Kiko Volume 2;

Kiko Volume 2;

Further Thoughts and Info on Tai Chi vs. Chi Gong;

I pulled this info. from sections of Articles and Class outlines I found online. I am posting them to further Illustrate the subtle Differences if any between Tai Chi and Chi Gong, though personally We find these systems to really be one and the same with Different Kata’s being the main distinction. They are both Kiko Traditions after all.

What is Qigong?

The word Qigong (pronounced "chee gong") is a combination of two ideas: "Qi" means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and "gong" means the self-discipline skill of working, cultivating, and balancing Qi. The art of Qigong consists primarily of the use of intention, meditation, relaxation, physical movement or posture, mind-body integration, and breathing exercises. Practitioners of Qigong develop an awareness of qi sensations (energy) in their body and use their mind to guide the Qi for improving their health, all of which can easily be learned by almost anyone. Medical Qigong has been extensively studied scientifically more than any other alternative therapy and it has been shown to be a cost-effective therapy. Ultimately, Qigong is not about pursuit of excellence in form; rather, it involves experience through practice.
Although the term "Qigong" was coined around 1948, Qigong is a self-initiated health practice that has its roots in pre-historic China. Ancient dao yin, nei gong, and yangsheng practices combined with other Taoist exercises to form the basis of Qigong. Qigong is a pre-cursor to, but considered part of Traditional Chinese Medicine; along with herbal medicine, acupuncture, and acupressure. Qigong can be considered acupuncture without the needles because both practices involve manipulation and balancing of the body's energy. Qigong differs from acupuncture in that Qigong additionally includes cultivation and balancing over time of the body's energy through self-initiated practices.

I see Taijiquan and Qigong spelled many different ways. What are the differences?

There are two translation systems of Chinese: Pin Yin and Wade Giles. And, then there are general omissions and errors that Westerners make to create a sense of familiarity that does not exist in the Chinese language, even when translated into our alphabet. We use Tai Chi and Qigong because they seem to be the most popular in our culture right now.

Here are the common spellings of Taijiquan and Qigong that all mean the same: Taijiquan, T’ai Ch’i Ch’uan, Taiji, Tai Chi Qigong, Ch’i Kung, Chi Kung, Chi Gung, Chi Gong, Qi, Ch’i, Chi, Ki (Japanese)

The names are pronounced: Tie Chee “Chewon” and Chee Kung (the K is swallowed a bit, almost like a “guh”) When pronounced in Chinese Mandarin or Cantonese, the pronunciations have tones but this is beyond our scope here. 

How do Tai Chi and Qigong work?

Tai Chi and Qigong work through relaxation, concentration and alignment. The movements, breathing, and focus found within both systems are designed to give the body and the mind tools by which these three goals may be accomplished. Undoubtedly the key process of all is relaxation. If we are tense it is difficult to concentrate and even more difficult to align our bodies with what we want to do. Think of a hose that is kinked up. When you turn on the faucet, there is a build up above the bend and nothing below the bend; an obvious imbalance that effects not only the flow of water within the hose but the output of water to the garden. The intent of watering the garden cannot be accomplished leading to further imbalances. With Tai Chi and Qigong practice we do learn to mentally and physically dissolve tension and enjoy relaxed movement. This learned skill helps us to sharpen our focus and attune our body alignment. The purpose of Tai Chi and Qigong is for our qi (energy) and our blood to flow more clearly into all parts of our body. The outcome is a calming, stabilizing, nourishing and healing for all parts of the body, mind and emotions. Think again of the hose analogy. All you have to do is find, untangle and release the kink and the water flows evenly to the garden!

What is the difference between Qigong and Tai Chi?

