Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the Reiki community about the concept of “de-attuning” people. This is due to a Reiki teacher having invented a new system which requires you to be de-attuned from your previous symbols before taking on these new symbols. He states that the new method he has invented is not in harmony with the older teachings.
The question is… is this possible? Can you be de-attuneed and does it makes sense from a spiritual perspective within the system of Reiki?
Traditionally, in Mikao Usui’s time. the attunement/initiation was called a Reiju which literally translates as spiritual blessing. This name indicates that the blessing was spiritual in nature. But what does that mean, spiritual in nature?
In serious spiritual traditions, the aim is to realize your Oneness with the universe. This Oneness is your True Self which within Mikao Usui’s teachings was symbolized by the word Reiki, traditionally meaning True Self (more about that here).
As we are in reality One with the universe, then there is nothing to take away or to add because if we are One with the Universe, we are One with everything and anything.
Thus, within Mikao Usui’s teachings and within any serious spiritual practice your whole aim is to realize that you inherently have everything already within you that you need–the whole universe.
Therefore it doesn’t make any sense to be de-attuned of something because it is not in harmony with something else. Real harmony means we are in harmony with everything within the universe, good/bad, hot/cold, here/there etc.
If we feel we have to get rid of something and add something more powerful then we are coming from a dualistic viewpoint, which, in essence, is not the deepest aim of any spiritual teachings.
So, go deep inside your True Self and ask the question; does it make sense to be de-attuned or not?
Based in Holland, Frans Stiene teaches in North America, Europe, UK, Australia and Asia.
Frans is also the author of Reiki Insights, it is the continuation of his previous book The Inner Heart of Reiki, taking your personal practice and understanding of the system of Reiki yet another step deeper.
Comments 68
Huh? That makes no sense whatsoever. When I took my attunements, I was already Jewish. I didn’t stop being Jewish to become a Reiki student, it became an additional part of who I am. Another part to my spiritual quest. In fact in my fist level meditations, opening to my guides, a Star of David filled with all sorts of lovely light came. That has always been my confirmation that I am following a good path. The Jewish G-d said ok.
Thus my Jewishness and my Reiki are now entwined in my spiritual growth. And if those two can go together, I don’t understand how one form of Reiki can’t get along with another.
Frankly, one thing I lived about my master and my guide, they both say “It all comes from the universe with help of Usui San. Each person adding their own twists and turns. So learn more from everywhere and everyone. And seek your own place in Reiki.” I do like the thought that the knowledge is additive, not exclusive.
This person’s Reiki, is not the Reiki I know.
“The joy of Being, which is the only true happiness, can not come to you from any form, possession, achievement, person, or event—through any thing that happens. That joy can not come to you-ever. It emanates from the formless dimension within you, from consciousness itself and thus is one with who you are”. – Eckhart Tolle
Hi Lisa,
Yes also different spiritual traditions can be combined together, they all go to the same thing.
You are right what if we would say; sorry but your are this or that religion and you have to disconnect yourself from it because else your Reiki doesn’t work?!
Also traditionally the attunement was called Reiju which means spiritual blessing, and Reiju later became initiation and after that people started to call it attunement.
So if Reiju/spiritual blessing is the attunement, then what is de-attune, de-reiju, taking the spiritual blessing away?
Strange indeed.
Re-invent, de-attune? New symbols? All sounds rather strange.
Not for me thank you. I will stick with the symbols of Dr Usui and the teachings of Hawayo Takata, who first brought Reiki to the Western World.
Reiki does not need to be improved, it’s more about you becoming at one with Reiki & growing in your knowledge. Reiki sits alongside other healing therapies without any conflicting issues. I have never heard of anything quite so bizarre as being detuned from your current Reiki symbols. As you progress on your Reiki journey you learn new symbols which are used when appropriate so I would question this persons true reasons for this stance if it’s that good then offer it as a stand alone therapy but don’t call it Reiki. Namaste x
If we are ONE with everything then there is no need for anything.
… so with this realized there is even no need for Reiki once we are there!
Most people I know have not realized this state yet and if they were lucky to experience this state once this is often not a permanent state but only for a short time that is powerful enough to transform our lives and how we think, feel etc.
Still this world is a place where duality rules…
With duality techniques like Reiki we can train people and give them some tools and give them a remembrance of the connection they have with the universe… and with this spark lit they have a chance to spiritually advance.
Please take this not as a provocation….but it is like this: people in the duality need a technique that works in the duality so they can work with it.
That’s it….there is nothing more about this. And Reiki does a good job in this field.
But when it comes to advancing even further then we have to learn/realize that we do not depend on techniques, exact methods, symbols etc. because all we need is already in us….. our co-creator-force…..
Of course we can choose to continue using this wonderful art and his tools out of pure joy if we wish. but there is no more need!
When moving to the next stage some people feel that they need to get rid of every duality influence because they think that those tools, symbols, processes will bind their co-creator-force and free will and they “fear” that they cannot proceed with the old tools and the old way of thinking.
You see that with that thinking they are still in duality and they just want to escape….and as they are already using their co-creator force to build their world with ….they have just created their new prison.
so in some way they could not proceed with Reiki….maybe they did not learn it from a good master or they cannot commit to any boundaries….who knows….but they now have a problem…
And the way out can be a new duality tool of de-attunement and an attunement into a new duality tool of a new System….
so please do not judge those people because they have created this reality….for them it is real like for you Reiki may be the one and only tool.
but once you are trapped in your reality you need a way out that is part of your thinking and believe system…. and for those who believe a de-attunement can work…..they should go for it.
as you have said…..you should feel within what is right for you….you need to discover your truth and your trust withing if you want to proceed… the tool then doesn’t matter.
