Women Healing Women

It’s not often that a book comes along that is not considered a self-help book that I believe will make for a good radio program. I read a book a week for my weekly one hour radio talk show Energy Awareness and usually, it’s more along the lines of The Law of Attraction, How to Achieve Happiness, Being Grateful, etc. It takes time to read the books and develop the interview questions in preparation for each show and I have a private Reiki/Sound Therapy practice that is actually my life’s work. That doesn’t leave me a lot of time for ‘leisure’ reading.

However, when I came upon Women Healing Women, by Dr. William Keepin and Cynthia Brix, I felt it was something that needed to be discussed. Okay, you won’t find it on the self-help aisle, but the lessons that can be learned from this book are innumerable: acceptance, caring, kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, joy, love, life transformation and yes, what it means to be charitable and giving.

I am amazed by the way the authors write the stories of the women of India, the horrors of their lives and yet, at the same time, teach the reader that in this thing we do that we call life, we can all make a difference and we can indeed all get along.

I don’t want to give too much away so I’m not going to summarize the stories here. It’s a great book that is both inspiring and eye opening. You’re heart will open up and the love that you feel will envelope your very soul. Self-help or not, this is an important compilation of stories that cannot help but make you feel gratitude for yourself and your circumstances while making you aware and conscious of those things that we sometimes turn our back on because, hey, if it isn’t in my own backyard, I don’t need to deal with it, right?

Well, the irony is – the stories actually do depict things that are happening right here, right now, in our own backyards. We just need to be aware, recognize and help as much as we can.

If you weren’t able to listen to the live broadcast, take the time to go to www.blogtalkradio/energyawareness and select the October 28th show, Women Healing Women. Based on the reviews I received, I think you’ll agree that it is both a moving and powerful book.
As Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Crystal Bowl Concerts

As part of my work as a Reiki Master and Sound Therapist, I provide crystal bowl concerts on a regular basis. The music is very healing and the energy from large groups of people always flows differently making each concert totally unique, offering new experiences to all those attending. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it is someone’s first concert or they are a crystal bowl “groupie”, they quickly find themselves lulled into a meditative healing state that is sometimes hard for them to express in words.

Concerts allow me, as the provider, an opportunity to explain what the bowls do as well as why and how they work on the human body the way they do. The comments I receive from people following a concert always amaze me. I know that these bowls are powerful healing instruments that work wonders – their comments always confirm that knowing.

This year, I decided I wanted to do something a bit different. I wanted to have concerts outside, in a serene, natural setting. So I scheduled one.

The first was on a Sunday afternoon, lakeside, in full sunshine where the temperatures exceeded 85°. Although it was quite a hot summer day, we had experienced many rainy Sundays and welcomed the heat and sunshine wholeheartedly. The sounds of the bowls echoing off the 40 acre lake were hauntingly beautiful. By the end of the concert, everyone felt a sense of peace, they were calm, free from stress and totally relaxed. It’s wonderful that such beautiful sounds can transform a person in such extreme ways.

Now that I had done that, I wanted to do more. So this past Sunday I decided the lakeside concert would be at Twilight, complete with Tiki Torches and fire pits to take the chill out of the late evening air. The atmospheric changes provided a spectacular display of light during the entire evening. After playing my bowls for the first set, everyone arose from their meditative states to a most spectacular sunset. The Universe had painted the sky in the most beautiful hues of red, pink, coral, white, yellow and blue.

As the moon began to rise and the blanket of darkness fell upon us it seemed as though the earths’ night life awakened. We could hear the rhythmic chirps from crickets and birds, the cry of a screech owl in the distance, frogs croaking and the splash from fish jumping in the lake. It was so very magical and every sound became a musical accompaniment to the subtle music of the bowls.

Those in attendance were awed by the sunset and the wonderful sounds of nature. The evening could not have been more perfect or beautiful in any way.

I am so grateful for the music of my bowls and most appreciative of those who take time to come to my concerts and receive the healing benefits they provide.

