This is the perfect description of the first level or first degree in Usui Reiki Ryoho training. Usui Reiki Ryoho is the name Mikao Usui gave to the vibration of love and harmony of universal energy he connected to in 1921. Today most people shortened the name to Reiki. Take a minute to think of all the energies and strength contained in love, and all those contained in harmony. This will give you an idea of how powerful the combination of these two energies is.

Reiki cannot be directed, but once a person's channel has been opened, Reiki can be allowed to flow to yourself and others. Reiki-ho (method) is often called a hand-on healing, because allowing Reiki to flow is usually done through the palms of the hands. Reiki knows where imbalances exist in the mind, body or spirit and travels to the core. Reiki balances and surrounds with harmony; what is in balance and surrounded by harmony is healed.

Any one of any age and with any lifestyle can benefit from Reiki, and have his or her channel opened to Reiki by a qualified Reiki Shihan (teacher). There is nothing strange or difficult about Reiki. Some ways Reiki has been practiced since the 1980s have cast dark shadows on Reiki, but the wonderment of the essence of pure Usui Reiki Ryoho, called by whatever name a Reiki Shihan (teacher) chooses, always remains.

The first level of Reiki is the first step on the path of self-discovery, reducing stress, and enhancing all positive in your life. It is the first step into a life of health and good fortune. When training in this level immeasurable hours are devoted to self-healing and self-growth. There are no short cuts to self-healing or self-growth. To identify with an energy most people cannot see, hear, taste, or smell requires hours of study with a qualified Reiki Shihan, and practice. The five short lines of the Gokai (the five precept or five principles) is the backbone of Reiki-ho showing the path to happiness. The five lines are short in word length, but the meaning behind each line is powerful.

Reiki is easy to learn but requires time and discipline. No level of Reiki can be learned in one afternoon, by a quick download from the internet, or from a book. The first level or entrance to Reiki requires at least 12 hours of interactive instruction with a Reiki Shihan. Your communication skills whether they are verbal or in sign, as with your independent mobility skills, took time to learn. So why should the ability to channel two of the strongest vibrations from the universe be any different. The ritual of opening another person's channel to Reiki takes only a few minutes, but the width and clearness of that channel is another matter. Think of all the practice and time put into learning to walk upright even if all systems within the body are functioning perfectly. Then think of the connection to Reiki as the most complex of professional ballet routines. Can you imagine any person learning to not only walk upright but also achieve the grace of a professional ballerina or danseur in 1 afternoon, 1 weekend, or one month? The strength of Reiki is such that it needs nothing to increase its strength, and once a clear connection has been established Reiki can be combined with everything positive in your life. The last student of Chujiro Hayashi-Sensei is a good example of the time required between the entrance to Reiki and the teaching of Reiki. Hawayo Takata-Sensei, who appears in many energy lineages in North America, reached the level allowing her to teach Reiki in Hawaii in 1938 only after countless months of daily interaction, daily study, and daily practice. At least thirty years passed before she began teaching Reiki-ho.

The universe does not discriminate, so not race, religion, sex, formal education, or wealth will allow anyone to condense the time required for Reiki. I have experienced since 1997 that there is no way of knowing the limit to which your channel has been opened until it has opened wider. During a Reiki Conference I attend with eighty other Reiki master/teachers from around the world, it was clear we were all continuing to search for more knowledge and self-growth. Mikao Usui invited his students to try to achieve going beyond what he had achieved, showing that to let go of thinking you have all the knowledge is important step in achieving a pure connection to Reiki. Each of the overwhelming number of energies within the vibration named Reiki has

Hiroshi Doi one of my teachers and a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, the original society began by Mikao Usui, shared much insight with me and other students. The Gakkai believes no person since Mikao Usui has obtained the perfect connection that he had achieved. Considering the devotion to Mikao Usui's teachings that the Gakkai has maintained in the spiritual practice of Reiki, I have no reason to doubt any information that actually has come from the Gakkai. Members of the Gakkai share what they have learned through various means, with each other. Because of the way in which Mikao Usui taught, he did not share the wealth of his entire knowledge with any one student. To know the full extent of Mikao Usui's knowledge and its sources, not only would the three people he raised to the highest level have to be interviewed, but also his other 1,997 known students, and Mikao Usui. The next time you read about secrets being under covered about any universal energy ask how much time and research went into that claim. There has been much created history about Reiki, which is proof that humans have been blessed with great imaginations. Fables have always been a wonderful way to make a point to another person. Once you have learned to walk, the ability never leaves you unless your body is damaged. Once your channel has been opened to Reiki the connection remains with you always. How clear the channel remains depends upon practice and a clear mind. Attempts to direct Reiki can put blocks within the channel.

Hundreds of what are called symbols, or training wheels, have been created since Mikao Usui's passing in 1926. Symbols have no power; they are used only to help some to identify with the overwhelming number of energies contained in Reiki. There is no symbol that is the magic key to open what Mikao Usui opened only after his first awakening followed by three years of Zen studies, followed by days of meditation, hours of unconsciousness, and then practice combined with drawing upon all the wealth of the life experiences he had accumulated. Mikao Usui never received a doctorate of any kind, and did not go searching to find Reiki. We know he was an extremely intelligent and caring man that had been searching for knowledge all his life. He was a husband, father, and there were times in his life he was, as the saying goes, down on his luck.

As you advance through the four or more levels of Reiki you will learn to let balance and harmony flow to others, but keeping yourself in balance automatically touches all you meet in a positive way. Have you ever been around a person that simply made you feel great even if he or she was not giving you compliments or gifts?

The second level will take you deeper into Reiki as you learn how it can travel over time and distance, but each level of Reiki is honorable. Most Reiki teachers use symbols in the second level to help students learn to feel the energies. They are used again in the spiritual third level, and in the fourth level you learn how to leave the symbols and continue on your journey without their weight. More factual information about Reiki can be found on some websites. My website, containing pages of text and links to other informative sites is www.natrualhealinglearning.com.

Living in Maine, USA, I began learning styles of Reiki common in North America. I then studied under Hiroshi Doi, a member of Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, and Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto a Buddhist monk also having a close lineage to Mikao Usui. Each day I practice to maintain the clearness of my Reiki channel and continue to gain knowledge. Achieving certification to teach Reiki, in any style, is not the destination but part of a wondrous journey.

About the Author

I have an Natural Healing & Learning Center in Maine. I have studied styles of Reiki common in North America and went on to study Gendai Reiki-ho under Hiroshi Doi, and Komyo Reiki under Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto. I am alsao an Herbalist and more can be found about me by checking out my website at www.naturalhealinglearning.com