I have been down this track 8 years ago…. during an initiation I was asked if I want to have my “implanted” symbols removed. this was a shock for me that this person was able to see all the symbols I had collected in the years before…and I asked myself if I could do well without them!? Do I need symbols to heal? Will I be able to give healing afterwards? Will I lose this strong flow of energy I am used to? Can I still attune people without symbols? I did not feel that the removal was necessary for the new initiation but I had this feeling that I was so dependent on using symbols and how to do things that I was no more sure if this light I was using is really a part of me or if this light is only there because of the installation and artificial keep opening effect of the symbols in my energy system….so I agreed to remove them.
it helped me free my mind… it helped me to find my co-creator force and I found that ONEness I was looking for…
and with this came a deep understanding of how things are and how things work….I now understand that Reiki in its purest form already has ecerything you need to spiritually advance…. if you can see it… and if you are willing to embrace it…. and as long as you see the symbols as tools that help you and make things easier for you there is absolutely no need to remove them….but don’t tell people that certain things can only be done with symbols because then you set limitations….and with limitations you create dependence…. and with dependence they are stuck in duality.
lots of love and light for all you out there
Jan
Great information.
Thank you
The great irony in creating Holy Fire is that in one fell swoop many of his dedicated teachers who earn their livelihood from Karuna and other forms of Reiki from Rand’s organizaition, are very confused. They received no notice about this erasure process, and seem to be given a fait accompli to get with the program or leave. People do get attached to the aspects of ritual they find calming and identity supporting. So, no need to undo symbols that have proven to be in error. Just don’t use them. Duality is unnecessary in this process. I know people who are embracing this change as teachers, ones who are bolting from the organization. My sense is that we may come into energetic spaces that feel more dyamic for us. Why call it Reiki? Give it nother name if you wish to share it.
When faced with dualist thinking, I refer back to simple physics. The universes are not made with this OR that. The universes are made with this AND that.
Who would have thought that “or’ and “and” would cause such confusion.
Once I registered this truth within my physical mind, dualism is no longer an issue with me.
Give it a try with all aspects of your physical experience.
And another thought, I don’t make Reiki, I send it.
This is something I’ve been hearing a lot in the Reiki community lately and I’ve actually heard about the process of “de-attunement” in the past.
In truth, I would say that there is one thing that all Reiki traditions have in common. It’s all Reiki.
My very first Reiki teacher told us that she had “removed” the influence of one of her lineage teachers from herself, a fellow teacher, and her attunements because she felt that the closure symbol he used, the raku or “lightning bolt,” wasn’t consistent with Reiki and she wanted it (and him) out of her lineage. While I honor her for trying to purify her Reiki practice, I’ll admit that I felt cheated of part of my Reiki inheritance, as though a branch of the great tree of Reiki teachers stretching skyward from the roots (Usui Founder) to my little leaf had been sawn off and lost to me. We have so much to learn from those who have gone before, both what to do and what not to do, and so many paths to choose from on our way to the one, universal Way, which each of us must ultimately find for ourselves. Anyone who says “It’s my way or the highway—-oh, and please hand over your credit card” has just hoisted a pirate flag in my book.
This has nothing to do with Reiki. It is just a way of making more money. So many people involved with Reiki have come up with types of “Reiki” that have nothing to do with Reiki. They have a vision and try to pass on the ‘new type of Reiki’ and of course it cost a bundle. There are so many types of ‘Reiki’ that have absolutely nothing to do with the original and as far as I am concerned the only type of Reiki. Oh and don’t forget, we have to register or copy right our Reiki so no one can teach it without our permission or giving us a cut. These people need to market their “Reiki” as something else other than Reiki so as not to confuse people that are new to Reiki and want to learn the ‘original’ Reiki and not something else.
I have done all my training with William Rand including Karuna Reiki and am very grateful for it. I was in the middle of taking a student for Tibetan/Usui Reiki Master course when I heard about The Holy Fire Reiki and Ignition process. Yes, it did completely throw me. I went to America last July to complete Reiki 1 and 2 with ICRT teachers plus some crystal courses in order to become a professional member of the ICRT. This option is still not open to UK Reiki teachers. You can image the annoyance I felt feeling I had been duped. Between you and me I was tempted to do the Holy Fire Reiki course, it was only finance that stopped me. I have heard a lot of negation recently from many different Reiki circles I have mixed in about the money making antics of the ICRT. On one level that is true but on another level William has shared all he has discovered about Reiki with whoever is interested. He certainly opened up things for me. The only difference is that I have rarely charged for Reiki.
There is a wrong notion and misunderstanding amongst those in the Reiki world who have trained in the Usui/Tibetan Reiki tradition that their work has now been invalidated. This way of giving attunements is still valid. I have just given a Reiki 1 class using this method and it was very powerful. Secondly, you are not de-attuned when you are given ‘The Holy Fire’ ignition. I have just spoken to my teacher in America and she told me she was not de-attuned. She had found the TDK and Fire Serpent symbols had already began to loose their effectiveness before the ignition. The new symbols she was given gradually took over and she found them gentle and healing. As far as de-tuning goes, it was William himself who had to be de-tuned in order for the new information to work through him. No one else need go through this process.
I have taken the Karuna class in 2010 and again this year, and in all honesty I still do not feel comfortable using it on clients. I love the symbols and I love the theory behind them and I acknowledge they are very powerful for some.
What I find the most powerful is bring my hands into gassho, chanting the precepts in Japanese and sitting quietly. I feel the energy in my hands immediately. I do not get on with long visualizations or too many instructions. I enjoy rituals when giving distant healing attunements and using my Reiki grids for sending healing. When I give Reiki to patients in the hospice I help at, I generally do not use symbols, I do not prepare myself, I do not put symbols on the walls, I simply ask the patient if they have had Reiki before, if they have not I simply say I lay my hands on them and I am simply a channel for that energy comes through my hands. I connect with them and am filled with love and compassion and gratitude they are allowing me to practice Reiki on them. Every session is different. There is no agenda; most patients I only ever see the once – they have either died or gone home again. Reiki works, it allows people to feel peace in themselves even if it is momentary.
We all have a lot to learn about Universal energy. One thing is for sure, it does not stand still. If we think we have the original system of Reiki, think again. I have tried a few systems and they are all different and all think they have Usui’s original system. For all we know William may have connected to something that Usui experienced himself! The one thing we can be sure of is that when there is the feeling of them and us, mine and yours there is separation and duality and that goes against all the principles of Reiki.
