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Reiki - Articles of Interest

Cancer, Surgery, and....Reiki

By Kathie Lipinski

Everyone knows someone that has experienced cancer. And most people have had to undergo surgery at least one time in their lives. In this article, I would like to talk about a different way to go through the experience of cancer and/or surgery.

Both cancer and surgery (and even just the thought of them) can evoke feelings of fear - fear of death, fear of disfigurement, and fear of the loss of the lifestyle that one is currently living. The knowledge of having to undergo surgery, or, receiving a diagnosis of cancer, is a total experience that involves feelings, thoughts, physical sensations, as well as questioning of one’s connection to a higher power.

The western medical way is to treat the symptoms or “cut out” the problem. These solutions don’t necessarily put the body into balance because the body has to adjust to the new medicine and its side effects, or the removal of a part of the body thus changing the way it functions. The “cure” can create additional challenges for the person to deal with than what they were first experiencing. For example, chemotherapy or radiation treatments are necessary poisons to the body in cancer treatment but create their own less than pleasant side-effects. Read More...

Teaching Reiki to Children

Children are meant for Reiki. They are so open and all-seeing. They acquire their skills much quicker than adults, they do not judge or worry about exact hand placements, they seem to have this built-in ability to know where and when Reiki is needed and in just the right amount.

Children that are interested in Reiki between the ages of 6 to 12 are ready to learn it. No one should be forced to learn or practice Reiki if there is no interest or desire. Those that are interested will focus intently and learn quickly. It should be a fun, loving experience for the child and of course their parent can and should be present to add additional support. Read More...

Freedom from Addiction-Reiki and the Twelve Steps  Part 1

by Jennifer M. Staib, RMT

The number of people in our world today who suffer from addictions or addictive behavior has risen to epidemic proportions. Addictions drain the very life force from us affecting all aspects of everyday living like relationships, careers, family, and financial stability to name a few. Regardless of the form the addiction takes, if gone unattended it can lead to serious health issues and/or death.

Addictions affect us four-fold - physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. If you or someone you know may be suffering from an addiction or are recovering from one, it is highly recommend that you seek help from a qualified, licensed health care professional; due to the tenacious and multifaceted nature of the disease of addiction, it is recommended one trying to overcome this affliction seek help and support. Read More...

How Reiki Changes Your Life

by Vicki Cargill

Reiki profoundly changes your life. Not only have I experienced the wonderful events brought in by the unconditional love of the universe in myself, but I have witnessed it in others too. No one will deny the humbling power of the universal energy that celebrates our connection to everything around us, however too often we impose crippling restrictions and limitations onto ourselves due to our fears; of failure, abandonment, pain or even success. Reiki can diminish and destroy these fears. It can highlight our connection and our love to ourselves, our planet and our universe.

When Reiki chooses you (for it surely does,) it can often be overwhelming at first. In my experience, there is not a single moment in which you consciously decide to become a Reiki healer. It seems more like a small spiritual tap on the shoulder that increases steadily until you can no longer brush it off. Almost without fail, my students will begin our first conversation with, "well I don't know how I got here, but...." With Reiki, once the path that we are to tread becomes obvious, the next part of the journey has begun. Read More...

Reiki Study Prostate Cancer Cleveland Clinic NIH Cleveland Clinic Awarded $250,000 Federal Grant to Study Potential Benefits of Reiki for Prostate Cancer Patients

The Cleveland Clinic has received a $250,000 grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to conduct a two-year study examining the effects of Reiki on prostate cancer patients. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is part of the National Institutes of Health.

"We are interested in finding out if the use of Reiki can slow the progression of prostate cancer and decrease the level of anxiety among prostate cancer patients,: said Eric Klein, M.D., Section Head of Urologic Oncology at The Cleveland Clinic, Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the study's principal investigator. "This is important because the anxiety that often accompanies a cancer diagnosis can inhibit quality of life and has been implicated in the acceleration of the progression of several cancers." Read More...

Enhancing Fertility with Reiki and Mind/Body Techniques

by Ulrike Dettling, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Reiki Master Teacher

We have seen tremendous changes in the recent past regarding new fertility technology, the changing roles of women in society, environmental changes affecting both men and women (and animals) and their reproductive functioning, childbearing at a later age for many women, new opportunities for lesbian women to bear and raise children with or without the use of reproductive technology, international adoption etc. The focus of this article is to present a program of mind/body techniques and Reiki which I have developed in my practice to support women/couples in their quest to become parents.

