Let's start by defining Reiki. Reiki is the Healing Art that improves or restores the body's well-being. It is vital to have a clear definition because it forms our understanding. Other essential components are tradition, system, and lineage. They are all central to understanding, practicing, or teaching Reiki.
Healing Art
Let's start with Healing Art. What is the first thought that comes to mind when we hear this? Is it something that is fixed and rigid? Definitely, it is not fixed. Like any expressive art, healing art evolves and changes by talented practitioners. Our world constantly changes, so our healing art can't be frozen in time. Progress in technology makes us more effective, but at the same time, this progress has created some illnesses. Many people now practice Reiki. But let us be realistic; many people can play music, but only a few create it. We call them Teachers. Our goal as Reiki practitioners is to find these teachers and learn from them. These teachers will help us to become what we are meant to be.
Tradition
As someone who grew up in the west and visited Japan only briefly, it is impossible for me to truly understand and teach Japanese esoteric tradition. The system of Reiki is a Japanese spiritual practice that promotes healing and well-being. How many Reiki teachers in the West are familiar with and teach this traditional Japanese spiritual practice? Only a few Reiki teachers and practitioners still follow ancient traditions. It takes years to learn and practice to achieve the necessary spiritual growth. It is why Mrs. Hawayo Takata simplified Reiki in her teaching. While she stepped away from tradition, she did her best to preserve the system of Reiki.
Traditional Reiki teaches us that everything is Reiki; it teaches nonduality. (See https://www.peaceandbalance.org/post/reiki-and-nonduality) It means we are directly and intimately connected to Universal Energy, Universal Consciousness.
System
Webster defines System as an "organized or established procedure." Let's be honest. Do we practice to the letter all Mikao Usui teachings? Even though we have the same basic hand position, the majority of Reiki styles and techniques are very different. "… although the style may still exist, it is difficult to know in many cases what the founder's original intentions were, how he expressed himself to his students..." William Scott Wilson. In some schools, a client lies face up, and the practitioner goes through different hand positions. Others teach them to work on one side and then turn the client over to work on another side. Some schools teach to guide Universal energy into the client's body, and others to remove blocks. One practitioner holds their hands steady as others practice elaborate hand movements. Practitioners blend Reiki with Sound healing, crystals, or other healing systems. I saw influences of TCM, Ayurveda, and Shamanic practices that were never in the original Reiki system. I am not saying it is wrong; I am not a purist. I will use any modality or technique that could help my client. I only want to point out that the Reiki system that most of us practice today differs from the one that Sensei Usui practiced. He gives us the foundation, knowledge, and direction. He himself had a flexible approach to teachings. "Usui Sensei had no standard curriculum, and the length of time of the training depended on the spiritual progress of each student. It is said that he gave one-on-one lectures mainly on the right mental attitude needed for spiritual advancement based on his own experience." Hiroshi Doi
Lineage
Almost everyone claims their lineage to Mikao Usui, but if you practice "Miracle Reiki" or "Panda Reiki" (I made up these names because I do not want to single out anyone), you practice a different lineage. I was trained in a few Reiki styles and always look forward to learning something new. Mikao Usui teachings influence all these styles, but they are different. In my opinion, every time when a teacher makes changes or innovations, he or she creates a new lineage. Many times, behind the new Reiki name, I see innovative techniques and approaches or infusion of other healing traditions, but sometimes it is only the ego of the founder.
Conclusion
We are all Reiki. Our commitment to studying and practicing this healing art makes all the difference. The notion that one Reiki style is more powerful or refined than others is just a marketing gimmick. The newest Reiki modality will not make us more powerful or effective. Only our commitment to diligent practice will make a difference. There is no good or better style of Reiki. They are all inspired by the genius of Mikao Usui, who integrated many Japanese healing traditions into his Reiki system. There are no "right" or "wrong" Reiki (it could be more or less qualified practitioners or masters). All the styles of Reiki have the same goal to assist the body in the self-healing process and endorse spiritual growth. With new scientific advances, Reiki and other Energy Therapies from the esoteric have become frontier science. We are blending the ancient wisdom of nonduality with a modern understanding of entanglement and field theory.
With love,
Roman
April 1, 2023