The best advise William ever gave me was to be the Reiki teacher that you would like to have. May peace reign among all Reiki practitioners and teachers. Use and practice what works for you. I don’t think we need to worry about de-attunement. I think we have all had our feathers ruffled. It is a good time to re-evaluate what we practice ourselves. XMiriam
Your words helped me a lot. I am trying to get to a clear place about whether to do Holy Fire Reiki or not. You are wise.
Great to see all the comments, busy watching the world cup finale 😉
Taken from William’s website in April 2014
“I was also shown the value and necessity of eliminating the violet breath, holding the hui yin and use of the tongue and the Tibetan symbols. These energies had been developed as far as they could go and needed to be eliminated as they were not in harmony with the Holy Fire energy and would have prevented it from working. Therefore, I received a cleansing or de-attunement for them to release them from my system.”
Love
Frans
Also from his website from April 2014
“Holy Fire Reiki and the Tibetan Symbols
The pre-ignition that takes place in Holy Fire Reiki classes will purify your system in preparation for the ignition of the Holy Fire. In addition if you received the Tibetan symbols and violet breath technique from a previous class, they will be released and replaced with the Holy Fire. The Tibetan symbols and violet breath were helpful and are still helpful for those who use them, but they need to be released in order for the Holy Fire energies to be properly installed.”
However some of these things have now change, I think due to some of his students being unhappy about it.
But the article is about de-attunement and if this makes sense. From a spiritual perspective of Oneness it doesn’t make any sense at all. To be in harmony with the universe we are in harmony with everything. The universe is not saying this is bad or good, out dated or new, it is just as it is.
Hi Paula,
Yes I agree why not just call it what it is. I think people add the word Reiki to it because else it doesn’t sell. Say we create Blue Reiki, if we just call it Blue people will wonder what it is but if we call it Blue Reiki and link it to Usui-san we have something to sell.
Hope your trip to Japan was wonderful.
The idea of “de-attuning” is not in line with spiritual thinking. To add something”more powerful”speaks of EGO centric teaching. This is a clear signal…like a bell…that this is not in harmony. This is happening much more than I am confortable hearing. Recently one of my Reiki Students was told, after applying to work at a local Reiki Center, that she would have to be “reeducated and reattuned” because, unless you were educated by the Owner of the Center, you were not truly a Reiki Practitioner. This is scary to me. I have been teaching for 2 decades! I have also been on the receiving end of a Reiki session where the Reiki Practitioner told me that my Guides and Angels were “In the Way” I got off the table immediately. Like I have said before this is all Ego based. We need to protect the integrity of Reiki. This kind of stuff leads to problems that could shut the entire community of healers down. Peace & Blessings.
So if one person is ‘un-tuned’ that satisfies the entire lineage? As far as the Tibetan symbols and the violet breath, they were not part of the Usui Reiki in the first place. The Master Symbol was also not part of the Usui Reiki and is not a part of the Japanese Reiki practiced in Japan today. If an up line Master in your lineage decides to change his/her way of teaching/practicing Reiki, why should you follow suit? If you are a Master and you practice Reiki as you should, it should not have any effect on you as to what others do. A Master is a Master and just because someone has 5-10-15 or 20 years in Reiki, they still are just a Master and have the same abilities as you do.
Traditionally Reiju/initiation/attunement was like holding up a mirror to the student so that she would be able to see her own True Self.
The teacher of course would need to make sure that his mirror was clean, at that stage the teacher also realized that there was nothing to give during a Reiju/initiation/attunement.
We live in a dual world but as teachers of a spiritual practice we also need to be aware of the non-dual side of the universe, else we can not be teachers of a spiritual practice. The essence of any kind of serious spiritual practice is helping your student to live in a dual world but with a state of mind of non-duality, in complete union with the universe.
Hear, hear, Frans! Beautifully put.
Yes, well put.
I have received communication from William via my teacher in America. He points out he did not invent the ‘Holy Fire’ he was told of it by his spiritual teacher. As far as I understand he saw new symbols. He knew something had happened. When he went to Spiritual teacher she told him he had to be de-tuned of the Reiki symbols TDK, Fire Serpent and holding the Hui yin point in order for him to utilize this new energy. That is where the de-tunement came in. The philosophy of the ICRT is to acknowledge and respect all Reiki lineages. He encourages his students to try other modaliities.
What we have to remember is that William was only talking of the way he had been teaching Reiki for he past 25 years. He was being told to give that all up. He was told by his teacher that this new energy was being given by Jesus. William did not invent it. If we put ourselves in William’s shoes it must have been quite a shock to be told you now need to teach differently. He must have known the reverberation that this would cause amongst his students who have diligently followed his courses over many years. I have been at sea for three months until I taught my first Reiki class since I retired last year.
Looking at the this issue from all sides I do not think it was intended to wipe out everything that we have practiced under the name of Reiki. Until we have actually gone through the Holy Fire Ignition process we are not really in a position to know the validity of it. The reason it retained Reiki after its name is because it still uses the so called Usui symbols. I say so called because I now have at least 3 different distant healing symbols to choose from various Reiki training I have undertaken.
Holy Fire Reiki has come to us for a reason. If it is there as a money spinner it will soon fizzle out. However, if it has been given for the use of humanity because we have reached a higher vibration in our progress as spiritual beings, who knows where it can lead.
At the end of the day our true Self does not need symbols or the like. It’s an interesting time.
Reiki has been taught to be ‘Not Religious’, so as to be acceptable to those people that are. In teaching Reiki, I am always asked if Reiki has a religious background and I always say no, but a spiritual, deeper inner meaning. If you read several of the books available on Reiki and its background, you find a connection to Buddhism. I think this has a negative effect on many Christians in the West. So, now we have a Reiki that is ‘Holy’ and can be more easily marketed to the mass majority in the West, without offending their religious beliefs. Just recently an interview with a Japanese Master which was made public, revealed that the Japanese style of Reiki has no Master symbol. This has been known for years by many people but not mentioned in classes from ICRT. Now the Tibetan symbols and violet breath are falling out of favor, why, does not fit into the religious beliefs of the West. Reiki was Westernized when it came from Japan in the late 30’s, now it it really being ‘Westernized’ I guess it had to happen, you can get your degree over the Internet, by distance and where I live we have one ‘Master’ that gives Reiki I, II, and Master in three (3) hour classes each. I sincerely hope this is not the future of Reiki and that it remains as true to the original as possible in this world of fast food, tv, i this and i that and all the distractions we try to work on when we practice Reiki.
