Reiki
If I could only have/use ONE holistic healing modality, this would be the one. Once you have learned it, you don't need anything else in order to practice it besides your hands -- and not even that if you pursue training beyond first degree Reiki and practice distance healing. It is always with you, you can't lose it or forget it, and no other props or tools are required. Healing doesn't get any more holistic than Reiki, which is just pure, balancing, healing energy; it's also the simplest to learn. The word "Reiki" is Japanese for Universal (Rei) Vital Force Energy/Chi (Ki).
My own first experience with receiving a Reiki treatment was in response to a mild crisis situation. Two days before leaving on a cross-country trip with my family to take my daughter to college, I woke up feeling spacey and brittle, disconnected in a way that was unfamiliar and scary. Because of my previous experiences with adrenal exhaustion and the stress leading up to the trip, I knew this was not a good sign. I was nervous as I drove my kids to the dentist in the next town to get my daughter's teeth checked; I wasn't sure I should even be driving in that condition. I'd had the presence of mind to grab a phone book to take with me and, as my daughter was getting her teeth cleaned, I checked the yellow pages for holistic practitioners. I had thought to call an acupuncturist in the area, but felt drawn to the advertisement of an Ohashiatsu practitioner, who made an appointment with me for that afternoon. Although I didn't realize it when I made the appointment, I later learned that Reiki was an integral part of her healing practice. As she worked on me, I had the distinct impression that I was exactly where I needed to be and that I was safe in her hands. About an hour and a half later, it was obvious that she had literally put me back together again. She advised that I go home and rest the remainder of the day, and by the following morning, I felt completely able to make the trip. I experienced several other treatments with her after returning home, and while Reiki was not the only modality she used, it was significant. A few years later, when Reiki kept showing up in my path and seemingly calling me to learn more, I remembered the safety and healing I had experienced and began to learn everything I could.
Reiki is SO easy to learn but it can be difficult to find information that does not include other philosophies being attached to it, so the following resources are the result of a long search and many hours spent reviewing the books currently available. I will do my best to describe them in a way to assist you in determining which will be the most beneficial to your investigation and/or training.
These books reviewed below have helped me develop my personal philosophy regarding Reiki training, and I do offer distance training and attunement to those interested in working with me. Please click on the book images below to order from Amazon. CLICK THE CLASS GRAPHIC BELOW OR HERE TO GO TO THE CLASS INFORMATION PAGE.
These books reviewed below have helped me develop my personal philosophy regarding Reiki training, and I do offer distance training and attunement to those interested in working with me. Please click on the book images below to order from Amazon. CLICK THE CLASS GRAPHIC BELOW OR HERE TO GO TO THE CLASS INFORMATION PAGE.
This is a great starter book for basic information about what Reiki is and how it works -- at least as far as we understand how it works at this point. It is pretty much stripped of extraneous philosophies and/or religion, and gives a good, simple overview of the benefits of Reiki and what is required to benefit from it, including training options. The history of Reiki described here is VERY brief, which can actually be a welcome aspect, since many resources drag it out, blow by blow, despite the fact that much of the traditional story of Reiki is now in question, as more information becomes available from Japan. A traditional Reiki class spends a great deal of time on Reiki history, which some feel could be better spent on actual practice. If you're looking for a quick, thoughtful introduction to Reiki, that's also an easy read, and told from the perspective of a Reiki Master who was originally a skeptic, this is your book. The Reiki symbols are not included in this book.
|
This is the book I'm currently using as the basic manual for Reiki training for those who train with me. After reviewing all the books shown here, and others, I feel this is the best overall source of information for anyone interested in a full understanding of what Reiki is, as well as those pursuing training. It is comprehensive and probably gives the best overview from a traditional Reiki training perspective, which I feel is still optimal for those who may be experiencing non-traditional training, as far as distance training is concerned. Miles is cautionary of non-traditional training, such as internet training/attunements, which I feel is warranted. But as more people become aware of Reiki and desire training, traditional Reiki classes are not always available or realistic for their situations. For this purpose, I favor using this book and working with students through distance training. I also appreciate Miles' focus on developing your own relationship with Reiki and following your intuition, rather than trying to memorize a lot of instructions. She emphasizes the fact that there's no wrong way to use Reiki. Miles does not include the Reiki symbols.
|
This is another thorough resource which can be used as a basic manual for Reiki training. Quest has written some other good books on Reiki, but this one is the most comprehensive and complete. In many ways, this book contains a lot more left-brain technical information and instruction than Miles' book above. If that's what you're looking for, this book will give it to you without some of the "extras" contained in Stein's book, below. If you're incredibly left-brained and just feel like you can't cope without all the "recipes" and detailed instructions, then this is probably the book for you. The reason I chose Miles' book over this one as a training manual is because all the detailed instructions can be overwhelming to many people and they feel concerned that they can't "learn it all". While specific instructions can be helpful, they are just guidelines and can detract from the value of learning to connect with your intuition and that you really can't "do Reiki wrong". This book also contains LOTS of specific practical information regarding full-time Reiki practice as a career, which is completely unnecessary for most people. Quest does share the Reiki symbols used in second degree Reiki, although not the third degree/Master symbol(s).
|
This is the book that my Reiki Master recommended to me as I prepared for my training and initiation. It is comprehensive and one of the few books that gives specifics regarding the Reiki symbols (both traditional and non-traditional) used in second and third degree training, including instructions for teaching Reiki and passing attunements, and some additional symbols that are not part of Reiki but sometimes used in conjunction with Reiki by some practitioners. That said, the author has some interesting philosophies which I found cumbersome and I had to actually set the book aside for a time and take a break from it, before picking it up again. While skeptical toward many traditional Reiki training practices, "rules", and information Reiki Masters often pass on as being part of Reiki, Stein includes aspects of her own, Wiccan, belief system, which can be a stumbling block to those of a Judeo-Christian background. If you can get past that, this is a great reference book that I probably refer to more than the others. If you feel that's too big a hurdle for you to cross, you can still get what you want from the other books, plus individual training.
The main value I gained from this book is Stein's discussion of her personal philosophy about making Reiki available to as many people as possible and not "protecting" it and only offering it to a selected few willing to pay exhorbitant sums of money for the training. This helped me form my own personal philosophy on the subject, and I do largely agree with Stein on that point. |
This book is kind of an "extra", if you want an exhaustive resource of every bit of Reiki information out there, including a listing of all Reiki lineages and practices, research on Reiki benefits, and every piece of Reiki history there is to be had. It's not very user friendly as a handy reference book, nor as your major course of study, but interesting, nonetheless. If you want to be a Reiki "geek", you'll want this book. Otherwise, it's merely interesting. Information about the Reiki symbols is given, with origin and history, but the symbols themselves are not shown, out of respect for those who feel they should only be passed from Master/Teacher to student, and not published.
|