1. health and fitness
2. alternative medicine
3. holistic healing

HOW TO PRACTICE SUCCESSFUL
REIKI
CLAIRE DERBY – REIKI MASTER, INTUITIVE, COUNSELLOR
AND RELATIONSHIP COACH
A DYNAMIC AND COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR ALL
REIKI STUDENTS AND TEACHERS - INCLUDING A
GUIDE TO ETHICS AND SAFETY IN PRIVATE
PRACTICE.
Copyright © 2013 ReikiTalk
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage and
retrieval system known or to be invented, without the permission of the
copyright owner, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief
passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine
or newspaper or for broadcast.
Disclaimer
The information within this book is intended to compliment modern
medical practice. The author has gone to great lengths to stress that
healing should be done alongside the advice of your medical practitioner.
No part of this book is intended to be a substitute for medical advice or
treatment. Any person with a condition requiring medical attention
should consult a qualified medical practitioner. Neither the author, nor
the publisher accept any liability for readers who ignore this advice.
ISBN. 978-0-7552-1607-9
First Published in 2013
Original illustrations by Claire Derby © 2013
Computer Graphics by Greg Pike
Book Cover Design by Greg Pike
Photos by Joshua Derby © 2013
Models
Scarlett Vincent – Self Healing & Healing Others Photos
Joanne Brooman - Pregnancy Photos
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REIKI LEVEL ONE MANUAL
Welcome To Level One
The History Of Reiki
The evolving principles
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Universal Life Force?
How do you channel energy?
How can you feel energy in non-living things?
How quickly can I feel energy?
How does the ULF work in healing?
What does giving healing feel like?
What does receiving healing feel like?
Can you explain about energy blocks?
How will learning to channel affect me?
Your Chakras and Light Body
Introduction to Chakras
Dowsing for Chakras
How Chakras work
Why we have single and double Chakras
Your light-body
Becoming A Healer
The attunement process
What is a healing crisis and will I have one?
Accepting yourself as a healer
Learning Self-healing
Your first step
Learning to activate & deactivate
Self-healing hand positions
Healing Others
Protection exercise
Room cleansing & blessing
System activation for healing others
Hand positions for healing others
The intricacies of healing
Ending your healing session
Being present
After healing check list
Being grounded
Maintaining A Healthy Space
Things to embrace
Things to avoid
Your Responsibility
A Healing code
Learning from notes
Summary
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REIKI LEVEL TWO GUIDE
Introduction
Meditation
Silent meditation
Chanting meditation
The Complex Nature of Chakras
Energy blocks
Sensing information about your client
Giving client feedback
Problems held physically
Stubborn blocks
The intricacies of Chakras
Maladhara
Svadhistana
Manipura
Anahatia
Vishuddha
Anja
Sahasrara
The Reiki Symbols
Drawing the Reiki symbols
Cho Ku Rei
Sei He Ki
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
Di Ko Myo
Additional Healing Techniques
A new protection exercise
Additional healing techniques
Healing in two places
Psychic surgery
Distance healing
Healing via an image
Sending healing via a symbolic object
Crystal grids
Exploring Energy
Colour
Colour guide
Loss of energy when healing
The Violet Breath visualisation
Summary
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REIKI MASTER LEVEL GUIDE
Becoming A Reiki Master
Spirituality
Angels or energy-quides
Learning the language
Are we born spiritually connected?
Third eye healing
Chakra Knowledge
Karmic lessons and Chakras
Further Chakra characteristics
Maximum Chakra
Minor Chakras
Ears
Shoulders
Elbows and Hands
Hips
Knees
Feet
Leaking energy from Minor & Major Chakras
Vulnerable Clients
Healing for pregnant women
Healing for children and babies
Healing for addiction
Healing for the terminally ill
Eclectic Healing
Symbols
Nin Giz Zida
Dai Ko Mio
Zonar
Raku
Crystals
Crystal wands
Sound
Shamanic Practices
Personal Power
The Hara
Self-healing in pain
Many powerful healing models
The power of positive thoughts
What Is The True Face Of Reiki Healing?
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REIKI MASTER CASE STUDY
SHEETS
Introduction
Client Details – Record sheets
Short Client Profile
Useful Information
UK
Worldwide
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ETHICAL PRACTICE GUIDE
Introduction
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Writing your own code of ethics
How You Present Yourself
Introducing your clients to your healing
A healing guide
Confidentiality
Friendly, but not a friend
A tempting romance
Client records
Maintaining privacy
Advice
When do I need to come back?
Medication
Safety
The Challenges
Challenging clients
Embarrassing situations
Door knob comments
Are you charging enough?
Insufficient funds
Have a referral list
Self-Care
Looking after you
What hours do you work?
Supervision
Healing for you
Summary
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PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS PAGE
GUIDE – Level 1
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– The life force energy around your finger tips
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– The name & position of each Major Chakra
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- How to hold a pendulum for dowsing
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– A pendulum catching in Chakra energy
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- The location of each Chakra
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– Your Light-body around its axis
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– The yellow & blue light around a hand
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- Person with low energy
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– Person feeling content
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- Person with problems
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- Person feeling enthusiastic
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– The healing area on the hand
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– The cupped hand position
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– Photo guide of self-healing hand positions
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- First hand position - the eyes
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- Second hand position - the ears
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- Third hand position - the crown and third eye
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– Fourth hand position - the back of the head
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- Fifth hand position – the top of the head
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- Sixth hand position – the throat
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– Seventh hand position – the collar bone
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– Eighth hand position – the shoulders
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– Photo guide of healing others hand positions 66 67 68 69
– Hovering hand, thumbs down
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– Placement on legs after hovering
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– The cleansing sweep down the body
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– The energising sweep up the body
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– An example of a colour coding system
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PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS PAGE
GUIDE – Level 2
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– The Sanskrit name of each Chakra
- Hand position for drawing symbols
- Drawing Cho Ku Rei
- Drawing Cho Ki Rei over all your Major Chakras
– Drawing Sei He Ki
- Drawing Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
– Drawing Di Ko Myo
– Extra hand position No.1
– Extra hand position No.2
– Healing along the belt line
– Healing under the belt line
– Cradling
– Healing in two places
– Performing psychic surgery on a Chakra
– Using a symbolic object for distance healing
– Laying out your crystal grid
– Crystal grid template
– Route of the violet breath
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PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS PAGE
GUIDE – Master Level
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– Third eye-to-third eye healing
– Third eye healing
– Minor Chakra points
– Extra leg support
– A comfortable step up
– Make your stool sturdy
– Mother & baby’s Chakras
– Drawing Nin Giz Zida
– Drawing Dai Ko Mio
– Drawing Zonar
- Drawing Raku
– Assorted crystals
- A simple crystal wand
– An ornate crystal wand
– How to hold a wand
– Sequence of symbols for a wand
– Tingsha bells
- How to hold a bowl
– How to play a bowl
– A homemade smudging fan
– The position of your Hara
INDEX
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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INTRODUCTION TO ‘HOW TO
PRACTICE SUCCESSFUL REIKI’
How To Practice Successful Reiki will be useful to you if you’re
learning, or wishing to learn spiritual healing, and more specifically ‘Reiki’
spiritual healing. It’s also eminently suitable if you’re a curious bystander
wishing to learn more about your own energy system and the theory of
healing, or if you would like a glimpse into the world of spiritual healing.
What you will find contained within these pages is all the information I wish
I had found in one book when I first started my healing journey. If you are
as curious as I was, you will enjoy this book. It has been slowly collated
and written over five, maybe six years, and contains information gathered
from experiences, observations, experiments and feedback from clients,
students and other Masters.