Dating back approximately 5000 years, Qigong is the process of intentionally gathering, moving and releasing energy. This is accomplished through mental focus, deep breathing and physical movement. Qigong is considered a branch of Chinese Medicine along with Acupuncture, Massage and Herbs. There are many different forms of Qigong and the choreography of each varies widely. Some are very athletic, some completely still. Additionally, Qigong has recently adopted classifications such as Buddhist, Taoist, Martial, Medical and Confucian, yet its roots are undifferentiated. No matter which Qigong you practice each will heal and strengthen your body and your mind leading to greater overall vitality. 

Tai Chi dates back to the 1600’s and is rooted in the internal martial arts. (Internal Martial Arts are defined as those who are non-aggressive and use principals of energy flow and softness vs. strength and hardness). The movements of Tai Chi originate from 5 key Family lineages each who had an idea of efficient and powerful movement. Each style has a meditative, fluid quality and choreography that is likened to “shadow boxing.” It should be noted that even though Tai Chi comes to us from the martial arts, most modern Tai Chi has evolved into more of a health and philosophical framework than a martial framework.

In the end, Qigong and Tai Chi are more similar than they are different. They move energy, strengthen the body and clear the mind. Whereas their choreography and feeling may differ, each is equally beneficial.

What is the difference between Yoga and Tai Chi/Qigong?

The most obvious difference between the two systems is how the physical forms look. Generally speaking (and there are always exceptions) one will see more stretching in Yoga, holding postures for a time and in most cases breaks in-between the postures. Tai Chi and most Qigong’s are linked choreography where one movement flows into the next. The terminology is different in each because they originated in different parts of the world. (Yoga-India), (Tai Chi, Qigong –China). One will hear much more about “prana” in Yoga and “qi” in Tai Chi/Qigong. The inner energetics of each system however is extremely similar. Qigong and Yoga are probably the most aligned in terms of their intent. The roots of each of these systems are very old and each developed as methods to make the body a stronger place for meditation and spiritual development. Tai Chi is a newer practice and whereas it is also a practice for strength and development, it has its roots in the martial arts.


Link To Volume 1 of this post;
Volume 1 Kiko The Reiki Dance

Kiko, The Reiki Dance

                         ~ Kiko, The Reiki Dance ~ 

Kiko;

 is according to some sources the original name for the practice that has come to be called chi gong or chi kung. This art was practiced by a great many of usui’s students. It has a lot in common with the art that we in the modern west have come to know as Tai Chi; Tai Chi is in fact one form of Chi Gong. Kiko is also called kipo. It means Breath / or Spirit - cultivation; it also means remarkable effect or remarkable results! 

Kata (型 or 形 literally: Form or Pattern) is a Japanese word often describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo, or in pairs, or groups. 

More recently, kata (or the dance) has come to be used in English in a more general or figurative sense, referring to any basic form, routine, or pattern of behavior that is practiced to various levels of mastery. It is also something practiced in Massage, and Energy healing Modalities. It is a type of Movement or “Dance” that is done to keep the body moving fluidly as to protect it from stiffness and pain when one is working on clients. Kata’s are used in many traditional Japanese arts such as theater forms like kabuki and schools of tea ceremony, but are most commonly known for their presence in the martial arts.

In Japanese language, kata often written as 方 (and resembling a person dancing) ...

is a frequently-used suffix meaning “way of doing,” with emphasis on the form and order of the process. Other meanings are “training method” and “formal exercise.” The goal of a painter’s practicing, for example, is to merge his consciousness with his brush; the potter’s with his clay; the garden designer’s with the materials of the garden. Once such mastery is achieved, the theory goes, the doing of a thing perfectly is as easy as thinking it.

One of the things that characterizes an organization’s culture are its kata - its routines of thinking and practice. Edgar Schein suggests an organization's culture helps it cope with its environment, and one meaning of kata is, "a way to keep two things in sync or harmony with one another." A task for leaders and managers is to create and maintain the organizational culture through consistent role modeling, teaching, and coaching, which is in many ways analogous to how martial-arts kata are taught.