I have trained with William Rand, and he does make his living off of Reiki. My opinion is that the TDK, the raku, and the Fire Serpent were never actually a part of the original Reiki, so of course they’re going to lose “power.” Holding the hui yin and asking people to basically do a microcosmic orbit when they’ve never been trained in how to do it is also making things complicated. Nice that he’s decided it doesn’t need to be done, as Rand has alos trained with Doi. He is, as James Deacon has coined the phrase, a “Reiki businessman.” Holy Fire Reiki, to me, is not Reiki. Just my opinion.
As for de-attuning, well I’ve done it to a student of mine. I thought about it long and hard and regretted having to do it, but this particular student had decided to curse me, as in “studied hoo doo” and put a hoo doo curse on me. I had to de-ravel that curse which was designed to stay with me until I died, so I ultimately decided that any connection to her had to be cut; gifts were destroyed, emails were deleted, Reiki attunement was undone to the best of my ability, etc.. Her intent was to destroy me, so I took the steps I felt necessary. If Spirit deems that she still needs that energy then it will still be with her regardless of what I do, but my intent is also clear to Spirit, and I believe it’s been honored.
We have all had a thing about William, his big classes and the amount of money he makes. I have had a rude awakening from my friend in America who I shall quote directly since she has worked with William for 23 years and he is also a close friend. I hope she will not mind me posting this quote before I got her permission to do so but I think it very important we hear it.
” I know him professionally and personally, and I KNOW for a fact that he is NOT about money. He IS about SERVICE! In order to be of service, it takes money to be able to develop manuals, create a magazine, develop data bases to help Reiki Membership members produce certificates and market their classes. Not to mention run a Reiki Research and Reiki in Hospitals program and the related data bases required to support them. I would be very interested to hear anyone who complains about William’s relationship with money, to find another human being who has done as much for Reiki worldwide as he and the ICRT have.”
I have to acknowledge without Williams sharing of his knowledge I would never in a million years ever considered opening my own Reiki practice. The money he so called makes is actually spent as the above statement says also there is the cost of travel, accommodation etc. He has also helped to make available the revised edition of Horoshi Dois book, A Modern Reiki Method for Healing’. about two years ago I wanted to but the book. The books were few and far between. I paid £100 for an old used copy! It was a tiny little book. I thought I was going to receive a lavish large book with lots of coloured pictures! You can image the shock when I received this tiny little so called manual. I ranted and raved at the book sellers. When it came to send it back I could not do it. I kept the book like a prized possession! He has to pay staff at the ICRT and to run the place is a huge expense.
Most of us do not really know William Rand the man but one think is certain he has dedicated his while life to spreading Reiki.
It is time we looked at our own values.
As I am learning a lot while reading all these comments and everything that has been said.
I was thinking it is interesting to see how all this is unfolding and some of the layers are coming out which are “dualistic” aspects of “Reiki” today to put it mildly !.
I also have William Rand Lineage but I have never really practiced “rigidly” that way for the longest time for me personally being a “loner” was great as didn’t had to get into this “your and mine”.
I do understand how we do get sort of attached to the teacher , teachings and rituals etc. because we receive healing and the power of this beautiful universal energy that flows through all beings no matter who they are. How ever that is what it is we forget that oneness and interconnectedness is the basis of all and there is really nothing to give in that space than how we can say we are getting rid of some thing ?
Usui-San was a very spiritual man who worked so hard in his whole life , he didn’t just got up one day and said hey I am just blessed with this blessing and I am going to set up system of Reiki !. yes , if we look the system of Reiki has influence of Buddhism because founder was a Buddhist but that doesn’t mean it is a religion or you have to give up your religion. The universal energy is not bound by religion is it? it flows through everyone regardless of color, race , etc etc.
I am thinking what George made a remark about “holy” and its buissness aspect , indeed it is a interesting statement . I think when a change is about to happen lot of stuff start to steer up and everything becomes bare , I don’t think we need to worry about future of Reiki.
Yes we still don’t know lot of things but really in order to understand that we need to trace Usui -San steps and see what comes up .
I think all this actually will bring out stuff and we could see things with a very very clear demarcation.
Now anything which is “remotely” has some form of “energy” in it all one has to do is add ” Reiki” word in it , the other day some one was saying to me about “naked Reiki” , really this is what the founder was thinking about ? Interesting people !
How can you De- Attune when it is already flowing in every being ? You shine your inner light by personal practice , a teacher is not a energy ball that you will go there and “take it all away” from him/her , although you do need a spiritual teacher to find that.
Hi Frans,
I really like how you put it—
“We live in a dual world but as teachers of a spiritual practice we also need to be aware of the non-dual side of the universe, else we can not be teachers of a spiritual practice. The essence of any kind of serious spiritual practice is helping your student to live in a dual world but with a state of mind of non-duality, in complete union with the universe. ”
Hi All,
Interesting to see where the comments are going to. The initial article is about if it is possible at all to de-attune someone and if that makes sense from a spiritual perspective.
Personally for me to de-attune is a strange concept because in all spiritual teachings the aim is to become One with the universe which means you have to become One with everything, nothing can be excluded else we can not call it Oneness.
This is why this kind of Oneness is called Non-Duality. We can also see this Non-Duality within the system of Reiki as Usui-san taught. We can see it within the precepts and hidden within the symbols and mantras.
Hope that makes sense.
Not two.
There are not two realities, one dual and one non-dual. In essence there is only one reality and that is the reality of both dual and non-dual together, both in harmony and in union.