I hold a deep belief that we are all born spiritual healers. The mystery
is what happens to so many of us that we lose our roots, and apparently
don’t miss them. I know my life has traversed many phases; in my early
years I was very connected to the earth and nature, but this was quickly
lost to a career, family and a lack of time. I can quite understand how this
happens across the board to the majority of the population, so perhaps
when I think about it, it’s not surprising that there are so few natural
healers around, and maybe you don’t miss what you never had time to
develop. More than anything else, if you have found time to read this book,
I want to encourage you to gift yourself some extra ‘me time’ to develop
your spiritual self. For here you are, a person who has somehow put aside
the demands of your own busy life to be awakened by some curiosity inside
of you, and I implore you to keep that spark of curiosity alive – read my
book, read books on religion, quantum physics, crystals, dowsing and any
other topic that feeds your interest. There is a path that’s exactly right for
you and Reiki may only be the start of it.
This book is presented to you as Reiki healing because it’s where I
started my journey, yet Reiki is spiritual healing, so perhaps this book
should have been called ‘How To Practice Successful Spiritual Healing’.
There are many other names under which you could study spiritual healing,
they are all equally valid, yet I like Reiki because it’s eminently practical and
down-to-earth. The name may sound exotic because it’s a Japanese word,
but the man who named it wasn’t exotic. He was smart, studious, spiritual
and exceptionally sensible in the way he formulated his healing system.
The meaning of the word Reiki doesn’t translate exactly, but in essence it
means Universal (Rei) Life Force (ki). In other healing models you might
hear this same life force referred to as ‘Chi’ or ‘Prana’, whatever you choose
to call it, this life force connects us all - students and teachers alike.
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I hope that you will find the way I have arranged the sections
within each manual easy to follow. Working from memory, I have put
the various chapters together in a way that I think I would have found
useful and easy to understand. If you are already learning with a
Master, do remember that Reiki is not regulated so there is no set
formula, or specific guidance regarding what to teach at each level. I am
teaching you what I have found to be the most successful in my
experience as a teacher. If your Master doesn’t cover the same topics at
the same levels, it’s not wrong – just different. Your Master should
always be your mentor, someone who accompanies you on your journey,
encourages you to practice, and is available to you when you have
questions about your spiritual path. After each Reiki attunement I
recommend devoting six months to practice healing and develop your
spiritual-self before you move up to the next level. Your Master will be
someone that you have been drawn to for a reason, just as you have
been drawn to my book, put those two thoughts together during your six
months of practice, and find the thread of learning that’s right for you.
I’m really keen for you to move on and read the first Manual, but
before you do that, there’s just one point I want to explain because I
think it’s important. Throughout my book you will read the word ‘client’
when I am referring to anyone you give healing to, this generally
includes friends and family. This has been very purposefully done to
emphasise a shift in your relationship with the friends and family that
you heal, and to encourage you to think about your healing in a semiprofessional context, so that from the very beginning of your
extraordinary journey you are taking responsibility for being ‘someone’s’
spiritual healer. As you progress through the manuals and begin to
appreciate what a powerful tool spiritual healing is, I hope you will
understand why this is a sensible approach.
That’s it, introduction over, enjoy your reading and please do log
on to this books website at www.howtopracticesuccessfulreiki.com to
access extra material, read new articles, download drawings and much
more.
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REIKI LEVEL ONE
MANUAL
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WELCOME TO LEVEL ONE
Welcome to the beginning of your exciting and challenging journey
into the world of Reiki spiritual healing. This is the first of three levels on
your Reiki journey; with each level opened to you by an attunement
ceremony performed by your Reiki Master. This is a sacred ceremony
that helps you to open your energy system in a unique way, so that you
can access and channel energy from the world around you; this energy is
referred to as the Universal Life Force. ‘Natural’ spiritual healers have
never had an attunement, they have either maintained their natural
ability to heal from birth, or have successfully returned to their healing
roots on their own. Your attunements can help you to reconnect with
your inner spiritual being. Each of the three attunements is usually
offered on a day, or two day workshop that includes instruction on
healing techniques, protection exercises, information on your energy
system and other useful healing tools – in fact everything you’re going to
find within the pages of this book.
Alternatively, you can buy a ‘distance’ attunement, often found
online. This involves your Reiki Master agreeing a time with you that he
or she, will perform the sacred ceremony. You prepare yourself in
whatever way you see fit, and at the allotted time you’re attuned. I was
a little sceptical and wondered whether this worked, but I have
experimented with my students sending them distance attunements and
they felt that it worked well, however all (without exception) reported
that they found it difficult to engage themselves in their new level
without the encouragement and presence of a Reiki Master. So, if you
are a self-motivated person then working through this book whilst
receiving distance attunements may work well for you, but if you feel
you need lots of support and motivation then use this book alongside a
relevant Reiki level workshop. I also recommend joining online Reiki
discussion groups and finding local spiritual healing groups that meet in
your area (again you can find them online), so that you get to meet and
mingle with other like-minded people and learn from each other.
I know that if I had brought a book like this when I first started to
practice Reiki, I would have read it directly, cover-to-cover, so I’m not
going to say don’t – just be willing to go back and reread each level as
you’re attuned, so that you have the differentiation between each level
firmly in mind. Don’t be tempted to rush your skills, you will achieve
much more if you work through slowly taking time to explore and
practice. Spiritual healing comes from within, it’s a state of mind and a
way of being; this cannot be achieved by jumping through perceived
hoops and feeling you’ve finished. In my experience there’s always
something new to learn, and its actually far more beneficial if you
immerse yourself in the learning and savour the energy, the moment
and the impact that it has on you. Modern living has most of us rushing
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around, over-stretched and under-nourished on the important things in
life, things that make our souls sing and give our hearts wings. This
journey that you are embarking on needs time. This book will allow me
to hold you by the hand and take you slowly, step-by-step through all
that you need to know, and perhaps the very first lesson that you need
to learn as a spiritual healer is to go with the flow, and adopt a more
pragmatic ‘if it’s meant to be, it will be’ attitude. If you read something
here and can’t remember it, then maybe the timing is not right for you to
be learning it, or maybe what you’re learning needs tweaking and
personalising to make it right, and therefore memorable to you. Let your
spiritual healing experience evolve organically and slowly. Trust and
believe in the Universe and all that it has planned for you.
Once you have begun to practice healing on a regular or semiregular basis (I know it’s difficult for some folks to find the time), it will
very slowly dawn on you that the connection spiritual healing gives you
feels just like coming home. This is of course because spiritual healing is
in everyone’s roots. You will realise that you are finally in a comfortable
place and feel like you belong – a uniquely shaped peg in a uniquely
shaped hole. You will meet other spiritual healers whom you connect
with, who challenge and fulfil you all at the same time. Welcome all the
learning this affords you, for you will never be at this unique stage in
your learning again. And as your life changes, realise that your way
forward is not everybody’s. You may want to share your new learning
with others, and find their lack of interest confusing. Spiritual healing is
not for everyone; some people cannot, or steadfastly will not, grasp the
concept of channelling energy. As long as those people aren’t actively
dissuading you from your path, that’s their right. Shine your spiritual
light in their direction, send them ‘love and light’ and leave them to walk
their own path. As a new light-worker (a person who channels energy for the
good of others) it does your energy no good to get cross with such people.
