The other day someone asked me:
Frans, do you do Reiki drumming?
I said:
No, but I do Reiki knitting!
Reiki means spiritual energy and one of the main aims within the Japanese system of Reiki is to realize that we are Reiki, or Spiritual Energy, in the first place.
So whatever we do, no matter if it is going to the toilet, eating, knitting, bike riding, talking, walking, sleeping, work… it is filled with Reiki.
Coming to terms with the demands of modern society can cause us to compartmentalize our lives. For example, in the morning we might put on our meditation hat and do a 15 minute Reiki meditation, only then “getting on with life” – often leaving the Reiki on our meditation pillow.
By practicing in this way spiritual energy is not integrated into our lives. Sticking your practice in a box gives you a very limited experience of it.
Consciously bringing the spiritual energy with you from your meditation pillow into your daily life, ensures that every action becomes filled with the benefits of Reiki. The key to this is to remember, through every action you make, that you are Reiki.
So from today on make the conscious intent to Be Reiki in everything that you do. And even if, like me, you don’t do Reiki drumming, whatever it is that you DO do, do it with Reiki.
PS: To be honest I am not a great knitter either…
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 11
I use a Knifty Knitter loom to knit. I do know how to knit but not as well with the needles as with the loom. And I see some people whose first project are a pair of socks!
Um, sorry about the tangent. Yes, in everything Reiki. I find it very beneficial when I am networking animals to feel the Reiki so strongly. It reminds me of the connection. When I am moving dirt perhaps I am not so focused but Reiki is still there, in the dirt. Connected.
Frans, thank you for once again, getting me to contemplate. Namaste
I Reiki Knit!! I am absolutely positive that Reiki energy flows into everything I knit.
Especially when I’m conscious about it: I knit very special scarves for friends and others so they may be wrapped in Reiki energy as they are on their way on a cold day! I also put Reiki energy into things I paint, cook and sing. As I do these things, I am thinking of the person, visualizing the symbols as they seem appropriate, allowing the energy to flow through my hands (and voice) as I work. It feels like I am adding love to these things I am creating.
My Reiki teacher taught me that Reiki energy not only flows in a formal, hands-on healing session, but through all that we put Reiki energy into. I have chosen to take her at her word.
I find that setting aside time to “formally” sit and meditate on the Precepts or chant has given me a nice foundation from which an insight on the Precepts will spontaneously arise. As for chanting, sometimes it will start on its own; I’m not chanting the jumon – it more the jumon is chanting me.
When I was younger when I would sit for meditation, it was more like “Okay – meditation done – back to the world!” Now, when I sit, even if only for a brief time, it is a reminder of how grateful I am of the awareness that it is not done, that it is not a practice but a way of being.
Thank you.
Hi Kris,
The more we sit formally the more we can carry that calm space with us during the day. This is why personal practice within the system of Reiki is so important.
I see it like a pebble and water, when you throw a pebble in very still water the ripples go on and on. This is the same with our mind, when our mind is clear the ripples of our personal practice will go on and on.
Love
Frans
Today I had a Reiki client who has studied Reiki with another teacher. She asked me about doing Reiki on physical objects like chairs and tables etc. She was taught to do that. I’d never heard of that one. Then she asked about Reiking food. Well, I have heard of that and taught it but now wonder if that makes sense from the Japanese perspective.
This came up when I suggested that we offer Reiki and the recipient either draws it or not. She wondered how a table could draw it, and we were into this discussion.
From a Japanese Reiki perspective, does it make sense to “do Reiki” on furniture? Food? I guess this leads to doing Reiki Eating. 🙂 If we are being Reiki, wouldn’t that put the energy into the room?
Hi Margaret,
Everything is energy or in other words everything is Reiki. However sometimes this is covered up by layers of attachments, fear, worry, poisons, you name it. Say we eat meat, this meat is most often taken from an animal which has been slaughtered in an inhumane way, so this meat is soaked with fear, anger and worry. During its life the animal may have also been treated in an inhumane way, so more fear, anger etc.
We can do some healing on the meat before we eat it and it will help a bit but better still would be to not hurt animals at all. This is why real healing starts within ourselves.
We can bless our food but if you eat food, which you know is killed in an inhumane way, then the blessing is not really a blessing. Why not stop eating that type of food in the first place, wouldn’t that be better!
You can have an empty gassho for example. This is when someone puts their hands in gassho for/to someone, or to a meal, but if in that person’s mind there is greed, envy, jealousy, hate (you name it) then this is actually an empty gassho.
The real gassho is in your mind.
The real essence of working with healing is having respect; respect for your food, respect for your students, respect for yourself, respect for the chair, respect for your teachers etc…
But again this respect needs to come from within yourself.
The more you realize that you are Reiki, the more it will touch everything you come in contact with, like the sun.
The sun shines but doesn’t judge,and animals, people, trees etc… can take from the sun whatever they want. But the sun is just shinning. Like the great bright light.
Love,
Frans
Thanks, Frans. That makes a lot of sense. I still find myself stumbling across things I’ve heard for 25 years and never stopped to wonder if they make sense. Love, Margaret
Hi Margaret,
This is why there are three ways of understanding things. First we listen to some teachings or read a book, but that gives us only a basic understanding. And we don’t know whether what we have just heard or read is the truth or not. Someone might just have made it all up, or just repeated what he/she was taught and never really checked if it was correct or not.
Therefore the second thing is to contemplate at home what you have heard or read – see if it makes any sense at all or not. But even that is not enough.
This is where the third element comes in, we now need to see if we can have a direct experience of what we have heard or read.
It is only by unifying these three ways of learning that we get a very clear understanding of the system of Reiki, or any other system for that matter.
Enjoy the journey
Frans
Hi Frans, just thinking about the meat eating thing. Recently I met one of my friends who are vegetarian ( jain) and we were talking about system of Reiki and other things , then time for dinner came we started to talk about veg/non veg. We discussed and he said to me in Jain religion and stories how in some areas and times where tigers and lions can stay together with other animals ( without killing them) meaning when the brightness increases you realize that we all are one and “instinct” to kill or eat another being as food doesn’t arise( even for animals and we are also social animals). Also , agree about the empty Gassho , just because you are bowing ( its only a physical moment with no respect) , I think when one has respect you don’t even have to do the “physical moment” it reaches.
Hi Seema,
It is all in the mind, if the mind is not in the right state then a gassho is also nothing, an empty ritual.
This is why Usui-san emphasised the mind in all his teachings.
Hi Frans, it makes sense now more I get deeper in the practice , I think its same when one do only hands on healing and not utilizing the 5 elements internally to be or try towards “right state of mind” then it becomes like moving your hands “physically” like a ritual almost because then the energy really is not there as the mind is not there just like when you “gassho” and you dont really mean it in your mind/heart, I think its same when one does hands on healing , Reijju or even when one teaches the students. I think when you have that right state of mind the energy can just expand outwardly that others can feel it and sense in a deeper way other wise its just a empty physical ritual. so many times I see people getting too carried away with hand moments and hand positions and chakras etc and negative energy” coming out” that the mind and hence energy wanders away.
so much to learn , you just gave me more to think 🙂