Reiki and Me

Lately, Reiki keeps coming up in many unexpected places. This has given me pause for thought. With the assistance of Reiki healing energy, I extracted myself from a very bad relationship, quit smoking, and found self-confidence. However, it has been seventeen years since my very first Reiki treatment, my life is vastly difference than it was then, and I haven’t thought to include it in my daily life in a very long time.

In 2000, when I moved home from Georgia, I visited a New Age shop that was advertising a “Reiki circle” that night. Never having heard of this “reiki” and in need a serious change from my current situation, I attended.

When I arrived, I was offered a nice cup of hot tea and invited to sit down and relax. The owner of the shop soon joined us and the “Reiki circle” began. As she welcomed us, the group fell silent and a sense of calm relaxation fell across us. There were several volunteers standing just outside the circle ready to provide a free Reiki treatment. The owner explained a little about Reiki’s history, that it is a non-invasive healing modality that came to the United States from Japan, and that you didn’t have to believe in it to feel any effects. She just asked us all the be open to whatever experiences arose. Then someone started playing soft flute music, the lights dimmed and the volunteers laid their hands gently upon each person’s shoulders. We all closed our eyes and let the next hour unfold.

At the end of that first Reiki treatment, I felt something inside had shifted. I was no longer the same person who first walked in 90 minutes or so beforehand. Although I could not pinpoint what had changed and I knew there was a long road ahead of me, I knew I was no longer the poor victim of circumstance I thought I had been. I had a new control over myself. Perhaps it had always been there, lying dormant awaiting my own self-realization. That didn’t matter. What mattered was I was different; I had forever changed.

Seventeen years ago, I remember my friends and I talking about “when Reiki becomes more mainstream.” It is certainly not mainstream yet, but it is closer than ever. Now that I hear Reiki pop up in conversations with the most unlikely people, I begin to lay my hands again and set my intention for the “highest and best, better than anyone ever imagined.” After all, I am a Reiki Master Teacher and the world needs healing.