If duality and non-duality are part of the whole, by virtue of your argument attune and de-attune are part of the whole too. They are pairs of opposite. Krisna in the Gita, invites Arjuna to treat pairs of opposites equally without getting attached to either.
Hi Miriam,
Our confused mind is the dual mind and our True Self, our True Mind, is non-duality.
Even if we realize non-duality we live in a dual world but that doesn’t mean we have to act according to it, especially as spiritual teachers. As spiritual teachers we need to understand the highest essence, even if we might not have had the direct experience at least we should understand it intellectual.
In the confused mind there is giving an attunement and taking away the attunement but in the true mind there is no such thing. I think that if we say we are teachers we need to understand this. Plus as spiritual teachers the aim is to guide our students towards this non-dual understanding as well.
Therefore I keep saying that within the traditional Japanese Reiki teachings Reiju means just holding up a mirror, there is nothing to give, no giver, and no receiver.
When we look at the precepts we see the word compassion. If we give with attachments and if we think we can take it back then that is not real compassion. That way we have given from a very dualistic approach. A teacher who is teaching a spiritual practice needs to understand that when she is performing a reiju there is no giving, no gift and no receiver, that is real compassion.
Hope this makes sense.
Have been thinking about this. Most of us are focused on the dual side of things and most of us have no idea about the non-dual side of things so therefore we are unbalanced and do not feel in union with the universe.
Therefore a spiritual teacher is there to teach a system to help you to understand non-duality, oneness with the universe. If a teacher just teaches only dual stuff we can never start to have a direct experience of non-duality.
Usui-san pointed this out within the precepts.
Also if we look at the precepts, it states: Do not worry, so there is no reason to worry about what you have and that someone needs to take it away before you can receive the “good” stuff. To let go of worry we have to accept what we have completely no matter if it is “good” or “bad”. If we do not fully accept ourselves we are full of insecurity, worries, and fears and for me that is not a spiritual teaching.
So if we say that we are teaching the system of Reiki as a spiritual practice then we also need to teach according to spiritual ideas and concepts.
Thank you Frans for this post, I am learning a lot from all these reflections!
Funny because I am reflecting the teachings of Bhaagwat Gita in my own personal practice and trying to make sense of it all, when I first read the lines that a spiritual teacher helps student to live in a dual world but with a state of mind of non-duality, in complete union with the universe I was thinking this makes so much sense in lines of Gita and what Krishna taught. I think this is what Lord Krishna really taught Arjun in Gita.
What I understand about how the teachings of Gita came about is Arjun and Krishna were pals/ friends prior to the battle of Mahabharata, when Arjun went to fight and saw all his loved ones he went into this deep state of shock and placed his weapons down he didn’t wanted to do it. At that time he surrendered to Krishna and requested for his teachings and accepted him as his “spiritual teacher” that is when Krishna showed him his cosmic form and gave teachings of Gita.
It is only when Arjun was ready to “receive” and “surrender” he was able to understand that everything is an illusion and in reality nothing is created nor destroyed and was able to receive divine teachings. I think it is an important element in learning/teaching of spiritual practices, and it is a two Way Street between a spiritual teacher and a student in any spiritual practice like Traditional system of Reiki.
Secondly , I think non –duality is a hard thing to grasp even intellectually and to even understand that concept one has to have some form of “direct experience” and also a “teacher to guide who himself/herself have that understanding.
Non-duality is not as simple as good/bad, right /wrong or opposites.
In Gita itself it says— In order to attain the supreme state of God or ‘It’ one has to become ‘It’ there is on other way to attain Nirvana. Nirvana cannot be attained in separateness.
I am quoting here some quotes that I was reading—
1. Bahirantasca Bhutanam
Acaram caram eva ca;
Suksmatvat tat avijneyam
Durastham cantike ca tat.
Which means ‘It’ lies within and outside all things both moving and unmoving; because it is stuble, it cannot be comprehended; it is near and yet far.
It further says –
2. Avibhaktam vibhaktesu
Vibhaktam iva ca tat sthitam;
Bhuta-bhartr ca tat jneyam
Grasisnu prabhavisnu ca.
Which means ‘It’ is undivided, but exists in all divided things as if it has been divided; it is also the sustainer of all things, as it is also their absorber and also their creator.
3. Samam sarvesu bhutesu
Tisthantam parameswaram;
Vinasyatsu avinasyantam
Yah pasyati sa pasyati
Meaning – The realized one sees the divine existing equally in all beings,’It’ is imperishable in all that perishes.
4. Yada bhuta-prthag-bhavam
ekastham anupasyati;
Tata eva ca vistaram
Brahma sampadyate tada.
It is when one realizes that all beings and things which are existing separately are living in ‘It’and are ‘It’, and are expanding with ‘It’, then only one attains Brahman or Non Duality.
Krishna further tells Arjun in Gita that since there is nothing created nor destroyed, nor born, there is nothing to kill, no one is the killer and no one will be killed, all are one so there is nothing to fear, worry.
Now , that I look in system of Reiki I find the same thing – The bright light or our inner self is nothing but a cosmic soul which is in all beings – “nonliving and living “ , its undivided yet it is divided among all . There is nothing to give and receive because we already have it – inside. Gita also talks about doing the “duty” with that non duality without worry, fear etc. same thing I think it talks in system of Reiki in Reiki precepts !
So, I wonder how we can “De –attune” of something which we even didn’t “get it” in first place, it was already there. When I look at the above teachings it tells me because of our worry, fear etc. and creation of our confusions we thing we have something bad to get rid of or something good to gain? Or something to destroy or create?
But we can only find that with personal practice guided by the a teacher who has the wisdom / experience of the concepts , able to teach dual and nonduality and have the “direct experience”
This is me pondering intellectually with my little mind here. Thank you for the discussions!
Hi Seema,
I love your post. Could you tell me which part of the Gita you found the verses? i would like to look up the Sanskrit. I have a version with commentaries on the verses. We could find out a lot more of the meaning. Are all these verses from the Gita?
XMiiriam
’ A teacher who is teaching a spiritual practice needs to understand that when she is performing a reiju there is no giving, no gift and no receiver, that is real compassion.’
