Reiki: A Path to Enlightenment

Summit Mt.Kurama

It was because of one Japanese man's urgent quest to discover how Jesus could lay on hands and heal people that "Reiki" was discovered.  

This man, Mikao Usui, would let nothing stop him in his pursuit to find the Truth about healing.  He searched for years, in Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist sacred texts.  But it wasn't until he had given up looking for the answer in books that he received inner guidance to make a pilgrimage to the summit of Mt.Kurama, fasting only on water.  Finally, after 28 days, sitting at the summit, his search bore fruit.  There his quest ended in his own 'enlightenment', and as a result, he found that he could heal others by laying hands on them.

Over 20 years ago, when I first learned Reiki, it was being taught as a path to healing the body, but as time went on, it became clear that the "healing" came from a leap in consciousness, and that the real healing was the realization of Truth.  

The Usui Reiki way of natural healing is like no other modality.   The classes are not so much interested in techniques, but rather are loose guidelines for the best placement of hands on the body, learning the sacred breath work and the Reiki principles.   The real core of the transmission of Reiki lies in the attunement process.  There are 3 levels of attunements.   Level 1 initiates the student to be able to flow the Reiki energy for physical healing via the opening of the top four chakras.  Level 2 initiates the student in the use of three Reiki symbols; for physical, emotional-mental, and long-distance healing. This second attunement results in a Reiki flow that is 4 times stronger than before, with a marked increase in the Kundalini energy.  Finally, Level 3 initiates the student with the last Reiki symbol.  This opens her to enlightenment and the empowerment of others.   

So many years ago, when Buddha searched and searched for enlightenment, he did everything he could, adopted every practice he could find.  Finally after years of struggle and finally getting sick, tired, and too weak to continue, he stopped searching. He sat down under the Bodhi tree and vowed not to get up until he had found the Truth.   After a reputed 49 days of meditation he is said to have attained enlightenment and became known as the "Awakened One".

This is, in essence, what happened to Mikao Usui.   His earnestness to discover the truth about healing guided him, until finally, completely surrendered and meditating at the summit of Mt. Kurama,  he realized the Truth.

Birthplace of Reiki,  Summit of Mt.Kurama


As a Reiki Master-Teacher, initiated on the big island of Hawaii 23 years ago, I can attest that the Reiki path IS indeed a path to enlightenment. On the Reiki path, you discover that you ARE Reiki... it is not separate from you!!

 That's why I urge all my students to take all levels of Reiki and complete all three initiations, thereby receiving all eleven attunements.  I feel it is so important to receive ALL that Mikao Usui received on Mt.Kurama.   In this way, you give yourself the best opportunity to realize the full TRUTH of your being!

  

The Magic of Reiki

How does long-distance Reiki work?

Reiki is pure non-dual energy.  This means it is not separate from you.  It is pure, whole, and of benefit in all situations.  Anyone that has ever received a Reiki session can attest to this.    

In sending Reiki to someone "at a distance" we use an ancient symbol called HonShZaShoNen.  It literally means:
"I bestow Truth upon you."   We are truly all connected.  We are ONE.  When people have this experience of "being One", we call that an "enlightenment" experience.  It is simply seeing the way things really are and have always been!

Reiki is a beautiful non-dual healing modality... it acknowledges that there is only ONE HEART.  In giving someone Reiki, we offer the energy of awakening to the Truth that they are Whole, Pure, and Goodness itself.  Therefore, this energy has a transforming and life-changing effect on the receiver.   

In Jesus' time, this kind of healing was called "laying on of hands".  It is unlike other "touch" modalities in that, to be a Reiki practitioner, one must be initiated into the Reiki lineage of enlightened masters.  Mikao Usui, a simple Japanese monk re-discovered this ancient art in the late 1800's.  He sought for most of his adult life to find out how the great masters could heal people.  It was in his own experience of enlightenment that the answers were given to him.  When he came down from his mountain-top satori, he was able to heal others with Reiki.  And since then, Reiki has travelled the globe and brought millions of people back into harmony.

It really matters not whether someone is suffering from a physical illness, mental imbalance, or emotional issues because the Reiki energy brings all the bodies into balance.  The human energy body is always rebalancing itself.  Reiki supplies the pure space of love and simply allows the bodies to come back into true balance.  

Reiki is completely in alignment with Divine Will... it flows with Great Mystery... it is the Tao itself.  It can never cause harm.   And so, it can be given at any time, any place for the greatest benefit.   

If you or someone you love is in need of healing, please consider giving this gift of healing.  You will be pleasantly surprised at how effective and comforting Reiki is. 

Reiki: The Space to Be

This morning I was cracking open some filberts for my squirrels and hit my left thumb in the process.  WOW.

A sudden and intense sensation arose.... ouch!

And automatically I held my left thumb in my right palm, "giving Reiki" to the pain.  

Then suddenly, there was intense heat, not only in that thumb, but through my entire body.  Next a very strong wave of nausea came...  and in fact sent me running into the bathroom, just in case.  But then that sensation of nausea lightened up and passed.   The heat continued and I walked outside into the cool morning air.  I squatted down on the grass, looking at all the beautiful clover.  The heat was cooling down. Then suddenly I "saw" how the Reiki works.  

