People often ask me, "What is Reiki?" I usually explain that Reiki is a Japanese word which, translated into English, means something like "Spiritually Guided Life Force Energy." It has also been translated to mean soul-energy, or vital, mysterious energy of the spirit. When Practitioners call on Reiki, they are calling on the life force inherent in all things, and a force that I (and many others) know to vibrate with Love.
In my classes, I often sidestep the work of labeling the source of this energy as I'm more interested in hearing the wisdom and perspective of my students once they are experiencing the rush of Reiki. Even then, I don't want to hear too much; It can be so easy in our society to get into philosophical debates about origin, religion, and the nature of life, and all of that talking means less time for hands-on healing. While I personally love these types of discussions, for me Reiki is first and foremost a practice of doing.
Reiki is Hands-On. Literally, we lay on hands in order to share or transmit life force. Even when I am doing "long-distance" Reiki, I feel that the spirit of "Hands-On" still applies. This is a practice that thrives and grows when we work continuously with it. The more I run Reiki, the deeper my natural understanding of life and health increases. The more I share this healing energy, the more effortlessly I am able to tap into the simple joy of living. Reiki is not about running from problems. It's not about intellectualizing and sorting through fears. Rather, this richly rewarding energy asks us to engage directly in all aspects of our life through touching and healing our spirit.
We all have unique paths that we are walking. Our personal missions call to us and we try to answer that call in ways that only we can. The greatest gift of Reiki is that it is a spirit blessing, allowing us very simple tools to heal ourselves so that we can see the path that has our name emblazoned. In its own way, the Path of Reiki is actually the Path of (Insert your name!), for all it asks of us as practitioners is that we honor our self-healing and, if called, share that healing with others, for the happiness of all.
© 2011 Dailey Little. You are welcome to reproduce this article provided you do so in its entirety, including the copyright and this blurb: "Dailey Little is a Reiki Master and active practitioner. She teaches Reiki & other fun stuff through her private practice in Santa Rosa, CA. Join her joyful community for ReikiShares, Free Clinics, and eco-activism by signing up at her website, www.SantaRosaReiki.com"