The Illusion of Belief

Belief within our Reiki practice is a surefire way to continue the cultivation of our own suffering. I know this may be a confrontational opening statement, but just hear me out.

Reiki is a practice of letting go and surrendering but all too often we view it solely as a practice of healing. And if we view Reiki within the lens of a myopic belief, such as the directional practice of healing, then we are not viewing Reiki necessarily from the perspective of neutrality, but rather from the perspective of our egos. And I would postulate within this article that if we can recognize a practice of Reiki that is free from belief, then we can begin to recognize that healing will come as a natural byproduct of this simplifying approach to our Reiki practice.

I find myself answering questions surrounding belief and Reiki all too often within the community, and I believe these are critical moments to really investigate the way Reiki is currently being taught by a large number of teachers and practitioners.

If Reiki is being taught from a perspective of duality, or hierarchy, or grandiose claims, connections to angels, better lineages, new and more powerful Reiki branches and practices, etc. Then we are always seeing Reiki from the terms of suffering. For instance, this line of Reiki is more powerful than the others. This line of Reiki is more pure, it’s more direct. It’s more of this, that and the other. All of these are forms of comparison and belief. And they automatically create hierarchies and disbalances. But if Reiki is a practice of the cultivation of balance, as is clearly discussed in the precepts or even the definition of Reiki itself, then we need to begin to recognize any opportunity or discussion or encroachment of the ego within practice. And we need to work to surrender to letting go of that ego.

One point that I discussed quite often within the community is the belief in healing. And I’ll give an example here that I’ve discussed for quite a long time is the misconception that you are not supposed to give Reiki to a bone that has recently been broken because it will heal too quickly. So from personal experience, I’ve broken my left arm now on two separate occasions, with six different breaks. And each and every time I broke it, I was a Reiki Master and practitioner and I was giving myself Reiki non stop. There is simply zero evidence to support this misconception within Reiki that giving Reiki to a broken bone will heal it too quickly. And that indeed, will not allow it to be set properly. I’ve never seen any evidence of this, and further to everyone who has made this claim and I’ve asked to present evidence nothing has been presented beyond hearsay and rumor.

Each time I’m presented with this, or any other big claim within Reiki I would simply ask (and I urge all of you to ask the same) where’s the evidence that this is the case? And if this indeed was the case, in regards to the broken bone example, wouldn’t every osteopath and hospital on the planet ask you directly if you’re a Reiki practitioner or encourage you not to get Reiki until the bone is set?

Now I know that the counter argument here is going to be very quickly that hospitals are not aware of Reiki. That’s simply not true, I think in the United States at this point, there’s over 1000 hospitals that are utilizing Reiki as their patient care, both inpatient and outpatient. I’m sure many of you reading will have been giving Reiki in hospitals and indeed I used to work in the medical space in Hong Kong as a Reiki practitioner.

So if we return to this idea of belief, then what good is it to perpetrate stories of grandiose nature within our practice? Because they will only simply lead to fear and fear will lead to resistance and doubt. And if we approach our practice with resistance and doubt, then that means we are going to further attached to guidance from the ego of belief, and we are going to trust less the energy of the universe, which is Reiki.

And so returning to this idea of the broken bone, always remember that Reiki can do no harm.
If you’ve injured yourself, you instinctively will begin to apply Reiki to it. Indeed, isn’t this what we all do? If one were to, say, break their wrist, wouldn’t they instinctively hold that wrist with the other hand? If you twist your ankle, you instinctively bring your hands down to the ankle and hold it and breathe. When you have a stomach ache, don’t you simply and intuitively place your hands over the stomach and breathe? When women are pregnant, don’t they instinctively place their hands on the womb and breathe? THIS IS ALL REIKI. As a Reiki teacher and practitioner, I would never run up to a pregnant woman for instance, and ask her if she’s a Reiki practitioner. And if not, then she needs to immediately stop placing her hands on the womb. This is absurd. Just the same as claiming to others that we must not give Reiki to a broken bone prior to setting without any evidence to support why this is indeed not good for the body, and in direct contradiction to a mountain of evidence as to how Reiki works to calm and relax the body, reducing inflammation, pain and so on…all would be very welcome with a broken bone.

Remember, we are dealing with the energy of the universe. That energy is neutral by nature, it is aimless by nature, and is Love by nature. Anything that we put into that practice that forms any belief automatically creates resistance to the flow of that energy. What if we viewed our practice from simplicity? What if we viewed it simply as placing our hands, surrendering, and smiling? Do we feel pain? Is there suffering? Is there a belief that may arise? Of course these things come, they’re natural, still however, surrender, smile, and leave your hands. That’s the simplicity of Reiki, the ability to supersede belief and arrive on the other side in the neutrality of energy. If the energy of the universe, which is Reiki, is balance, then work within a practice that cultivates balance, not one that perpetuates belief from the ego.

Article by Bruce Taylor

Free eBook download: We’ve created an eBook with our best articles on this topic, and offer it for free to all our newsletter subscribers.

Bruce Taylor is a Reiki Master Practitioner and Teacher based in France. He has practiced Reiki since 2006 and his practice focuses on Usui Reiki Ryoho, having been trained in Kyoto, Japan.
He works and trains others globally both in person and via his online offerings found at www.rootsoflife.org
Further to that, he manages the Usui Reiki Ryoho Support and Community Group on Facebook which all are welcome to join (www.facebook.com/groups/129366524359731)
Bruce also manages his youtube channel where he focuses on Reiki and Holistic Wellness content (www.youtube.com/c/RootsofLife)
And as this is the 100th anniversary of Usui Reiki Ryoho, he is leading a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Reiki – Kyoto, Japan, as soon as Japanese borders are open again to tourism. For more information on this truly once in a lifetime celebration, please visit: https://rootsoflife.org/reiki-pilgrimage-kyoto/