers that are not being used all by other teachers. One teacher may be going through – to them – a vital stage that others do not replicate, while others will be doing ‘necessary’ practices that we do not follow. And yet all these attunement styles work.


So while we should always try and do our best, and follow the attunement instructions that we were given, we should not worry terribly if we realise that we have missed out a particular stage or forgot to say a particular phrase, or failed to draw a symbol perfectly. What is important when attuning someone is your underlying intent; the details of the ritual are there to create a ritual ‘space’ in which the attunement can occur, but there are no really vital stages that have to be carried out no matter what, so we should not worry.


And we should remember that the reaction of a student to an attunement will vary greatly. If a student feels very little or nothing we should not assume that the attunement has not ‘taken’; this would not be possible. Equally, we should not assume that a student who experienced ‘bells and whistles’ has been far more effectively attuned. Such sensations and experiences are nice for the recipient but do not really indicate anything significant. Attunements work, even with some mistakes, and sometimes the recipient has an amazing experience; sometimes not. It doesn’t matter what they feel or don’t feel.


Finally


So we should feel confident that Reiki is giving the recipient what they need, whether they are receiving a treatment or an attunement, we should try our best and be conscientious but we should not worry too much if we don’t follow all the instructions. We should allow ourselves to find our own style, own comfortable way of working, which may be a little different from other people’s but which is just as valid, and we should not assume that a lack of ‘bells and whistles’ on the part of the recipient means that something hasn’t happened. There is no one ‘correct’ way to do things, there is no correct response to treatments or attunements, and Reiki accommodates many different styles and approaches. So we can relax!

	

	
	


							


	

		
				

			My Reiki Story – Amanda Stec
		

		
		

			My Reiki Story					

	


		

		
This is another in our series of “My Reiki Story” posts that we will be adding to the Reiki Evolution blog, where a Reiki person talks about their journey with Reiki. In today’s “My Reiki Story” we hear from Amanda Stec from Cambridge…


My Reiki story begins about two years ago when I was browsing a new age shop and picked up a leaflet without thinking much about it at the time. I got home and perused it: Reiki classes. It sounded intruiging, but I’d never heard much about Reiki before and so it went into my drawer. It sat in my room for a few months and every so often I would take out the leaflet, look over it, then put it back in my drawer. Looking back, I can see that Reiki came into my life at the right time, and it all started with my instinct to pick up the leaflet! Gradually my curiosity was peaked and I began researching it. I sent Irene Forsyth – who ended up being my Reiki master for three courses – a lot of sceptical emails which she patiently answered.


I didn’t find Reiki – Reiki found me, when I least expected it. Things happened in my life which pointed to the fact that I should take this course, so I did. I hoped to find inner strength and cleansing, to help others and to compliment my growing spiritual practice. I achieved all of this and more with the inspirational Reiki Evolution course. The experiences I had on the day were life-changing and mysterious. Since I began doing energy exercises daily, living the precepts and letting Reiki into my life, I felt reborn. It gave me hope for the future. My first empowerment made me feel nauseous like I was floating outside my body, like my head was in my Tanden or like I was praying with my forehead on the floor. In both my first and second empowerment, when I did ‘gassho’ I felt heat on my face like a radiator. In my second empowerment I felt no nausea at all but an increased focus on my Tanden and when I did ‘ghasso’ I felt a huge awareness on my third eye chakra. Nine months later, I became accustomed to working with the energy and felt ready to move on to second degree. I learned to listen to my heart more, listen to my body more and deal with stress. Irene reviewed the information learned in our study pack, sent empowerments and gave us many opportunities to get to grips with working with the energies. She also answered my questions and kindled my interest for taking reiki further. The most recent course I have taken has been the Reiki Deepening course, which really did what it said: it deepened my experience of Reiki and widened my horizons by showing me even more ways that I could apply the energy in my life. I became more sensitive to the energy and felt that my hands warmed up much quicker and were hotter when I did the meditations. I am also much more comfortable when working with intent now. I had never realized how intuitive I could be until I went on this course. It has really boosted my confidence in my ability as a healer and now reiji ho is my preferred method of treating.