If you’ve never been to a concert, you really should make a concerted effort to attend. There are some who instantly feel a difference and tell me how drastic the effects were for them during the evening. Others don’t feel a dramatic effect but they are indeed at peace and stress free.

Whether it’s a dramatic change or just a sense of relief and relaxation, there is an instant change in energy that does take place. Thus begins the process of removing blocks and cleansing toxins from your system - physically, emotionally, mentally and/or spiritually. Though all these areas are affected simultaneously, you may not feel the effects instantly, but you will know that something is different, and better, within your being.

Taking note of the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, changes that occur during the following week allow you to really open up to the healing that you have allowed to begin by attending a quartz crystal singing bowl concert.

Photography provided by Susan Kozlowski Photography

Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.

The Healing Power of the Pineapple

If you want to give your body a jump start on healing, you may want to incorporate pineapples into your diet.

Pineapple is a very nutritious fruit. It’s packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and enzymes, all of which accelerate the healing process.

The enzyme, Bromelain, is not found in too many edible fruits or vegetables, but pineapple is loaded with it. It’s high in Vitamin C, a very healing antioxidant in its own right. Pineapple boosts the immune system and enhances the bodies healing mechanisms.

Powerful anti-inflammatory effects of pineapple can reduce swelling, tenderness and pain, relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and postoperative surgery swelling, relieve indigestion, builds and repairs body tissue, metabolizes fats and cholesterol, assists in absorbing iron, synthesizes amino acids and collagen (Collagen is a primary building block of skin, cartilage and bone. Collagen is what makes the skin look healthy and clear.), decreases severity of colds, flu and infections, destroys harmful bacteria in the stomach and intestines, reduces the risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease, it is effective in dissolving mucus, relives sore throats and bronchitis, reduces swelling from arthritis, gout, sore throat and acute sinusitis. The list goes on…..the benefits are vast.

I’ve been drinking 8 ounces of pineapple juice a day for at least 30 years. NOT the canned juice. Something happens to it during the canning process which reduces the healing qualities by 1/3 and it doesn’t taste as good, to me. I prefer the cartons of pineapple juice and the brand I really like is DOLE.

I attribute the fact that I heal so quickly, colds and flu (if and when I contract them) never last the normal amount of time, bruises disappear rapidly and when I’ve had surgery, swelling and bruising is minimal. Now, I never realized this until a dentist who performed oral surgery on me said, “You heal so fast”. He then showed me photos of other patients who were so black and blue from the same procedure, yet I had hardly a trace of bruising at all. I now know that I do heal fast. I also know it’s because of the healing properties of the pineapple juice that I drink on a daily basis.

Pineapple also contains micro-nutrients which some experts believe protect against cancer and break up blood clots too. So it’s beneficial to your heart as well. Pineapple Juice has been known to kill intestinal worms, relieve intestinal disorders and it soothes bile.

Finally, pineapple also contains chemicals that stimulate kidney function and assists in removing toxic elements from the body.

As you can see there are so very many benefits to pineapple juice. More added benefits: it also has minimal fat, low-sodium, zero cholesterol – and yet it’s still delicious.

One thing you do need to remember is that you should drink or eat pineapple between meals for optimum health benefits. If you partake along with your meal, or immediately following, all of the work that the pineapple does will be devoted to breaking down the foods you recently consumed and digesting them.

So, go ahead. Start incorporating pineapple into your diet today. You will definitely see results within just a few weeks.

Pineapple: healthy, nutritious and very tasty. It’s a great way to start your day!

Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.

A Real Team Player

I’m amazed every time I hear someone tell me how much my quartz crystal singing bowls affect them.

I don’t ever want to lose that amazement. It keeps me on my toes and lets me know that YES, indeed, I am serving a purpose and helping people along their journey as I travel along mine.

Last month however, one of my bowls amazed me more than I ever thought possible.

First, you need to know I’ve never had a crystal bowl treatment. I’ve only administered. There was, quite simply, not enough time for my instructor to give me a treatment when I was learning all I needed to so I could go forth and play the bowls for my own clients and patients.