You are exceptionally precious. For all the billions of people alive on our
planet the percentage of light-workers is still very small. Your learning
and energy are a vital part of the energy for the whole of humanity’s
future. Keep that thought in mind, and remember that we are all
connected, the spiritual and the non-spiritual, the fast and the slow,
together as one - linked via the Universal Life Force.
THE HISTORY OF REIKI
It’s always useful to know how something began, evolved, and
became what you see or know today. The history of Reiki is short, yet it
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has been shrouded in mystery for much of that time due to lack of
readily available information from records and accurate translation.
There are currently many versions, all slightly different, of who Mikao
Usui the man who channelled and created Reiki was, and how he lived
his life. According to research Mikao Usui was born on 15th August,
1865, in Japan. His family like all Japanese families of the day were
Buddhists, and of some status. In keeping with his status and the
tradition of the time, he grew up receiving most of his education in a
Monastery.
During Mikao Usui’s formative life Emperor Meiji ruled Japan. The
Emperor was modern and progressive; he supported and encouraged a
difficult yet profitable trade with the West. By opening up his country to
Western trade, the Emperor had no option but to allow in a new religion
called Christianity. It was a religion that he disapproved of, and one that
he decreed the Japanese people should be banned from learning, or
practising. However, by the time the Emperor died in 1912, he had
introduced many sweeping reforms throughout Japan, including
rescinding the ban on Christianity in 1873. Christianity added to the
other religions that were quietly seeping into Japan, allowing the people
a greater spiritual awareness. It’s therefore accurate to say that Mikao
Usui’s life spanned a time of great social change and new spiritual
awareness.
As an adult, Mikao Usui was married and had two children, a
daughter and son.
He lived for many years in Kyoto, where he
continuously dedicated himself to spiritual studies and exploration,
eagerly learning and embracing many different cultural aspects of his
spirituality. It’s said that he was studying with a splinter group of monks
at a monastery on the holy mountain of Kurama Yama in Kyoto, when he
had his first spiritual connection to the Universal Life Force. He had gone
to the monastery on a holy retreat where he undertook a strict regime of
meditation and fasting. Records say that on the last day of his retreat
whilst he was sitting outside meditating, he saw a brilliant white light in
the air that approached him and filled him with spiritual energy.
Mikao Usui certainly believed that through this experience he had a
connection to the spiritual energy he had been seeking. He was sure
that his new connection would enable him to perform spiritual healing.
Records are unclear as to the exact date these events happened,
information has been found to suggest it was as early as the 1890’s,
however his official tombstone says 1922. What is certain, is that he
moved to Tokyo in 1922, where he set up his first official clinic offering
spiritual healing.
Much has been made of a story that Mikao Usui offered free healing
to the poor of his city and that he found it unsuccessful, quickly noticing
that the same people continued to return with the same ailments after
he had healed them. It is believed that he realised many of the people
he healed were happy to continue in a lifestyle that recreated the ailment
he had cured, because his healing was readily available and he gave it
freely. Acknowledging that long term, this was not helping people; he
began a system of exchange whereby people gave him something, not
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necessarily money, for his healing. This system of exchange or trade has
stood fast throughout Reiki’s evolution as a way of following Mikao Usui’s
example.
Expanding on what he offered to encompass spiritual teaching it’s
thought that Mikao Usui founded The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai School in
Tokyo, however records are sketchy and the school could have been
founded by his students after his death. In the West poor translation
introduced us to Mikao Usui as ‘Dr’, however this is a rough translation of
‘teacher’. We now more accurately refer to him as ‘Sensei’, with records
suggesting that in his lifetime Sensei Usui taught Reiki healing to some
2000 students, but from that number only a select twenty-two are
believed to have reached the level of Master. This is probably because
Sensei Usui expected his students to study a disciplined spiritual path,
learning with him for many years and following Buddhist spiritual
teachings before they could be considered proficient healers.
It’s
thought that he would have put great emphasis on meditation, spiritual
development and fine-tuning students connection to their intuition. It’s
hard to be certain, but is seems Sensei Usui taught minimal hand
positions encouraging students to follow their intuition, with all the early
recorded positions focused on the torso and head, where the seven main
energy centres are located. Over the years, as students progressed they
worked their way up through levels of graded ability, having at least
three more than we in the West have today.
On 1st September, 1923, the Kanto earthquake devastated Tokyo
with much of the city centre catching fire and being destroyed.
Tragically, estimations of the deaths toll from the earthquake ranged
between 100,000–140,000, with many more people injured. The scale
of human suffering was unmanageable; Sensei Usui and his students
struggled to give healing to as many of the survivors as possible. Vague
records say that this came to the notice of the Emperor Taisho (son of
Emperor Meiji) who was safely out of the city when the Earthquake
struck. The Emperor decided to honour Sensei Usui’s selfless work. This
honour brought him and his spiritual healing model to the attention of all
Japanese society. With his higher profile, Sensei Usui travelled around
the country extensively, following demanding schedules in an attempt to
introduce the principles of Reiki to as many students as possible. This
included a request from the Japanese Navy to teach some of their Naval
doctors Reiki for use on board ship
It is likely that Sensei Usui viewed teaching the Navy doctors as
quite a challenge, knowing that they would not have the benefit of the
years of spiritual and personal development that his other students had.
It’s thought that he devised and taught the doctors a new way to
connect and reinforce their spiritual belief and intention, using written
words as part of their healing technique. One of these Navel doctors was
Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, who has become well known in the history of Reiki
as he played an important part in its evolution, becoming part of a vital
link that brought Reiki to the West. When Dr. Hayashi retired from the
navy he returned to study again with Sensei Usui, to increase his
knowledge of spiritual healing, sadly it was only for about ten months.
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Sensei Usui died on 9th March, 1926, aged just 62. After his death Dr.
Hayashi decided to set up his own clinic for healing, he called it ‘The
Hayashi Reiki Kenkyu-Kai’.
Because Dr. Hayashi’s introduction to Reiki as a spiritual healing
model was different from most of Sensei Usui’s other students, it’s
reasonable to assume that this difference in early learning was reflected
in his approach to healing, and the way he taught his own students. In a
very short space of time you can see Reiki evolving from it’s simple
spiritual state, into a healing model that requires the use of ‘tools’ as
written words, to focus the healers intention. One of Dr. Hayashi’s
students takes this evolution a step further, this student was a woman
called Hawayo Takata. She becomes the important link that brings Reiki
to the West. Hawayo Takata was introduced to Reiki whilst visiting
relatives in Japan. During her visit, she became seriously ill, to the point
where she was scheduled for surgery. However, at the last minute she
refused her operation and instead opted to receive extensive healing
from Dr. Hayashi, whom she believed cured her.
When she was fully recovered Hawayo Takata studied healing with
Dr. Hayashi, finally returning to her home in Hawaii in 1937, where she
set up her own Reiki clinic. Dr. Hayashi made several trips to Hawaii to
help Hawayo Takata establish her healing centre. During one of them in
1938, he attuned her to the final Master Teacher level; Hawayo Takata
was the thirteenth and last Master that Dr. Hayashi attuned. It has been
widely reported that she coined the phrase ‘Usui Reiki’ to differentiate
between her learning and the original teachings of Sensei Usui. Hawayo
Takata lost contact with Dr. Hayashi when World War II broke out. It is
unclear whether Dr. Hayashi joined the war effort to serve his country,
or whether as some reports suggest, he became a pacifist and refused to
support the war. The limited records available do show that Dr. Hayashi
took what was perceived as an honourable death, by committing
Seppuku in May, 1940 - in accordance with his country’s customs of the
day.
