Reiki Technique: The Lotus Flower & Lightning Rod

As I received my Usui Reiki Master-Teacher attunement in 2017, I was granted a vision.

In it, I was standing in somewhere safe, but grey clouds and fog obscured my vision. Didn’t feel panicked, merely curious as to where I was and what was going on; I had just attained the status of Reiki Master-Teacher, I had committed to the journey and now I had finished it. I relished in the accomplishment – and stood shoulders back, beaming, proud, and strong!

Then, little by little, the fog and clouds cleared-and I found myself upon a mountain top. As more clouds and fog cleared, my inner eyes focused, and I saw many, many other mountains laid out before me. More than I could focus on. A deep valley connected them all, with a lovely winding stream in the middle.

Stunned is about the only word to describe my energy at that point. I just became a Reiki Master-Teacher! My thoughts raced, spun, and tried to comprehend this vision. But in immediate comprehension, and intuition, I knew what my guides were showing me.

The mountain I stood on was just ONE of many energy methods to use in healing, and there were more out there that I needed to discover, learn, and understand.

There was a good, long “F!” word used in astonished resolution, as my shoulders came down, and my breathe huffed out of my lungs. And I started back down my conquered mountain to truly begin my soul’s journey.

Looking back on this vision, I saw the strength in my own soul. Didn’t hesitate in my resolve after I saw those other mountains. I didn’t sit in reverence to my newly achieved position. I simply saw what else was out there, and after a brief “Good Grief Charlie Brown!” moment, immediately threw myself into another journey.

This point is where my soul truly embraced the role of becoming an Eternal Student of Energy. Where I listen to the vibration of internal healing in myself and others, and share what I’ve learned to inspire others around me to heal.

One of my teachers along my journey (who I’ve never personally met as yet!) and have found inspiration from is Frank Arjava Petter. His work to study the origins of Reiki from the breadcrumbs left behind by Mikao Usui and other Reiki Masters is truly remarkable and commendable. He has gifted us a true treasured resource-learning about the origins of Reiki, and how it was taught in the beginning years.

My Journey Into Knowledge

It is said in some references to Mikao Usui’s healing, that he would hold a ball of energy in his hands and direct it into the body. Intrigued, I wanted to learn more about this, but there was nothing more than vague references. I started to follow my own trail of breadcrumbs.

In a book, “Pain-Free Joints” by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, I found information about the Lao Gong Pericardium 8 point (P-8) referenced in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), right in the centre of our palms.

This P-8 point is one of the most powerful acupuncture points in the entire body, is a location for a minor chakra point-and also where we channel Reiki, and other palm-healing energy techniques.

Excited, I looked for more information on the Pericardium Meridian. Starting at the heart, one branch of the meridian moves downward and connects to the San Jiao Meridian (or Triple-Burner) right where the lower tanden (Hara) point is.

AHA! I had finally found the information I needed to explain the WHY’s behind the Joshin Kokyuu-Ho method to bring the breath (energy) downward from the heart and lungs into the Hara point.

The other branch of the Pericardium Meridian moves from the heart, into the arm, then the palm, then out the middle finger. I felt I finally understood the flow and channel of Reiki in my body for the first time.

But I still hadn’t found how to hold a ball of energy in your hand. Reiki Chi Balls didn’t seem to fit, other points of energy healing didn’t either. I didn’t get frustrated, I just got more curious!

It wasn’t until I came across “The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui” by Dr. Mikao Usui and Frank Arjava Petter that I finally found my connection. On pages 25-26 of this book, it described how Mikao Usui would gather energy with his left hand, and passed it along to his right hand, to specifically give energy to an area.

SUCCESS!

I followed along with the descriptions of the hand position techniques as outlined on the pages. I moved through each step to create the energy technique, to understand how the energy is built and transmitted from and to each of the hands, I paid specific attention to what my body was feeling and the energy moving within. And then I named the technique I learned and all the steps; “The Lotus Flower & Lightning Rod” to honour the position of the hands while giving this healing treatment.

Step One – Clearing Your Energy

The first step to take prior to any energy healing or energy work is an Energy Wash, or Energy Cleanse of the hands. It’s a simple, yet effective technique to break any connections you have in your hands.

You start with palms together, left hand on top of the right hand, then gently slide apart, intending in your mind “Cleanse-Clear-Remove-Release”. Then place your palms together, right hand on top of the left hand, then gently slide apart, intending in your mind “Cleanse-Clear-Remove-Release”. This is considered one round. Complete four rounds.

Special note: if you are left-hand dominant, start with the right hand on top of the left hand.

Next, take a deep breath in, hold for a count of two, then release the breath, and hold again for a count of two. Try to carry your breath deep into your navel or your lower tanden point, and release your breath from here. This is considered one round. Complete four rounds.

These two techniques help to clear and bring greater flow to any healing you are about to do. But I didn’t understand the WHY behind them until my research into the Pericardium Meridian and the P-8 point.

Step Two – Working with the Technique

Special Note – if you are left-hand dominant, the right hand completes the Lotus Flower, and left hand completes the Lightning Rod. This is done to honor your energy channels and how energy flows in your body.

