Rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui (a dedicated Buddhist and Theologan) in the late 19th Century in Japan, in the years to come he healed many people through the creation of his Reiki Clinics. It is said that Dr. Usui taught over 2,000 people the path of Reiki, and initiated several Teachers. One such was Chujiro Hayashi, a student of Dr. Usui towards the very end of his life. It was Hayashi who first introduced the hand positions that we today use in Reiki practice.
Reiki was first introduced into the west in the 1970's by a Mrs. Hawayo Takata, who was a student of Hayashi's in Japan. For many years most of that which was known about Reiki and its origins were as a result of Mrs. Takata, though most recently much information has surfaced from the Masters in Japan that indicates many historical facts she taught were wrong, or altered by her for reasons unknown.

I myself am now a 2nd Degree Reiki Practitioner, and have been studying now for almost exactly a year with my Master, Leslie. It is something that has completely transformed myself and my life, as the Healing from within triggers the Healing from without. I could never of rediscovered and accepted my Otherkin self without the empowerment and the necasary healing that Reiki has brought me, as well as the peace, direction and stability that my life seems to have always lacked till now. There is not really enough that I can say to describe the beautiful love and joy that flows into your life once you have begun the Reiki path, and how rewarding it is to help others in such a profound and special way. Of all the different forms of Natural Healing I have so far learned or had used on me (e.g. White Light, Crystals, Magnetic Therapy, Angel Therapy, Aura-Soma, Reflexology, Spiritual healing, etc) Reiki has always had the most beneficial and noticable effects on my health and wellbeing. I believe that all people should experiance the wonderous blessings that Reiki has to bring, whether it be to learn it or to recieve it. It is a completely safe, non-invasive and natural way to improve your health and vitality, that can be learnt by people of all ages and religion.

Here I shall list and write about several of the techniques and affirmations that have helped me greatly to guide my Reiki Practice and to fine-tune my Healing sessions with others and myself. They are all intuitive workings, so may be performed differently for each and every person that uses them. I’ve always attempted to never let myself get bogged down with details when reading something that I wanted to attempt, but to just take what I felt I needed from it and leave the rest. Please feel free to do the same and trust in your own judgement.

Opening Prayer

When I say or project these prayers with my mind, setting and focusing my intent, I hold my hands just in front of my face in the namaste (prayer) position, so that they are high enough that I might blow air just over the top of my middle fingers.
It truly depends on what your religion (if you have one) and spiritual beliefs are, but for myself I generally open a Reiki Session with a personal prayer to Spirit, asking for the appropriate outcomes and energies to be present in the sessions. For example, I may request and thank the Spirit for Healing, Grounding, Protection and Re-alignment. Each time I perform an opening prayer it is different then the last, as they are intuitive based on my impressions and instincts on what is required most for the Healing to begin.
Almost always, I shall thank the Spirit for the “Love, Light, Reiki and Healing that shall be present during this healing session” as these are things that needed not be specially requested – I feel them to always be present and flowing, wherever there is Reiki.

To the Highest Good

Reiki energy is a semi-intelligent force, yet at the same time it requires the guided intent of the practitioner to allow it to work to the best of its performance. Like gravity, it is a constant force that moves in one direction, yet with the help of a person who has been attuned with Reiki, it can be guided like a stream of water to effect many areas of a person’s body and life, in a number of ways. An example of this is a commonly used term among Reiki Practitioners “To the Highest Good”.
When you affirm that Reiki should be sent to someone for the Highest Good, or used for the Highest Good, you are acknowledging that there are designs and forces above that which you yourself wield. People can not always know exactly what it is that is for the best in this situation – sometimes a person has to go through pain, in order to receive happiness. Reiki is not about pain, yet there is no quick and easily understood answer to every solution. By affirming during a Reiki session for the energy to be sent to the “Highest good” for a general (or specific) situation, ensures that the best outcome will result for you and/or your patient.
In my experience it need only be affirmed once during a session, but there is no restriction in affirming it several times for each symbol or hand position, depending on what the practitioner feels is needed.

I accept this Reiki with Love and Thanks

Whether it be the work of guides or a person’s own personal energy shields they have created, using an affirmation such as “I accept this Reiki with love and thanks” opens your own aura and chakras open more, making you easily receptive to the positive and healing energies of Reiki. I have often personally found that people have trouble working with your energy or sending you energy, if you are someone who is naturally defensive in nature, or doesn’t like being physically close with people. If you are wondering why you do not experience much when receiving Reiki from other people or yourself, then this is an excellent thing to test out and perhaps play around with till it feels comfortable. In any case, it allows the flow of Reiki to enter and integrate with your energy to the very best of its ability.

Glass of Water

After, and sometimes before every session of Reiki, I have been taught to take a moment and always drink a glass of fresh water. The reason for this is because Reiki sets a lot of loose energy free when it could be stagnant, blocked, etc. and in doing so cleans our systems out and detoxifies us constantly. In drinking water, we are helping to clean out our physical symptoms even more as it washes through us, and helps to wash away and cleanse the energy that Reiki has already help to flow. Drinking water helps to ensure it shall be washed out of our symptoms thoroughly.
Reiki can also be a very warming experiance with the intense heat people might experiance (not all, but some do) and this can leave us feeling "dried out". After giving Reiki to people it is good to give clients a glass of water. Another reason besides the cleaning out, is that it gives people a moment to just sit quietly, and absorb the powerful energy they have received after the session is over.

Calling the Soul Home (Level 2 and Up)

Not nearly as dark or melancholy as it sounds, this technique is something that I discovered on a web site created by a Reiki Master and of her own creation I believe (and because of this, I shall credit her at the bottom of this page). It is a very basic technique, based on the principle that as we go through life there are places, people, situations and things which we become attached to. However as time goes on, as we move on and relationships to people and places end it may no longer be appropriate for that energy to remain invested. This is reminiscent of the Shamanic idea of Soul Retrieval, as the North American Shamans believe that as we go through hard and negative experiences parts of our souls we may lose and have to recover.

The way the technique was presented to me by this web site however seemed incomplete, which I did not realize till after I had attempted the technique myself. With something such as this, it may be healthy for energy to remained attached to things outside of you, or it might not. When I practice this technique I connect with Reiki, saying a prayer to Spirit for Healing, Love, Light, Happiness and Protection. Then using the Hon-Sh-Ze-Sho-Nen Symbol I ask for “the Reiki to help return my attached energy from past places, relationships and objects if they are ready to return for Healing, and for all energy return to be of the Highest Good”.

Once you are finished then follow up by using the Sei-Hei-Ki Symbol as you send Reiki to yourself and requesting “Please help to integrate this returning energy with my aura and chakra’s to the most healing benefit”. As you send the Reiki visualize the energy flowing through to the outer layers of your aura, all the way to the very most inner depths of your energy pockets within you. Feel it filling you and surrounding you completely.

Upon first performing this technique I was instructed intuitively that this is a technique that should be performed for three days in a row, for as long as you personally feel it is needed. The reason for that is because it takes 3 days for energy to pass through a complete cycle into the top three chakras. This technique can be performed on patients as well, requesting the energy return be for them and their own attachments instead of yours and following all the other steps thus.

This is an excellent exercise for Reiki Practitioners to use on a regular basis for the 3-day period, aiding in helping to let go of past situations, break addictions or bad habits, as well as feeling better about moving on and giving courage for the future.

To see the original web site where this technique was found, please go to: http://www.reikimastery.com/