MY REIKI WAY

A Personal Journey

If you open your heart and put your life into the hands of God or the universe, things come to you which you don’t plan for. That happened to me with Reiki. However, when I look back it does not surprise me at all.

When I was a small boy I was intrigued by the healing miracles of Jesus Christ. How did he work them? Where did that compassionate healing power come from?  Now, of course, I understand much more about the healing power of the spirit and the cultivation of love and compassion. However, this childhood questioning was probably where I consciously began my Reiki journey. Or maybe even before, when my soul entered this life and this body.

Why then didn’t I go into medicine? Probably because Western Medicine is more about science than healing and I was interested in people. Also, at that time, I knew nothing about Complementary Medicine. Instead, I became an academic teacher which so preoccupied me that there was no question of working with healing. However, what I did become increasingly interested in was Oriental, specifically Chinese, philosophy and medicine. How sensible, I thought, to have a system of medicine designed to keep you healthy and to give you long life. I became committed to the idea of preventative medicine.

I took up Qigong, being taught by a Chinese master in London, Zhixing Wang. I also took up meditation according to the way of the Christian Meditation movement. This all opened me up to my heart/mind and to my inner being, the true I. Yet, it also led me to question more and more the The Church’s liturgy and the absence of mystical guidance in its teaching. At the same time, I became interested in the Buddha’s teachings and I began to study Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism within the Awakened Heart Sangha and Samye Dzong in London and so came to realize the enormous value of meditation. It is not that I have discarded the teachings of Christianity, by no means. I now just see them in a deeper and more mystical light. And, indeed, I have now taken up the profound Christian practice of Centering Prayer, based on the contemplation of the desert fathers. There are many paths to awakening and the Truth, especially if you give time to your spiritual practice and follow the way of the mystic.

On my travels, particularly in the East, I had begun to realise that we are all part of one humanity. We come from different cultures, yes, but we are all just human beings united by our common source. And the revelation of the way to the divine has been revealed to the different cultures in different ways at different times in history – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Taoism, Sufism and Islam. The true message of each is simple: unconditional love and compassion for our world and for our fellow beings.

In 1986 I had trained in massage therapy and then, in 1989, four of us (now two) founded the London School of Sports Massage which was to occupy me fully for ten years. From being a teacher I had become an administrator and massage practitioner. Then, in 1995, two friends of mine decided they wanted to train in Reiki. Would I come along? I didn’t know anything about Reiki but, through a chance acquaintance, I found them a teacher in South West London and also went along myself. I was curious and also attracted by its Oriental roots. Well, it was a revelation of sorts, particularly the conscious sensing of Ki (Chi) energy for the first time. I realised I was meant to be there but I didn’t use it very much afterwards as there were so many other things going on in my life, including getting over a sad divorce, moving out from London into the countryside, and difficulties with work. It was a heavy time and, with hindsight, if I’d used Reiki more it might have been less heavy! Nevertheless, Reiki was definitely in my system as, when I found by chance a Reiki master teaching the 2nd Level near my new home, I jumped at the opportunity to receive instruction. And that is when I caught the Reiki fire. It was wonderful.                                                                                                           

I began to use Reiki regularly on myself and, more than that, I began to consider bringing Reiki consciously into my plans for a new work venture, Oriental Therapy International (OTI). But times and my general health were still difficult. Nothing major, although the signs were definitely there that I had to start working on myself and changing things in my life. After all, we are all responsible for our own well-being, are we not? And this is when I came to understand the power of Reiki. I used it for fatigue, for sleeplessness, for stomach pains and poor digestion and to help me relax. It is after all a profound and spiritually based form of Qigong and I was happily able to combine it with my Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation. For Reiki is a great tool to have for self-healing, as it is for healing others.

In 1998, my Reiki teacher at the time felt I was ready to complete my training in Reiki healing and for myself to become a teacher. However, after that I felt that my Reiki training was in no way complete (is it ever?) and in 2002 I was so happy to have the joy of studying with Frank Arjava Petter, the author of a number of books who had lived and intensively researched Reiki in Japan. He it was who inspired me as he lives the loving spirit of Reiki. He is a true master.

Before that, in late 1999, my annus horribilis, I had nearly moved on to my next life but this had given me the wonderful opportunity to use Reiki for my own successful rehabilitation. The result: absolute confirmation in my mind of the power of Reiki. I was ready and eager to pass on the opportunity for Reiki healing to others. And, now, Reiki is leading me on, helping me on my spiritual journey and deepening my awareness of human consciousness, as well as leading me to the study of Jikiden Reiki with Tadao Yamaguchi and also Arjava. The learning moves on.

The more you work on yourself, the more you are able to help others. It all enables us to understand the interconnectedness of every living being on our planet, as quantum physics is also now telling us. The life force energy that we call Ki or Qi is universal. And, if the thinking is right, then the right energy will follow as energy follows thought. In a way, the transmitting of Reiki energy is the realisation of an idea, of the intention to help yourself or others. Put another way, Reiki is about love, pure unadulterated love for all beings, nothing more or less than that. And that is the life that God is leading me to. It’s an interesting journey.