I have just been re-looking at these words. This is quite a profound statement. Is there no giving, no gift and no receiver because in a state of unity there is no separation. It does beg the question as to what is the point of performing the Reiju in the first place? You do get a sense of this great Leelaa or play of creation going on here; it’s a jolly good performance. The trouble is we take it so seriously. Maybe that is why Krisna advised to treat all opposites with equanimity.
Hi Miriam,
Yes we often take it way too serious 😉
The real point of the reiju is to just ‘be’ with your student. But that is hard to understand with words, better to ‘see’ or experience that as a direct experience in class and then you start to see/feel what it means.
I often see reiju is like dancing with the universe.
Divine Dichotomy is a wonderful truth.
Hi Miriam,
Glad you liked the post.
I would not call myself well versed in Gita at all. What I wrote is based on what my limited knowledge. There several books out there I think. I would have to pull them out to give you specifics how ever there is a book called Bhavad gita as it is. some verses are from chapter 18 verse 20 I believe , some are from chapter 12 , verse 13-14. cannot tell you all.
Also I don’t think we can actually say “attune and De attune as complete opposites in relation with duality and non duality . When every being already has that inner light in them and it was never created nor destroyed how could you get rid of it ?? Like Frans was saying that there is no reason to worry or fear etc what we have “good or bad” treat them as equal this is what non duality is I think state of accepting what comes without attachment and discrimination accept them as it is. This is what it says in Gita too , accept it do your duty without discriminating with no fear , worry .
When we are trying to “physically ” De- attune something meaning trying to take it out from inside us we already have created a “separate- ness” from everything .
I am not sure if I can explain it I guess 🙂
Enjoy your journey
Hi Miriam,
Reiju is an experience that I think everyone should experience even if they don’t want to practice or learn Reiki :).
It is a beautiful experience that is undescribable , I think gives that feeling of “no fear, worry” in a deep peaceful way some thing I had never experienced when I had received ” attunements ” from modern Reiki teachers. Yes , it does gives a feeling of dancing with universe , first time I received I felt the 5 precepts residing me some where , dancing…as it invoked all of them..so profoundly..!
by Modern I mean practicing from modern perspective 🙂
Frans, I love your comment about seeing reiju as “dancing with the universe.” What a beautiful image for all Reiki practitioners! And what a great inducement to participate in reiju as often as possible, as Usui Founder did with his students. We have a kind of beetle here in the US that can light up, called fireflies in the North and lightning bugs in the South. In high summer (July here), they blink on and off on the ground and in the air at night. Seeing them lighting up below as the stars come out above always makes me think that they’re dancing with the universe.
Hi Elly,
All we are like little fire flies shining our light when we dance with the universe and the students will take from it whatever they need. 😉
Keep on shining…
Elly- love fire flies 🙂 , I used to take lot of long distance train travels ( in India) and some times would see fire flies all around. I would stay up in train just to watch them… as train would move and they would be sparkling all around…off course the trains I am talking about were at a much slower speed 🙂
this reminds me of these words—
“Well, what I don’t get is why do we exist? I don’t mean how, but why.” I watched the fireflies of his thoughts orbit his head. He said, “We exist because we exist…We could imagine all sorts of universes unlike this one, but this is the one that happened.”
its from a book—Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
we can be anything indeed …
Hi Seema! I love your image of the fireflies seen from the train. How magical! I’d have stayed up to watch them, too.
Hi All,
Was thinking about this today; Holy means to be whole. So if something is whole it is seeing everything from a non-dualistic perception. Holy love is non-duality, so therefore there is nothing to get rid of or nothing to gain, that for me is really embodying holiness. So if we claim that something is holy and yet we speak and work from a dualistic nature then we have misunderstood the concept of holy.
The English word “holy” dates back to at least the 11th century with the Old English word hālig, an adjective derived from hāl meaning “whole” and used to mean “uninjured, sound, healthy, entire, complete”.
Normally when one indicates that something is “holy” they mean the normal use of the works which is “to be set apart.”
Hi Paula,
Yes when we have rediscovered that we are one with the universe, holy, we are kind of set apart from others who have not had this direct insight. So for example the Dalai Lama is often called his holiness because he has remembered his union with the divine, the oneness.
Now he can teach us all how to become holy as well and realize our oneness with all that is.
I think people who feel they need to increase the energy flow, should increase there own practice. Going deeper into the esoteric Reiki practice. Not chasing someone doing the work for you, which through time never really works. The only person that can really do that is You .you can only cleans yourself.A Reiki master is only at door you need to open it yourself by esoteric practice. So in my thoughts it is impossible to go backwards there is only forward and moving forward at your own pace as you cleans the karma from this life and passed live. And connect to passed life attainment of spiritual esoteric practice to move forward through the door…and beyond !!
Amituofo.啊弥陀佛 to all.
Hi John,
I agree with you, that we can only do it ourselves and to go deeper we just need to practice more. The old Japanese masters say: don’t rely on secret teaching rather rely on practice.
I just discovered this post and am grateful for the opportunity to muse about this troubling issue of de-attunement. It brings up a situation I was in with my first Reiki Master Teacher in 1997. After receiving what I felt was a truly precious gift in my life, I eventually found myself in conflict with my teacher over other work I was doing – facilitating women’s circles. He felt I wasn’t ready, even though I had been involved in this for some time prior to meeting my teacher. He came to me one day and announced that he had had a visitation from the Reiki senseis and been told to de-attune me as I wasn’t honoring him as a teacher. After much prayer and contemplation, I received the directive from Spirit that I must leave him as a teacher, that no one on this earth could take away my connection to universal life force energy and that a good teacher does not exercise this kind of control over their students. I feel that his interpretation of the visitation was influenced greatly by his ego and that the energetic connection between us was what needed to be cut, not the attunement. I give thanks for the lessons learned that have led me to where I am today and how I teach Reiki. My own intuition about this de-attunement issue is about one’s attachment to symbols and the power that they hold for one. The interpretation and the words used – de-attunement – perhaps have been misguided. Releasing one’s attachment to something in order for something new to come in is what life is about for me. Doesn’t this happen in the Reiki session… opening and releasing… a continual taking in and letting go. I am not judging the validity or non-validity of Holy Fire Reiki here. The system as Mikao Usui taught it has been revised by many people, even Usui himself prompted Hayashi Sensei to revise the form bringing into account his medical training. I am grateful for all those, including William Rand who have sourced out a truer history of Reiki. I am happy with what I have received thus far and know that my connection to Universal life force energy and the Divine will expand and deepen with practice. I had a wonderful affirmation of this when my daughter was dealing with cancer in her last year of high school. My trust and surrender to a ‘higher power’ became very deep and the energy that I was able to receive and give increased greatly. One of my clients who was an energy worker was sure that I had received another attunement to Reiki!