Once World War II was over there was little ‘if any’ new
communication with Japan. Hawayo Takata was now the only link that
the Western world had with Reiki and it’s roots. It seems that she very
quickly realised that her Japanese healing model would not suit the West
and that many people would find it very difficult to accept Japanese
teachings so soon after the war. Therefore, Hawayo Takata adapted her
teaching model to present Reiki as a quicker and more modern model
that would be acceptable to a more scientifically orientated, fast-paced
Western society. She is reputed to have evolved a more streamlined
schedule, with formal hand positions as part of her changes. Hawayo
Takata ran her clinic in Hawaii from the 1940’s through to the 1970’s,
when she moved to the US mainland. There she continued to teach and
support Reiki. Many of today’s current Masters can trace their lineage
directly back to Hawayo Takata, who is reported to have attuned only
twenty-two Masters in her lifetime - she died in December, 1980.
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THE EVOLVING PRINCIPLES
The Reiki Principles as we know them today have evolved from
what was originally a staunchly spiritual Buddhist healing system.
During its history, our Western version of Reiki seems to have lost its
way for a while. However, in recent years more and more people have
returned to their spiritual roots and developed a spiritual philosophy that
supports their connection to the Earth and the Universal Life Force. Reiki
is now moving through a new spiritual phase in its evolution. The Reiki
principles were clearly created to provide guidance on how best to live a
good, spiritually blessed and energetically balanced life.
From the
phrasing of the words it is obvious that they are unlikely to be a good
translation of a Buddhist teacher such as Sensei Usui or Dr. Hayashi, yet
for many year’s they have guided Western Reiki healers as a standard by
which to live their lives
The simple lines aptly ‘encourage and promote’ a lifestyle devoted
to a respectful, ethical and caring path, whilst guiding healers gently
towards mindfulness by spending and savouring each moment in the
‘now’. This is achieved by focusing all contemplation on today, rather
than dwelling on regrets over the past, or desires for the future. You will
regularly find that other Reiki healers and sources of information quote
the Reiki principles with slight variations; this is because they are all
diluted translations from the original Japanese text and have been
interpreted according to their translator. I don’t believe that any should
be considered right or wrong, for all of the translations seem to have
held true to the sentiment behind the original.
The Reiki Principles
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings,
Just for today, I will not worry,
Just for today, I will not be angry,
Just for today, I will do my work honestly,
And just for today,
I will be kind to my neighbour and to every living thing.
You will also find a distinctly different version of the Reiki Principles
under the title of ‘The Reiki Precepts’. These lines are less well known
21
Most individual attunement ceremonies are quite short, lasting only
about six or seven minutes. Students often say that they expected
longer, considering the enormity of the gift they are receiving. However,
this is very typical of the distinctive ‘no nonsense’ character of spiritual
healing, which does not require all the frills and fuss we often wish on it.
Since your attunement is your first introduction to the simplicity of
spiritual healing, it’s understandable that you might feel it should take
longer.
And of course, it will take longer if you have a group
attunement, the time then depends on the size of your group. Each
member of the group can be attuned individually; however it’s usual for
your Master to attune everyone together in stages. Since there are
three main stages to each attunement, it’s easy to perform one separate
stage on each individual in turn, then returning to the first person to
start the next stage, and so on. Both methods of group attunements are
acceptable and will work perfectly, if you feel you have a preference
discuss the process to be used with your Master beforehand. You also
have the option to choose a distance attunement; these are definitely
gaining in popularity. If you chose this method you will have prearranged a time to receive it, and to know when it’s finished. I strongly
suggest that you make the moment as special as possible, perhaps burn
some incense and have some candles lit around the room, as I do when
performing the ceremony for students.
At the start of your attunement ceremony you will be asked to sit
comfortably on a chair with both feet flat on the floor for grounding, and
with your hands resting gently on your legs. Or if you’re able, you may
be asked to adopt a more traditional monk-type posture sitting or
kneeling directly on the floor. Both are acceptable, so don’t be afraid to
express a preference. Whichever you pick, I recommend that you
experience the ceremony with your eyes closed to reduce distractions
and to enable you to concentrate fully on the sensations created by the
energy of the ceremony. It would be a terrible shame to miss anything
as you only get the three attunments, and each one will be unique.
During your ceremony you may see vivid colours, a pure white light, or
sometimes both. You may also feel a little cold or sick for a moment;
don’t be alarmed it passes very quickly, and you may have sensations of
weightlessness, or that someone other than your Master is touching you.
All of these sensations are common; don’t be upset or alarmed by any of
them, there is nothing ominous occurring. Spiritual attunements often
attract the interest and participation of your energy-guides who are
delighted and thrilled at your spiritual initiation. Feedback from students
is that by the end the ceremony, they are left with an overwhelming
sense of peace and joy.
Very quickly, I want to talk you through the three stages of your
attunement so that you know what to expect. Stage one begins with
your Master standing behind you. Initially he or she, will be still as they
make an energetic connection with you. Presently, you will feel and hear
your Master drawing symbols in the air above your head. You will also
feel blowing over your head whilst your Master raises your hands up
above your head to draw in more symbols and guide them down into
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your Crown Chakra. Your Master will then gently lower your hands to
rest in front of your chest; this positions your hands directly in the flow
of energy from your Heart Chakra. This is very symbolic positioning as
you always heal with unconditional love directly from your Heart Chakra
(and other Chakras). The position of your hands has nothing to do with
praying, unless you want it to have and put a specific intention out into
the universe to that effect.
In stage two, your Master moves around to stand in front of you to
draw symbols in the air around you, they will also be drawn and tapped
into your Third Eye Chakra, whilst your hands will be lowered in front of
you so that further symbols can be drawn on both palms. When this
stage has been completed your hands will be returned to rest in front of
your Heart Chakra. During this second stage, you may also feel your
Master blowing up and down the front of your body, this action helps to
reinforce your Masters intention that you be a clear channel for spiritual
healing.
In the third and final stage, your Master returns to stand behind
you. You will feel a shape being drawn on the back of your neck and a
slight pressure in the same area. Symbolically, a key is then cast away
to emphasise that the process is locked within you, and cannot be
undone. More symbols will be drawn in the air around you, and some
time may pass as your Master focuses the energy and intention of the
symbols in order to bless and complete the ceremony.
After the ceremony, if at all possible, I encourage you to share your
experience of your attunement with others who are also having, or have
recently had, the same attunement level as yourself. If you’re in a Reiki
workshop a good Master will facilitate this process. It can be very
enlightening to hear other people’s experiences of how their ceremony
felt, and also reassuring to know that others have had similar
experiences.
WHAT IS A HEALING CRISIS AND WILL YOU HAVE ONE?
A healing crisis usually comes directly after your attunement;
within hours or days rather than weeks. It comes as a direct result of
your attunement ceremony as your physical and light-body seek to rid
themselves of unwanted and unnecessary emotional baggage, so that
the frequency of your energy system can raise. The release of negative
emotions ‘paves the way’ for better more free flowing energy, which in
turn will not only raise your energy frequency and thus your energy
signature, but will also aid your ability to channel effectively. Your
participation in the attunement ceremony alerts your energy-quides to
your willingness to embrace this process, so should a healing crisis be
necessary they will do all they can to aid you. Your crisis might take the
form of a mental or physical clear out, sometimes both. At Level I you
could feel generally drained and tired, you might also realise you are
suffering from an unreasonably short-temper, feel very tearful and easily
confused, with a generally delicate demeanour and no seemingly good
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reason for it. You may also feel as if you are developing a cold or the
flu, but find that ultimately nothing materialises.
