Reiki is a Japanese word meaning Universal Life Energy. It refers to a system of healing rediscovered in Tibet at the end of the nineteenth century by a Japanese theologian, Dr Mikao Usui and brought to the West about 60 years ago.

Like most esoteric disciplines Reiki is an oral tradition, meaning that the knowledge is intended to be passed down by word of mouth from teacher to pupil. A Reiki teacher is termed a “Master” although this simply means that they have mastered the techniques of that one system of healing - not that they are enlightened beings!

Reiki was developed from Sanskrit symbols of healing which, correctly used, open channels in the energy centres of the healer so that they may be the conduit for healing from the world of Spirit. These channels are specific passages into the upper worlds and are ideal for the beginner in healing as they appear to carry automatic safety limits on how much can be channelled — according to the healer and the client’s personal development.

The symbols are intended as sacred knowledge, although, as with all symbols, they are themselves purely neutral forms. It is how they are used and with what intent which matters. Knowledge in all esoteric traditions can be misused, derided or misunderstood and although the spiritual source of this healing system has made it difficult to use Reiki for other purposes than Divine will, it can be done through ignorance.

Until fairly recently, the Reiki symbols were kept secret, earning the discipline accusations of elitism. However, the belief of the original teachers that the knowledge needed to be sought and earned with consciousness, love and discipline to ensure that the student would be able to handle it responsibly instead of just being available to anyone with a passing interest.

However, books published in the last ten years have brought the symbols into the public domain. This is not necessarily a bad thing as times change and traditions need to keep pace, but it can lead to people to believe they know more than they do. Just having the symbols and being told what to do with them is the form of Reiki. The spirit of Reiki is vital to make the system whole. Without spiritual knowledge and discipline, it is far easier (and more costly) to make mistakes. If the wider knowledge of the symbols encourages people to seek the inner heart of Reiki then publication is a good thing. So far it has proved to be a double-edged sword and the system is being derided and discounted by many because of the lack of inner knowledge of some practitioners and teachers.

The symbols themselves were traditionally taught as being four in number and were structured in visualisations or hand movements which, as a matter of interest, happen to match the holy numbers and formations of the Tabernacle as set up by the Israelites in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. To the Western Judaeo-Christian teaching they would be seen as representing the four worlds of Divinity, Spirit, Soul and Physicality.

Some Reiki teachers use extra symbols, either saying they comprise the original number or that they are extra ones recently discovered in the Lamaseries of Tibet where Dr Usui studied. The structure of these other symbols also adds up to known esoteric numbers and they will probably work just as well. However, traditionalists tend to think that the original system works quite well enough without extra complications!

It is known that Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki from Japan to the Western world, initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters before her death. In Judaeo-Christian mysticism this would be in keeping with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet which, used together, went to bring about Creation. Legend has it that Hawayo Takata taught each Master slightly differently and the Western esoteric tradition would suggest that each difference would highlight an aspect of that particular teacher and his or her abilities and responsibilities. A complete union of the essence of Reiki would therefore be best achieved by the twenty-two Masters working together. Sadly, this has not happened and they have all gone their different ways, changing the teaching along the route.

There are traditionally three levels of learning Reiki: First Degree (the equivalent to GCSE Healing), Second Degree (A Level Healing) and Third Degree (University Degree Healing), which gives you the knowledge and ability to teach others. Nowadays, the third level is often taught in two sections, making four levels in all.

The primary function of Reiki is self-healing although Reiki practitioners are also taught to heal others. Unlike those who train with healing organisations such as the National Federation of Spiritual Healers, a first degree Reiki practitioner is let loose on the world after just one weekend of training. This has caused howls of protest from many quarters, especially from those who have had to spend a long time learning to heal in different systems.

However, Reiki is not so much taught as experienced as the teacher gives each student four “attunements” to place the sacred symbols — in a certain order and in a certain way — over the appropriate energy centres. This is intended to be done in a beautiful and sacred ritual which allows people to contact their own inner truth and to experience contact with the higher worlds. The effect is not unlike pouring a bottle of Domestos into a clogged drainpipe!
Some people find the experience intensely moving and others feel very little at the time, according to their own personal make-up.

After the attunements and after learning the hand positions for self-healing and treating others as well as the responsibilities of being a student of healing, the Reiki practitioner is trusted to continue with his or her own self-development. This includes going to regular support and practice groups, studying and practising regular self-healing treatments to bring higher energies through to help them through the period of adjustment after the attunement.

Continual self-development was traditionally thought very important for those who wished to learn Second Degree Reiki, where some of the sacred symbols themselves are revealed, together with how to use them for absent healing and for healing on the mental and emotional levels. However, nowadays, the first and second levels are often taught together.

Reiki Masters, traditionally, had to wait for years to attain teacher standard – which was extremely expensive. This was because the discipline was thought to be so sacred and mystical that it should not be given to anyone without a lifetime’s commitment to spirituality who was prepared to make the sacrifices required to take the Master’s course.

The higher levels of Reiki carry great responsibility and require the ability of the practitioner to see the difference between allowing perfect healing to occur between Divinity and Mankind and using healing to try and control the lives of people by “making” them better.

People who have learned First and Second Degree or Second and Third Degree together in one weekend, or who have not been taught to allow the experience of Third Degree Reiki to settle within them and who rush out to attune others immediately are, in my view, missing the point.

The art of patience is a vital part of esoteric training and the unwillingness to wait frequently signifies that the seeker is not ready for the knowledge. The Reiki will be passed on, as the system works, but the practitioner may well have missed out on some of the beauty, discipline and love of the tradition and it is less likely that they will be able to teach those delights to others.

Traditionally Reiki was very expensive — with the Master’s level costing up to £5,000. There are many teachers nowadays who believe the system should be “available to all” and who charge much cheaper prices — and you can get the whole system for less than £100 if you know where to look.

In Judaeo- Christian mysticism it is said that an aspirant to the Higher Worlds must demonstrate that they are able to handle the physical and psychological worlds first to ensure they are sufficiently balanced for higher knowledge. In truth, if the student is ready, either the money or a suitable alternative will appear almost automatically.

Some Reiki teachers who discount may well be doing so for the highest good and their teaching may be excellent; just as some teachers who charge the full amounts may not be very good. Others who give discounts may have prosperity issues and be unable to teach balance to their students — or they may not understand the sacred knowledge they possess.

If you want to learn Reiki, it is up to you to choose your teacher with discernment — and you will always choose the one who can teach you the most about yourself and your self-esteem.

In just the same way as with all other therapies, there are teachers with the highest qualifications to whom you would not send your worst enemy and people who seem to have very few qualifications at all who just shine with integrity. If in doubt it is best to contact an organisation such as the Reiki Association for advice — they are by far the most expensive bunch in the race so they make a good starting point. But in the end the decision is yours and nobody else’s and the Internet is awash with Reiki websites.