Reiki is very often misunderstood by those who have not experienced it and quite often even by those who have been taught it.
I would like to start by making it clear that it isn’t something magical or something that is only possible for the very gifted or the few, it doesn’t have to be bestowed by a teacher or indeed unlocked in any way. It is possible for anyone, anywhere to do or offer Reiki. It is your inner power & it is present in each and everyone of us, it is most simply your very essence.
If we look at the term Reiki and its literal translation we see that “Rei” means Spirit (or boundless energy that all living things are made of, your life force or soul) and “ki” means Energy (Chi the life energy or bioplasmic energy). So simply put Reiki means “spiritual energy”. The essence of this is really the energy that vibrates in all things. If you look to the fields of science they tell us that even the smallest atoms have energy, they vibrate & move, they are not “static”. These tiny atoms are what makes up all things, so it stands to reason that everything is energy at its core.
For me Reiki can not be separated from life, it is at all times and in all places, in its purest form it is just “love” as simple as that. You may even have “given reiki” in the past without realising what you were doing or putting a label on it. Have you ever had an animal or friend/family member in need, perhaps you’ve held them and thought of them with love and wished that things would be better for them? Thats the beginnings of Reiki, with time and practice you are able to more strongly connect to and focus this intent of love but in its simplest form many of us probably do it in a rudimentary way without realising.
Over time and with practice you are able to focus and harness this intent and become more practiced at utilising and applying it in your everyday life. It is something that you can offer without fear of doing harm. It does take practice and that is where the value of seeking the help of an experienced practitioner is, as they will have practiced extensively and have honed their abilities. Seeking a teacher is also useful as they will help you to focus and increase your own abilities.
Those of us who use the system of Reiki should really be defined as practitioners and not “healers”. Reiki has a subtle aspect to it that is little understood by those professing to be healers or those seeking healing in the sense of a cure to a disease or illness. It’s important to make the distinction that healing does not necessarily mean a physical cure. Reiki can offer a spiritual rebalancing but a physical improvement may not be experienced. Trying to explain this further without becoming too spiritual, put simply it is not for the person offering Reiki to decide it is for the person or animal receiving the “energy” to do with it what they need, we can have no control over or influence on their souls chosen path in this life, we can only facilitate what they are able to accept and choose.
Reiki is not a magic spell or something you “give” to someone else it is about connection and balance at the most elemental levels of life and your own being. All you need is your intention to connect. It can be a profoundly life changing experience and with time and practice it will undoubtably deepen your connection with your animals and your awareness of your actions and intent on the world and those around you.
Doing Reiki can deepen your intuition and cause tremendous internal healing on all levels. It is also holistic: it can be used for physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual healing. As the nature of Reiki supports energetic balance and harmony, it always finds the origin of the problem (since all health problems are “dis-ease” or imbalance) and works for the highest good (rebalancing and clearing the energy “flow”).
Reiki is ideal for use with animals because it is gentle, noninvasive and doesn’t require physical contact. It doesn’t cause stress, discomfort, or pain, and yet yields powerful results. Animals respond intuitively to Reiki’s power to support the healing of emotional, behavioral, and physical illnesses and injuries.
For animals who are healthy, Reiki helps to maintain their health, enhances relaxation and provides an emotional sense of peace and contentment.
For animals who are ill, Reiki is a wonderful healing method as well as a safe complement to Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, homeopathy, flower essences, and all other forms of healing. For example, Reiki can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, support an acupuncture treatment, and complement the effects of flower essences.
For dying animals, Reiki is a powerful yet gentle way to provide comfort, relief from pain, fear, and anxiety, and to ease the transition to death. Reiki is also a wonderful way to support a dying animal’s family.
When offering Reiki to an animal it is important to allow them a choice as to whether they wish to receive it or partake in the session, they are allowed to say “no” and they can show this most readily by moving away from the reiki space you have created. This is best achieved by offering the session in an area where they have enough freedom of movement to move as they want and need. Sometimes a Reiki session can be quite dynamic in that they may move into and out of the space many times. Reiki can be given over any distance so you do not need to be physically in contact or touching the animal to have an effect or influence. It requires that you have no ego or attachment to the outcome, you can not “cure” as a practitioner you must learn to just let go and be.
In the words of Kathleen Prasad:
“Reiki is simply a spiritual practice (based upon ancient meditative techniques from Japan such as Shugendo, Tendai and Shinto). It focuses on meditation techniques which help to bring balance, calm and a sense of deep connectedness and open-heartedness with others–people, animals, and the world. When we realize this connectedness with others by finding the still point within ourselves, the automatic by-product is an overwhelming sense of wellbeing and compassion. It is this compassion which is the heart of Reiki. To be able to sit with our animals who may be suffering in this deep compassionate space is the most profound kind of healing we can ever offer to others or ever experience ourselves. True lasting healing is about peace of mind and heart, and this is what sharing Reiki with our animals (or people, or the world) is all about. What we see with our eyes and often hear in the modern world about Reiki being a hands-on healing for this and that ailment is only a surface perception of the deeper heart and mind healing which these spiritual practices bring about. This has been my personal experience as a Reiki Practitioner for 16 years and a two-time cancer survivor. Peaceful Mind, Peaceful Heart, Peaceful Animals.”
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