During my treatments, I feel a strong connection to the energy source. I try to be trusting and not insecure or anxious that the treatment go well. I simply go through the motions as if doing an experiment, with a distanced and childlike curiosity. I listen to where my hands want to move and enter a trance-like state where I almost forget who or where I am. I feel one with the energy. I feel as if my mind’s eye is closing down and the voice in my head goes quiet. From time to time, my mind switches back on to ‘check-in’ on the process, passing judgments like ‘it’s going well’ or ‘what if I’m not doing it right’, but soon it leaves again. Doing the energy exercises frequently has meant that my energy is stronger and people who treated me have noticed this. Throughout the time that I have practiced Reiki, the transformation in me has been immense. I have done many other things – acupuncture, yoga, Alexander technique, cognitive behavioural therapy, meditation, rekindling my spiritual side – along the way, but Reiki has been at the heart of it all, giving me the strength to find all those other things. It has helped me let go of old habits and make space for new light in my life. Due to moving country, I did not practice Reiki for one week. I noticed that I felt out of control, as if I was sleepwalking passively through life, letting events wash over me without taking time to breathe. Upon doing hatsurei for the first time in a week, I felt instantly uplifted. With Reiki, I have more energy to give myself fully to events, situations and encounters with people. I have the clarity to live with intent instead of passively letting life happen to me. Because Reiki lets me be my full and true self, I am able to be less selfish and more compassionate with others. I can take the focus off of my needs and be more aware of the needs of others.


Amanda




If you would like to tell your Reiki story on the Reiki Evolution blog then send a jpeg head/shoulders photo of you, your name, and let us know about your story: when and why did you learn Reiki, what happened on your course, how do you use Reiki and how has Reiki changed things for you? Send your contribution to taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk.


reiki training courses, reiki class, reiki workshopAnd if you like the sound of what Reiki can do for you, or if you’d like to take your Reiki further, remember that we have Reiki courses running throughout the UK, as well as multimedia home study courses.


Live UK Reiki training courses

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			How to send Distant Healing (Part 4)
		

		
		

			distant healing, intention, 					

	


		

		
reiki distant healing using a prop


Using some sort of a prop for distant healing


Distant healing is a very important part of Reiki practice, of course, and is something that is not unique to Reiki. Distant healing (DH for short) is carried out in different Reiki lineages in different ways and there is no one ‘right’ way to perform this process.


How to do distance healing with Reiki


The important thing when carrying out DH is your underlying intent, and the details of the ritual that you use are unimportant.


What I would like to share with you today are some methods that use ‘props’ to represent the recipient.


As a prop, you can use a teddy bear or other cuddly toy, and by sending Reiki into the teddy bear’s head, or chest, or arm etc you are directing the energy to that part of the recipient, at a distance.


Some choose to use a pillow to represent the person, with one end of the pillow representing the recipient’s head and the other end representing their feet.


Some people are taught to use their upper leg or legs to represent the person to whom distant healing is being sent, with your knee representing their head, and the part of your leg next to your hip representing their feet.


Some people use both legs, with one leg representing the front of the recipient, and the other leg representing the back of the recipient’s body.


Props can help you focus


These props are there to help you to focus your attention, to focus your intent, and are not a necessary part of the process: distant healing can be carried out simply ‘in your head’, in a meditative state, but for those who like to have something tangible to work on, they can work very well, with the practitioner resting or hovering their hands over the different parts of the prop’s ‘body’ and imagining that energy is flowing into that area, directing the energy into that part of the recipient’s body at a distance.


Over to you


If these approaches are new to you, why not try them out and see how you get on, and let us know by posting a message below.


Need some help with your distant healing?


reiki mp3 downloads distant healingIf you’d like to learn more about how to do distance healing with Reiki, or if you need some help with your distant healing, why not download my collection of Reiki distant healing meditations on MP3. They are suitable for all Reiki levels.


The meditations encompass the most simple approach ever… and more ritualised ones. Cup your hands, use some sort of a prop like a pillow or teddy bear, use a Distant Healing box or book and send to your future or past. All these meditations are right there for you to use straight away.


Just close your eyes and I’ll talk you through everything you need to do. Experiment with the MP3s and find out what works best for you.