As I continued giving Reiki, I saw that what the Reiki does is give space.  It surrounds and fills the injury/pain with pure space.  It is the space of love.  

The 'injury-pain' is simply a sensation,  and by giving it Reiki,  it is filled with the space to be. And because it is allowed to be as it is, it then gently flows out and dissolves into the space which it is.  Reiki is the space which allows all to be.

And I AM the space which allows all to be...

I AM REIKI!

Animals LOVE Reiki!

Miss Toofie receiving Reiki

One of the most awesome blessings of practicing Reiki is the ability to share it with our dear animal friends!   To give Reiki to a suffering pet indoors or even an animal that lives outdoors is so effective... I think even more effective than giving Reiki to people.

For one thing, people have all kinds of questions and considerations about Reiki. For example, "will it work?", "how does it work?", "what if I don't believe in it?", etc.  On the other hand, when I give Reiki to an injured squirrel, s/he just receives it and the results show up very quickly!

Not long ago, I received a baby squirrel that had been found in the back of a storeroom behind an Austin  business (Mango Money Center).  The little squirrel had been nesting in the storeroom and apparently, a predator got in there and killed it's siblings and mother. (Her two sisters were found half eaten.) This poor thing was starving and did her best to survive for who knows how long!  When I got her home, I tried feeding her some fluids, but she seemed to have one foot in the other world... one minute she was present and the next minute, she seemed to be far away.  

Mango,  barely alive.

I then laid her on my heart and administered Reiki healing. I said the Reiki prayer and then sang love songs to her as I kept giving her the much needed life force energy!  After about an hour, I laid her in some soft bedding with a peeled grape at her side... just in case she came around.

When I got back from running an errand, to my utter astonishment, Mango had started eating the grape and even more amazing was the fact that she was totally back inhabiting her body again!  When an animal is so far gone, it is unlikely that food alone will let them survive.  There has to be the will to live!.. that means there has to be enough life force energy for life to continue!   From that day on, Mango has just gotten more and more healthy!

Mango with a new lease on life!

The great thing about Reiki is that it can be used at any time, at any place, and on anyone.  Reiki is simply Divine Grace/Universal Life Force energy and is whole, not dual. Therefore it is always safe and cannot do any harm!  Do you know of an animal you would like to treat? Maybe it's time for you to open yourself the the best health insurance available- REIKI!!!

Telling the Truth

    
   "Just for today, I will do my work honestly"

 What does this mean exactly?   

     To do one's work honestly requires that one is honest with himself.   It means you are not afraid to tell the truth about yourself.   When you can really look at yourself and accept everything about yourself,  then you are in a great position to take that integrity into the workplace.    When you have inner integrity,  you are authentic.   When you are authentic,  you are not afraid to tell the truth, no matter who is listening to you, regardless of the circumstances.     Only then is it possible to make a real contribution  to the world.   

     Here is an awesome video of Mooji talking about integrity:

     Another popular teacher, Jeff Foster, talks about the longing for truth.   He says, "Nothing has to change, but the focus, the remembering...  honoring what's here and not focusing on what's not here."

    

Love comes with a knife, 

not some shy question, and not

with fears for its reputation!

                                                ~Rumi

What is Anger?

Just for today, I will not anger.

This is probably the most difficult Reiki principle to integrate.

But once ANGER is understood for what it really is, mastery of this principle becomes effortless.

Anger is simply a movement of energy. All the emotions, anger, sadness, fear, anxiety, etc., simply lose their potency when we just experience the feeling without attaching a label to what we are feeling.  Our lifelong habit of describing every little thing and analyzing every feeling and sensation that occurs has made us victims of our own descriptions!

Next time a situation arises and you feel the emotion you call anger, let yourself feel the sensation and just let it be.  Allow it to live. You will find that it is self releasing.  It arose out of nothing and dissolves back into nothing.

It's best to disengage from your story of the hows and whys of the anger.  Embellishing the description of the circumstances, whatever they are, will only fan the flames.

Forget the story! Who are you without that story?

No one has ever been angry at another human being - we're only angry at our story of them.

                                      ~ Byron Katie

Another useful way to look at anger is that it is simply a point of view.  When it appears, instead of focussing on it, relax your perception and focus on the entire view. Just rest in the space that includes all points of view.  Then that measley little point of view is not such a big deal!  And pretty soon, when anger comes, it is seen as a friend.  It's just a little temple bell that lets us know we are not seeing clearly!  

Candice O'Denver reminds us that none of the afflictive states we experience have an independent nature. In other words, anger has no substance to it.  It's like a breeze blowing. You can't separate the breeze from the air in which it occurs.  Similarly, anger is nothing but an ephemeral feeling and will soon disappear all on its own.  Watch this beautiful video: 

Clarity as Affliction - 4.9.11 from Balanced View Candice on Vimeo.


Here is an awesome quote from The Revelation of Oneness by Jeff Foster: 
      "Really, I cannot feel "your" anger. Because your anger isn't yours. My anger isn't mine.  There is no "mine" and "yours".  Just the isness.  Just what is.  Just the energy of it.  And the mind comes in and calls it "yours" or "mine", and weaves a tale around that.  What you are experiencing, what you did to me, what I'll do to you, and so on.  That's the story of anger.  That's the story of separation.