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In the third Celestine Prophecy series book “The Secret of Shambala” about the 11^th insight, the Kata though not named as such; is spoken of, in a conversation between the main character and a oriental Tai Chi master in the mountains. Where it is revealed that the forms are great for training a person new to the practice, but if one would arise each morning and let the body move in a free form dance for half and hour the way it wants to move; ones energy is greatly increased. This free form dance, along with Liturgical Worship dance, Yoga, Tai Chi, The Martial arts forms, and the Massage Dance practice are all under the term Kata in the Sprit-Hand Tradition. Kata Implies Dance and Movement. 

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So to Clarify these Terms; 

Tai Chi or Taiji vs. Chi Gong

Kiko  is an umbrella term that includes many form movement exercises.

Kata’s  are forms or series of forms. Dance Patterns utalized in various Movement Traditions like Martial Arts, and Tai Chi. 

Chi Gong  is the ancient exercise tradition(s) that help cultivate control over ones internal energies. There are few external movements when compared to other traditions, but the movements are typically more repetitive. Chi Gong is far more internal work than external.

Tai Chi  is a form of Chi Gong that is more external with more form movements, that are more focused. Typically there are many more forms or Kata’s but they are not as repetitive as the Chi Gong movements. Tai Chi is the bases of all Kata’s found within the martial arts, and these slow soft Kata’s are more focused on cultivating control of the precise flow of ones internal energies. After these are cultivated and put with the martial arts traditions, these basic forms or Kata’s help one to memorize physical fighting movement patterns.

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Chi Gong (Chi Kung, Ki Kung, Qi gung, Qi Kong) is used to build up internal energy, while Tai Chi or Taiji... is a way to practice utilizing that energy externally. Chi Gong builds the energy, Tai Chi moves the energy for personal health or to defend or fight, and Reiki Uses the energy combining it with higher energy vibrations to cause healing and balance to occur. Since all of these require Movement, they can all fall under the term Kiko. Kata is Specific patterns or forms of Kiko Exercises. We hope this clarifies what each movement tradition is and what it does.

Yoga;

 is a Tradition which utilizes Breath, Movement, Poses, Posture, and Energy Cultivation to bring the Chakra’s into harmony and thus align the energies of the Five Fold Being Circuit (Body, Mind, Heart, Spirit, Imagination; the Soul Being).

Dance Traditions;

 utilize movement of the body to express stories, ideas, feelings, and emotional energies. Dance allows us to celebrate life and to empower ourselves on multiple levels. There are a vast number of dance traditions in the world. Dancing helps raise energy, harness energy, and amplify energy; before releasing it to become manifest in the world as expression of thoughts and feelings.

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Note; We are working right now on forming a specific Series of Kata's for Reiki which will draw upon Influences from Tai Chi, Reiki, Yoga, and Even Belly, Tribal, Ballet, and Free form Dance. Theses Movement forms will look somewhat like the Kata's found within Tai Chi, and will also use the body to Dance the Reiki Symbol Patterns. These Kata's will be offered as either a separate class workshop or as part of Level 2 Reiki Training we haven't decided that as of yet. This Tradition will most likely be called Spirit-Hand Kiko, Reiki Kiko; something to that effect at least.

Link to Volume 2 of this post;
Kiko Volume 2

An additional Reiki Translation Graphic

Advanced Reiki Terms for Adepts;

Some of the following information was information we pulled from Articles we found online by other people and adapted them for our school curriculum.

Advanced Reiki Terms for Adepts;

Reiki:

Reiki has been translated in the west to mean universal life force energy. But upon further inspection, while this meaning is an certainly an implied meaning; a more appropriate translation of Rei is universal or divine spirit or spiritual , and ki of course translates to energy or life force. So reiki could be translated appropriately as Divine Spirit Energy. Rei implies universal spirit; which means a spirit or spiritual energy that is omnipresent every in the universe at the same time, all at once. This is a direct reference to The Holy Spirit of God whether people in the east choose to recognize that or not. It is not a coincendence that Usui chose the name ReiKi for his healing Tradition. While there are many healing traditions in Japan with this name applied to them, Usui ReiKi is unique in several aspects of its nature. The most basic meaning we can apply to ReiKi is Spirit Energy. Usui was influenced by many things. This we can tell by the vary nature of his ReiKi teachings. He was influenced by Buddhism, shintoism, Christianity, Taoism, zen, Hinduism, and his Martial Arts training.