Left (Non-Dominant) Hand: Lotus Flower

The purpose of this position is to close your left-hand (non-dominant) Reiki Channel, and loop the channeled Reiki energy from this hand back along your Pericardium Meridian, and allow your right hand/fingers to channel the Reiki Energy of both hands at once.

With your mind centered and your energy clear, move your left hand forward to your heart centre, palm up, fingers and thumb pointing to the right.

Bring your mind’s awareness to the centre of the palm and intend that your Lao Gong point (center palm chakra) is opening for Reiki Energy, and sending it outward, towards each of your fingertips. You can also draw the CKR symbol on the palm chakra with your right hand/fingers, your eyes, or your third eye.

Slowly bring your fingers and thumb together, where they are centered over the Lao Gong point, so that they form a closed Lotus Flower. Hold this position for a count of 5. You can also draw the CKR symbol at the center of the closed fingertips with your right hand/fingers, your eyes, or your third eye.

Slowly open your fingers and thumb-allow them to relax and form an opened Lotus Flower. Hold this position for a count of 5. This is considered one round. Complete 3-4 rounds of open/close, then hold your hand in the closed Lotus Flower position.

Move your hand in closed Lotus Flower from your heart centre to your Solar Plexus chakra or Hara point – whichever feels more comfortable.

Right (Dominant) Hand: Lightning Rod

The purpose of this position is to open your right-hand (dominant) Reiki Channel, and allow your right hand/fingers to channel the combined Reiki energy of the left and right hand.

Move your right hand forward to your heart centre, palm up, fingers and thumb pointing to the left.

Bring your mind’s awareness to the centre of the palm and intend that your Lao Gong point (center palm chakra) is opening for Reiki Energy, and sending it outward, towards each of your fingertips. You can also draw the CKR symbol on the palm chakra with your eyes, or your third eye. As your left hand is still in closed Lotus Flower, it is not advised to use this hand to draw the CKR symbol.

Slowly bring your fingers and thumb together, where they are centered over the Lao Gong point, so that they form a closed Lotus Flower. Hold this position for a count of 5. You can also draw the CKR symbol at the center of the closed fingertips with your eyes, or your third eye.

Slowly open your fingers and thumb-allow them to relax and form an opened Lotus Flower. Hold this position for a count of 5. This is considered one round. Complete 3-4 rounds of open/close, then hold your hand in the closed Lotus Flower position.

From here, there are two forms or techniques you can use:

1. Reiki Healing to One Specific Point (such as a tooth, or an acupressure point)
   • Allow the right index finger to relax and open away from the other closed fingers. Feel the flow of Reiki energy move through this finger and out the fingertip to give healing energy.
   • Complete the healing treatment by placing the finger on or near the point in the client’s body which contains the energy block.
2. Reiki Healing to a Specific Area (such as along the spine or section of a meridian)
   • Allow the right index finger and right pinky finger to relax and open away from the other closed fingers. Feel the flow of Reiki energy move through these fingers and out the fingertips to give healing energy.
   • Intend that the natural space between them be connected and filled with the channeled Reiki energy.
   • Complete the healing treatment by placing the fingers on or near the point in the client’s body which contains the energy block.

Step Four – Closing the Session

At the end of the treatment, simply envision or intend a positive outcome for the client. Then release all aspects of the outcome to the Divine Mind of the Universe for resolution and healing.

Release both hands into open Lotus Flower, and complete all your regular closing techniques to draw the session to a complete close, then complete the Energy Washing technique for your hands again to break any connections you may have made with your client.

Why Use This Technique

This technique is handy to learn, because as I’ve found, there are a number of times clients have specific pains, and placing hands on or near the area will not feel right, or fit. Or perhaps an area simply needs a more direct ball of energy to release pain.

Instances of;

• Toothache (One Tooth)
• Back Issue (Centering on the Spine)
• A centralized area (finger, joint, area of pain)
• A Headache Point
• An Eye
• Sending Reiki to a Reiki Wheel
• A Baby
• A Small Animal
• Use your imagination!

Closing Thoughts

While it may feel weird or different for you at first, with practice it will get easier.

One tip is to practice on yourself if you don’t feel comfortable using this technique on client right away. Simply give yourself treatments and see how you feel and how your energy feels.

You can also see the effectiveness by completing a session for a client as a regular distant healing or absent treatment, and then using the Lotus Flower and Lightning Rod method and asking for their feedback.

For Further Reading

• “Pain-Free Joints” by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
• “The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui” by Dr. Mikao Usui and Frank Arjava Petter
• Lao Gong Pericardium 8
• Stressor Spotlight: Triple Warmer Meridian

Article by Krista Ellis-Smith

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Krista is a Reiki Master-Teacher from Canada. Her spiritual journey started in earnest in 2015 when she took her first Reiki class. Since then, she has shared this healing art form with numerous clients and students. As a lifelong student-she most recently signed up for her doctoral dissertation through the University of Sedona.
You can follow her on Facebook at MetamorphosisJourneyIntoPurposefulLiving/ or email her at [email protected]