Reiki
Reiki for Christians
by Gabrielle Chavez, Christ the Healer UCC
What Is Reiki?
“The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (Jesus speaking of the Spirit to the Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3:8)
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a form of laying on of hands developed (some say rediscovered) in Japan by Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. In Japanese, the character for rei suggests meanings that include universal, wind, spirit and ghost. Dr. Usui paired this word with ki, a term for the invisible energy which sustains life–also known as qi or chi in Asia–to name the system of healing energy that he taught called “Usui Shiki Ryoho.” 
The story goes that Usui pursued a quest or calling to learn a method of spiritual healing that would not depend on the practitioner’s level of qi, that is, use up one’s own quota of energy. After years of study, he undertook a 21-day prayer vigil at a Buddhist monastery on Mt. Kurama. There he experienced a downpouring of energy coursing through him which he could flow through his hands to others without depleting himself. Usui named the energy “Reiki” and began to heal and teach in the poor neighborhoods of Kyoto. For his students, Usui developed ethical Reiki principles as well as simple teaching protocols to pass on the gift of Reiki. This has enabled the Reiki system to multiply around the world.
Reiki was introduced to the West by Mrs. Hawayo Takata, from Hawaii, who was cured of asthma during a visit to Japan and stayed to learn Reiki. After the Second World War, she established clinics in Hawaii and traveled to the mainland teaching and giving treatments. In the mid-1980′s, some of Mrs. Takata’s restrictive additions to Usui’s system were challenged, particularly the extremely high fee to become a Reiki master or teacher, and Reiki became even more widely available and sought after for its relaxing and stress-reducing benefits.
Today there are many thousands who have learned this simple technique. Among them are Christians who recognize the Trinitarian essence of Reiki: God as the never-failing and ultimate Source of healing, Christ the universal Love of God who comes into this world to heal and save, and the Holy Spirit or power of God moving through us as vessels. Indeed, there has been a hunger for access the promised gifts of the Spirit, and Reiki practiced as hands-on-healing prayer in Christ’s name has become a quietly satisfying way to experience and deepen one’s faith in the power and love of God.
Healing as a Spiritual Gift
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. . .To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. . .wisdom. . .knowledge. . .faith. . .gifts of healing. . .” (1Corinthians 12)
The New Testament is clear that the members of the body of Christ should expect to receive and use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their gatherings. These gifts were distributed to the church through the hearing of the Word, through prayer, the laying on of hands, or simply by Jesus breathing on his followers and declaring, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” In the early years of the church, worship was charismatic, or gift-filled. Eventually the gifts were restricted to the emerging priesthood of the “apostolic succession” and Christian worship became more dogmatic and less spirited. By the time of the Reformation, Calvin actually declared that the charismatic dispensation of the Holy Spirit had ended with the Apostles. In the new dispensation, the Spirit would manifest through the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments, again a monopoly of the ordained clergy. This ecclesiastical suspicion of uncontrolled spiritual phenomena coincided with the Enlightenment’s movement to scientific rationalism which has left Western Christians, especially of the Reformed Protestant tradition, without much direct spiritual experience or understanding. Part of the Reiki lore is that Dr. Usui knew the stories of Jesus teaching his disciples how to heal and inquired of Christian teachers at the University of Chicago how to learn this, but nobody could tell him.
Fortunately, in our day both the church and the scientific community have reawakened to an interest in modes of healing which impact physical health but are themselves psychological or “spiritual” in character. Pastors, nurses, psychologists, doctors and the public are discovering and using holistic healing methods to ease dis-ease and foster health. Reiki is one of these, peculiarly suited to Christians because it allows us to experience what we already believe, i.e., the answering love of God to our prayers, the inexplicable power of the Holy Spirit, and the mystical presence of the Body of Christ.
How does Reiki work?
“Stretch out your hand to heal.” After a person has received an attunement from a Reiki master, they need only reach out to another or themselves with the intention to let the healing Spirit flow through them. Touching is valuable if permission is given, but is not necessary. While some persons already experience the ability to flow energy through their hands, receiving Reiki instruction and an attunement ensures that the energy tapped will be divine, not human or demonic. Discernment is important in spiritual matters, and with Reiki, this is built into the “circuitry.”
“Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38) Trusting the promises of God and one’s baptism and birthright to receive the gifts of the Spirit, one simply prays to be an instrument of God’s healing. God’s energy flows into the crown chakra (the spiritual opening at the top of the head represented by halos in Christian art) and from there to the heart, overflowing and pouring out the hands. There is no limit to this abundance of “living water;” the only limit is how widely one can open and love.
“Thy will be done.” In Reiki is no diagnosis is made and no cure is claimed. Only God knows what level of healing a person needs, and the receiver is completely in charge of what amount of Reiki energy is accepted or rejected. Refusal to receive is sometimes unconscious, and a sensitive Reiki practitioner can feel the resistance, gently encouraging the person to open up, or end the session. Letting go of wished-for outcomes, the spiritual discipline of emptiness is practiced to allow for being the greatest possible vessel of love. To give or receive Reiki is to simply add energy to the system. The energy “goes where it will,” supporting whatever healing is possible.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Another virtue of the Reiki system, which Christians will appreciate, is that the healing energy flows first to the person giving Reiki and from them to the receiver, leaving the giver with the experience of being blessed, refreshed and grateful for the opportunity to serve.
“The body does not consist of one member, but of many.” Christianized Reiki is best done in groups, for a number of reasons. First, group Reiki is more complete, faster and more powerful than one-on-one. The synergy of a number of pairs of hands makes for a most palpable experience of the body of Christ. Group Reiki also demythologizes any tendency to re-institute a special class of healers/priests/experts.
Learn Reiki
Christ the Healer United Church of Christ offers a free weekly Reiki practice group and regular first and second degree classes at a fraction of the usual cost. If you would like to attend or sponsor a class at your home or church, please contact Christ the Healer UCC.
Translating Reiki for Christians
Our congregation, Christ the Healer United Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon, has been practicing and teaching Reiki for the last six years. As the pastor, I was quite open when a Reiki master who was one of our members approached me to teach a class because I had learned a form of energy healing called Therapeutic Touch 25 years ago.
Learning Reiki, however, convinced me that it is not only simpler and safer than TT, but also lends itself beautifully to many Christian understandings. In the Gospel of John there is a verse where Jesus says, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” I believe that is a description of the kind of loving energy flow that characterizes Reiki.
So many Christians give and give without taking time to replenish themselves, or fill themselves with good words and deeds but little quiet. Reiki is a great spiritual discipline for such persons (I am one of these) since it is impossible to give without first receiving and there is nothing to “do” when doing Reiki. Another thing I like about Reiki is that it can be done in groups, giving a palpable experience of being part of the “body of Christ” where each person is a unique member, but is united by Christ’s spirit flowing through them.
When I teach Reiki, I do not gloss over the fact that it is not only non-Western in origin, but non-Christian. I always stress that Reiki stands on its own and does not require Christian or any other faith. The suggestion that Jesus was a Reiki master is likewise unnecessary and even offensive to some Christians. Yet Reiki does seem to me essentially prayer of the highest kind that Jesus taught, i.e.,”Thy will be done.” When I give Reiki, I feel like I am doing what I was baptized to do, opening myself to the love of God and sharing it with others.
Unfortunately, not all Christians agree. A recent book on alternative medicine published by the “Christian Medical Association” warns that Reiki is a dangerous occult practice where one risks being possessed by demonic spirits. Most of their information about Reiki seems to come from reading Diane Stein’s popular book, Essential Reiki, and her pagan perspective on the subject obviously put them off. I regret that many Christians may fear or dismiss Reiki because of such limited information and judgment.
On the other hand, it has been most rewarding for me to see faithful Christians with a yearning to heal or be healed discover the power of Christ-centered Reiki. One older woman said something about her Reiki experience that moved me deeply: “I finally felt the love of God that I always believed in but never knew!” Jesus ordained and sent out his disciples to heal as well as preach. Healing is one of the promised “gifts of the Holy Spirit” mentioned in the New Testament, but few Christians in modern times have known how to access it. I believe Reiki is one way that is accessible to nearly everyone. And I am thankful that this gift was given to me.
Rev. Gabrielle Chavez, Pastor
Christ the Healer UCC