Thanks you Andree for sharing your story.
I think so too that de-attunening comes from one’s ego.
How can we de-attune from spiritual energy in the first place, it is our birth right.
William Rand will be speaking about Holy Reiki Fire with Colleen Benelli Wednesday 26th on her monthly chat show. You can register for the live chat show where you can phone in to ask questions. You are sent a recording of the show so if you miss the show or can not make the show you still have the opportunity to listen to what he has to say . The link is http://wwwreikilifestyle.com/Reiki chat.aspx.
Hi Miriam,
I recently saw the Holy Fire stuff, you know it was created by William’s advisor. It is very, very new age and has nothing to do with Mikao Usui. Wish he just called it Holy Fire without the word Reiki or Mikao Usui linked to it.
I think his reasoning was that it still uses the Reiki symbols so he still called Reiki. I guess we cannot really know where he is coming from unless we take the class using Holy Reiki Fire. Anyway I’m finding the new meditations from Shoden and Okuden really useful especially when I am on the tube.
I think this is why we have so many new age branches of so called Reiki. To me it just doesn’t make sense , just because we are using the symbols of Reiki with them it doesn’t make them system of Reiki . I can get up tomorrow in morning and make a healing system and say it is Reiki because hey I am using the symbols but I am adding this ” powerful” symbols .
I think anyone who has a direct experience of traditional system of Reiki would know that system of reiki is so much more than symbols , it’s a state of mind that one connects by practicing the 5 elements , just that have been laid out by Mikao Usui
I think people add the word “Reiki” because than it will sell , it won’t sell if it is a different healing system.
Hi Miriam,
Glad you find the shoden and okuden material useful.
I recently read through the holy fire manual 😉
Interesting.
Hi Frans,
Reading a manual is one thing, receiving a manual in a class teaching setting is another. I know William has upset a lot of my Reiki friends who used his teachings. I lost confidence and trust for months until I actually had a look at what I practiced and valued then wrote my own manual. I’m still open to giving William the benefit of a doubt. At the end of the day it is what is in your heart that counts most of all. xxx
PS I probably sound very new age and naive!!
Hi Miriam,
You are right reading a manual and the direct experience are very different. However we can start to see were a teacher is coming from by reading their materials.
I do not think you are naive.
Each person like different things and we need to work with what we feel a connection with. However as a teacher there needs to be honesty and by saying that holy fire is connected to Usui-san I do not see that honesty.
I tried to post, with permission, William’s article about ‘Holy Reiki Fire’. but found when I tried to copy and paste it it did not work. Here is the link to his article clarifying the criticisms he has encountered from the Reiki community.
It is interesting to get his point of view directly.
http://www.reiki.org/HF6.html
Other articles can be found on the following site:
http://www.reiki.org/holyfire.html
xMiriam
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for that. Let me just address de-attune as this is what the blog is about.
The word attunement came only into being after Mrs Takata died. In Japan it is called a reiju which means spiritual offering. So can we do a de-spiritual offering?
If we say we de-attune we have not understood Mikao Usui’s teachings but put a very modern perspective on it.
The precepts talk about compassion and the reiju is spiritual both mean that there is nothing to give, nothing to receive and no giver. This therefore also means that we can not de-spiritual offering.
Hope this makes sense.
When we practice Mikao Usui’s teaching we need to look at his time and not take his system out of his time and put it in a modern time.
Love
Frans
What you say does make sense. It is also said that Usui did not have to use symbols when he gave Reiju. We use symbols because it helps us connect with Reiki energy. When we can generate (can’t think of a better word) Reiki without the use of symbols we can lay them aside. I think de-attune was an unfortunate term to use. It is not being de-attuned from Reiki but it is laying aside the symbols which are no longer needed. There are many opinions about symbols. William has had many years of practicing and teaching Reiki, much of which is Westernized. I feel he is not being de-attuned from Reiki but his vibration may have been raise so he had no more use of the violet breath etc. The new Holy Reiki Fire symbol allows him to connect to Reiki on a higher level. I talk here hypothetically since it is not in my experience nor have I been attuned to Holy Reiki Fire.
XMiriam
Here’s the article William wrote. It’s an interesting point of view.
Clarity about Holy Fire Reiki
by William Lee Rand
There are a number of ideas circulating on the internet about Holy Fire Reiki that contain inaccurate information and seem to be an attempt to create doubt in people’s minds about its value. Many have asked me why this is happening and if I could comment on these ideas.
Whenever the status quo is upset, many ideas can arise about what is taking place and some are often based on rumors and misinformation. This sort of thing happened when Usui/Tibetan Reiki was introduced in 1989 and also with Karuna Reiki® in 1995.
Based on the nature of some of the comments being made, I thought it important to explain how I actually think and what my motivations and philosophy are concerning Reiki and the introduction of Holy Fire Reiki. The following is a response to this information.
We do not say that one must practice Holy Fire Reiki in order to be a valid Reiki Master. Myself and the ICRT honor all schools of Reiki and believe it is each person’s right to choose the Reiki system he or she is guided to practice. Holy Fire Reiki is meant only for those who feel guided to practice it. If a person doesn’t choose to do so, we honor the system of Reiki they have chosen as the right system for him or her. And in fact, we continue to provide class manuals for those continuing to practice and teach the Usui/Tibetan system of Reiki.