In reality, there's just anger arising, and it's already arising for no one.  It's arising in emptiness.  And in the absence of the person trying to manipulate it, it just burns up in its own time.

And what's more astonishing:  it's seen that anger really isn't anger at all.  Really, it has no name.  It's just energy.  And it's fully there and it's not there.  This is a place the mind could never, ever go.  The mind has no hope of understanding this."

                                    

"If you are irritated by every rub,

how will your mirror be polished?"

                                                      ~ Rumi

No Worries!

Little squirrel takes a leap of faith!


Just for today, I will let go of worry.

I love this Reiki principle.  There is a beautiful stone structure in the Yucatan. It is a carving of a double-headed jaguar.  The Mayan shaman was telling us that one head faces the past and the other head faces the future.  It is only when you are sitting on the seat between the two heads...  sitting in the present moment, that peace is possible!  And when you are enjoying the moment,  worry cannot happen!  So simple!

Double Headed Jaguar at Uxmal

The only way it's possible to take a leap of faith is to be grounded in the moment, fully present in the NOW!  Just like the flying squirrel!  Mooji talks about resting in the now...... enjoy!

I Will Be Kind to Every Living Thing

Perhaps the only thing to remember is kindness.  No matter what happens then, there will always be a peaceful contentment!

Every living thing is part of the ONE HEART!  There is no one outside of this love.... everyone is included!  

We all have a kind nature.  That is why when we act harshly toward a person or animal, we feel badly.  We think we feel bad because of something they did to us, but the truth is that we only feel badly from acting against our true essence.

To be kind to our neighbors and every living thing is to be kind to ourselves!  The Reiki energy is whole, not dual and little by little it teaches us that there is "not two".  The other person IS our self!  So let us be kind to ourselves by respecting all our relations!

Here is a beautiful prayer that I have said at many gatherings:

Blessing the Earth With Lovingkindness

From the Heart of God,

Let the entire earth be blessed with lovingkindness.

Let the entire earth be blessed with great joy, happiness and divine peace.

Let the entire earth be blessed with understanding, harmony, good will and will to good. So be it!

From the Heart of God, 

Let the hearts of all sentient beings be filled with divine love and kindness.

Let the hearts of all sentient beings be filled with great joy, happiness and divine peace.

Let the hearts of all sentient beings be filled with understanding, harmony, good will and will-to-good. With thanks, so be it!

Blessed are the squirrels, for they shall inherit the earth!


Practice Random Acts of Kindness!

Give Thanks For Your Many Blessings!

When Mikao Usui first became enlightened,

 he wanted to share Reiki with everyone! 

Mikao went to a community of beggars 

and gave and gave and gave.

The beggars got well, 

but didn't want to be of benefit to the world.

They just wanted to take and take and take. 

 When Mikao realized this, he felt like a failure.

 He went back to the monastery

 to withdraw from the world 

and ask for guidance.

In deep meditation,

 we was given the Five Reiki Principles!

Mikao learned that for a healing to be sustained, 

there has to be a shift in consciousness. 

 The Reiki principles are the way to maintain wellness! These principles are the way 

to live in heaven! 

By following these principles we end the war within.

In the following audio of Byron Katie,

 listen to her speak on ending war! 

JUST FOR TODAY, I WILL GIVE THANKS FOR MY MANY BLESSINGS!

The Tetragrammaton of the Human Heart

When an artist mixes the colors blue and golden yellow, he gets green.  However, according to Goethe's theory of color, mixing light has a different result. If you take a piece of blue glass, place a piece of golden yellow glass in front of it, and then shine a flashlight through both, what you will see will amaze you! You will see red light! What significance does this have?

The illuminations of light that humanity has received since the end of the 19th century would suggest an awesome prophecy that is about to be fulfilled! Because humanity has received the blue light of Reiki, and then the golden yellow light of Deeksha, what we are now poised to realize is our Christhood! The intensification of the Red ray (adding more light) is the Pink light of unconditional love.

The Tetragrammaton, or four-lettered Name of God, is here arranged as a tetractys within the inverted human heart. Beneath, the name Jehovah is shown transformed into Jehoshua by the interpolation of the radiant Hebrew letter סה, Shin. The drawing as a whole represents the throne of God and His hierarchies within the heart of man. 

The Tetragrammaton of the Human Heart was written about by Jacob Boehme (1575-1624) in his Libri Apologetici.  He says, "For we men have one book in common which points to God.  Each has it within himself, which is the priceles Name of God. It's letters are the flames of His love, which He out of His heart has revealed in us. Read these letters in your hearts and spirits and you have books enough.  All the writings of the children of God direct you unto that one book, for therein lie all the treasures of wisdom.*** This book is Christ in you."

We are the ones we've been waiting for! The whole planet is ripe for this ultimate awakening... 

waking from the illusion of separation!

There is only ONE....  

Listen to Candice O'Denver as she talks about 

what love is in this talk called

"Perfect Love"