Price: £13.49. Click to order via PayPal:




 


Author: 

Picture Credit: Björn Láczay

	

	
	


							


	

		
				

			My Reiki Story – Alexis Crabb
		

		
		

			My Reiki Story					

	


		

		
This is another in our series of “My Reiki Story” posts that we will be adding to the Reiki Evolution blog, where a Reiki person talks about their journey with Reiki. In today’s “My Reiki Story” we hear from Alexis Crabb in Spain…


Many times I have read testimonials or heard people describe how Reiki changed their life, how they found Reiki or how Reiki found them. Here is my story.


I believe that my Son, Jack lead me into Reiki through his interest in Martial Arts. This interest began in his tenth year and at the time I was horrified. I had no knowledge or interest, only seeing the ‘Martial’ not the ‘Art’ and being unaware of the discipline and spiritual elements. Whenever possible I discouraged his interest fearing that the hobby would interfere with his school work and later his studies. I hasten to say, I was mistaken he has become very successful in his professional life and still regularly practices Martial Arts for relaxation.


When Jack completed his university studies he wanted his independence so decided to move into an apartment. After my husband was tragically killed in an accident


I was living alone and was about to give up teaching to focus on my work as a canine behaviourist and private personal counsellor. I had more time for myself, more time to think about my spirituality and the rest of my life. Jack kept in touch regularly and would sometimes come to lunch. It was on one such occasion that he excitedly told me about his recent achievements in Martial Arts. He had become a Master and qualified as an Instructor. He went on to mention that his friend’s on-going back injury had recently improved after receiving Reiki. Jack suggested that I might take up Reiki for myself and that it would be good to use with dogs, plants and something extra to offer my counselling clients. An avid reader he had been researching alternative therapies and Reiki had been of the most interest to him.


The conversation we had that day aroused my interest so I began to think about Reiki. In fact, I could not stop thinking about Reiki. What was this Reiki? Where did I start to learn? After reading a few books I turned to “Ask Jeeves “. There were hundreds of Reiki sites to choose from. I am a practical person, careful with money and pride myself on having a lot of ‘common sense’; so the search was destined to become a time consuming process. After hours sitting in front of the computer I found “Reiki Evolution”. I instinctively knew it was the one for me. My birth sign is Libra so not a quick decision maker. I balance the ‘for’s and against’s’ carefully and usually proceed with extreme caution. On this occasion there was no time to waste I felt compelled to ‘throw caution to the wind’ book the course, send the cheque without considering the cost. In fact, I could not wait for the day to arrive to begin my Reiki journey. I was excited! It was a considerable sum of money for me at that time but I have never regretted the ‘investment’. On the contrary taking Reiki into my life has been and still is a wondrous experience that has brought me so much ‘Joy’.


 In childhood I was frequently told that I was stupid and worthless, as children will, I believed it. Of course, I have proved otherwise but there are times when I feel a little unsure of myself. After taking Reiki Level 1…  I had a few doubts. Would the energy work for me?  My first client was a real sceptic his attitude made me more nervous but I soon began to relax as I felt the energy flow through me into him. The result was so reassuring that I never looked back. When I return to England the same client always asks for Reiki.


Soon after Reiki came into my life I met and married my present husband. On the day of the wedding my Reiki Teacher promised to send me some Reiki. At the time I thought little of it. I awoke on my wedding day to grey skies and torrential rain that continued all morning. As I left the house the Sun appeared, it was amazing everything seemed to have a golden glow so beautiful. The sun stayed with me throughout the ceremony, photographs and reception. It was as though we were all enveloped in a huge ‘Golden Bubble’. I still think of our wedding as a ‘Golden Day’. Was it the Reiki?  I believe it was! What do you think?


I have had so many “sensitive life experiences” always seeming to have been looking in on the happiness of others. Since my marriage and beginning my Reiki journey life has changed for me. I have found happiness, contentment and “inner peace” of course there are still up’s and down’s…and the inevitable problems of life. But they don’t seem so bad now! Reiki Evolution was definitely the right choice for me.


I have since moved to Spain; my Reiki Journey continues to open new pathways: sharing the gift of Reiki with others, writing regular articles for newspapers, magazines, public speaking and organising events…the first Reiki Event was, “Celebrate Reiki Day in Spain”.


