Being Reiki

We cannot always “do” reiki – set up a table, play soft instrumental music and give hands on healing.

There are situations in life when it’s simply not possible or appropriate to offer a Reiki healing session to another being, and yet we know that they would benefit greatly from the healing Reiki can bring.

It is in those moments that we can help most by simply holding space with Reiki for them, and by shifting out of the “doing Reiki” mindset into the awareness that is “being Reiki”.

What does it mean to Be Reiki?

When I first came across the phrase “Being Reiki”  I was quite confused by it.  I’ve had these discussions with my students when I teach and that helped me realize that confusion is a common reaction when we first hear about “Being Reiki”.

It can seem like in order to “Be Reiki”  we would have to be perfect people who meditate all the time and never make any mistakes, but that is a misunderstanding of what this simple phrase is teaching us.

Nope. “Being Reiki” does not mean that we need to be “Ultra Spiritual” perfect people who never make mistakes and spend every moment meditating.

One student explained that she didn’t like the phrase “Being Reiki” because that is not who she feels she is.  She is not Reiki, but she is grateful to be able to act as a channel for the Divine energy to flow through.  I loved her candid honesty, and as we talked more about what the phrase might really mean, an understanding began to grow.

When we think of ourselves as acting as a channel for Reiki to flow through, it can create confusion because we are identifying the energy as something outside of ourselves, omnipotent and omniscient, and capable of miracles we could never hope to reproduce.

While it is important to remain humble and treat Reiki with respect and gratitude, it is also important to recognize that Reiki is not something entirely separate and disconnected from us.

Reiki translates to Spiritual Energy.  If you strip away the cumbersome physical bodies and layers of conditioning, cultural systems and childhood programming, so are we.

At our most basic level, we are a soul having a human experience.  We are spiritual energy.  It’s just that we forget who we are, due to the previously mentioned conditioning, programming, systems and by identifying who we are with our physical bodies.

The system of Reiki is designed to help us remember who we are.

That’s why Reiki is more than offering hands-on healing.

The system of Reiki actually consists of 5 elements.  The Elements of Reiki  are Reiju (the attunement process), Meditation and Breathing Techniques, Hands-on Healing, the Reiki Principles and the Symbols and Mantras.  These 5 elements combine to create a system that is holistic and alive and intentionally designed to help us develop spiritually and reconnect with our True Self.

Our “True Self” is the part of ourselves that is always in harmony with Reiki, and with what the precepts teach us. 

It lives in the moment, it does not bear anger, it does not worry, it is thankful and it is kind to itself and all living things.  It is true to itself and it’s own way.  The more we bear the Precepts in our heart and minds, the more they become a part of who we are and what we bring to the world, and the more in alignment with our True Self we become.

When we work to live in alignment with our True Self, that is compassion in action. 

It is compassion for ourselves because we are not hurting ourselves with the illusions of separation and disconnection from our souls.

It is having compassion for ourselves by knowing that we are not perfect, and that we will make mistakes, but it is okay because that is how we learn and grow.

It is compassion for others because we see them for who they truly are as well – Spiritual Beings.

Over time, we begin to treat them with that knowledge and respect and engage with them on that level.

By honoring the place within them that is already healed we create a safe space for them to remember themselves and reconnect with their True Self as well.  We trust that they are on a journey of discovery in the form of their life, and we trust that the mistakes and lessons and heartbreaking moments along the way are a part of those lessons, and the things their soul, their True Self, came here to learn.

We trust that their True Self knows how to heal and is healing.

The greatest healing gift you can offer someone who is suffering is to hold space for them, to listen, and to trust that they know how to heal.

The greatest healing often takes place when we release our expectations of how we think they should be feeling, and let go of any desired outcome.

We might not always be able to “Do Reiki” – some situations simply don’t allow for hands on healing or a meditation.  But we can always “Be Reiki”, in the sense that we can always choose to remember, in any moment, who we really are.

By simply remembering our True Self, we step into an energy that is true compassion.

We listen.

We offer unconditional love, acceptance and healing energy without needing to do a hands on healing session or announce that we are going to share healing.  We radiate Reiki energy with our entire being and trust that if they are open to it, they will take what they need.

Those who are trained in the symbols and mantras can use them as tools to help them further anchor and embody the energies of peace, healing, non-duality and compassion and step into the energy of their True Self.  We talk more about how to work with these symbols beginning with Level II.

There is no need to “do” anything, only to connect to the part of ourselves that is whole and healed, and create a space where the other being can access the Divine Reiki energy they need, begin to remember their True Self, and begin their own healing process.

When we let go of needing to control or create a specific outcome in this way, the healing and shifts that can occur as a result are often miraculous, because Reiki goes deeper than what we think we know.

Even the most intelligent and highly trained Healers among us are operating from a limited awareness compared to the Divine Intelligence that is Reiki.

When we let go of the reins, get out of the way and simply allow ourselves to be a compassionate source of loving Reiki energy for another being that is suffering, magic happens.

To me, that is the essence of “Being Reiki”.

In Light,

Krystle Ash

www.goldenlotuscenter.ca