Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Reiki

People all over the world are turning to Reiki for its healing power, and it is now even being used in the medical field as a complementary therapy for the treatment of physical, emotional and mental illnesses.

Reiki is a spiritual philosophy and energy healing practice that was developed in Japan in the early 20th century by founder Mikao Usui.

Usui was a Tendai Buddhist whose lifelong quest for spiritual knowledge and healing techniques took him on a journey through many religious and spiritual traditions, including Shintoism, Buddhism, and Christian teachings, as well as the study of martial arts.

The most pivotal moment in Usui’s life occurred on Mount Kurama, a sacred mountain north of Kyoto. After 21 days of fasting and meditation, Usui had a profound spiritual experience of enlightenment that gave him the knowledge and ability to channel healing energy.

This experience led to the development of a healing system he called “Reiki,” which means “universal life energy” or “spiritual energy.” It’s based on the wisdom that “universal energy” can be channeled to support the body’s natural healing processes. Reiki is an extremely powerful energy, yet a remarkably gentle form of healing.

We are all spiritual energy already, practicing the system of Reiki will help us to rediscover this ~ Frans Stiene

After his enlightenment, Usui began to offer healing services and also teaching his healing methods to others. The practice soon began to spread and grow in popularity, and today it is practiced by millions of practitioners worldwide. Despite the passage of time and the evolution of Reiki into various branches and interpretations, the core principles and practices established by Usui remain at the heart of this remarkable healing tradition.

While Reiki is widely practiced and has gained popularity worldwide, there are however some interesting and unusual facts about this energy healing technique that are not commonly known and seldom mentioned:

Reiki Precepts

Because most people focus on Reiki as a healing technique, it is not widely known that Reiki is actually a much broader lifestyle philosophy and spiritual practice. Mikao Usui’s original teachings include certain principles for living a good and spiritually conscious life, known as the Five Reiki Principles or Precepts, which emphasize kindness, gratitude, and personal and spiritual development. These principles are intended to be ideals that one does not only strive to achieve but also live by on a daily basis. The five precepts are:

Just for today, I will not be angry.
Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will be grateful.
Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

These principles are meant to be contemplated and meditated upon, serving as a foundation for personal and spiritual development through the practice of Reiki. They encourage living in the present moment, fostering peace and wellness both within oneself and in the world.

Reiki is a gift from the universe to the whole world. It is safe and gentle, enormously powerful, and easily learned by anyone ~ Diane Stein

Reiki Symbols

Reiki practitioners also use certain symbols that enhance the flow of life energy. These symbols were traditionally kept secret and only revealed to students who had reached a certain level of mastery. Each symbol has a specific purpose, such as increasing energy flow, emotional healing, or distance healing.

The number of Reiki symbols and their specific use vary depending on the Reiki system or tradition. In traditional Usui Reiki there are four main symbols:

Cho Ku Rei (Power Symbol) – It is used to increase Reiki energy, focus it on a specific location, cleanse negative energies, and provide protection.

Sei He Ki (Mental/Emotional Symbol) – This symbol is used for emotional and mental healing, balance, protection against negative energies, and purification. It can help with healing past traumas, calming the mind, and restoring emotional equilibrium.

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (Distance Healing Symbol) – This symbol transcends time and space, allowing the practitioner to send healing energy to individuals at a distance, as well as to past and future events.

Dai Ko Myo (Master Symbol) – Used by Reiki Masters, this symbol is considered the most powerful one. It is used for healing the soul, personal transformation, and to empower the other symbols.

In addition to these four main symbols, some Reiki traditions and modern variations introduce additional symbols. These can include symbols for grounding, heart healing, or other specific purposes.

Distant Healing

While Reiki is often practiced with gentle hands-on touch, physical contact is not actually required for the therapy to be effective. Energy can be channeled and directed to the recipient from a distance, even if they are in another room or location.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Reiki is the concept of distance healing, which allows practitioners to send healing energy across time and space. This means that practitioners can offer Reiki to someone who is not physically present, possibly even to situations in the past or future.

Learning Reiki is not only about healing others, but also about growing spiritually and becoming more attuned to the true essence of life ~ Penelope Quest

Animals & Plants

Reiki healing or therapy is not limited to human patients. Practitioners can also use Reiki to heal animals and plants. Many pet owners and veterinarians now use Reiki as a complementary therapy to treat animals. Similarly, gardeners and even some farmers use Reiki to promote plant health and growth.

Dr. Bernard Grad, a biologist at McGill University in Montreal, conducted one of the first scientific experiments to study the effects of healing energy, including Reiki, on living organisms. His research, conducted in the 1960s, was one of the pioneering studies in the field of energy medicine, which sought to determine whether or not healers could produce measurable effects on biological systems.

In one of his notable experiments, Dr. Grad found that mice treated with healing energy healed faster than those in the control group, suggesting that the healer’s energy could indeed have a positive effect on the healing process. In another study, he found that plants watered with water that had been “treated” by an energy healer grew faster than those watered with untreated water.

These experiments were significant because they were among the first attempts to apply scientific methods to the study of healing energy, and they opened the door for further research in the field of energy medicine.

Complementary Medicine

Some hospitals and medical facilities around the world have begun to integrate Reiki into their patient care services. It is offered as a complementary therapy to help patients manage pain, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Reiki is considered a non-invasive, supportive therapy that can work alongside conventional medical treatments. A growing number of health insurance companies worldwide are also beginning to offer coverage for Reiki, along with other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

In 2019, a large-scale research study was conducted by researchers at Harvard University, the University of Arizona and the Center for Reiki Research, to determine if Reiki is effective as a complementary therapy. The main purpose of this study was to measure the effect of a single session of Reiki on physical and psychological health in a large sample of people. The results of this multi-site efficacy study showed that a single session of Reiki does improve several variables related to physical and psychological health, including improved mood, appetite and overall well-being, as well as reduced anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, nausea, and shortness of breath.

Reiki Trivia

The life and teachings of Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, are commemorated on a large stone at his gravesite in Tokyo, Japan. This memorial stone, inscribed with the story of Usui’s life and the principles of Reiki, has become a pilgrimage site for Reiki practitioners worldwide.

World Reiki Day is celebrated each year on August 15th by practitioners around the world to honor the birth of Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki. It’s a day for sharing Reiki, promoting healing and spreading awareness of this energy healing practice.