As a result of a recent conversation about the truth of Reiki, i was inspired to create a list of truths. Someone made the suggestion that expanding on those truths might further our insight into the practice. I decided to start with the first one on the list.
“Well trained practitioners learn about the lineage from where Reiki comes.”
When we learn an art, a science, or a formula for something, included in the teaching is usually an explanation of how it made its way to us. When I first learned Reiki, the world was in the process of receiving a more complete set of details concerning the roots of Reiki tradition, including what brought the practice through the founder, Mikao Usui Sensei. (Sensei means teacher, or one who walks ahead in life). In the process of receiving what has gone before, we recognize that histories are never truly complete, they get updated all the time. This has been the case with Reiki history. The information that came to the West thirty years ago, was not yet complete. Now, we have a stronger idea of the history & the details as they actually were. You can find accurate and updated histories from teachers who learned about their lineage, because they will certainly share with you what was taught with them. A popular and well researched book that contains a very comprehensive history of Reiki is one that is written by Frank Arjava Petter. It is called This is Reiki.
When a teacher trains a student, they instruct them in a way that opens them to knowledge. A teacher can only share what they know. A thorough teacher, when sharing Reiki, will most likely have gathered the details of their Reiki lineage. It will include a brief history, including the order of people that the Reiki practice has traveled through, going back to the founder, Mikao Usui Sensei. If you are a practitioner and haven’t received this information, you may want to go back and ask your teacher to clarify the details for you. Knowing our lineage is important because it helps us to honor our teachers. As we honor our teachers, we encourage their wisdom to shine through us.
Blessings on your day,
Brighid