I tell you this because I have no idea what people are talking about when they mention how loud the bowls are, or they felt tingling, or absolutely freezing cold or brutally hot. It just doesn’t register because I am listening to the bowls technically. I need to intuit which bowl is to be played next. This is not choreographed ahead of time, it can’t be. Bowl music, used for healing purposes is very specific to the individual or the energy of the audience when I’m playing in concert. I KNOW that I get the benefits of the bowls but not in the same way as the client.

Last month I spent a good portion of my time working in my yard. I have a lot of gardens to tend and they needed a lot of attention. I weeded, raked, edged, planted shrubs and perennials and then spread 24 yards of bark mulch. You can imagine how this can take a toll on ones back. It did mine. During all of this work my back went into spasm. In my infinite wisdom I gave myself a Reiki treatment. Then I went out and did some more work and when I came in, I’d Reiki myself again. This went on for a few days. I call it Reiki and Wreck. Not smart, but I wanted to get this yard work done and the only way to do it, was to play the Reiki and Wreck game.

It was my goal to get everything done before my concert on the 28th – I selected that as a goal because 5 days later I was leaving for Poland and if I accomplished the yard work, well, I’d have enough time to determine what I was packing and then actually prepare those items and pack. This would also give me peace of mind knowing all had been done before I left so when I got home, I wouldn’t be faced with a tremendous amount of work to do. It all worked out. I did accomplish all the yard work but my back was still going into spasm.

The day of the concert arrived. I carried all 17 of my bowls up an entire flight of stairs so I could wash them. Then I packed them into my car and drove them to the venue where the concert was to be held that night. I knew I needed to bring the bowls into the hall, unpack them and leave them to the side of the room so they would not be in the way of the yoga class scheduled just before the concert. I did it, all the while being very cautious with my back and taking my time carrying and unpacking my precious cargo. Some of these bowls weigh in the neighborhood of 40-50 pounds. Putting them in boxes and taking them out is not exactly easy on the back.

During the unpacking I let the bowls know, as I always do, that we were playing in concert that night. As I set the Sacral (D note) Bowl down amongst the others I said out loud, “I really wish you’d fix my back. I need to play for a long time and it’s been in spasm for a week now.” I then gathered up all of my packing material and brought it into the hall closet so it wouldn’t be in the way of the yoga students.

When I came back into the room I looked over at my bowls and noticed something odd. Please keep in mind, there was not one other person in the entire building. The door was locked when I arrived. No one entered the entire time I was there. I walked over to my bowls and there sat the 11” sacral bowl, with a pie shaped piece broken off lying on the floor next to it. I couldn’t imagine what had happened.

I picked up the bowl, and yes, hugging it and crying because it was now broken, I got the bag I made specifically for this bowl and wrapped it up. On my way home I decided I need to call Dr. Paul Hubbert, my bowl supplier. I told him I broke my first bowl and through tears stated I needed to order a new one.

I then told him how my back was feeling much better since I arrived home and there was no discomfort whatsoever, no feeling of even needing to be cautious. I had this theory. I believed the bowl took one for the team, as it were. I was amazed when he agreed with me. I thought he’d think I was crazy but not him. He’s been playing bowls a lot longer than I have and he, too, knows the power of the bowls.

My little sacral bowl took in all that negative energy, releasing the block in my lower back and broke in the process. I explained how because it is crystal I wanted to give it back to Gaia, Mother Earth, but I don’t want to bury it and I asked him if he thought it would be alright to make the bowl into a toad house. Then I explained what a toad house was – any container can be used in a garden, a broken overturned terracotta pot, as a place for toads to live. You can purchase toad houses in many garden centers too.

Dr Hubbert told me that he buries his bowls to give them back to the Earth. I just couldn’t do that. I needed to see the bowl and allow it to serve a purpose, not just be buried in my garden somewhere.

That was a month ago. Two days later I put into action a plan I had been ruminating over for quite a long while – perhaps, three years???