As you move up the Reiki levels, you can find that your healing
crisis increases in severity, so that both the emotional and physical
symptoms become far more pronounced. Of the very many students I
have attuned, reports on the healing crisis experienced at Level II and
Master have generally ranged in severity rating from medium to
extreme. I take it as a deep declaration of commitment to their spiritual
path that my students are prepared to go through such a cleansing
process. Descriptions of the extreme crisis are - intense crying for no
apparent reason, being very angry with loved ones, feeling it very
necessary to take a stand against behaviour thought to be inappropriate,
and experiencing headaches and infections.
The majority of the
infections seem to be connected with the body’s efforts to expel material
from within; typical are ear, eye and urinary infections. Remember
these are at the extreme end, and your symptoms may not be so
pronounced.
And of course, there are students who don’t believe they have
experienced any healing crisis. Sometimes this is because they have
taken events in their life at face value, not immediately realising that
they could have been caused by a shift in their emotions. Only when we
have begun to discuss the days after the attunement has it become
apparent to them that they might have experienced a mild crisis. At
other times it’s because a student’s energy frequency is genuinely and
exactly right for the spiritual healing level they seek, and no crisis is
necessary. Such students are in a minority, but do come along probably
on a ratio of 1:10. As a footnote, it’s also important to say that each
healing crisis can be completely different, do not base your expectations
of a forthcoming attunement on previous experiences, look instead at
your spiritual development and whether you are spiritually prepared to
move up to the next level.
If you do develop symptoms you can also help yourself through this
process by remembering that you are now a spiritual healer and can give
yourself healing at any time, whenever you want to. And, that new as
you are, it will make a difference. Instructions on how to perform selfhealing are coming up; for now keep in mind that this could well be your
first solo opportunity to believe in yourself as a healer. You may well
have practiced in your Reiki level workshop with your Master there to
guide you, but this could be your first challenge, don’t miss the
opportunity to rise to it.
It’s also important to let people around you know that you are
feeling low, and to ask for their help if you need it. You may find this
difficult, yet understanding and acknowledging that you are vulnerable
and need support is part of your new learning process, and immediately
gives you insight into how your future clients may be feeling when they
visit you in need of help. Part of your healing crisis could well be to learn
to take responsibility for yourself, and to take the necessary action to get
your needs met. If you anticipate that no one close to you will be
interested in helping you, this too should be considered as part of your
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learning. Your dilemma will then be to work out if this is just your
perception of the people around you, or if you really need to change
those people for more supportive ones. If this sounds like ‘heavy stuff’
you’re getting the idea of what a healing crisis is, and just where it might
take you!
ACCEPTING YOURSELF AS A HEALER
Thinking of yourself in terms of a ‘spiritual healer’ or ‘light-worker’
will probably be the hardest part of your spiritual journey because it
often requires you to change the way you see and think of yourself; your
role at home and in society. It requires that you believe unconditionally
in yourself, have confidence in your abilities, and accept the ebb and flow
of the Universal Life Force. One of the most successful ways to accept
and believe in yourself as a light-worker, is to practice healing. The
more you place yourself within your new role, the easier it will become.
It’s so important that you take advantage of anyone offering to be a
‘guinea pig’ for your new skills, and enjoy practicing healing at every
available opportunity; positive feedback from friends and family will
reinforce your belief in yourself and the Universal Life Force. Plus, the
knowledge that you gain through practice is invaluable.
Opportunities to practice healing can present themselves at any
moment, yet sadly they are often missed. In my experience, students
often find it hard to apply their new healing philosophy at home to their
loved ones in times of need. When you schedule any healing session,
the scene is set, you are prepared and ready for the healing you are
about to give. At such times, you are giving healing on your terms and
you are happy to heal anyone and everyone – your partner, children,
friends, relatives, cats, dogs and even horses. But, when someone in
your household unexpectedly becomes ill, you can be tempted to ignore
your own abilities, reaching for the medicine cabinet first, and the doctor
second, thus causing Reiki Masters everywhere to despair. Of course,
using scientific medicine is not terrible, and I would be the first to say
that spiritual healing should work hand-in-hand with modern science and
medicine. Yet sometimes, pharmaceutical aid is unnecessary, and is
given out of habit rather than need. Remember that you now have the
very real ability to provide holistic healing, and that you and your family
can reap the benefits if you change your mind-set. Your healing might
or might not be as fast acting as a pill, yet you will never learn if you
don’t try. And, very importantly, you can always be certain that what
you offer has absolutely no harmful side-effects.
You may not be able to persuade young children to be still for long
enough for your healing to remove a stomach-ache, yet they won’t learn
to let you try if you don’t put yourself forward as an option. And, what’s
really important here is that you aren’t afraid to try. The more you
explain to your family about healing, the better equipped they will be to
understand and accept letting you try, knowing that you may not always
be successful. Remember, practice makes perfect. If you try and it
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doesn’t seem to have worked, keep calm and reassure yourself that
you’re learning, use the medicine cabinet this time and try Reiki again
next time. As your proficiency increases, you will find your success rate
rising and your use of pills and potions decreasing. This means that in
the long run, you will spend less money on medicine whilst giving your
family the gift of long-term, sustainable healing that has a positive effect
on their mind, body and spirit.
LEARNING SELF-HEALING
You learn self-healing first, because you are the handiest person
you have to practice your new skills on. It’s also good for you to
experience your healing and realise that if you focus, you can ease pain,
indigestion, headaches etc. Self-healing gives you an insight into how
long the energy you channel takes to make different sorts of aches and
pains recede. It’s also an ideal way of getting you used to using various
Mantras and to learning the words to them ‘off-by-heart’. As you
practice pay special attention to how your healing feels, it will be a useful
reference later, helping you to understand how your clients experience
your healing.
YOUR FIRST STEP
Your first step to self-healing couldn’t be easier, I’m going to
introduce you to how to hold your hands, how to ‘activate’ your system,
and where to place your hands when channelling healing. There are set
positions for you to follow to make these first steps really simple and
stress-free.
Too start with let’s be clear that you understand that the healing
energy you channel is not yours. At no time should healing make you
feel low or ill, in fact quite the contrary it should leave you feeling
energised and healthy. The energy you use merely passes through you,
using your energy system as a ‘channel’ to reach your intended recipient
– in the case of self-healing – you, and in healing-others – your client.
Your channelled energy exits your energy system through Minor
Chakras located in the palm of each hand. Here it’s important to note
that your fingers play no part in straight forward energy channelling i.e.
Reiki healing, so when you start giving healing to yourself or to others,
make sure that it is your palm that you place over the area that you wish
to heal (see Fig.12) and not your fingers.
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Fig. 12 The healing area of your hand
The first position in self-healing places your hands over your eyes
(a full photo sheet of positions is coming up). This is a very delicate and
sensitive area on you and on your clients, so how you hold your hands is
important for comfort and hygiene. Therefore, whenever you are healing
any areas on your face, but most particularly your eyes, you should cup
your hand’s just as you would do if you were collecting water in them
(see Fig.13). As you try this first position, be mindful of the experience;
consider how your hands feel, take a moment to imagine what it would
be like to be your client. Think about how heavily you are resting your
hands on your face; consider what the skin on your hands feels like and
how your hands smell. It’s very important that your hands are clean
when you’re healing, but this can lead to problems when healing others
who may not like the scent of your soap or hand cream. Paying
attention now for any strong scents can help you avoid problems later.
Finally, does any part of the way you have positioned your hands feel
uncomfortable? Think about whether your clients might experience the
same discomfort when you start healing them. Learn as much as you
can from your self-healing.
