21 Questions

A wonderful student I had recently sent me a long list of questions the other day that reminded me so much of myself when I began seriously delving into Reiki.

My second career as a writer has conditioned me to ask tons of questions. Before I go into an interview now, I don't even need to prepare a list of things to ask. With all my years of reporting experience, I can go in cold and use my intuitive abilities to make people comfortable and find out all I need to know to write informative articles (whether it's for a personality profile about their life/career or a technically oriented story about their work/research).

As a news writer, I must always learn the "who, what, when, where, why, and how" of a subject. I've developed such an inquisitive nature, that I like to find those answers concerning whatever situation I'm in, whether professional or personal.

So I'm patient with people who ask lots of questions about a healing art like Reiki, which has so many mysteries. Reiki is unquestionably real, but science has not evolved to the point of mapping out all the intricacies of the human energy field and the sea of energy surrounding us.

Many times, overly analytic types have to learn to let go of their questions about the many possibilities and just let the Reiki energy take care of business.

By definition, Reiki energy is spiritually guided to flow where it needs to go to meet a person's healing needs. The God consciousness "Rei" directs the life-force "ki" to clear areas of blockage in the energy field.

The best approach Reiki practitioners can take is to get their egos out of the way as much as possible and simply intend to be a clear, open channel for the energy. I like to think of it like this: I'm just the straw that someone's body is drinking Reiki through.

If a part of the body needs a lot of energy, that area will gulp Reiki rapidly through me, taking what it needs. The beauty about Reiki is that clients aren't depleting my energy. I get a healing, too, in the process because the energy they're pulling must first pass through me.

Over time, Reiki practitioners develop sensitivities about which parts of the body seem to need more energy than others. Also, their intuition grows about what areas to work on and for how long.

Still, there are many times when I'm not sure what I'm feeling, when I'm receiving no particular guidance about what's going on with a person. At those times, I just remind myself to relax and let Reiki do its thing.

If I worry too much about being "psychic," I'm just getting in the way. All I need to know will be revealed to me at the right time. I'm sure there's some stuff about clients that's just none of my business.

My Master teacher taught me three points that I always emphasize to my students:

* Reiki never causes harm.
* Virtually anyone can learn how to channel it.
* And you really can't mess it up.

Many of the questions I get about Reiki stem from students reading dubious sources which rigidly insist that certain steps always be performed a certain way or someone's head might blow up -- or some crazy nonsense like that. I've heard some doozies.

Certainly, there are healing practices that actually could cause damage if someone weren't careful (chiropractic work or deep-tissue massage, for instance). But Reiki truly never causes harm.

It's safe even in the hands of a novice because if one part of the body has taken enough energy, Reiki will simply flow somewhere else where it's needed more. There's no danger of overloading the body. Healing is an endless process, so there's always more work to do on some level (mind, body, or spirit).

I think the idea that Reiki is something almost anyone can perform is an affront to some people's egos. For them to feel really good about themselves as healers, they have to think that there are others out there really botching the job.

My belief is that Reiki is something we're all worthy of connecting to and channeling for the benefit of the world. I try to bolster my students' confidence enough so that they never question that.