A question on our website this week is:
Q: How are Reiki meditations and the reiju (attunement) interconnected?
A: The meditations and the reiju are two of the five integral elements of the system of Reiki.
By practising meditations (like the foundation technique hatsurei-ho that is taught in the traditional Japanese system of Reiki) practitioners start to clear stagnant energy within themselves. This in turn helps practitioners to become more open to energy. In fact, the translation of hatsurei ho from Japanese already indicates this as it means “to generate greater amounts of spiritual energy”.
Becoming more open to energy can also be seen as becoming more open to receive. When we receive something we take it with an open hand, not a closed one. You might also say that we are receiving “with an open heart”.
To be open and willing to receive is essential for receiving reiju (attunement). The more open the practitioner, the deeper the practitioner can go within him or herself. For example, if a practitioner holds a lot of fear then he or she is not that open when reiju is performed. But if the practitioner has been practicing the meditations as taught in the system of Reiki and begins to gradually feel less fear, then he or she can move deeper into the flow of energy during reiju.
Or in other words: The more the practitioner practices the meditations, the more that is discovered about the self during the reiju.
But it is also the other way around; reiju is an integral part of practicing the meditations.
Reiju will help the practitioner to feel more open within him or herself, creating a deeper connection to one’s true self. When feeling this connection it will become easier to practice the meditations.
Both the meditation and the reiju support each other. That is why it is so important to learn the interconnectedness between all 5 elements (precepts, meditations, symbols/mantras, hands on healing, reiju) within the system of Reiki. Each element support s the other and without one the other will not exist. This is what makes the system a complete and effective practice and this is what the International House of Reiki teaches.
Sound unique? Make sense? Want to experience this reality in your own Reiki practice?
Then come study with us.
Bronwen and Frans Stiene are the co-founders of the International House of Reiki and co-authors of The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, Your Reiki Treatment, The A-Z of Reiki Pocketbook and the Reiki Techniques Card Deck. Bronwen and Frans teach in the USA, Europe and Australia. Visit the Courses page to find a course near you.