Reiki Benefits

• Restores the body's natural energy balance and support it's ability to heal itself more efficiently and quickly.
• Promotes a sense of inner-peace, deep relaxation, and well-being.
• Provides a holistic treatment which vitalizes the body and soul.
• Fortifies the immune system.
• Relives pain and stress.
• Re-establishes spiritual balance and emotional clarity.
• Compliments , and can be an adjunct with other modalities of healing including traditional medical treatment, massage, and psychotherapy.
• Reiki is non-intrusive, since its energy passes though clothing, dressings, space and time.
• Is adaptable , according to the needs of the recipient which can be infant, adult, or animal, plant, object, or situation.

Shinki; 

this word translates to God-Energy or source energy. This can be seen as the highest form of Reiki. 

Reiho;

is a shortened or abbreviated name for reiki ryoho or reiki ho. Reiho is the same as Usui do. A similar term is Usui Teate which means Usui hand application. Usui do simply means Reiki the way Usui did it.

En; 

 pronounced ee-n is the excess energetic connection formed between teacher and student. It should not be cut until after the final attunement ceremony; unless the student and teacher part ways before the third level and then it is appropriate to go ahead and cut the een. It is like an extra aka cord that is overly large. It serves a purpose for both the student and the teacher. The purpose for the student is to stay connected with their teacher and the energies that they are training to work with. The purpose for the teacher is to have a strong energetic link to their student in order to heal them, and to better read, evaluate, and asses the student. This can tell us how to better help the student grow and evolve. This can help us serve the students needs better. This can help us pass the energy in the attunements easier. And this can help us know when a student is ready to move to the next level or be released out into the world as a teacher themselves.

Kiko;

 is according to some sources the original name for the practice that has come to be called chi gong or chi kung. This art was practiced by a great many of usui’s students. It has a lot in common with the art that we in the modern west have come to know as tai chi. Kiko is also called kipo. It means Breath/spirit-cultivation; it also means remarkable effect or remarkable results! Also called the Kata  (the dance or the form). 

Gassho; 

this refers to both a prayerful hand position, and also the gesture one makes toward someone of bowing while performing this hand position. It is a sign of respect, and the equivalent of the Indian greeting of Namastei!

Gakkai; 

this is the abbreviated name of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. This is the name of the school that was kept going by some of Usui’s and Hayashi’s students. They are responsible for much of the misinformation distributed to reiki practitioners in the west. They do not like or trust westerners, and they are still on a mission to erase any ties between reiki and the west. Especially the ties that exist between Usui and Christianity. They actively discourage westerners from learning or practicing reiki. They even lie about certain aspects of reiki and Usui’s life in order to cover up the true history and nature of Reiki. They tell people that Usui didn’t use symbols in his attunement initiation ceremonies which we know is a lie. They also tell people that Usui did not know anything about the chakras. Again this is a lie. There is no way Usui did not know the chakras; as he was an avid student of Sanskrit teachings. I think their intent is to protect reiki from those who would misuse it; however they are wrong for trying to do this in the manner in which they are doing it. A tradition that does not change and grow dies! Usui knew this and that is part of the reason he taught everyone who wanted to learn! Having said this; this is all starting to change as more westerns travel to the east to learn from the Gakkai. It seems their attitudes towards us are finally beginning to change for the good. 

Reiji; 

 is reiki sensitivity that develops with time and practice of ones reiki. It is the ability or intuitive gift to feel imbalances in the body and other such things. It can be called the reiki sight!