If the reader considers making Reiki part of their life look no further; because in ‘Reiki Evolution’ you will have found the ‘Best’. To find the best in Reiki…

“Do not only look for the Joy …bring Joy to what you do!” Reiki will give you what you need: physically, emotionally and spiritually!


I wish you the same “Happiness” and “Inner Peace” that Reiki has brought into my life.


Reiki Blessings…Alexis




If you would like to tell your Reiki story on the Reiki Evolution blog then send a jpeg head/shoulders photo of you, your name, and let us know about your story: when and why did you learn Reiki, what happened on your course, how do you use Reiki and how has Reiki changed things for you? Send your contribution to taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk.


reiki training courses, reiki class, reiki workshopAnd if you like the sound of what Reiki can do for you, or if you’d like to take your Reiki further, remember that we have Reiki courses running throughout the UK, as well as multimedia home study courses.


Live UK Reiki training courses

Home study courses

	

	
	


							


	

		
				

			My Reiki Story – Angie Donnachie
		

		
		

			My Reiki Story					

	


		

		
Angie DonnachieThis is another in our series of “My Reiki Story” posts that we will be adding to the Reiki Evolution blog, where a Reiki person talks about their journey with Reiki. In today’s “My Reiki Story” we hear from Angie Donnachie…


For a few years I had kept hearing the word Reiki pop up but had no idea what it was about and hadn’t looked into it further. I just knew that at some point in my life I would be guided to embark on Reiki when the time was right. During my Counselling course at Motherwell college in 2007, I bumped into an old friend that I hadn’t seen for a few years and during our conversation she mentioned that she had been attuned to Reiki recently and informed me of what it involved, which caught my interest and made me realise that there is no such thing as coincidence, but a gentle prompt to tell me my time was right.


My friend informed me that the Reiki Master who had attuned her was June Moore, and to nip into her shop ‘Inspirations’ at Motherwell for a chat, which I did, and booked myself and a close friend in for Reiki 1 course. This was the beginning of my journey, in many ways, which I definitely believe moved me from a stagnant place in my life, and into total acceptance, and the freedom and courage to change my life to how I would like it to be. Reiki taught me to have an attitude for gratitude in all areas of my life.


I started to value life and my surroundings more, and was aware that we are all one and should start to respect and cherish every living thing.

Reiki actually tied in very closely with the 12 step programme of recovery I was working through the fellowship of Al-anon, which is a Spiritual programme for families and friends of alcoholics or problem drinkers. The principles to live your life by were very similar, and I felt I had definitely been guided again, mainly for my own personal development, originally!


I initially enjoyed working on myself, self-healing, but soon moved on to family, friends, pets, plants, food, water etc everything that I came into contact with was getting a dose of Reiki, and I began to love the closeness I felt to the Universal life force energy that is Reiki. I progressed 6 months later onto Reiki 2, then recently to Master/Teacher level which is fantastic, and very much a big part of my life. My life has changed immensely during this time, and I know who I am, and I believe, why I am here.


The knock-on effect on my family has also been lovely and has brought a great amount of peace, serenity and connectedness with all to my life. I have formed a very close friendship with my Reiki Master June, who is like a big sister to me, and a whole circle of like-minded friends, who meet up fortnightly for a Reiki share, which is fantastic. I would like to think that I live my life by the Reiki principles and that’s the way I shall always keep it. With Reiki, i find, there is no turning back!


Reiki has brought a Spiritual Discipline to my life which has greatly raised my awareness in many ways. Today, I would like to think that I show compassion, love and kindness to the people I meet on my daily journey, and believe my teachings have been gifted to me to pass on to others.

My aim is to be teaching Reiki by the end of this year, once I have mastered it a bit better myself. The future is exciting!!!!


Lots of Love and Light


Angie x




If you would like to tell your Reiki story on the Reiki Evolution blog then send a jpeg head/shoulders photo of you, your name, and let us know about your story: when and why did you learn Reiki, what happened on your course, how do you use Reiki and how has Reiki changed things for you? Send your contribution to taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk.


reiki training courses, reiki class, reiki workshopAnd if you like the sound of what Reiki can do for you, or if you’d like to take your Reiki further, remember that we have Reiki courses running throughout the UK, as well as multimedia home study courses.