Since all of the gardening in the front was complete, and for the past few years it’s only been the early spring clean-up and maintenance, I wanted to do something with the back yard. I wanted a shade garden. So, on Saturday and Sunday, two days after the concert, I put my backside to good use yet again. I went out and cleared 2,700 square feet of brush which included poison ivy, woodbine vines, barberry, and every other thick rooted form of natural vegetation growing in the state of New Jersey. I was amazed that it took a total of approximately 8 hours for two people to clear that much land. We basically brush hogged the area, MANUALLY. It was exhausting.

Upon completion I went to the place where my little bowl is being stored and said out loud, “You’ll have a spot in the shade garden soon. We cleared it all in only 8 hours…..but I bet you know that already.”

Now, some may say it’s crazy to think that this little bowl took one for the team. I will disagree emphatically. I know that bowl took a huge hit for me. I know I was able to play in concert, having no spasms or discomfort whatsoever because that bowl did its job. I know that I was not only inspired to begin to work on the shade garden but I managed to get a lot of the ‘bull work’ done, without the help of any machinery and my back was fine.

I went to Poland, a long flight, had a great time and came home knowing that although I still had much to do in my shade garden to prepare the earth for this quartz crystal toad house, I also had the strength and motivation to do it. It will be complete this year. That bowl will have its place in the earth, back to nature while serving as a safe haven for some creature, toad or otherwise, and I will be able to see it in all its glory each and every day.

The pie shaped piece that fell out. Well, that balances very well and if you set a candle on it, it remains stable. I now have new candle holder in my Reiki room. Every part of that bowl will continue to go on and serve a wonderful purpose.

As for me, well, my back has been fine and continues to be functioning very well since this incident. I’ve continued to work in the garden, pulling up more roots and stumps that can now easily be seen since the brush was removed one month ago.

I know that I will be able to continue to be amazed with all that my bowls do for everyone who has the opportunity to hear the gift of their sound.

I also know that I am NOT the one who brings forth the healing. I know that it is in the music of the bowls, the energy of the Reiki and the intentions set forth each and every time I play that allows healing to occur.

I KNOW, I have been fortunate enough to be a recipient of this amazing healing energy myself and I have faith that my bowls will continue to bring forth glorious sounds that will allow healing to others as well.

Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.

Energy Awareness Radio - June 24 Show

Tammy Mastroberte, founder, publisher and editorial director of Elevated Existence Magazine was the guest on Energy Awareness www.blogtalkradio.com/energyawareness on Wednesday, June 24th.

June 2009 marks the first anniversary of the magazine and what a year it has been!

Tammy is definitely in line with her life’s purpose.

Spiritual leaders have graced every cover: Deepak Chopra, Joe Vitale, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Russell Simmons and this issue Judith Orloff.

The anniversary issue features Dr. Orloff, an intuitive psychiatrist as she explains how working with emotions can lead to soul growth and transformation on the path to spiritual awakening.

Topics include Whole Foods, Meditation, Building A Spiritual Vision Board, Self Esteem, Communicating with Spirit, Essential Oils, New Ideas, DVD’s, CD’s, Books and products.

It’s a great issue and the show provides a preview of what you’ll read in it and learn from it.

To listen to this show, or any of the archived shows, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/energyawareness

To subscribe to Elevated Existence Magazine go to http://www.elevatedexistence.com/

At only $10 a year, this is a terrific value!!!

Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.

RESPONSE TO MARCH 25, 2009 BISHOPS STATEMENT ON REIKI - PART II

Third – Reiki is Directed by human thought and will

I don’t know where this one came from. I have to wonder if the Bishops read anything at all about Reiki before they wrote their statement.

One of the first things you learn is that Reiki cannot be directed. I cannot direct Reiki to a specific part of the body. No one can. I do not, nor does any other practitioner, direct Reiki. Reiki goes where it needs to go. When you are administering Reiki, you can feel the energy coming through you and you can feel it dissipate. That’s your indicator to move to a different part of the body. You are directed by the energy as to which points in the body require the Reiki.

