Praying with Reiki

Article by Deborah Lloyd, Reiki Master

With the many different religions in the world, the numerous spiritual belief systems, and the beautiful diversity of cultures, it may seem there is little in common between these various groups. That is not true; in fact, there are many foundational commonalities. All people of faith believe in some sort of Divinity, and all spiritual groups strive to become connected to a Divine Entity, or Entities.

Just like human relationships, the most common way to connect to the Divine is simple – communication. Whether we verbalize our thoughts out loud, or we state them in the silence of our hearts, we yearn to communicate with the Divine Spirit. As we grow spiritually, we become aware of the fact the Divine is always present. We learn communication is a two-way street, and we can receive communication from the Divine, through inspirational thoughts, words from other people, signs, or a pure knowingness. If we are separated, or become disconnected, it is the result of our own words and actions.

Reiki is one of the most direct, and easiest, ways to connect to the Divine. Each practitioner develops his own unique way to reconnect to the Universal Life Force Energy. This includes such practices as beginning with a brief time of meditation; drawing the symbols in the air or on the palms of the hands; or, adding inspirational music. A practitioner may also add some prayers or rituals from their own religion, such as putting their hands in “prayer position,” burning incense, or placing meaningful items on a personal altar.

Once a Reiki practitioner has reconnected to the Divine, and the energies flow through the hands, there are unlimited possibilities of what may occur. We do not need to put energy or thought into how the client (or ourselves during self-treatment) may be healed. We do not have to verbalize, through prayer or intention, what the specific outcome should be; we can state the intention of highest good for the client, or ourselves. The All-Knowing, All-Loving Source knows what would be most beneficial.

Many of us were taught that all prayers are heard and answered, although the answer may not be exactly what we wanted. In the same way, all Reiki is healing, although it may not be healing in the form we expected.

Although prayer may be explained differently by the various religions, most people agree the main purposes include praising the Divine, asking for forgiveness, asking for some intention and expressing gratitude. We may think of Reiki in a similar way: connecting to the Universal Life Force; healing past and present “wounds,” within our physical, mental/emotional, and/or spiritual aspects; and, setting an intention for the highest good. Some expression of gratitude after a Reiki session is fundamental.

For anyone who has been hurt by unloving or harsh religious expectations, Reiki can be a wonderful way to become reconnected to the Divine. With individual prayer and Reiki practice, old wounds can be healed. For those practitioners who are blessed to practice both a religion and daily Reiki, there are many opportunities for prayer and spiritual connectedness. Learning about, and appreciating, various belief systems is one way to expand our spiritual knowledge. There are many blessings!

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Deborah Lloyd is a Usui and Karuna Reiki® Master and certified holistic therapy practitioner, providing Distant Reiki sessions and training in Asheville, NC. Deborah is the author of two books, 22 Messages from the Archangels; and, Believe and it is True: A Story of Healing and Life Lessons. She is also one of the co-authors of Reiki 101: 101 Answers for Your Reiki Questions. Reach Deborah at [email protected] and on Facebook at Deb Lloyd Healing.