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yamatodamashii
14th August 2000, 19:57
I've just discovered Reiki (okay, maybe I'm a little behind the power curve). I'm hoping someone can give information (or at least, reliable sources of information) about this modality, as well as anma?

Thanx

yamatodamashii
15th August 2000, 18:08
Wow, thanks!

yamatodamashii
29th August 2000, 06:26
Okay, I got a book on Reiki... "Essential Reiki" by Diane Stein. It looked good in the bookstore, but...
About 10% of this book is information about Reiki. The rest is her stories of spirit guides describing Mu and recieving psychic messages from her cat.
I'm hoping that I just picked a bad book, but if this is some flaky "new age" thing let me know NOW, so I can stop looking around for it?

Thanks again...

By the way, one of the few interesting tidbits in the book was a symbol called "Dai Ko Myo". Does anyone here know of any relation between this symbol and Bujinkan's "Shikin haramitsu dai ko myo"?

john.burn
4th September 2000, 16:27
Originally posted by yamatodamashii
Okay, I got a book on Reiki... "Essential Reiki" by Diane Stein. It looked good in the bookstore, but...
About 10% of this book is information about Reiki. The rest is her stories of spirit guides describing Mu and recieving psychic messages from her cat.
I'm hoping that I just picked a bad book, but if this is some flaky "new age" thing let me know NOW, so I can stop looking around for it?

Thanks again...

By the way, one of the few interesting tidbits in the book was a symbol called "Dai Ko Myo". Does anyone here know of any relation between this symbol and Bujinkan's "Shikin haramitsu dai ko myo"?

Hi Jason,

If you want good books on Reiki then buy anything by Frank Arjava Petter. He is pretty much single handedly responisible for for almost everything we know about Reiki in the west. He has been in direct contact with Usui's Reiki association in Japan etc. which is more than most others have ever been able to do.

Unfortunately the book you have chosen is *the* book not to buy! Ms. Stein has never been attuned into Reiki by anyone and (I believe this is still the case) nobody will actually attune her because of the symbols she has placed in the book. There is a 'rule' in Reiki if you like that the symbols are kept sacred to yourself unless it's another person who is the same or a higher level than yourself. Most people's symbols are slightly different to other people's unless they have been attuned by the same Reiki Master - this is normal.

FYI I study Aikido and happen to teach Reiki at our dojo.


Regards,

John Burn
Yama Arashi UK.

IchiRiKen1
5th September 2000, 01:36
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, I attended a little known massage therapy school in the midwest. During our clinical instruction, one of the instructors (allegedly certified in Reiki, polarity work, and a bunch of other stuff; I never checked her papers...) explained Reiki and it seemed very similar in some ways to Qigong healing. I don't know, I'm not a "Reiki Master."

What is this stuff about being given "symbols," and such after you are "attuned INTO reiki?" This sounds a bit odd, less like healing and more like initiation into something... Maybe I misunderstand due to a lack of knowledge, but these terms, coupled with the whole Master in a Weekend seminar course seems a bit, well, questionable.

Please educate me so I do not misunderstand and make comments out of turn due to ignorance (I do that enough as it is, so my wife says!)

IchiRiKen1
5th September 2000, 07:50
I hate to say it, but it still sounds a bit... odd. I am a rather down to earth fella, and while I will accept that there are a good number of things that our current understanding of the universe cannot fully explain, I have a bit of a problem buying that some guy went about for 10 years, then sat down one day and meditated on a sanskrit letter, which then gave him a mysterious ability to heal, which power he could bestow upon others... for a fee.

It isn't that I necessarily question it's clinical effectiveness, as I have never experienced it nor viewed its application. I have practiced a very small amount of acupuncture, qigong healing and the like, and it is highly suspect given the inherent inability to identify, "scientifically," what is actually happening.

But the bit about not getting symbols unless you are the same "level" as another "master," the questionable historical background... makes me look at it with a sideways glance if you get me...

But I respect Mr. Bergstrom's comments, as he is a practitioner of a number of so-called alternative modalities, so I will defer to his comments on its legitimacy.

john.burn
5th September 2000, 09:16
Hi Matt,

Let me try to clarify a little more on the subject of symbols within Reiki. There are three levels in Reiki - I, II and III. With level I you are given Reiki, with this first level you are limited to mainly hands-on work on yourself and others and you only have 'normal reiki' if you like. With level II you are given three symbols, these symbols are used for different purposes. The three symbols you're given are -

Power symbol - this increases the flow of Reiki.

Emotional symbol - this allow you to work on peoples emotions etc. Stress, depression, worry all can be helped with this one.

Distance symbol - the distance symbol has a few uses one of which is to increase the effectiveness of the other symbols.

Bascially you can't use the symbols until you are 'given' them which does not happen until level II. I think that with level I you are allowed to see a little of what you can do with Reiki - a taster if you like. Then with the following two levels you begin to see a lot more. I hope this makes some sort of sense to you. If you have any other question then please ask!

Regards,

John.

john.burn
5th September 2000, 09:33
Hi Kent,

It is now very widely known that Dr. Mikao Usui was definitely not a christian and was a buddhist. The Christian University that Usui allegedly taught at / was the principal of (depending which 'story' you have heard) was Doshisha Univerity in Japan. This univerity does exist and is a christian university. Unfortunately they have no record of anyone called Mikao Usui studying or teaching with them! This was all part of the mis-information spread by Hawao Takata during the introduction of Reiki into the US. You can't look too hard on her for doing so as Reiki would probably still only reside inside Japan had she not taken the route she did. As for the $10,000 she used to charge then that's another question entirely...

I have studied with Hiroshi Doi who is a member of Usui's Reiki association (Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai). He is the only person who has ever spoken about and taught the Reiki techniques used by the Gakkai to anyone in the west. Reiki in Japan is taught very very differently to the west. It takes a lot longer to move up the levels etc. A good thing in my mind I must admit.

Guess I'd better shut up now as I can go on about this stuff for hours!


Regards,

John.