Example: A gentleman came in with a migraine. I, of course, went to administer Reiki to his head. But the energy was not really needed there, I could feel it. I continued the treatment and when I reached his solar plexus, ah, this is where energy is significantly flowing. He’s holding something in, was my thought. When I finished the treatment I asked him if he was having any issues with his boss, wife or children. He told me he and his wife had been fighting for over a week. Well, there’s your migraine. I told him that was the problem, he was holding back and it was eating him up inside and resulting in a migraine. The migraine was indeed gone after the treatment but when he asked me what he should do I had to tell him, “you can either stop and get flowers and say you’re sorry, someone has to cry Uncle, or, you can continue to come here every few days and I’ll administer Reiki and you’ll leave without a migraine. It’s your call.” The problem with the latter is that it’s more expensive than the flowers, but easier than the apology. He got the flowers. I now see him every few weeks for maintenance.This example is perfect because it clearly shows that I wanted to get rid of his migraine by treating his migraine at his head when in fact, it stemmed from another source which is where Reiki KNEW the energy needed to be administered.

Remember, as practitioners, we are only conduits – that’s it. We’re not healing anyone – we are the conduits for the energy to come through which allows the healing to take place in the clients body. Our bodies know how to heal. It’s just that when there’s a block, our bodies need a little assistance. Which is what Reiki does, it assists in releasing blocks thus allowing the healing to begin.

In all the years I’ve been administering Reiki, I have never been able to tell Reiki where to go. Reiki directs me no matter what I may want, will, desire or think.


Fourth – Reiki is Not Validated by Scientific Studies

Seriously? Are you kidding me?

Hey, how about that National Institute of Health? Have you gentleman ever heard of them? They’re located in Washington, DC and all of our tax dollars pay for the clinical trials that they support.

This one is so blatantly easy to verify, I think a monkey could have done it. I’m not talking about a trained monkey either. I’m talking about your run of the mill, everyday, average monkey. But I digress.

The NIH has conducted a myriad of studies on the use of Reiki (go to www.tlovereiki.com and click on clinical trials) which have proven its efficacy over and over and over and over again.

There’s no need to go on with this one. It’s way too easy.

Fifth – Reiki is Not Accepted by the Medical Community

Those clinical trials I just mentioned? Yes, the ones that those average, everyday, untrained monkeys can verify? Well they are the reason that highly-regarded, extremely reputable hospitals across this great country of ours, as well as around the planet, have Reiki Practitioners/Masters administering Reiki to patients on a daily basis. The short list: Columbia-Presbyterian, NY; Brigham & Womens, MA; Memorial Sloan Kettering, NY; Morristown Hospital, NJ; California Pacific Medical Center, CA; Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, CT; Tucson Medical Center, AZ - to name a few.

As a matter of fact, Dr. Mehmet Oz, you know him? He’s on Oprah’s show a lot and he’s going to be hosting his own show this fall. Well, he just happens to be one of the most well respected cardiovascular surgeons in the United States AND he’s married to a Reiki Master. He also brings Reiki Master, Julie Motz, into his OR during open-heart surgeries at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York. If you’ve never heard of that hospital, it really has quite a good reputation.

The New York Times Magazine did an investigative report on Dr. Oz’s surgeries with and without Reiki. In their investigation they found that when Reiki was administered during his surgery his patients had none of the usual leg pain or weakness after the surgery, they did not have the usual post-operative depression and the heart transplant patients did not experience organ rejection. Dr. Oz has stated himself, “Reiki has become a sought-after healing art among patients and mainstream medical professionals.”

I would like to suggest a book to the committee. You really should read Julie Motz’ book: Hands of Life – in it you’ll find a lot of accurate information about the medical community and Reiki – you know, how it’s accepted and she’s allowed in the operating room. I’m guessing if it wasn’t something that was “REAL” – she wouldn’t be doing that. They don’t just let people go into the OR for fun – everyone in there has a specific job to do. Julie’s job: administer Reiki.