Reiju; 

 is a reiki initiation attunement. Previously it was called other names like denju, kanjo, mikkyo, jikiden, etcetera. All of these really mean the same thing when you get down to it; they mean passing on the energy. This is a method to not only better attune us to the energies, but to open wider our chakras and meridians to be able to pump more power through us. All of this is meant to better connect us with the reiki energy or shinki which means God energy, or source energy!

We know that the process evolved over time, even during Usui’s lifetime. We know that he did use symbols in his reiju despite modern beliefs. We know that Hayashi’s Reiju’s were a little different, and that Takata’s reiju’s were a little different still. It was Hayashi’s and Takata’s students who really changed the reiju’s in a severe way. Hyashi’s students don’t use symbols at all apparently; and Takata’s students made up the sandwich symbol method, as well as creating the rainbow sphere technique, and the crescent rule of only working on the left side of the body during an attunement.

The term 'reiju' is commonly written: 霊授  - the 授 character implying: to give / grant / confer / impart etc.
However, the term Reiju is a 'two-sided concept'. 霊授 is one half of the concept.
The other, complementary half of the concept is written is 霊受 (also pronounced 'Reiju') - with the 受 character implying:
to accept / undergo / get / receive etc

Thus, Reiju implies: 'to confer/receive Spirit [or a Spiritual Gift]'.
The concept is all about 'Giving and Receiving' - the sharing of a Spiritual Experience

This word implies the reciving or giving not only a spiritual gift, but spiritual permission.

by the traditional Japanese understanding of the word "reiki" itself, reiki is the highest of 7 energies in the body, the one that connects the physical body to Shinki, God (divine, or source) -energy.... It seems to me, both of these definitions are getting at the same thing ... and the simplest, most literal examination of the word "reiki" confirms this. It is, most simply, the bringing together (unification) of Rei (Universal Spirit) and ki (the individual expression of that Spirit, as one's personal energy)! Some say that what Usui meant by "Usui Reiki Ryoho" was "Usui system for connecting with your ancestral self”. This is still not clear or certain, but it does fit in with what we know of Usui’s Japanese Shinto Buddhist upbringing before he converted to Christianity thanks to the efforts of missionaries when he was a young man!

Prayer, whatever form is used ... brings the one praying to a "realization" of God, a realization that all is well and that he/she is not alone in dealing with the situation.

~ Ernest Holmes                                                                                       

Some people, believe that the knowledge of how to perform the reiju procedure must be kept secret; that if the procedures become common knowledge, then anyone (even non-Reiki people), by learning how to perform them, will gain the 'power' to awaken the Reiki ability in others.

But this is Not the case.
"One cannot give what one does not have."
The reiju (initiation / attunement procedure) is a method for sharing the Gift that is the Reiki ability. This issue isn't having Reiki. Everyone has that. The issues is having the Reiju. If you have not had the Reiju, than you can not give the Reiju. If you haven't had the symbols permanently passed onto you and embedded into your Auraic field, than you can not do this for others. 

If you haven't 'received' the Reiki ability yourself through an in person one on one laying on of hands attunement, you cannot 'pass' it to another; you cannot awaken the ability in another - no matter how much you, as a Japanese person I once heard of put it: "wave your hands about, visualize shirushi, chant jumon, or 'intend' it to happen."

This is not to say that everyone doesn't have Reiki. Reiki flows through all living things. What this means is that, if you haven't been given the Reiju, than you haven't been opened up enough energetically to pass the attuements onto other people. In other words...you haven't had enough Reiki pumped through you to stretch your chakras to be bigger, that would allow you to pump enough through other people to initiate them into the practice of Reiki. A regualr person has a degree of Reiki energy flowing through them. A person who has been through the Reiju has Shinki passing through them, and so can pass greater amounts of Reiki to others. 

