Most people who read this blog know that I'm a very spiritual person. I believe in a higher power, or powers. I believe in life after death, and in reincarnation. I also practice Reiki.
For those who don't know, Reiki is a form of healing first developed in 1922 by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan. It is perfomed by the practitioner placing his hands on or over the chakras of a person's body, usually while lying down, but it can also be performed on someone in a seated position. Reiki energy passes through the practioner and into the person being treated. This energy then helps the person heal physically and emotionally; releasing stress and soothing physical discomfort. One of the things I love about Reiki is that it's not the practitioner actually helping the person heal. It's the person themself, aided by the Reiki. Reiki just gives a boost to your body and mind's own natural healing. So in the end, you're making yourself stronger and healthier all on your own.
Now, one of the most important principles for any Reiki practitioner is that we are not doctors. We do not refer to those we treat as patients, and can not give diagnosis. If anyone were to come to me for treatment who had a serious illness, I would insist that they always see their doctor on a regular basis. Reiki is a natural complementary treatment that can help with sympoms of illness, never a replacement for professional medical care.
This last weekend I completed my Level 3 Reiki attunement and training, meaning I am now a Reiki Master. I can treat myself and others with Reiki, as well as perform treatment over a distance, and I can attune others to Reiki and teach them how to use it.
Probably the most significant thing, for me, about Reiki has been how it has helped change my life. Since starting Reiki, my confidence has increased, as has my own inner strength. Reiki teaches responsibility for one's own healing. It teaches that we have to take care of own healing and health - physical, emotional and mental - before we are able to help others and that the very act of caring for ourselves will help others find ways to seek their own healing. If all we do is give of ourselves and never accept anything in return, eventually we run out of anything to give, and we can no longer help those we care about.
I did my Level One Reiki course in December 2009, and my Level Two course in February 2010. That year, I finished writing my first novel, the one which sold earlier this year and will be released in 2012. I am a stronger person now than I was before I started doing Reiki.
I'll leave off with the very simple, but powerful, guiding principles of Reiki:
Just for today I will not be angry
Just for today I will not worry
Just for today I will be grateful
Just for today I will do my work honestly
Just for today I will be kind to every living thing