Reiki Is Not a Word.......

It's healthy to always be prepared to change ones mind!

and thanks Bridget.....it doesn;t take much for me to lose the plot on message boards..

Shakti ~ Rising wrote:

it doesn;t take much for me to lose the plot on message boards..

well you've come to the right place then, you're like myself to most of the others, hehe!

i've made you look like a mad-woman for quoting you outta context! I know you'll see the funny side!

And this brings me to my most deeply held belief about Reiki.

Reiki found me as I was in 2004: Western, vaguely Christian with an interest in spirituality/spiritualism and other religions and cultures: middle-aged, ill, rock chick and all that that brings with it. Yet it still found me.

I am convinced that we do not need to try and get back to how Usui taught, what he taught, where he got it from, in order to be a Reiki practitioner. I am not Japanese, nor do I live at the turn of the last century, nor am I a man. As such, much of Usui's original teachings can not relate to me. However, Reiki - the healing gift - is entirely relevant to every being on the planet. "Reiki on" are the two easiest and most profound words I know.

Of course, as a teacher, it's nice to know and have an appreciation for the original Japanese cultural aspects, but they are not mine, and I don't see why they should become mine just because I am practising an energy therapy. I am on my own spiritual path which Reiki facilitates. My practise is different to Vijay's, for example: he has the Indian flavour to his Reiki, and I have a Western flavour to mine. And that's wonderful because we can all learn from that! Reiki enhances what we already have. We should not be prepared to ditch what we have because of Reiki, but to more fully embrace who we are. Reiki helps us do that. (see Colin's poem)

I suppose what I'm saying is not to mourn the loss in translation and culture, but to embrace it and configure Reiki for our culture.

Pandora wrote:And this brings me to my most deeply held belief about Reiki.

Reiki found me as I was in 2004: Western, vaguely Christian with an interest in spirituality/spiritualism and other religions and cultures: middle-aged, ill, rock chick and all that that brings with it. Yet it still found me.

I am convinced that we do not need to try and get back to how Usui taught, what he taught, where he got it from, in order to be a Reiki practitioner. I am not Japanese, nor do I live at the turn of the last century, nor am I a man. As such, much of Usui's original teachings can not relate to me. However, Reiki - the healing gift - is entirely relevant to every being on the planet. "Reiki on" are the two easiest and most profound words I know.

Of course, as a teacher, it's nice to know and have an appreciation for the original Japanese cultural aspects, but they are not mine, and I don't see why they should become mine just because I am practising an energy therapy. I am on my own spiritual path which Reiki facilitates. My practise is different to Vijay's, for example: he has the Indian flavour to his Reiki, and I have a Western flavour to mine. And that's wonderful because we can all learn from that! Reiki enhances what we already have. We should not be prepared to ditch what we have because of Reiki, but to more fully embrace who we are. Reiki helps us do that. (see Colin's poem)

I suppose what I'm saying is not to mourn the loss in translation and culture, but to embrace it and configure Reiki for our culture.

Everyone's culture starts with the basic's of Usui's Reiki system.
If we look at how Takata taught even if we don't agree with her
methods, she did seem to teach with an individualized style. I know
that each time I work with a client the Reiki session is not the same
as the client before nor will it be the same as the clients to follow.
I still follow a routine of the hand positions but its the client that
directs their energy to where their blockage may be or to keep the
blockage from occurring depending on what place in life the client is.

"Reiki on" and "embracing who we are" sounds good to me.

Pandora wrote:
I am convinced that we do not need to try and get back to how Usui taught, what he taught, where he got it from, in order to be a Reiki practitioner.

Of course Chris, as we're all Reiki practitioners already, hehe, .

Pandora wrote:
I am not Japanese, nor do I live at the turn of the last century, nor am I a man. As such, much of Usui's original teachings can not relate to me.

Yet you do use Japanese phrases to describe it, an initiation based on esoteric Japanese spiritual practices, symbols from within Japanese spirituality & language?

that's a bit of a weird thing to say, about Usui sensei being a man. what's that got to do with anything?

Notwithstanding, surely one must first know Usui sensei's original teachings, before they can decide whether they relate to themselves, ro not?

chi_solas wrote:
If we look at how Takata taught even if we don't agree with her
methods, she did seem to teach with an individualized style.

What methods do 'we' not agree with?

Take care
Wayne

Didn't you mention once you were a teacher? Ever teach slightly different to different kids needs?

Perhaps, what may be took into account, is that over some 50 years of teachings Reiki, Takata sensei's ciews developed. As does all our views?

Or, the memory, over years of ehr Master students, actually also 'recorded things different, including any notes taking in class?

I most certainly did teach "individual". I was not a traditional teacher.
I was an alternative teacher. I can give you some details later when I have
time.

My self healing was also Alternative

ahh, hehe, ok. I took that out of my post, you got it nonetheless.

i'd edited it to ask just what was disagreed with with Takata sensei.

Milarepa wrote:Trying to get folks to think, applaud that! Even being a little provacative! Hehe, like that also!

Hi, Wayne,

If that's what Miles was trying to do, then maybe it would have been amusing. The irony is that although she says an understanding of Japanese language and culture is needed to understand reiki, she doesn't have such an understanding. This is strikingly exemplified by her assertion that "there are no Japanese words."

So Miles is saying that other people don't really understand reiki because they don't understand Japanese language and culture. But Miles obviously doesn't understand Japanese language and culture. Her blog entry therefore seems like an exercise in hypocrisy.

Bruce

I gotta agree with your quote Bruce. If going to say anything at all, best it something that one knows about!