                                                                                  

It is not that the procedures must be kept secret as a way of hoarding power or knowledge. Keeping them secret (and they should be kept secret) is a way of honoring The God (the source), The Reiki energy, and tradition. Reiki attunements can’t be misused or misrepresented, if they are kept secret; And students should be concentrating on learning what they need to at each level instead of worrying about what they will learn in the future.

It is said that Reiju was also used to "attune" (to use western term) students into higher levels of Reiki channeling.
As with many parts of Reiki or Usui-Do (Usui Way) or Usui Teate (Usui Hand Application) there are unfolding versions as research continues. Usui Sensei no doubt developed his methods and understanding as he continued his life journey. He would then probably share different knowledge and techniques with subsequent groups of students. This is hopefully the situation with most masters.

What does Reiju do?

 Reiju strengthens the students energetic connection to the Reiki source, and thus enables deeper and stronger Reiki flow. It is the student that has most important role in his or her development. The Reiju also stretches open the chakras a little wider each time allowing the Reiki initiate to channel and wield more energy than the average person.

Reiju enhances the Reiki channel, but the student must keep it developing by practicing various Reiki techniques.

Reiju helps the student's progress in every aspect of their life, by enhancing the energy level in their bodies. This is also achieved by daily Reiki practice. Reiki also does a life cleanse and redesign.

Reiju is a technique that Usui really used to transfer initiations step by step. He did it by repeatedly energetically activating a person over many weeks so that she or he was lifted on a new energy level and in this way was attuned in the first, second or third grade of the traditional Japanese Reiki.
In the West Mrs. Takata made initiations a rigid institution out of necessity to a different culture. With Usui himself they were a more fluid process of slowly attuning the student into higher and higher energy levels. The technique that Takata developed and that is used today as the “Usui Reiki” initiation consists of a single  activation for each level. This is so that the “initiation” got faster and easier to use commercially. It was Hyashi and Takata who truly understood Usui’s teaching on Reiki attunements which led us to the truth; that Reiki that initiations last forever and need no renewal; though renewal is always welcome and good. You can’t loose your Reiki once you have it; just like in the Christian tradition we say that one can not loose ones salvation once they have received it. once saved always saved; and once attuned always attuned!

Contrary to popular new beliefs; the original Usui attunements DID use symbols; as symbols are what got Usui started using Reiki in the first place, we can be sure of this. He had studied Sanskrit. Contrary to popular new beliefs Usui did know and understand the chakras even though he didn’t focus on them he did teach a little about them, again he studied the Sanskrit of India; so there was no way he didn’t know symbols and chakras.

~ Angelic Messages ~

The Main Message of The Angels:

Fear not, for The Lord is with thee. You are blessed and you are loved. God loves you. You are Protected!

The attributes the angels tell us that we should have before God;

Humility

Reverence

Respect

Devotion

Worship / connection / communion / prayer

The vessel temple heart of a sacred servant

Hope

Joy

Faith

Trust

and most importantly Love

Angels will tell you that they are neither the message or the source of the message, they are merely the messengers. 

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Angelic Messages as given to Rev. Loush by The Angels;

Fear Not...For you are not alone; but shall be given all the guidance you have the courage to seek; and that Guidance shall be a Light in the Darkness to help you see your Path! 

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You are Loved beyond all Understanding and Imagining; let that Knowledge give you Peace and True Insight! 

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Enlightenment is something that usually comes after Adversity; It's always Darkest before the dawn!

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It is Essential for you to bring Balance into all areas of your life, and Spiritual Aid is there for those who have the willingness to only ask! 

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Be willing to Accept and Receive all Blessings and Abundance into your Life, and then live in Gratitude, Appreciation, and Thankfulness; Your attitude is key to living and authentic life!

                                                 ~

                                              

Forgiveness is the Vital element to living a Healthy Life. In Forgiveness there is a type of Redemption; in which Sin, Death, Stress, Disease, Pain, Injury, Pre-Ageing, and Cancer begin to loose their major stronghold within you! 

                                                 ~

You have all the Aid, Guidance, and Support you need; and far more of it than you can imagine!

