Interview with Frans Steine

1. Frans, can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background with Reiki, who you trained with and what service you provide now?

I started practicing and teaching the system of Reiki more then 15 years ago as a full time practitioner and teacher. My wife, Bronwen, and I ran a Reiki Centre in Darjeeling, India for a year. We used to do lots of volunteer treatments and classes for the local community there. Now we run the International House of Reiki from Sydney, Australia, while teaching regularly in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia as well. We also run numerous Reiki Retreats throughout the year in different countries.

Interestingly, one of our main areas of expertise has become teaching existing Reiki teachers who want to take their practice a step deeper and who would like to understand the system of Reiki as a spiritual practice. We not only teach people in groups but also one on one, plus I still do many hands on healing sessions on clients world-wide. One of the other elements we find very important at the International House of Reiki is guiding students deeper and deeper into their practice, long after they have taken their courses, as in reality this is a life long practice and commitment. For this we have created the Ki Campus, which includes online further education programs for our students.

Our first training was in a Western style of the system, but we felt we needed to understand the system of Reiki from a more traditional view point. I went on to train with Japanese teachers like Hyakuten Inamoto and Hiroshi Doi. In 2012, I also spent a week long training with a Japanese Ajari (Priest) in a small monastery in Japan.

I feel I need to keep developing myself as a teacher, going deeper, so that I can help my students to go deeper. This will never stop and is a life long journey. Even though I trained with esteemed teachers such as Hyakuten Inamoto and Hirsohi Doi, at the International House of Reiki we do not teach their specific style of teachings. The International House of Reiki has focused more on researching and practicing the spiritual aspects of the teachings of Mikao Usui. Our research into this area has resulted in Bronwen writing a number of research and experiential books including The Reiki Sourcebook and The Japanese Art of Reiki.

2. How would you interpret the word 'Reiki'?

The word Reiki is used in two different ways within the system of Reiki. There is 'Reiki', which means our true self, and there is the 'system of Reiki'. This means that when we practice the system of Reiki we begin to re-discover our true self. The system of Reiki was created by a Japanese monk, Mikao Usui, in the late 1800's beginning 1900's. It includes five specific elements which help you to re-discover your true self. They are: meditations, mantras and symbols, hands on healing on yourself and others, precepts, and reiju//initiation/attunement. Mikao Usui created the system of Reiki to make the esoteric Japanese spiritual practices more easily accessible for the secular community.

3. What do you think is happening in a Reiki session?

This depends completely on the teacher and client. If the teacher's mind is in the right state and the client's mind is in the right state then a huge shift could take place; the client might get an initial experience of his or her true self/Reiki. For me, the most profound hands on healing session would be if the teacher can completely let go of the "I", becoming the perfect vehicle for the universe to move through. However the client also needs to be an active
participant, if the client also can let go of the "I" then we have the perfect communion taking place.

Some teachers say, "How can we really know what happens in a hands on healing session or reiju?". Yes, this is partly true, but…if we do not
know, how can we instruct our students to become the best vehicles possible? When a student asks what happens in a hands on healing
session or reiju, what do you say? "I do not know?" Of course not, you need to give them a philosophy so that they have a framework to work
within, otherwise we become "Do not know" practitioners and teachers.

4. What do you think is happening, at a basic level, in a Reiki attunement/initiation/reiju?

This is the same as the previous answer. At the deepest level there is no difference between a Reiju and a hands on healing session. Reiju is a spiritual blessing, it creates a possibility for students to have an initial experience of their true self/Reiki. But to be able to facilitate this the teacher also needs to have this experience of his or her true self/Reiki!

This is also why Mrs Takata called the ritual an initiation instead of an attunement. The student will have an initial experience and after this, he or she can water this initial experience by applying the rest of the teachings; meditating on the precepts, meditating on the symbols and mantras, practicing the meditations like Joshin Kokyu Ho, hands on healing on themselves, and receiving more reiju. This will help to bring the initial experience to fruition. However to be able to facilitate this the teacher must have had a direct experience of his or her true self/Reiki.

5. Do you think Reiki can be used to help situations and inanimate objects as well as living things?

We could say that Reiki = true self = the universe = everything. This means that if we can tap into our true self then we are not
overwhelmed by any situation. In Japanese this is often called Fudoshin, meaning immovable, where we are not carried away by any
circumstances enabling us to act clearly and with precision. If we become carried away by our emotions the we do not have the clarity and wisdom to
handle each situation.

Each person needs to do this for him or herself, and this means applying the system of Reiki. If we rely on a practitioner to do it for us, we give our innate power away. The practitioner can support us, but in the end it is only ourselves who can find inner happiness.