Fig. 13 Cupped hand shape
Now you know how to shape your hands to start your selfhealing you’re almost ready to start. What you need next, is a way to
make a connection between you and the energy you wish to channel,
plus a signal to help your energy system to understand and respond to
your desire to channel the energy from that connection. Once that’s
established you can give spiritual healing. To achieve all this you need
to learn to ‘activate’ your system so that the whole channelling process
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fires up and comes on line. This can be done quite simply using one of
several Mantras I’m going to teach you. Mantras are a perfect tool as
they not only open your system, but also allow your energy-quides to
receive and understand your wishes so that they can help you as much
as possible.
LEARNING TO ‘ACTIVATE’ & ‘DEACTIVATE’ YOUR SYSTEM
Learning to activate your system so that you can channel spiritual
healing virtually ‘at will’, is easy. I’ve listed a couple of Mantra options.
When reading them and choosing which one you prefer be aware that
the energy you channel follows your thoughts, therefore it’s vital that
you use words that are specific and to the point, that activate and speak
to your Heart Chakra, and that have spiritual meaning for you.
Channelling healing can undoubtedly be achieved without the use
of a Mantra, but in all the studies I have conducted it takes much longer,
and you have less control. Without a cue to activate, your energy
system is in free fall as it tries to work out what it’s supposed to do,
following on from your attunement. Your hands seem to turn ‘on’ and
get hot without warning at all times of the day, and then stay
uncomfortably hot for some time.
And, because you have no established format to activate your
system, you have no established format to deactivate your system. This
is both uncomfortable and annoying, so I strongly suggest that you use a
Mantra. The following are suggestions, to try them out you should focus
on your hands and how the words make you feel ‘inside’ as you recite
each one. You should adopt the Mantra that you feel resonates most
strongly with you.
If you don’t feel completely comfortable with either, try changing a
couple of the words so that the Mantra feels more personal and
meaningful to you. For example, if you have strong faith in your god or
a disciple, you may prefer to invoke healing in his or her name. If you
do chose to change some of the words, be careful not to change the
essence of the Mantra which should be kept in place at all times, as the
words are spun together to very clearly state the positive and loving
nature of the healing you connect to and channel, leaving no room for
misinterpretation.
Once you have decided on the words for your Mantra it’s critically
important that you continue to use the exact same words every time you
want to channel healing. In doing this you quickly establish a set
procedure that your energy system learns to respond to, so that with
practice it will open and channel on your request. Unfortunately, there
will always be the odd occasion when your hands get ‘hot’ and your
system tries to channel healing without a cue. You may be talking with
someone who tells you they are ill, or you may be standing in a queue of
people where someone is ill, on these occasions your system has become
sensitive enough to picking up on their ‘sick’ energy signature and wants
to give them healing. This is an amazing and irritating gift, your spiritual
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connection clearly wants you to help someone, yet when it’s a complete
stranger it can be hard to know how, or whether it’s safe to make such
an offer.
1st System Activation Mantra
Divine spirits and energy-guides
I offer myself healing with a pure and loving heart
I invite you to join with me and channel healing
Together we deepen our connection to each other and bring balance
Walking a true and deeply spiritual path in peace and joy
2nd System Activation Mantra
For my highest good and greatest health
I wish to give and receive Reiki healing
I welcome my energy-guides to join with me
To heal me in mind, body and spirit
Together we channel this healing with love, grace and deep gratitude
So for after self-healing, healing others, and at odd random times
when you system actives of its own accord, you need to learn a quick
and easy way of signalling to your system that it’s time to power down.
You can do this in several different ways, the best being quiet and
unobtrusive so that you can use them at any time without causing
unnecessary fuss or attention. The first option I’m going to offer you is a
concluding Mantra, which you can read and tweak to your liking. The
second option is slightly more symbolic, you perform it by placing your
hands together in front of your mouth, slightly cupped, and then blow
across them as if to cool them down and blow away the energy. As you
blow, you say a personal thank you to your energy-guides for any help
they have given you. If you really want to cover all the bases, you could
combine both the Mantra and symbolic blowing.
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happened to me, and I discovered that feather pillows are impossible to
wash, I have always kept a small spare pillow tucked away in a drawer,
just in case.
EMBARASSING SITUATIONS
Many people react to embarrassing situations by laughing and
many unavoidable bodily functions are considered embarrassing particularly in certain situations. Just image that you have a client who’s
almost asleep on your couch, when they break wind in a very noisy way.
What would you do? You might glance up at their face to see what their
reaction was; yet they are still zoned-out and don’t move in any way to
acknowledge what has just happened. Strangely, in the moment, this
situation can strike you as very funny and it can be incredibly hard not to
laugh. Of course, it’s not good practice to laugh and disturb your client,
so if it happens to you, bite your lip and focus firmly on your healing. In
time, you will learn that flatulence, dribbling, snoring and erections are
all par for the course, and over time hopefully you’ll get used to them.
The ailments that your client’s bring can also be embarrassing.
They have often had time to get used to talking about their complaint
with their doctor, nurses and very possibly a couple of consultants, so
their situation and ailment has become normal for them. For you,
hearing an account for the first time can be difficult and challenging.
When this happens, I find it best to try to focus my mind on what
emotions might be behind their ailment, whilst simultaneously
considering if I can work with this person. If you feel you can’t work
with someone use your referral list, suggesting they try another healer
who might be more suited to their needs. Always keep your head in a
professional mind-set and try your best to understand your client’s
position in a caring and respectful way.
DOORKNOB COMMENTS
Problems can arise when your client makes a ‘doorknob comment’.
This phrase accurately describes the moment your client has a hand on
the doorknob, ready to leave, but doesn’t. Instead, they find a myriad of
topics for conversation, some of which may be very relevant to their
healing and useful to discuss next time. Others may be irrelevant and
hold you up when you least need it. If you find yourself suffering lots of
annoying doorknob comments you need to devise a way to combat it.
How you handle doorknob comments is a defining moment. No healer
wants to be disrespectful to their client, yet to stand and listen to idle
chatter is not respectful of your own time, or that of your next client.
You need to find a comfortable, yet firm way to handle the situation. A
good way to do this is to practice some role-play with friends or family,
who can act the part of your client. Try out various techniques and
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phrases to see which feels right for you; think about your body language,
your tone of voice, the words you use to convey the end of your session.
Do note that sometimes clients do think last minute, of something
important to say; being able to discern the difference between idle
chatter and a sensitive moment takes practice and experience so tread
carefully. If you do decide that you’re being told something important,
you will want to give your client the extra moments that they need. If
this is difficult to do, suggest that they book another appointment as
soon as possible so that they can continue their important conversation
with you. If you feel out of your depth, use your referral list.
ARE YOU CHARGING ENOUGH?
Everyone needs to make a living, it’s therefore not a sensible
person who thinks that you would work for free because you’re a healer.
However, those people do exist, they’ve usually read somewhere that
Sensei Usui gave free healing and think in the true spirit of Reiki, you
should too. Their history is sketchy, which you can correct them on.
Most healers I know want very much to be paid for their healing, and
most would like to be paid in some form of legal currency because that’s
how they have to pay their bills. It is however, generally accepted that
other exchanges are possible and acceptable, if you genuinely have use
for the agreed exchange.
It helps to decide what you feel you’re really worth. And even once
you’ve decided, you may need to review your figures on a regular basis
as your experience increases. If you don’t charge enough, you may
resent the time you spend with your clients or find yourself in real
financial difficulties. If you become resentful towards your client’s the
energy that you send out will be detrimental to both of you. When
deciding on your fees, consider any payments you have to make towards
insurance, association fees, supervision, travel, heating, light, candles,
incense, etc.