Since Takata Sensei passed, there have been many styles of Reiki that have been developed and there are well over 150 now in use. So adding another style isn’t really anything unusual. What we have done is take the Usui/Tibetan system and replace the Tibetan symbols and violet breath with the Holy Fire symbol and energy. In this way we have created the Usui/Holy Fire system of Reiki in which the Usui system and all four Usui symbols are included.
It is being said that I started Holy Fire Reiki solely to make more money. Actually, my classes have been almost completely full for years with many having waiting lists. In a situation like this, any business consultant will tell you that from the stand point of wanting to increasing one’s income, one would not stop teaching a style of Reiki that has been so successful and start teaching a new style. Since I was already teaching as many students as I could, doing this wouldn’t have increased my income. If I wanted to make more money, they would advise to teach more classes or increase the fee I charge. But in fact, I have done neither of these. I continue to teach the same number of classes I’ve always taught and we haven’t raised our prices in the US, where most of my classes are taught, in the last 12 years.
Another misconception is that a Reiki master will have to retake all their classes in order to teach Holy Fire Reiki. Actually, all that’s necessary is to take the Holy Fire Karuna class which all Reiki masters are qualified to take and you’ll be able to teach all levels of Holy Fire Reiki including I, II, ART, Master Teacher and full Karuna Master.
Another idea being promoted is that based on the concept that everyone is already whole and complete, it would not be possible to de-attune a Reiki student for symbols they had already received an attunement for. Actually using this logic, if one were already whole and complete in the way implied, then one would not need an attunement to begin with as one would already be attuned to Reiki. Yet we know that Usui Sensei created the Reiki attunement or reiju as he called it to open the Reiki channel and allow his students to begin channeling Reiki energy. Because of this, the attunement is an integral part of the Reiki system of healing. There are also attunements that attune people to Reiki symbols. If we receive an attunement to become attuned to symbols and energies we were not previously attuned to, then it is only logical that one can be de-attuned to those symbols and energies. This is what we have found to be true.
It is also said that if you already have the Universal Life Energy, then what more is there; you already have the Universal Life Energy so how could anything be better than that? Yes, once you receive a Reiki attunement, you are connected more strongly to the Universal Life Energy, but that doesn’t mean you are able to make use of its full potential. If you were, then there would be no need to take Reiki II, Advanced Reiki or Reiki Master as you’d already have everything the Universal Life Energy has to offer from Reiki I. Yet one reason students take classes beyond level I is because people experience the quality and quantity of their Reiki energy increasing when they do. Also, Usui Sensei, Hayashi Sensei and the Gakkai all indicate that it is important for the Reiki student to continue to get additional reiju’s because doing so will increase the quality and quantity of the Reiki one can channel. For this reason, reiju’s are given at all Gakkai meetings. These examples show that the Universal Life Energy has a great potential and that it is always possible to increase the quality and quantity of the Universal Life Energy one is able to channel. And in fact, given that the Source of this potential is considered to be unlimited, the potential for us to tap into an ever increasing value of the Universal Life Energy is also unlimited. This is similar to having a library card. Just because a library card gives you access to the library, doesn’t mean you have read all the books and comprehend and can make use of all the knowledge in the library; it only means you are now able to continue to study and develop your knowledge.
It is also said that since religious words are used in Holy Fire Reiki, it must be religious or it must be an attempt to promote religion or to mix Reiki with religion. Yes, we use the concepts of God, Holy Spirit and Jesus in the practice of Holy Fire Reiki. But these concepts are not used in a religious context. Religion doesn’t own God, Holy Spirit or Jesus. These spiritual resources existed long before religion and there is no requirement that one be part of a religious practice in order to have access to them. It is our perception, understanding and experience that it is entirely possible to have a developing relationship with God, Holy Spirit and Jesus without being part of a religious practice.
However, people who have experienced a Christian upbringing and decided to stop going to church because of the fear, shame and condemnation they were exposed to usually leave with religious trauma. Often they decide to be spiritual rather than religious, but because of the religious trauma they carry with them, they do not like using the words God, Holy Spirit or Jesus, but instead often use the word Source or Creator or Universal Spirit or something similar. We were told that rather than change the words, it is much better to heal the trauma one has toward these terms as the unresolved trauma weakens one’s connection regardless of the words one uses to describe them. This is one of the benefits of Holy Fire Reiki; the energy helps one heal one’s religious trauma and thus strengthen ones connection. While we honor the choices people have made concerning whether or not to be part of a religious practice, Holy Fire Reiki isn’t religious, but it does help one release the harm one may have experienced because of being raised in a religious environment.
We believe Reiki is a miraculous gift that enables anyone to heal themselves and others. We feel that all Reiki systems have value and that the right Reiki system for an individual is the one they have chosen to practice. We are happy for all those who practice Reiki and we wish and pray that all Reiki practitioners will live happy, healthy, prosperous lives and be a blessing to all those around them.
Hi Miriam,
The sad thing is that when we add more and more things to it then it is not Mikao Usui’s teachings anymore so in reality we can not call it Reiki.
If we keep relying on symbols for “higher” vibration, we forget the highest vibration which is our True Self. When we keep searching for more “powerful” symbols we keep looking externally and missing the whole essence of Mikao Usui’s teachings, to look internally and rediscover our True Self.
Love
Frans
Dear Frans,
I am happy that you are practicing the style of Reiki you feel is right for you to follow. And I am grateful for the wonderful web site you have created and the blog in which people can express their ideas and philosophies about Reiki even when they differ from your own. I am certain that your Reiki classes and sessions provide healing, inspiration and other benefits for your clients and students and that you are contributing to the transformation of the planet that so many of us are working to achieve. May you continue to be blessed by an ever increasing level of joy, peace and abundance.
Thank you William.
Same to you. One style is not better just a different way.
Looking forward to finally meeting you in person at the ARC Reiki Conference in Sydney. It will be a wonderful gathering of Reiki teachers and practitioners.
Hey Paula B can you de-attunee me? I got attunened to reiki level 1. Thanks!