We can also use the system of Reiki for animals/trees/plants - you name it! Everything is energy! Yet the outcome depends on so many different factors, which means it is hard to define.

6. Reiki is now becoming popular within the medical system. What role do you believe Reiki plays in the traditional medical system?

I think that is really only hands on healing that is becoming popular within the medical system. We mustn't forget that the system of Reiki also teaches many mindfulness practices like meditations, meditating on the symbols/mantras etc. I think that if we begin to incorporate the whole system within the hospital setting, not just one aspect like hands on healing, we will get a much more positive and healthier relationship between the system of Reiki and
the modern medical system.

7. Distant Reiki and permission has always been a topic with many pros & cons what's your view on this given natural disasters, such as the
earthquake in Haiti and Chile?

Do I have to ask someone permission to smile at them? Do I have to ask someone permission to be kind to them? Of course not. I think this is one
of the most misunderstood elements within Okuden Level II. The sun shines and doesn't ask for permission, however people take from the sun whatever they need - some might stand naked in the sun, others half clothed, while others want to stand in the shade and some may even want to stay
inside - each person takes whatever he or she needs.

Therefore if we have the right intent there is no need to ask for permission. This intent is very important and needs to be taught within Shoden level I already. This intent is: that my person/client/friend receives whatever they need. Most of the time we make judgements - my client needs this or that - but who are we to judge? We need to be like the sun, the sun doesn't judge, it just shines. This is all we need do: shine like the great bright light (symbolized by the Shinpiden level III symbol and mantra) and our client/friend/partner takes whatever they need.

8. Many Reiki practitioners say you can go back into the past and heal it. What's your take on this issue?

By focusing on the past we lose the present moment. The precepts within the system of Reiki are telling us to be in the present moment.
Don't worry about the past. When we heal ourselves in the present moment we automatically heal the past and future.

9. Have you had any notable experiences concerning Reiki that you
could tell us about?

My notable experiences are mine, no need to share them.

[b]10. Can you describe your relationship with Reiki, and how it's affected you?

I see Reiki as my hobby, life, work, all in one.

11. Do you feel that Reiki needs standard guidelines across the board for practitioners to obtain certification?

The most important element is that the practitioner/teacher applies the system of Reiki for him or herself. This helps them to become the precepts, which in turn makes them the most balanced Reiki practitioner/teacher they can be. How can you help others if you can't help yourself? Guidelines are intellectual, they can help for sure but the most important element is the direct experience. Only then can the practitioner/teacher come from the heart of the system of Reiki.

We have created the Shibumi International Reiki Association (shibumireiki.org) to educate the public about Japanese forms of the system of Reiki. Shibumi members adhere to quality practitioner and teacher standards and promote themselves and their services through the site.

12. Is there anything that I/we have not asked that you find is
important when talking about Reiki?

What is most important is that we start to realize that the system of Reiki is a spiritual practice. The system has so much more to offer. I know that many teachers say that the system of Reiki is a spiritual practice, yet they still only teach the hands on healing element. Yes, this is great, but there is so much more. It is like yoga, there is much more to it than the physical assanas. There is also pranayama, pratyahara, yama, etc.

13. What are your hopes & aspirations for the future of Reiki?

My hope is that we all might rediscover our true self/Reiki.

I had an Aha! Moment while reading about distant Reiki.

If I Am Reiki while I am sending distant Reiki, then I Am as the Sun, the Great Shining Light, and I can see what is before me. This explains why I can see the situation my client finds themselves in at that time. Thank you!

Frans and Bronwen are among the rare teachers who actually "get it". I have a deep and profound amount of respect for the work that they do, and how they are helping others change their lives for the better.

Thank you for sharing!
That was a nice read.

I can tell from his answers that he's growing spiritually as well and that he now has a deeper understanding of spirituality than a few years ago.
It is great to see such development.

Pandora wrote:If I Am Reiki while I am sending distant Reiki, then I Am as the Sun, the Great Shining Light, and I can see what is before me. This explains why I can see the situation my client finds themselves in at that time. Thank you!

When you truly -are- Reiki there is..

.. no "I" or "me"
.. no distance
.. no "sending"
.. no separation (between "you" and "client", for instance)

Of course, that's just my experience and my view.
Others may think differently, but in my experience there is no "I" in "being Reiki".

Also, when you are like the sun.. that radiant source of Light, there is no need for sending anything. You just shine, you -are-. The sun has no need of shining, it simply is.
(Again, others may think differently.)

*Gasshō*
Frank