About Reiki

What does “Reiki” mean?

Reiki has two meanings nowadays. On the one hand, it is the Japanese translation for “universal (Rei) life energy (Ki) ” and on the other, it describes the Reiki “system” according to its founder Dr. Mikao Usui.

The Reiki system according to Dr. Mikao Usui has been around for over 100 years. Dr. Mikao Usui was originally a teacher in Japan and then spent years searching for the healing energy used by Jesus and other masters. He studied ancient Buddhist scriptures and in 1922, during a meditation on Mount Karuma, he gained access to “Reiki”, as well as to four energy symbols that he had previously found in the ancient scriptures. Based on these energies, he eventually developed the individual Reiki levels “Level 1”, “Level 2” and “Master/Teacher Level”. After his death in 1926, the “Master/Teacher Level” was split into the “Master Level” and the “Teacher Level”. Traditionally, therefore, there are four Reiki levels that can be traced back directly to Dr. Mikao Usui.

The Reiki system according to Dr. Mikao Usui is a “step by step” system. You start with Level 1, the initiation to the universal life energy. You can then be initiated into Level 2. Level 2 gives you access to three special energy symbols. This makes it possible to send Reiki through “space and time”. After initiation into Level 2, you can be initiated into the Master Level. The initiation into the master symbol gives you a “direct” line to the “inner self”, the opposite of the well-known “ego”. If you wish, you can also complete the Teacher Level after the master initiation. In the Teacher Level, the Reiki student learns the traditional initiation rituals in order to be able to initiate other people into Level 1, Level 2 and the Master Level.

Important for all levels: at least half a year should pass between the individual initiations. You must always have integrated a Level well into your life before taking the next step. The physical body and the entire energy system naturally need time to process the “new” energies well and get used to them.

Of course, you don’t have to complete every level. There are many people for whom Level 1 is completely sufficient. Not everyone necessarily wants to become a Reiki teacher either. Everyone can therefore decide for themselves how far they want to go and which energies they want to have activated within them.

But what exactly is the “energy” of Reiki? What is the “universal life energy” anyway? It is difficult to describe this. It is in the nature of things. A universal life energy cannot be described in the words we use. This also doesn’t work with other terms, such as timelessness, infinity, singularity, etc. They exist, but you can’t really make them “tangible”. And it is the same with the “universal life energy”. The best way to describe Reiki is with the word “original”. Reiki is an “original” energy. It comes from the singular (spaceless and timeless) origin. It can be compared to the origin of spring water. This water is of the purest origin and is not coloured or influenced by any other substances. If the water then flows along the river, it becomes more and more mixed with other substances. It is no longer “pure”, although it still contains the spring water, but no longer to its full extent. And it is the same in everyday life. Although Reiki is contained in everything as the original energy, it is hardly noticeable in everyday life.

Or another comparison: Reiki is like the wave-particle duality of light. At the “original” level, light is both a wave and a particle. Only when it is observed does it become “visible” as a wave or particle. And so it is with Reiki. Reiki is “formless” in its original form. Only when it is applied does this energy take on “form”. This form can manifest itself in many different ways. For example, as warmth, equilibrium, balance, power, strength, purification, etc.

In short: Reiki itself cannot actually be explained or imagined. What can be described, however, are the effects of Reiki. These are then “tangible”, but they “are” not Reiki …

The Reiki system according to Dr. Mikao Usui therefore enables everyone to tune into this original energy at any time and use it to its full extent. All you need is your willingness to be attuned by a Reiki master. No prerequisites or talents are necessary. Every person already has the channel to the universal life energy within them. An attunement only cleanses the channel so that Reiki can flow again in its natural strength …

Level 1 therefore serves exclusively to activate that energy which cannot be described in words. Level 2 is different. In Level 2, special energy vibrations (energy frequencies) are activated that can be used on their own or in combination with Reiki. These energy vibrations can be described well with words, because their origin lies in space-time. The Reiki energy of Level 1, on the other hand, comes from the source – and this is spaceless and timeless.

In the Master Level, a special energy vibration is also activated, which is also part of space-time. The difference to Level 2, however, is that you are consciously reconnected with the origin through this energy vibration. The circle closes …

The Reiki system is therefore much “more” than a mere “laying on of hands”. The Reiki system according to Dr. Mikao Usui is a system of self-awareness and self-knowledge. It is a path to our “self”, in other words, one of many paths that exist to go through life “consciously” and completely “yourself” again. The main difference to other systems, however, is that the Reiki system enables direct access to this through traditional initiations.