As a small aside: The American Cancer Society recommends Reiki to Cancer patients and regards Reiki as a safe and complimentary treatment to cancer treatments. That kind of speaks loudly too, but I’m guessing the Bishops would have known that had they done their research.

Sixth – Reiki Has No Scientific Explanation

This truly does bode the question: What planet do you live on?

Now, you can’t tell me the Bishops are uneducated. Okay, maybe they’re not physicists but they were doing this research and once they read what Reiki was all about they should have realized it has a basis in both physics and biology.

Before I became attuned to Reiki I wanted to know if there was any scientific basis for this thing called Reiki myself. I didn’t want to get involved in something that had no credible basis. So I asked myself, what is Reiki? It’s energy. I get that, but, if I take a class to learn Reiki, they’ll attune me, but they won’t give me the science behind it which is what I need to know. It then dawned on me that I needed to take a course to help me understand energy. What type of class does one take to learn about energy? The answer is physics. That was not what I wanted to take but, take a few classes, I did. Those classes are what sold me on Reiki.

The science behind Reiki is indeed based on scientific studies and facts. A conventional scientist, Dr. James Oschman, Ph.D., who became interested in the practice of energy medicine, developed a testable hypothesis after he discovered a number of important scientific studies that point to a scientific basis for energy medicine based on the laws of physics and biology. You can read about his findings in an interview that was published in the Winter 2002 issue of Reiki News Magazine, entitled, “Science and the Human Energy Field”. Oh, and note the year, WELL before the committee met to do their research. Should have been able to find this pretty easily – it’s not a secret magazine.

Reiki is recognized across the globe by the medical community as an integrative safe and complimentary therapy to conventional and holistic therapies.

Reiki is not based on any religion.

Reiki does indeed have a scientific base and there are a lot of clinical trials, sanctioned by the NIH where the efficacy has been proven consistently.

Reiki is not harmful and it is always for the highest healing good of the client whether human or animal.

Keep in mind, every religion has their own rules and can continue to change their rules as they see fit. That’s their option.

We must not forget that free will, freedom of choice and the ability to think and make decisions is the God given right of each and every one us on this planet. It’s up to each of us to make our own decisions as to what we choose to believe, support and practice.

However, it is indeed the OBLIGATION of those who mandate laws and dictate rules, to do so, based on research that is, at the very least, accurate.

It’s really pretty easy.

Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.

RESPONSE TO MARCH 25, 2009 BISHOPS STATEMENT ON REIKI

A statement issued by The Committee on Doctrine, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops titled: “Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as Alternative Therapy” advises against the use of Reiki at Catholic hospitals, health care facilities, and by Catholic chaplains.

I found the report both very interesting and the research extremely inaccurate.

But before I get into that let me tell you I was brought up Catholic. In my 20’s I chose not to continue to follow the Catholic religion for sooooo many reasons. I know I am not alone. There are many “recovering” Catholics out there. My main reason was, in order to be a Catholic, you have to ACCEPT all of the rules, without doubt or question, or you may be excommunicated. That’s fine. I don’t choose to belong to a group where my opinion does not matter and where I have no voice at all. I have a brain that I use to make up my own mind and I have opinions and beliefs about certain things that go against those of the Catholic Church. Now, I’m not really sure what an excommunication ceremony is like, or if there even is one, I just knew I wanted no part of this religion that clearly was not going to work for me, so I left on my own.

Now, I know a whole lot of people who are “Catholic”. With that said however, I also know a whole lot who choose those parts that they believe in and leave the rest behind. This is where I have a problem. Religion is not like insurance. There is no cafeteria plan. You take it all, or you leave it. Personally, I don’t believe if you are taking birth control or you are Pro-Choice, as I am, you can really call yourself a Catholic when you know, full well, the Catholic Church is adamantly against birth control, other than the rhythm method and they are most definitely Pro-Life. That’s a real biggie in Catholicism. It’s not negotiable. If you don’t buy into that “rule” how can you say you are a Catholic? You can’t. I should say, I can’t, many do.

