Kathryn Hudson

Kathryn Hudson, Reiki Master (Usui Reiki Ryōhō —IHR lineage), offers individual sessions and Reiki initiations (Levels I, II, and III) for small groups, and on demand.

霊 (REI) 気 (KI)

It must be conceived that everything has energy or ki in it - even a piece of paper or a plant, every item in the room, the building itself, the city, the country, the world, the universe and on and on. Gradually, comprehension dawns that there is an unlimited amount of energy. This energy may seem invisible or elusive but it is, instead, all encompassing. It is this energy that makes, not just humans, but worlds function. It is the fuel that drives humans and gives ultimate structure and purpose in life. This is Reiki.

It is neither a religion nor is it intrusive. Occasionally, humans get a bit of dirt in the fuel line or a better way to explain it is perhaps by envisioning a free flowing river. This beautiful river is like energy flowing easily down through the body. Occasionally a pebble, or even a rock, will fall into that river making the flow of the water a little more difficult.

These pebbles are human worries, fear, anger, and each pebble builds on top of the other. Soon there is only a trickle of water running in that once beautiful free-flowing river. And so it is with energy in the human body. At this point physical pain may be experienced.

During a Reiki treatment the pure flow of energy is re-aligned within the body. It washes down, clearing obstructions and strengthening the flow of energy. This signifies a connection to the understanding of one’s purpose on earth and the easiest, most successful way of achieving it.

Meaning of Reiki

Reiki, the word, is Japanese. It is written with 2 Japanese kanji, meaning ‘spiritual energy’.

霊 (REI): spiritual
気 (KI): energy

Previously these 2 kanji have been translated as ‘Universal Energy’ (or Universal Life Force Energy) in the West. This is obviously a translation of the 2nd kanji, ‘ki’, only. Ki is naturally the energy of everything including heaven and earth, the entire universe.

The first kanji, ‘rei’, may have been left out of English translations due to the fact that the term ‘spiritual’ was not the focus of the Western practice in the 20th century.

In Chinese, the same 2 kanji used to represent Reiki are pronounced differently but have a similar meaning. In Chinese Reiki is called Ling chi.

Ling chi is the subtlest and most highly refined of all the energies in the human system and the product of the most advanced stages of practice, whereby the ordinary energies of the body are transformed into pure spiritual vitality. This type of highly refined energy enhances spiritual awareness, improves all cerebral functions, and constitutes the basic fuel for the highest level of spiritual work.

(Excerpt from Chi-gung: Harnessing the Power of the Universe by Daniel Reid)

The word, Reiki

The word ‘Reiki’ is used in the West to also represent a healing system. Usui Mikao, the founder of Reiki, did not call his teachings by this name. ‘Reiki’ appeared written in conjunction with his teachings but this was merely to point out that the teachings worked with spiritual energy.

Generally, his teachings were called ‘Usui do’ meaning ‘the way of Usui’, and his healings were known as ‘Usui Teate’ translated to mean ‘hands on healing’.

‘Reiki’ the word can be found in the branches of schools that developed from Usui Mikao’s teachings. Both the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai (Society of the Usui Spiritual Energy Healing method) and Hayashi Reiki Kenkyu kai (Hayashi’s Spiritual Energy Research Society) use the word ‘Reiki’ to signify ‘spiritual energy’ but neither actually called the system “Reiki”.

Hawayo Takata was the first student of these teachings in the West. Hayashi Chujiro, her teacher, came with her to Hawaii to help her set up her practice. At his farewell dinner he presented her with a westernized certificate. This official gesture ensured that she was seen as a legal teacher and practitioner in the Japanese system. The certificate states that she was a ‘Master of the Usui Reiki System of Drugless Healing’. Once again the term ‘Reiki’ is used to mean spiritual energy rather than any complete system.

Included in the certificate though are other statements that appear to refer to ‘Reiki’ as a form of energy as well as a ‘system’. This was 1938 and was the first time that there was any inconsistency in the use of the term ‘Reiki’. This was due likely to the difficulty of translating Japanese into English.

From that point on, the word ‘Reiki’ jointly represented the system based on Usui Mikao’s teachings as well as ‘Universal Life Force Energy’.

The downside of using ‘Reiki’ to mean a system is that people are unsure as to what particular practices fall under that name. All the systems named Reiki today claim to use spiritual energy in their practice. There appears to be no other definition to the system than that. This leaves the door wide open for individual discrepancies.

Many traditional Japanese teachers call the system ‘Ryōhō’ which means ‘healing method’ or ‘Reiki Ryōhō’ which means ‘spiritual energy healing method’.

The System of Reiki

There are three levels to the system of Reiki.

Level I, Shoden, teaches how to practice healing the self and the basics about helping others.
Level II, Okuden, is where students learn 3 mantras and 3 symbols that aid the student in focusing the energy.
Level III, Shinpiden, focuses on personal development and teaches the student how to perform attunements.

There are 5 major elements that make up the complete system of Reiki, four of which are taught in the first level of Shoden.

Developing the spiritual and mental connection using the 5 precepts and poetry.
Attunements, four, are received during Shoden.
The physical practice on the self/others for the purpose of healing.
Four mantras and symbols (taught only in Okuden and Shinpiden).
Traditional techniques and meditations (different techniques and meditations taught at all 3 levels).

Reiki is not about paperwork or a timetable or any other man-made schedule. It is an energetic practice and therefore can only be experienced energetically.

For each individual there will be an appropriate time to move on to a new level.

Largely, it will depend upon a student’s home situation and the availability of time to practice. A mother with a full-time job and numerous hobbies may have little time to practice. A traveller who has taken 12 months off may have ‘all the time in the world’.

Even if these levels are taught close together the student can only adjust so much to the new level of energy in the body.

Reiki is a lifetime practice

After practicing for a while, if we feel discouraged or tired because of how far we are from the goal of our spiritual journey, we should look back at our life in the days before we started training and celebrate any progress we have made. (An excerpt from The Healing Power of The Mind by Tulku Thondup).

Used with permission:

version française ici

by Kathryn Hudson | Credits