Live UK Reiki training courses

Home study courses

	

	
	


							


	

		
				

			My Reiki Story – Paula Ghazai
		

		
		

			Uncategorized					

	


		

		
Paula GhazaiThis is another in our series of “My Reiki Story” posts that we will be adding to the Reiki Evolution blog, where a Reiki person talks about their journey with Reiki. In today’s “My Reiki Story” we hear from Paula Ghazai from Kent…


I came to Reiki via massage and other therapies. I worked for ten years within the Beauty and Cosmetic Industry and when I left I wished to continue with the hands-on part of that. I continued to offer massage treatments, training in Aromatherapy and Indian head Massage but would find myself getting really tired after massaging someone if they were not well and in particular if a client had emotional issues such as anxiety or depression I would sometimes even be physically sick.


A friend mentioned Reiki quite a few times but I feel that I am quite an earth bound individual and thought that Reiki was a bit too spiritual and “airy fairy” for me! However Reiki just kept popping up everywhere..online, books, magazines.. so I gave in and researched my subject a little more and on discovering Reiki Evolution and Taggart’s “simply it is” and straightforward approach I decided to do Reiki 1 (April 2007) with Laetitia, as she too had a Beauty Therapy and Massage background. My last attunement was a revelation. I had gone with a totally open mind and no expectation. I felt like I was plugged in to a sort of super grid.. Reiki 2 followed in July 2007.


During this time my father became ill with the first telltale sign of vascular dementia. My Reiki meditations were sustenance throughout.. that gentle yet powerful hum. He just got worse and in 2009 had a devastating stroke which means he is now in full time care. I really kept the Reiki to myself during this time, just offering here and there to family and friends and also did not really have much spare time to pursue any other therapies.

Spring this year I knew the time was right to get going with it all again and I attended a catch up with Louise, it was just the same and oh so new all at the same time. I now offer Reiki, EFT, Hopi Ear Candling and Therapeutic and Indian head Massage. I see Reiki as something that stands alone but also underpins all my other treatment offers and in fact pretty much everything I do and am.. I even stir it into cakes!!


I am in the process of setting up my room and now have a website and will soon be offering a venue for Reiki Shares in West Kent Area www.palmtosoulholistics.com


I am sure I will at some point go back to one of the RE teachers for the Masters training and I am sure I will know when. My personal Reiki mission statement would have to be “Don’t expect just accept”


Paula Ghazai




If you would like to tell your Reiki story on the Reiki Evolution blog then send a jpeg head/shoulders photo of you, your name, and let us know about your story: when and why did you learn Reiki, what happened on your course, how do you use Reiki and how has Reiki changed things for you? Send your contribution to taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk.


reiki training courses, reiki class, reiki workshopAnd if you like the sound of what Reiki can do for you, or if you’d like to take your Reiki further, remember that we have Reiki courses running throughout the UK, as well as multimedia home study courses.


Live UK Reiki training courses

Home study courses

	

	
	


							


	

		
				

			My Reiki Story: Carol Leslie
		

		
		

			Uncategorized					

	


		

		
Carol LeslieThis is another in our series of “My Reiki Story” posts that we will be adding to the Reiki Evolution blog, where a Reiki person talks about their journey with Reiki. In today’s “My Reiki Story” we hear from Carol Leslie from Aberdeen…


My Reiki ‘journey’ began in the year 2000 when my brother Ronnie was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. He was barely 45 years old and I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do initially, but I simply could not stand by and watch my brother deteriorate before my eyes without helping him in some way. I began my search for help and meaning and had actually heard something about Reiki healing from a good friend at the time. Back then hardly anyone taught Reiki in our area but there was a teacher in Aberdeen who I could go to. My friend agreed to accompany me to the one day class for the First Degree. At this point I hadn’t even experienced a session of the hands on healing, which would change my life. The day of the lesson eventually came and when I did receive the first laying on of hands, after our attunements were received, I was so moved to tears and my body shook quite considerably. I had no idea that I would be this affected. I had come to receive Reiki in order to help my brother, but had been told by my most compassionate teacher that I would heal first! This was amazing to me to learn at the time.


