Reiki – the Same Principles, just a Different Perspective

Article by Phillip Hawkins

With our limited knowledge and understanding, we assume that what we do now has always been done and what we accept as truth has always been so. We take comfort from this fact yet this concept is unsound and untrue, the only certainty in life is uncertainty, and the only constant is change. Sometimes our development is gauged not by knowledge and understanding but by technological advances and it can be difficult for some young people today to understand that something as basic and fundamental as mobile phones, IPod’s, and MP3 players haven’t been around forever.

We set great store by the institutions that provide structure and comfort to our lives. Science and religion provide the perimeters of fact and faith and we assume these pillars of society are definitive and absolute. Scientific advances are never readily accepted; anything that challenges the status quo runs the gauntlet of rejection and ridicule until the evidence is so overwhelming the dissidents accept the new truths and then claim it as their own.

Science is not a science with its principles chiseled in stone; it is fluid and ever changing ah history records the price people paid with their lives for holding the beliefs we accept and take for granted today.

Religion fares no better, the Bible we read today bares little resemblance to the scriptures prior to and from the time of Christ. It is said that ‘God has no religion’ and it is evident that throughout history Kings, Popes and politicians and not God decided what we would read today and what our religious beliefs should be. The scriptures that form the basis of our faith have been doctored, edited and in some cases destroyed in order that those in a position to do so could determine what would be in our best interest to read and believe.

In reality there are no new truths, only old ones that have been rediscovered. All knowledge and understanding already exists and is a continuum, it is ever changing and developing, all wisdom and truth are already complete and absolute, and it’s our awareness of these principles that is slowly evolving. We once believed that the earth was flat, but just sailing into the sunset didn’t have the power to create the earth in its true form, that already existed, but those who had the courage to challenge the accepted belief broke new ground and old beliefs in equal measure, and in doing so raised mankind’s level of awareness. New knowledge is not at the expense of what has gone before; instead it builds on the foundations already laid be it fact or fiction.

So it is with Reiki; its history and legend are well documented, its credentials established by its own success, all those who practice Reiki know its value and worth and are respectful of its heritage and traditions. As more and more students and masters are trained, increased knowledge and greater understanding become available, information and expertise that was once considered secret in the East is now readily available in the West and with this sharing comes a better understanding of our heritage and the true potential that Reiki has to heal.

In the process we are asked to change our perspective of Reiki and expand what we already know, for we stop learning the moment we believe we know all there is to know. We accept its history, its principles, aims and objectives and in doing so we develop as individuals and as Reiki practitioners. With time, practice and experience we may even become aware of levels of expertise that challenge our beliefs even further and lead us to a point in time where our understanding and practice change in order for us to move forward.

In music we are taught the scales before moving onto more complex structures that form the basis of music. In martial arts we learn the basic techniques in order for them to become instinctive, free flowing and formless. In Reiki we are taught the three levels of Reiki, the symbols, and the principle of detachment from the cause and its effect that’s presented to us in the form of illness and disease, working as a channel for the Universal energy from source to recipient for their highest good.

If Reiki is universal then it must conform to the universal laws that were instrumental in its creation and be applicable in all situations.

If Reiki has any limitations they are defined not by circumstances, but through our lack of inventiveness and imagination in how we use the skills at our disposal.

Hand positions and symbols have merit and value in their own right and are relevant to given situations, Reiki is both formless and free flowing so as practitioners we must be open to new ways of using this universal energy be that through the spoken or written word, using our eyes, our breath or an appropriate proxy. Our minds provide us with the greatest tool and it can be use in many ways, energy follows intent so we can pre-programme when a person will receive Reiki. Every time they go to sleep or wake up in the morning, when they look at themselves in the mirror, every time they leave or enter their home, the possibilities are endless and don’t require either symbols or hand positions to make it happen.

Using the power of our intent we put it in place and then detach knowing that it’s done and the outcome will be for that persons greater good. These ideas don’t in any way detract from the original principles, they are merely an extension to them, rather than contradict, they elaborate on what is already known and take the theory and practice to a different higher level.

Dr Usui would sometimes empower his students when they were nowhere near him using nothing more than his intent, he thought it and knew that it was so. We move from mechanics to mind, from actions to intent, by thinking it we know it is so, we no longer require symbols to send healing because we have reached the point where we accept that the mind is capable of sending healing at will and can never be limited by physical conditions. To be able to look at a person and know instinctively where treatment required, to be sensitive enough to read the bodies energy field and going directly to the places that need to be brought back to a point of balance and equilibrium. This is not a radical change in direction; it’s no more than another chapter in the Reiki book of life that is continually written by every new experience. We can never learn all there is to know, the best we can hope for is an open mind and the willingness to apply the knowledge we gain in the way we live our lives.

Knowing the principles is only the first step; we must then ensure that Reiki is formless and free flowing in order to demonstrate its infinite power. When we close a book we do so to reflect on what we have learnt, when we close our hearts and minds we close the door to all learning and become unaware of our ignorance, lacking knowledge and understanding.

Knowing the way is easy, walking the path is the hard part; it takes courage and commitment, and the realisation that having reached a given point, our journey as a person and as a Reiki practitioner is nothing more than a work in progress.

A Reiki practitioner since 1999, Phillip started teaching Reiki in 2000 and using those skills and abilities he has spent the majority of the last seventeen years working with a wide range of social and educational needs including Autism and ADHD. Working with addicts dependent on alcohol and drugs, people whose lives were extremely violent and abusive, and others who had to deal with severe mental health issues. This has enabled him to work extensively in the private sector, schools, colleges, education and care in the community, the prison service and psychiatric units.

In 2016, Phillip decided to semi-retire from full-time employment to concentrate on developing his career as a published author and the setting up of his Reiki personal development programme at the Chilton Community College.