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More messages will be added in the future.  

An Open Letter to our Students;

An open letter to our students;

Hi Everyone….Loush here. I am writing this letter due to a phone conversation I had with a former student yesterday that I found truly hurtful, insulting, and sad for me as a teacher. I am writing this not to call out the former student I was talking to, but to clarify our stance on certain issues. I was accused of being “Vague and Mysterious”, which I can only understand as not having made certain issues clear. Well ….how on earth could any teacher possibly teach every facet of something like Reiki to their students? Sometimes things can only be learned through the experience of doing and practicing which is all we have ever said. This is not so we can appear mysterious. This is so we can tell the whole truth. If any teacher out there claims that they can tell you absolutely everything….get away from them…they are liars. 

There are certain things that can ONLY be learned through going through it. We were not spoon-fed everything by our teachers like toddlers. And even if we could have been… what would have been the point of it? We would never have truly learned everything that way. I am not here to spoon feed people like they are infants. I am here to teach adults how to utilize and develop certain skills which they can use in life to help enrich their own lives and the lives of those around them, while also helping the world to evolve and find healing. It is true that we don’t tell our students a lot of books on reiki to go and read like we did in the beginning. This is because we learned better than to do that. Most reiki books written today have nothing to do with reiki; and are a way of spiritual authors putting their own biased view on the art and practice of the reiki discipline, rather than really being about reiki. Beyond this….I will just come right out and flat say it….we disagree with the vast majority of these books. Not only do we disagree with their version of the so called history of reiki, but on the authors life philosophies written into these books.

We have never lied about who and what we are, though we have undergone a type of transition. Reiki is not a religion, but a spiritual discipline that cuts across almost all religious barriers. Having said that…every teacher, practices and teaches the art from their own point of view. This is to be expected. We however tell our students the difference. We tell them what is part of the reiki tradition and what is our own point of view and where we are coming from. Most reiki practitioners in the states, and in fact around the world are not like us in spiritual terms. Most of them are Buddhists, Taoists, pagans, new age subscribers, or what have you. We have always been Christians and always will be. The only thing that has changed about this, is that we have learned through experience that we don’t want to gloss over that. We want to be bold and more open and adamant about that fact and truth. We are unapologetically Christian and we tell everyone that before they come to class with us so that they are aware.

We have also created our own way of teaching reiki that is in harmony with our religious beliefs and we are totally up front about that. This is to avoid having people come to our classes who will have an issue with this. Reiki is not a Christian tradition, but we are Christians who are practicing and teaching reiki. That is who and what we are, and we make no bones about it.

I was told during this phone call I received that our former student tells their students to go buy these three “really great books” so that they can learn to see the aura and do reiki, “better than we taught” them how to see it. I am truly sorry that they don’t find our methods on aura work, to be enough for them. Having said that….I personally couldn’t care less if a person can see an aura or not when they leave our tutelage. What I care about is how we have helped a person spiritually evolve and if they are going out into the world and helping those around them to find healing. I don’t care if our students can do parlor tricks or not. I am not interested in that in the least, and I can’t state that strongly enough.

I was born seeing auras and such things; as were a great many human beings. Perhaps that is why parlor tricks don’t impress me. Is seeing the aura a valid skill to have? Absolutely!!! Is that skill the end all be all of reiki? Absolutely not!!! And to the former student I was speaking with yesterday and all of our former students who have gone on to teach….please don’t be so deluded or arrogant enough to think that you can teach people all they need to know, as if you are a one stop shop. Crawl down off that pedestal please! Some things can ONLY be learned through experiencing it as I said earlier. THAT IS JUST A FACT! And before you teach, you should understand that if you think teaching in a cookie cutter fashion is going to work….you are very much mistaken. Not everyone learns the same, nor does everyone have the same gifts. Some people will never see a rainbow colored, full blown, total light spectrum aura. Some people just don’t see. Sometimes people feel, or just know instead. Some people taste or hear as well, or instead of. Not everyone sees or is going to “see”, or is even meant to see. Not everyone is the same. Not every method is going to work on or for every person. This is why we teach so many different possible methods of doing this to our students.

