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What's "reiki"?

Reiki is an enlightenment system and a healing art. Some focus more on one aspect than the other. Either is Reiki. Reiki is primarily used in the West (i.e., the United States, Europe, Australia) as a healing system.

The system of Reiki was invented and developed by a man named Mikao Usui (pronounced Me-ka-oh OOh-su-ee) in the early 1900's. Reiki is often translated to mean "Universal Life Energy", but can also mean enlightenment or the coming of together of the Universal Spirit of Creation with our own.

At its most basic level, Reiki is a set of five principles for living, a set of hand positions for treating self and others, and the receiving of an attunement to connect to the reiki energy. An attunement (or empowerment) is a simple ceremony that helps you to reconnect to the energy that is reiki performed by a Reiki teacher or "master"..

There are three levels in Reiki. In level one, you learn the reiki principles, the hand positions and then receive an attunement. In level two, you learn the three reiki symbols, distance healing and receive another attunement. In level three, you learn the reiki master symbol, the attunement process, how to teach, and receive the master attunement.

Reiki works by simple laying of hands and intent. It helps brings us back into harmony with the Universal life energy. This is often healing.

In reiki you do not use your own energy but let this loving Universal life energy flow through you to others. People who do reiki are often called "reiki channels" or that one "channels" reiki. This word "channel" has several meaning in the new age communities and in common use might mean "channel" as in spirits. It needs to be clearly stated here that reiki is not about channeling spirits. The word "channel" here in relation to reiki simply means that we are in tune with this Universal life energy and let it flow.

Many have added in much material in the west since 1980. Some have added in "reiki guides", crystals, pendulums, reiki "rays", psychic surgeries, and many other practices that are often taught along with reiki but are not part of reiki.

The ability to do Reiki cannot be learned in books. To do reiki you need to receive an attunement from a reiki teacher. This must be done in person by a Reiki master.

No reiki can't take energy from another person. It is the process of giving universal life energy. One doesn't give of themselves or take of others and if there is energy interaction with the other's energt it isn't from me directly by from the energy I've added to the that person's system.

That being said, it is possible that one could block energy from another. I've only seen this energy technique used to block others from feeding off one's own energy but if a person really understands the energy flow, I suppose the knowledge gained in reiki could help them to block energy flow. Neither sheilding or cutting off energy flow from others is part of the traditional reiki teachings though, so again this is really NOT part reiki.

Also those that do reiki probably have the understanding and ability to take someone's energy, but to do this would NOT be part of reiki or something a reiki master would teach a student. Like any school of healing art though, if one knows how to heal, one intrinsically knows how to hurt.

You could try a phone book. Most people who attune also have a reiki practice.

We have a large online presence so you could search around and ask at such places.

Scouting out a local new age shop or pagan community would probably help you find a teacher.

Also, I know that some hospitals offer to give reiki and to train a person to give reiki.

As far as making sure a person is authentic. One can ask to see lineage of the teacher. Just like Wiccans should be able to trace their coven back to Gerald Gardner, a reiki master of any tradition should be able to trace their lineage back to Mikao Usui. Unlike Wicca, the lineage is about twice as long (due to the time of creation), so often traditions that shoot off of the original system will trace their lineage back to their founder.

Also one could ask a potential teacher for a reference or reccomendation from their master.

I just want to mention that reiki attunements can be very very pricey. There are traditions that mandate one attune others for free. The Emerald Dragon Reiki tradition for example, must attune others free of charge. Sometimes paying to travel for a master who would attune one cheaply is better than paying for someone local, make sure you check that option out.

No problem. As far as online info goes, here has a lot of good info, but unfortunately it won't help you find a teacher any more. It is an archived site, but if you were looking for more information on reiki that would be a good start.

Google would give you a ton of reiki sites and forums just on the first page of the search.

And I can attune and would attune anyone who live closely for the price of gas it takes me to get to them and maybe an extra ten dollars on top of that. I live in MA, so that may or may not be helpful.