Reiki

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Reiki is a Japanese form of healing that is becoming increasingly popular in this country. This healing system contains elements of just about every other alternative healing practice under the sun-spiritual healing, auras, crystals, chakra balancing, meditation, aromatherapy, naturopathy, and homeopathy.

The word reiki translates as 'universal life energy', and like the preceding trio of therapies, it deals with forces that are not immediately intelligible to the human senses. The essence of reiki energy is love, 'an all-embracing divine vibration'.

Reiki energy has several basic effects: it brings about deep relaxation; destroys energy blockages; detoxifies the system; provides new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy; and increases the vibrational frequency of the body.

The laying on of hands is used in reiki therapy, as in spiritual healing when a healer, or a person strong with life energy, places his or her hands just above a particular part of the recipient's body in order to release energy into it. The difference between reiki and spiritual healing is that, rather than the healing sending out energy, the recipient draws it in. In this way the individual takes responsibility for his or her own healing, identifying specific needs and catering to them.

The implementation of reiki therapy is a fairly ritualized affair. Before beginning treatment and after removing jewellery and washing the hands, the healer will perform an invocation in prayer form as a gesture of respect towards the person to whom the reiki energy will be channelled. The reiki therapist focuses on and centres his or her own life force energy before moving on to the next ritual.

The next ritual is the smoothing out of the aura, which the therapist does with the right hand while placing the left hand on his or her abdomen. The healer strokes down the middle of the body in a fluid motion, with the hand held around twenty centimetres from the recipient's body. This can be repeated several times. This ritual establishes contact between the two people's energy fields and prepares the client for healing.

There are specific hand positions involved in reiki treatment, all of which have a particular significance to different parts of the body and different energy centres. It is not necessary to employ the exact positioning, as reiki energy can be drawn into any part of the body.

The first basic position is with the hands on the front of the head, covering forehead and eyes. This positioning relieves chronic diseases of every type, as well as combating stress, fatigue, allergies, weakness of will and discontentment.

When the hands are placed on the back of the head, the client can obtain relief from colds, headaches, eye problems, asthma and nausea.

The positioning of the hands on the body are numerous and can relieve all manner of ailments, from diabetes and indigestion to depression and fear of heights.

There are also several special positions that are used in the treatment of specific illnesses, such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis and heart disease.

Reiki can also be used in conjunction with the chakras (see Crystal healing). In this case the hands are held above a chakra that requires unblocking, and energy is absorbed into the invisible vortex, dissolving the blockage. How's that for psychic plumbing!

Meditation forms an important part of reiki, as it encourages the individual to cease resisting and allow life and energy to flow along their chosen course. A simple meditation exercise to help you to focus on the energy within the body and the true self is to sit on the floor with your legs drawn up, soles of the feet pressed together, and hands held, palms together, at the level of the heart. It is believed that in this position the circuit of energy around the body is complete, and the chakras are aligned and open. Concentrating on this energy flow will help you to reach a state of heightened awareness.

Reiki's healing of physical disorders is only a small part of its spiritual possibilities. Accepting reiki energy enables people to live more consciously and to develop their capacity for life and love.