Ideally, you want to be affordable for as many clients as possible,
yet make a reasonable living for yourself at the same time. If you
struggle to balance both criteria with your fees you might like to offer
pro-bono healing to clients who genuinely cannot afford you, which can
serve as a viable compromise. Always remember that we give healing
with love. Love for our clients and love for ourselves. Don’t be tempted
to undersell yourself. Decide on a price that you believe represents the
worth of your experience and time, be open and honest with people
about your fees, and they will honour your commitment.
INSUFFICIENT FUNDS
Occasionally, even when the description of your services and costs
are clear, you can find yourself with a client who knowingly undertakes
healing with insufficient funds to pay you. Sometimes it’s a first visit,
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though not always; regular clients can surprise you. In such situations,
you have an ethical dilemma with few options to choose from.
Here are some possible causes of action:•
•
•
You can insist on your full fee and refuse any further healing until
your terms are met - not a great option for a caring healer.
You can take the more philosophical view that, for whatever
reason this was meant to be and negotiate a way forward.
You can take all your payments in advance when clients book
their appointments. However, this may deter some potential
clients, and you may have the hassle of organising refunds for
genuine cancellations.
HAVE A REFERRAL LIST
I’ve mentioned having a referral list many times throughout this
book, and it really is essential to have one. It means that you can
quickly, and efficiently, offer enquirers an alternative healer when you
cannot help them, for whatever reason. You may be sick, need a break,
have a full diary, or perhaps realise they need a same sex healer. You
can also recommend additional help to existing clients when you feel that
it’s necessary.
People To Include On Your
Referral List
A Reiki Healer (perhaps the opposite sex to you),
A Nutritionist, A Counsellor, A Physiotherapist, A Hypnotherapist,
A Life Coach, A Yoga Teacher, A Meditation Teacher.
It’s often sensible to be part of a healing team. Your client’s
ailments are usually an accumulation of problems and emotions, a
second or even third, holistic healer can be very useful in tackling some
chronic ailments. For example, once you have removed energy blocks
from your client’s light-body they may find that they have the energy to
make some new and positive changes in their lives, so referring them to
a good life-coach may be very useful for them. And in return, hopefully
those same therapists will refer clients to you. To be certain that you
are referring well, get to know the people on your referral list, and be
sure that they are competent and ethical.
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SELF CARE
LOOKING AFTER YOU
As a healer you’re working in situations where you need to be fullypresent and focused all the time; this requires immense concentration.
The clients you’re healing may also be emotionally taxing, particularly if
you’re giving time to listening to them talk after a healing session. It’s
therefore important for you to understand that you have a duty of care
to yourself and your clients to be fit to practice. By this I mean that you
are in the best possible place to be with your client – balanced,
grounded, calm, open and centred.
Being too tired, personally
distressed, agitated, distracted, in poor health, ungrounded or suffering
from low energy will not benefit your client’s healing experience.
The best way to ensure that you are in a good place, is to actively
practice self-care; to be mindful of your own needs - mental, physical
and emotional. One of the best ways to do this is by factoring in regular
breaks – go on retreat, take a workshop or maybe visit a spiritual site.
Just be sure that you not only give yourself down time, but that you
make what you do in that time feed your soul. If you’re devoted to your
clients above yourself, you’re are setting yourself up for potential
burnout.
Should you suffer from burnout, you may have to leave your clients
without their much-needed support while you strive to regain your own
energy and balance. In some cases, this can be for an indefinite length
of time. To prevent this from happening you need to carefully consider
your own needs, health care and boundaries. Your time is precious so it’s
important that you learn to say no when necessary. Whether it’s so that
you can fit in a family commitment or just because you know you need
some down time. You are not a doctor on call and can’t respond as one.
Having good boundaries in place keeps you safe and healthy, and that
helps to keep all the people around you safe and healthy too.
I suggest you run a diary, and if necessary go through it in
advance and block out mornings, afternoons, even whole days when you
won’t book in healing sessions just so you have some ‘you’ time. When
you do book appointments don’t book them back-to-back, instead leave
fifteen to twenty minutes between each session to allow for overrunning, room cleansing, personal centring and comfort breaks. Keep
your sessions on track by having a clock in your healing room. Your
clients are entitled to the time they have paid for, and you are entitled to
stop as agreed. Be sure to respect yourself as you would your clients.
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WHAT HOURS DO YOU WORK?
Many healers work from a home base. If this is you, please
remember that you and your family need ‘you’ time. Think carefully
about what hours it suits you to work, and do your best to stick to them.
It’s very important to have strong boundaries when your home is your
work place. It’s perfectly okay to let the answer phone/voicemail pick up
client messages if you’ve stopped working for the day. You can return
the call on your next working day, you’re not obliged to answer every
call or to fit in ‘emergencies’ at short notice regardless of your schedule.
Sometimes you just have to say ‘no, this is the best that I can offer’ and
let your client decide if they’re willing to wait for you, or go to another
healer. You have to have a healthy respect for your needs, and for the
needs of the important people in your life.
Many clients need a healer who can accommodate them around
their own work commitments; if it works for you offer healing session at
various times of the day so that you can be as flexible as possible with
appointments. And remember, when family and friends ask for healing
(as they will do), stick to your boundaries and see them when it is
convenient for you. Don’t get bogged down with ‘fitting in’ friends, and
friends of friends, as this can very quickly get out of control and before
you know it you have no time left for yourself.
SUPERVISION
Supervision is common in many healing professions like counselling
and nursing. It’s a valuable tool to help you maintain your boundaries,
increase your personal development, think about your practice and
promote ethical behaviour. Supervision provides you with work related
support and a safe place to take any concerns you might have about
your healing or clients. An experienced Reiki Master makes an ideal
supervisor, but do be sure that you have a contract in place before you
start. You have a right to expect your Master, as your supervisor, to
offer you confidentiality and the benefit of their experience in a nonjudgemental setting. They have a right to expect you to pay them for
their services.
Supervision can also be given and received within a peer-group, in
which case it’s usually free as everyone attending gives their time and
support to each other. An ideal size of a peer-group is four or five
people, meeting for about two hours a month; more than five people and
not everyone has time to talk. Peer-group supervision doesn’t guarantee
the attendance of a Master, therefore the amount of advice and learning
may be limited, or the more experienced healers in the supervision
group may find themselves taking on the role of a Master to the less
experienced ones. A group also means more people to keep what you
bring confidential.
If you are unsure whether you need supervision, consider how you
feel at the end of the week. Have you spent time thinking about various
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clients, or whether something you did was right? If you have then it’s
likely that you’re carrying around thoughts that should be processed and
let go of, in which case supervision would be useful for you. How you
decide which type of supervision would best suit you is much harder.
Ideally, you should try them both, but I am aware that it can be difficult
to find, or create a supervision group, whereas Masters can be easily
found – look for one that has experience, don’t be afraid to ask how
many years they have been practicing. If you can find a Master that has
experience in supervision or who is a Reiki teacher, so much the better.
