with Eileen Smith 8th Generation Usui/Tibetan Reiki Master.

Students learn the Usui System of Reiki Healing, are attuned to the channels and connection to the Reiki energy and Universal Life Force Energy.

Students also learn how to apply it to healing the self and to others.

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Animal Reiki -May 09

Dowsing, Divining and Removing Energy Blocks with the Pendulum- May 16th

Fairies Are Real! How to Connect with Them -May 2nd

Reiki – Blue Light Special – Beware

By Karla Lee LaVoie, FAMI, RMT

The time is fast approaching when Reiki (universal life energy) will take its next huge step, expanding more fully into our mainstream world. Already it has shown up in a syndicated cartoon, surely a sign of the times. Because of this impending leap and the compromising of Reiki training, a number of Reiki practitioners and Masters involved in both my course of study and other programs have suggested I write this article.

In the late 1800s, a holy man, Dr. Mikao Usui, dedicated his life to bringing back the ancient gift of hands-on healing to our earth. Usui had been on a white-hot passionate search, for he knew it had been here in the past, certainly with Jesus, and with the Buddha as well. In his pursuit he studied many major religions and languages in order to decipher ancient holy texts. After years of study and travel, Usui found the symbology and wisdom of Reiki in an ancient Sanskrit document that had been written by a disciple of the Buddha. Although he had found the knowledge of how Buddha healed, something was still missing; he lacked the power. Dr. Usui longed for a direct connection with the Divine. He was not to be disappointed.

On the 21st day of a meditative retreat at Mount Kuriyama in Japan, where he fasted, meditated, and sang, he called out to God. Standing at the top of the sacred mountain, he prayed, “Father, please show me the light.” With that, a brilliant light descended upon him, bringing great truth and wisdom, and while in a transcendent state of consciousness, Usui was initiated into the powerful energy of Reiki. He had rediscovered the 2,500-year-old key to the healing powers of Buddha and Jesus. In that numinous state he heard, never let this die. His enlightening experience marks the beginning of the Usui System of Reiki.

Later, along with Dr. Hyashi, his successor, Usui developed the levels and training for Reiki. Hawayo Takata then brought it to the United States, initiating many into the Reiki flow before her death in 1980. There were splits within the group of healers after Takata died. Reiki became known as Traditional Usui, Real Reiki, and Radiance Technique. The division has continued over the last 25 years with the birth of new terms and studies, such as White Light Reiki, Karuna, Temple, and Shambala, just to name a few. All of this started with one man’s dedication and fervent search.

So who has the real Reiki? I believe we all do. We all have the ability to pass on this sacred energy, to be a healing force for another. However, I and many others believe it is vital to follow some traditional standards, to become as clear as possible as channels for this universal life force, most especially at the Master training level. In the beginning, a comprehensive study, an apprenticeship, existed, but in many systems today the training has changed. In their book *A Complete Book of Reiki Healing, Brigitte Müller and Horst H. Günther warn us, “In the last years, a lot of people participated in Reiki crash courses, or just one or two weekends of training, without following the traditional way of learning Reiki. The practice of Reiki has been diluted and abused.”

A few years ago, a teacher came to town and taught Level One, Two and Master in a weekend for a bargain price. We called it blue light special, or five and dime Reiki. Many showed up at my door to retrain. You truly get what you pay for. What needs to occur for us to call ourselves a Master at what we do? Can a weekend do it, or – worse yet – a day? And even far worse than that, a distant initiation over cyberspace? How would the holy man on the mountain feel about that? The fact that we capitalize the words Reiki Master might give us a clue about the importance of the preparation.

For those seeking to train in Reiki, what do you look for in a Master teacher? Here are some questions that you can ask: What is the Master’s lineage? How long have they been working with Reiki and how long have they been teaching? Are they following the principles and fundamentals of the training they received? Do they respect other disciplines and teachers? What are their requirements, especially for the Master level? Can they offer a support group and opportunities for volunteering Reiki in the community? It is so important to choose your teachers wisely.

Based on extensive research into my own Reiki lineage and that of other competent programs, the following guidelines have been developed for a Master candidate: Reiki practice for one full year after Level Two. Numerous documented practice sessions, a case study, reading requirements, mastery of the symbols and attunements, self-healing sessions, teacher consultations, and supervisions. The Master apprenticeship is personalized for each student based on his or her needs and goals, and culminates in a weekend program and graduation. Master candidates with a strong desire to teach complete a community service project and specialized requirements.

Masters who have completed a comprehensive training have brought this great healing modality into the mainstream. Because of their community projects, Reiki can now be found in hospitals, nursing homes, doctors' offices, birthing centers, and even animal shelters. Due to the fine efforts of Reiki Master Hilda McCoy, a statewide hospice organization now has 100 holistic volunteers who are helping those dying at home and those confined in nursing homes. This trend is finding its way into local hospices as well. What a gift for those passing on. I am sure that Dr. Usui would be very pleased.
Reiki Masters, what do you want to create? What do you want to send out into the world? We have already made great strides, and this will expand even more in the years to come. Do you want to feel confident that the one you have trained is solid and completely prepared to carry on the sacred initiation and tradition that Dr. Usui created for us a long time ago? Crash courses and shortcuts are not the answer.

A quick fix, a quick move through the levels of Reiki without the necessary practice and preparation is a grave disservice to Reiki, the student, and the recipient. We as teachers have been given a great responsibility, and that is to know if and when a student is ready, and to guide them into and through Mastership. A comprehensive course of study, including the proper time, requirements, and supervision, will allow a solid foundation to occur as well as a deep process of soul, heart, and mind evolution. Great healing can happen for the student at the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Let us give that the honor and time it deserves.

I believe that we stand at the precipice of yet another explosion in consciousness. As a species, we are on the way to discovering our Oneness with each other and all life. I believe that Reiki has been an integral part of this awakening and will continue to catapult us into a new age of peace and healing. It is going to be a great journey. This is a crucial time in our earth’s history and we need solid dedicated light workers to carry the torch. Those who are destined to become Masters and teachers will be willing to take the time needed. Let us not push the river and fall prey to the accelerated pace in the world, for that will only lead into chaos. Instead let us hold a steady and sure light for our students and each other. My favorite passage from A Course in Miracles defines this:

“I am the light of the world. How holy am I who have been given the function of lighting up the world! Let me be still before my holiness. In its calm light let all of my conflicts disappear. In its peace let me remember Who I am.”
-- ACIM WB #81

Karla Lee LaVoie is the author of For Time and All Eternity: Love Never Dies, The LaVoie Method of Healing, Imagery & Empowerment and Earth Mother and Garden of Light meditation tapes. She is a facilitator of “A Course in Miracles,” a seventh generation Usui/Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher and Fellow for the Association of Music and Imagery. Her teaching and healing ministry has developed over the past 25 years. For further information, visit www.awakeningearth.net or call 732-918-0876.

*Excerpts from A Complete Guide to Reiki Healing are used with permission from the publisher. Life Rhythm www.liferhythm.com