reiki and the japanese connection

people often have a lot of questions about reiki...
how does it work?
how do you know it works?
how do you do it?
will it work for migraines, diabetes, upset stomach, psoriasis, cancer, anxiety?

one of the most asked questions is where did reiki come from?

the answer that i usually give is that it was always there. and then they ask, but... where did it come from?

then i explain the japanese connection.

reiki is a japanese word that has been translated in many ways - none of which are exact, but can come close to giving us understanding. rei is often translated to universal light or spirit. and ki is often translated to energy. the generally accepted translation is universal light energy. but again this is close but not quite.

reiki can only be harnessed through an initiated reiki channel or healer. so it's not universal light energy, which can be made available to anyone. reiki is a particular range of frequencies of energy. what makes it special is that it is always from the highest of good. when reiki is channeled and brought into a treatment with the intention to bring the highest of good for someone, the channel or the healer can effectively melt away, and can take on reiki, become filled with reiki. the movement of reiki through the body and energy field or aura of someone receiving a reiki treatment, allows them to receive healing that is from the highest of good.

so again you might ask, but where did reiki come from? and again, i'd say, it was always there. the idea that reiki was developed in japan and is a humanly developed modality for healing is not quite true. reiki was received in japan by mikao usui in the 1920s, much like truth is received by a prophet or like enlightenment is received by a buddha. truth and enlightenment always existed. mikao usui was chosen to be the trusted guardian of this sacred knowledge, because the world needed reiki to come forth at that time, in that place, in a culture and society where it would be treated with the respect and care that it required.

usui was ready to receive reiki, much like any of us become ready to receive first-degree reiki training when the time is right. we receive it through a reiki master-teacher, whereas usui received it directly. when he did, he called this gift 'reiki' in his native japanese language and spread it for the highest of good to those who needed it. it could have been sanskrit or swahili, if it was received in another time and place, but it is called reiki and has been preserved in the japanese language simply because it was received in japan. and so is the japanese connection to reiki.