Now you know where I stand. I’m not a Catholic, even though I received 5 of the 7 sacraments, because I don’t agree with all the rules and I made a conscious choice not to be a religious hypocrite. It was pretty clear cut for me.

Now, in this, the 21st century, the U.S. Catholic Bishops got together and issued a statement against the use of Reiki. After several months of research, via the internet and some Reiki books they read, they concluded it has a religious basis because the information came from Buddhist texts. They also stated that Reiki healing energy is directed by human thought and will, that there are no scientific studies or scientific explanation to support the efficacy of Reiki and that Reiki is not accepted by the medical community.

If you’ve visited my site, www.tlovereiki.com you can imagine how shocking it was for me to read their statement.

Let’s take this one issue at a time, this will mean more than one blog, so bear with me.

Today I’ll deal with the first two issues only.

First of all, it took several MONTHS of research?

I’m thinking it should have taken a lot longer, and it would have had they used reliable sources. You can’t believe everything you read on the internet. Anyone can build a website and fill it with whatever information they want. You really need to be sure your selection criteria is from reliable and reputable sources. Particularly with Reiki websites which have consistently been full of inaccurate information that has then been used as the basis for books. Sad but true. Every industry has its problems. Reiki is no exception. The quality of the information disseminated is crucial in any study or research that is conducted, particularly since it is then to be used as “gospel” – pun intended. It’s best to go to those sources that are known for their reliability such as the International Association of Reiki Practitioners,The International Center for Reiki Training or The Reiki Alliance.

Better yet, if the Bishops had gone to Japan, where Reiki originated, and interviewed those experts who have researched the history and practice of Reiki professionally, by conducting research in Japan, reading original documents, and interviewing members of the founding Reiki organization in Japan they would have learned that there is an immense amount of inaccurate information published on Reiki. Then they would have discovered they had actually obtained both accurate and verifiable information on which to base their conclusions. This would have been a much better, solid, more accurate way to go.

Second – Reiki is Buddhist based. WOW!

Nothing could be further from the truth.

There is a story told by Mrs. Takata, who brought Reiki to the West, stating that Mikao Usui, founder of Reiki, discovered the secret of Reiki in some Buddhist texts. This is not true. Unfortunately it’s been told so many times on-line, in Reiki classes and books that it's become what some consider the facts. At the time, Mrs. Takata was the only source for information and since she was bringing it here to pass it along, everything she said was accepted, no questions asked. Due to language, cultural and political barriers in Japan, it was difficult to do any research at the source for anyone who wanted to further investigate where Reiki originated from and how. It’s only been recently that a handful of researchers were able to break the barriers and learn more about the origin of Reiki.

By translating the story of Reiki that is inscribed on Mikao Usui’s grave stone, and discovering an original document that he wrote himself about the origin of Reiki, researchers got to the truth about the origin of Reiki. Dr. Usui was not looking for a new way to heal at all, the ability to heal came to him, spontaneously, during a spiritual experience on a sacred mountain. He wrote a book called Reiki Ryoho Hikkei (Reiki Healing Art Handbook) and in it he states that “My Usui Reiki Ryoho (healing art) is original, never before explored, and incomparable in the world.” Clearly, Reiki did not come from Buddhist texts and it is NOT tied to any religion at all. There are also Japanese Reiki Masters who are quite familiar with Buddhism and they also find nothing about Reiki withhin the Buddhist religion. They have also gone so far as to say Reiki is religiously neutral. They are not taking credit, if you will, for Reiki being based on Buddhism, because it is not and they do not see any other religious basis in Reiki either. As a side note, I know a lot of Reiki Practitioners, from so many different religions, some of whom are devout in their religious beliefs and have strong faith in the ability of Reiki. If Reiki did have a religious base, someone would be claiming “the rights” to being the origin of the practice I’m quite sure.

I’ll deal with the scientific basis of Reiki as well as the clinical trials that support its efficacy in the next blog.

In the meantime, know that Reiki never harms or hurts, and it only works toward the highest healing good of the client or patient.

Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.