I want to tell you about a new Reiki class that I took this weekend. First off, when I signed up for Reiki in 2012 there were only three levels: beginners, practitioner and teacher. And if you hadn’t noticed, Reiki is one of the modalities that I enjoy most; I enjoy giving myself Reiki as much as I love teaching it =)
To make a long story short, when people refer to Reiki they usually mean Usui Reiki - a system of natural healing that was developed in Japan by Mikao Usui about 100 years ago. Legend has it that Usui, a lifelong buddhist, embarked on a meditative retreat on Mount Kurama near Kyoto, hoping to achieve higher degrees of clarity and trust in his life (another word for enlightenment).
As legend has it, he felt a massive ray of light come down from above. That rush of light entered his body through the top of his head and when he came to again, he decided it was time to leave. Usui was already a healer and over the next days and weeks, he noticed that healings happened spontaneously and with less effort on his part. He shared this with others by teaching a system that is now known as Usui Reiki. Fast forward 100 years, and different styles of Reiki have been taught to thousands around the world.
How Does One Teach Reiki?
In order to teach Reiki, Usui and the Reiki Masters who followed him devised a process that is referred to as an attunement. This is a brief healing with which the teacher instills Reiki in the student's energy and body, opening the pathway so that from that moment on, the student can channel Reiki whenever they like. Once you have Reiki, it is yours for life (I LOVE THAT). The past seven years I have used it extensively with myself, with friends and with clients, many of whom were cancer patients mid-treatment (always complementary to medical care).
In my experience the effects have been soothing and powerful. But I have also wondered how that attunement process came about. Usui received it directly from Source, and since then, everyone who has received Reiki has received it through the filter of the human body (teacher) who shared it with them. Based on my experience with energy healing in general, I have learned that human bodies can only channel a certain amount of energy; the same is true for Reiki Masters. Wouldn't it be cool if we could establish our connection to Reiki without that human filter?
Direct Attunements Are Possible
In Holy Fire ® Reiki classes, the connection to Reiki is through a guided meditation where the teacher sets the intention, steps back and lets that Holy Fire ® energy come down from above to interact with each of the students individually. This was a Reiki Master class so we had four ignitions (as they're called) over a three day period, each stronger than the last. With the first one I felt lots of irritation as it brought to the surface everything that I had swept under the rug (reiki healing crisis). The second brought a welcome wave of peace and light. And the third a rush of compassion; the subject of my next post as the feeling was pretty much new to me.
Each of the ignitions was unique. By the time they are over, your energy has been shifted over to a frequency that is more open and loving and also empowered when it comes to healing. Reiki was strong enough as it is, with this direct empowerment it flows a lot quicker than I was used to. That said, I believe Reiki is frequency and we are each guided to the teacher and styles that are suited to help us heal at that point in our lives. The traditional style of Reiki attunements has worked well for me the past seven years =)
Usui Reiki vs Holy Fire® Reiki
Usui was a Japanese healer and as you would expect, that healing path is largely influenced by Asian religions. In Holy Fire® we come across a healing vibration that is closer to what we see in the Bible (think Moses, the Burning Bush and Healing Miracles). The next step after Holy Fire® is a Master Teacher class in Karuna Reiki® - which takes us back to the compassion of eastern traditions. We went through both this week; Karuna Reiki® gives us quite a few tools to work through the shadow side including fears, insecurities and unconscious patterns. Karuna Reiki® is usually studied after we have become Usui (or Holy Fire®) Reiki Teachers.
And Some Aries Fire (In Me)
Two years ago my progressed Sun moved into Aries, astro speak for: I am a lot less patient than I used to be. Traditional Usui Reiki is fantastic and while it worked well for me for years, ever since my Progressed Sun changed signs, I want everything to happen that much faster. I think the Universe answered my prayers with this Holy Fire® Reiki class. And as my intuition kept telling me: No Aries wants to heal slowly hahaha. I kept hearing that phrase to the tune of Ricky Martin and Cristina Aguilera.
Please note that Holy Fire ® Reiki is complementary to medical care, not alternative. The healing referred to in this article is how quickly I have let go of things that used to bother me; the peace that follows is just priceless. That said, Reiki is a wonderful complement to medical care! Please follow this link for more on energy healing and cancer support.