As far as paperwork and manuals are concerned, I was told we just didn’t give enough. Oh please…you must be joking; person who said this to me. I have spent a great many years of my life researching and typing up everything so that my students will have what I didn’t. Namely, paperwork. In my personal training, my beloved reiki master did everything hands on and through experience. I learned in four levels. I think I perhaps received during all those years a total of 20 pages, only 8 of which directly had to do with reiki lol. I sometimes feel that perhaps we give and tell our students too much information. Sometimes I feel that perhaps I have experiences like this phone call, so that I can learn… that perhaps we are not expecting enough from our students. Perhaps they are not learning enough on their own and we should give them less. But then I learned that, this is not the issue or problem either. My own training was so rich, perhaps because Sensei Laura didn’t coddle us; and required us to utilize what we have learned. Perhaps when giving our students paperwork on everything became a quest of mine, I cheated them out of learning things the hard way like I had to, which helped me to truly understand things. I don’t know. What I do know is this….lack of paperwork has never been a problem for a single student I have ever had the pleasure of training. We have paperwork coming out of places on our persons we never knew existed lol! 

Frankly Rhonda and I and My family have suffered some financial losses to get all the manuals and paperwork printed up and available. Beyond financial loss, we have stood in print shops for sometimes five hours at time making copies or paying for copies to be made and putting manuals together for endless hours. It has taken a toll on us physically, mentally, emotionally, and as I said financially. It has drained us and our pocket books, so that is why we decided to create this blog site. We are putting almost our entire school curriculum on here so that we don’t have to print it out any more. We will give out a very small group of papers in person and everything else will be found on here. In this way all of our students and the general public have access to our hard work. The information is here at your fingertips for your disposal so you can get to it any time you like; any time you want or need it. If you want to print something up, you can do this for yourself at home. This way you can design your own personal manual the way you want it. We still require our students to bring note books to class in order to take notes. Purchasing binders and stuff however, will from this point on be up to you. The point of class is not in the paper work. It is in the learning, doing, practicing, and experiencing. This site is new and we are still in a lengthy on going process of uploading things. In fact we plan on uploading not only the vast majority of our curriculum, but putting stuff on here that we don’t take the time to teach in class; due to priority. Not only can our students access our site, but their students will be able to as well, and so on and so forth.

I have written this letter because I was so disturbed, disappointed, and perturbed by the phone call that I knew I had to respond publicly  without calling anyone out by name of course. I had to take a stand, and make our feelings on these matters clear. So if  we ever appeared vague or mysterious to any other student of ours, I apologize for ever having seemed that way. It was unintentional I assure you. I never realized that telling our students THE TRUTH; that experience is the best teacher, and that necessity is the mother of invention, was being likened to shirking my duty or responsibility as a teacher.

Having said this…let me make it clear once again. We are Christians and teach from a very, very, very Christian point of view. We give out far more paperwork than any other reiki trainers we have ever encountered; which we will no longer be doing as we are putting it all on this site. We are not here to spoon feed or coddle any adult student as if they were infants. We are here to serve and to pass on what we have learned to others in order for them to empower themselves and the world to find healing, and to evolve. Beyond this… what we are here most of all to do... is to bring Glory, praises, and honor to The Holy Name of God by spreading his Truth, Word, and Message in our own way. We have no wish or desire to produce students or reiki practitioners that don’t know what they are doing and have to constantly refer to paper work in order to be effective healers.

I hope this clarifies our stance on certain issues and the fact that again, SOME THINGS CAN ONLY BE LEARNED THROUGH EXPERIENCE! So please stop being a victim if you are being one, get off your keester and go get some real life experience. 

Rev. Loush O'Raven