HEALING FOR YOU
As healers, there are times when we inexcusably neglect our own
energy levels, even with good boundaries in place. Every practising
healer should receive regular healing from another practitioner,
preferably from a Master. This helps to maintain a well-balanced energy
system. When you self-heal your brain does not relax in the same way
as it does when you receive full healing from another light-worker; so
the effect from the energy that your body takes in doesn’t, and cannot
compare. You cannot be an effective spiritual healer if your own system
isn’t grounded, clear and balanced. There is an added bonus to regularly
receiving healing, in that you get to be reminded of how it feels to be
‘the client’. This keep your awareness fresh, and reminds you of exactly
how it feels to be ‘zoned-out’ and have to ‘wake up’, or how intrusive an
absent-mindedly placed hand can feel, or how uncomfortable a cold
room can be to lie in.
Whilst you’re considering self-care, you might also like to consider
experiencing other holistic healing methods to top up and balance your
energy levels, particularly some of the ones on your referral list. They
will all have something to offer you; and who knows, you may even find
yourself tempted to learn one of them.
SUMMARY
The Ethical Practice Manual was written with the primary goal of
helping you to avoid the many pitfalls you can encounter when in private
practice, and to assist you in being an ethical and boundaried
practitioner, working with members of the public safely and successfully.
However, no healer is above making an error in judgement, the way we
work is complex – our client base diverse. Yet most errors can be
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minimised, and often worked through and smoothed over if it’s clear that
you have made every effort to work safely, ethically and professionally.
You may not be aware that there is a problem, until it is pointed
out to you. You might get a call or note from your client, your client’s
family, or your client’s medical practitioner. Very few people are capable
of raising an issue face-to-face. Take all comments about your healing
and professionalism seriously. Even the smallest comment shouldn’t be
dismissed or ignored; you must take any suggestion of a problem and
give it your full attention.
If you feel that someone is questioning your treatment, be sure to
clarify exactly what they mean so that you do not misunderstand. Once
you are clear, take the time to respond and explain things from your
perspective; be very sure that you’ve been understood. Always remain
calm, and listen. If your client is not making a formal complaint but
merely a valid point - accept it, apologise for it and learn from it. Once a
complaint has become formal your insurance policy will not allow you to
accept responsibility, so tread carefully. If any comments made to you
are defamatory, unreasonable, or without justification, ask for them to
be put in writing. Always seek professional advice before you answer;
your insurance or group membership may offer you a legal advice
service.
There will always be ‘hindsight’ moments in life where you could
have acted differently – they are often the moments that help you to
grow the most, so rather than berating yourself over any errors,
embrace them for their learning and for the person they will help you to
become.
Sadly, this really does bring us to the end of our healing journey
together. However, if you require further information on healing, ethical
practice or just require more Reiki reading you can log on to the website
that supports this book at www.howtopracticesuccessfulreiki.com.
Wishing you love, light and bright
blessings, always,
Claire x
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INDEX
dribbling, 225
drugs, 176
electromagnetic field,
38
emotions, 145
empathic, 224
energy, 58, 76, 81, 82,
84, 94, 102, 121, 128,
134, 135, 157, 182,
184, 187, 189, 191,
198, 224, 226
erections, 225
ethical, 227
expectations, 209
eyes, 62, 63, 78, 109
father, 101
feedback, 205, 206,
207, 208
Fire Dragon, 181
Fire Serpent, 181
flatulence, 225
focus, 186
grounding, 143
Hand Chakra, 9, 49,
186
hands, 45, 61, 74, 76,
123, 133, 135, 160,
224
Hawayo Takata, 21
Heart Chakra, 33, 110,
163
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen,
120, 133
illness, 199
imbalances, 182
infestation, 224
infinity symbol, 186
inner child, 108, 111,
163
intention, 132, 186
addicts, 199
affirmation, 196, 197
attunement, 44
aura, 189
balance, 183, 189, 228
Base Chakra, 107, 108,
113, 163, 181
Beaming, 132
blessing, 197
blocks, 216
boundaries, 87, 109,
138, 184, 224, 228
burn out, 228
calming, 119, 145, 183
chakras, 138, 181, 184
channelling, 160
children, 172, 175, 224
Cho Ku Rei, 10, 117,
118, 119, 121, 130,
133, 136, 186
clairaudience, 112
clairsentience, 112
clairvoyance, 112
cleansing, 74, 80, 137,
186, 188, 228
clockwise, 136
confidentiality, 87, 216
connection, 120, 128,
183
Crown Chakra, 37, 38,
45, 76, 113, 121, 164,
181, 182, 183
Crystal grids, 134
Dai Ko Mio, 181
Di Ko Myo, 121, 122
disappointment, 153,
217
divine, 121, 164
dowsing, 33
Dr. Hayashi, 21
231
Sacral Chakra, 108,
163, 191
Sahasrara, 113
Sanskrit, 10, 114
Sei He Ki, 118, 119
self healing, 52, 56
Shakti, 37
Shamanic, 189
singing bowls, 81
small blocks, 29
smudging, 189
snoring, 225
Solar Plexus Chakra,
108, 109, 163, 191
soul, 110, 113, 169
spiritual, 121, 182,
183, 184
spiritually, 197
Stubborn blocks, 29
symbols, 116, 209
terminally ill, 199
Third Eye Chakra, 9,
35, 45, 112, 160, 163
Throat Chakra, 111,
157, 163
vortex, 32
wand, 186, 190
worrying, 199
Zonar, 181, 182
intuition, 184, 185
Kundalini, 37, 143
Major Chakras, 31, 38,
118
Master Certificate, 203
meditation, 94, 95, 96,
183, 189
mindfulness, 22
negative energy, 80,
198
Nin Giz Zida, 181
pains, 100
pendulum, 9, 32, 33,
34, 35
power, 143, 163, 191,
195
practice, 95, 209, 220,
228
private practice, 153,
213
Psychic, 124
purification, 81
Raku, 182
Reiki, 12, 20, 21, 22,
45, 114, 115, 175, 180,
195, 199, 204, 209,
210, 220, 232
relationship, 140, 141,
218Ryoho Gakkai, 20
232
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claire Derby is a Reiki Master, Person Centred Counsellor,
Relationship Coach, Spiritual Clairvoyant, Teacher, Journey Woman and
of course Writer.
She has a private therapy practice in the beautiful
rolling Chiltern Hills, in the English countryside where she was born.
At school she struggled with an undiagnosed learning disability,
only realising her own problem when her eldest son was tested and
confirmed dyslexic. Since then she has home educated her youngest son
from the age of 10 (also dyslexic) and in so doing, travelled an
unexpected path of discovery; learning how dyslexia is so much more
than just being a bad speller.
During her working life there have been many jobs, but only when
she retrained as a therapist and healer did Claire feel she had found her
niche. The spiritual connection she now enjoys is one she shares with
her students; a true sense of coming home.
Claire regularly teaches all levels of Reiki to students - young and
not so young, she believes passionately in everyone’s ability to learn
healing and connect with their spiritual self at any age, if they so choose.
Her aim is always to continue spreading the network of Reiki spiritual
healers globally.
It is her deepest wish that the Reiki she teaches can move forward
into a more professional and accepted form of healthcare. One where
medical practitioners everywhere feel confident to recommend spiritual
healing as a sensible and practical form of treatment, particularly for
those suffering from the kind of stress and anxiety that medical
practitioners current prescribe SSRI’s for. Current figures indicate that
stress is set to become the modern world’s biggest health care crisis, if a
better way is not recommended to help people who suffer from these
ailments, Reiki is a definite stress buster and combined with other
therapies is a powerful healing tool.
Claire believes deeply that holistic healing should be used alongside
scientific medicine, as a more balanced and rounded treatment. Aiming,
not just to cure a symptom, but heal the whole person; mind, body and
spirit. It is, she believes, the key to an altogether healthier and more
balanced society.
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