It was not long before I was ‘champing at the bit’ after using the energies for myself and some friends (and Ronnie) and wanted to move on with my tuition. Surely the Second Degree would help me, my family and ultimately my brother, even more? Ronnie had in fact been through major surgery by the time I had moved from one degree into the next, and was in a form of ‘remission’. We were all but holding our breaths at this stage. It seemed so hopeful that Ronnie might even beat the horrible illness he had manifested in his life. I was so keen with my studies and soon I had case histories to complete and I was becoming quite well known in my community for being a Reiki practitioner. I had many who wanted to experience the therapy and so many bookings. I qualified before long as a professional therapist and what some had considered a radical and new lifestyle for me to adopt (and some even considered quite whimsical at the time!), I began to prove myself ‘worthy’ when many of my new clients returned to me often for more treatment. By now I had notched up a few ‘success stories’ and many talked about my relaxing and alternative approach to healing. There was no doubt that my brother enjoyed his therapies as well, because I visited him on a regular basis offering him solace and he began to ask for more when he was going through his chemotherapy treatments. I kept a case history of all of Ronnie’s treatments as I progressed with my tuition. I moved on to ‘mastership’ and I had to travel to Manchester to receive my attunement from another, wonderful and compassionate, international Reiki master. I must of course mention that my first two master/teachers were teaching (and continue to teach) the Western way of Reiki. By this time my brother Ronnie was beginning to show signs of becoming ‘worse’ with regards to the cancer he had developed and he was told that it had grown in his liver and was not getting any better. I continued to offer him Reiki and Ronnie became quite spiritual towards the end of his life. He definitely got a lot out of the treatments in a mental/emotional and spiritual sense, even though he didn’t seem to get better physically at this point. I supported all of my family with Reiki throughout Ronnie’s illness and when he finally passed from this world we were prepared for what lay ahead. I will always believe that Ronnie received what he was meant to through Reiki and that his life was cut short for a reason. (Something which is yet to be revealed) Ronnie was given only weeks to live from his consultant at the hospital, but he lived for a further two years. He was a very theatrical and talented man, who took to the stage in Aberdeen. He was still able to perform, even close to the end of his life, and went on some amazing holidays with friends and family. Something that I do not think may have happened without the help of Reiki!


I wrote a book in tribute to him soon after his passing, called ‘Divine Timing’. I promoted it for a time, but now simply allow the book to ‘sell’ itself. Many have healed from reading it and I have managed to send it to a few choice celebrities around the world.


My story would not be complete without mentioning my most recent master/teacher and mentor for a time of course. When my brother Ronnie passed away I felt lost and it was like a gap was left in my world. I had begun to feel this way about Reiki for some time before his tragic death in fact, but could not put my finger on why this was. I realised what it was when I ‘discovered’ Taggart King during one of my searches online. Reiki Evolution shouted out from the pages of my computer one fateful day. I instantly knew that I needed to refresh all of my degrees in Reiki. Since Taggart took me on board as one of his students I have never looked back. I filled in the gaps of what I felt was missing from my Reiki education. My meditation is more fulfilling on a daily basis for one thing. I have created many students since being able to pass on ‘Usui Do’…..and continue to do so. In my opinion, Reiki is like a stepping stone towards our ultimate ‘waking up’ to What Is. I recommend it to everyone, no matter what the condition they present. Reiki brings everything back to balance and harmony by reminding us of who and what we really are….our essential selves are restored.


Carol Leslie




If you would like to tell your Reiki story on the Reiki Evolution blog then send a jpeg head/shoulders photo of you, your name, and let us know about your story: when and why did you learn Reiki, what happened on your course, how do you use Reiki and how has Reiki changed things for you? Send your contribution to taggart@reiki-evolution.co.uk.


reiki training courses, reiki class, reiki workshopAnd if you like the sound of what Reiki can do for you, or if you’d like to take your Reiki further, remember that we have Reiki courses running throughout the UK, as well as multimedia home study courses.


Live UK Reiki training courses

Home study courses