An estimated 25 % or more of all pregnancies are unsuccessful, ending in miscarriages. One in four women experiences miscarriage, 1 in 300 women experiences 3 or more miscarriages in a row. This miscarriage loss does not receive the same kind of social support nor are there the same kind of societal rituals, as when a death of a loved one has occurred even though a miscarriage is an equally devastating loss to the couple(1). A lot of the tension for the couple stems from the lack of emotional support around this issue and the ongoing emotional ups and downs of the cycle of hope and despair, as the couple is trying to conceive and carry a pregnancy to term. Read More...

Reiki and Animals

By ©Aileen D'Angelo, RMT, Cn. TPM, 6/03

Reiki and animals are a natural combination. Those of us who do Reiki with humans have had the chance to see the wonderful benefits Reiki brings to folks lives. This is the case with animals as well. In my experience, I have come to believe that animals are so much more in touch with the energies around them than we, as humans, often are. This being the case, they are also incredibly open to receiving, and even giving Reiki energy.

My first opportunity to Reiki an animal came when I adopted a Greyhound named George. After deciding that he was the dog for me I needed to wait until he had been neutered before bringing him home. The day of his surgery the adoption agency called to tell me that he had collapsed afterwards and was bleeding internally and was not expected to live through the night. I immediately started sending him Reiki and sending him feelings of love and wanting him to come home to live with me. The next day the agency called to say that the vets could not explain it but he was getting better and they expected him to survive. That was 5 years ago and George is now my class assistant whenever I teach a Reiki class. George also developed a seizure disorder and now comes to me each time he feels one coming on and pushes his head into my hands so I can Reiki him. Read More...

The Truth of Who You Are

By Gangaji

The most important question you can ever ask yourself is, "Who am I?" Unless this question has been truly answered, not just conventionally answered, you will still be hungry to know. No Matter how you have been defined by others, well meaning or not, and no matter how you have defined yourself, no definition can bring lasting certitude. It is not difficult to see that this initial thought, "I am somebody,: leads to all kinds of strategies: to be a better somebody, a more protected somebody, a somebody with more pleasure, more comfort, and more attainment. But when this very basic thought is questioned, the mind encounters the "I" that is assumed to be separate from what it has been seeking. This is called self-inquiry. This most basic question, "Who am I?" is the one that is move overlooked. We spend our days telling ourselves or others that we are someone important, someone unimportant, someone big, someone little, someone young, or someone old, never truly questioning this most basic assumption. Whether you say you are good or bad, ignorant or enlightened, these are all just concepts in the mind.

When the question, "Who?" Is followed innocently, purely, all the way back to its course, there is a huge, astounding realization: there is no entity there at all! There is only the indefinable, boundless recognition of yourself as inseparable from anything else. You are free. You are whole. You are endless. There is no bottom to you, no boundary to you. Any idea about yourself appears in you and will disappear back into you. You are awareness, and awareness is consciousness. Drop your consciousness back into the space where there is no story, where there is no thought. If a thought arises, see that it is just passing through. It is neither wrong nor right. It is just a thought, having nothing to do with the essential truth of who you are. Read More...

The Seven Chakras and Reiki

The word “chakra” was originally “cakra”, meaning wheel or sun and dates back to between 600-2,000 BC from ancient Indian culture. References to chakras in ancient Indian writings appear as early as 200 BC as being bodily centers of feeling or consciousness. The seven main chakras, which are aligned with the spine, are considered to be the centers of energy within a human body and correspond directly to our feelings, emotions and behavior characteristics.

The chakras are envisioned as swirling, funnel shaped vortexes that open out from our physical body into our aura. These constantly rotating funnels are the energy processors of our body. They draw in energy from the outside into our body. The seven main chakras are also commonly associated with organs and bodily functions and are represented by colors and are numbered 1 to 7.

Just as blocks are created in the aura, they can also be created in the chakras. These blocks cause the chakras to slow down or speed up their rotation which then interferes with the amount of energy being supplied to the body, which then adversely affects the associated glands and organs. This also can have a negative effect on our mental-emotional health. A person's body, mind and spiritual well-being are balanced and healthy when all of their chakras are clear. When Reiki energy is given to the chakras, blocks are cleared, so that the chakras rotate at the ideal speed and provide optimum energy to the organs ensuring physical and mental and emotional well-being. Read More...

Reiki and Christianity

Is Reiki compatible with your religious beliefs if you are a Christian?
There are several viewpoints on this topic. Reiki is certainly considered spiritual but not necessarily of any specific religious descent. Even though Dr. Usui, who rediscovered Reiki, was considered a Buddhist monk, this does not mean that is not entirely connected with Christianity.

Reiki Principles teach us:

You will note that these are written in the way that some Christian teachings are as the “just for today” and the love-filled messages and direction. Certainly Christian principles acknowledge the purity and benefits of these Reiki Precepts. These precepts, which are at the core of one’s Reiki practice, are very compatible with Christianity. Read More...