Exploring Reiki
Dear Friends of Ancient Healing,This month we are going to explore the subject of Reiki. I'm sure that you all know that Zeffi is a Master Teacher of Usui and Karuna Reiki and that she teaches Reiki all over the world. To give you a little background, when Zeffi first started her journey in Reiki, her teacher told her that she would eventually travel back to her country and start teaching Reiki. Zeffi found that a little difficult to believe. Little did she know one day she would open a center devoted to Reiki in Athens, Greece, and that it would be recognized by the Greek government. After receiving her instruction and attunements, her teacher made her a Reiki Master in a very short period of time compared to most students. Her teacher attributed this quick advancement to the volume of healing work Zeffi had already studied, as well as her intuitive gifts. In the years since Zeffi started her Reiki work, she has taught all over the world. Some of the places that she gives courses are Japan, Greece, and the United States.
Zeffi has had some very awe-inspiring adventures while teaching Reiki. She has taught Reiki in Japan in front of the Kyoto Temple where she and her class were able to hear the monks in the Temple singing while she was teaching Reiki to her students. She knew this to be a very special spiritual and blessed experience. What an amazing encounter!
Although Zeffi goes to Japan to teach, in turn, several times a year her Japanese clients also come to Sedona to see her. She has also given her Reiki workshops in Greece many, many times. Incidentally, she recently found out that a Greek woman had been recommending Zeffi as a Reiki instructor for the last 20 years, but she had never taken the classes herself. Well, at long last she recently took the workshop from Zeffi and stated that, "it was the very best experience of her life!" In addition, when a client from Michigan came to Sedona on vacation, she had heard of Zeffi from a friend. Intrigued, she got in touch with Zeffi, had an incredible reading and decided to take Reiki I & II. When she came back the next year on vacation she took the Reiki III class and attunement and found it to be an absolutely unforgettable experience, one she highly recommends.
So Let's Explore...What is Reiki? - a Brief Overview
The knowledge that an unseen energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to the quality of health has been part of the wisdom of many cultures since ancient times. The existence of this "life force energy" has been verified by recent scientific experiments, and medical doctors are considering the role it plays in the functioning of the immune system and the healing process. Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of "life >force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life.
Reiki is derived from the God-consciousness called Rei that guides the life force called Ki. Ki means the same as Chi in Chinese, Prana in Sanskrit and Ti or Ki in Hawaiian. Therefore, Reiki can be defined as spiritually guided life force energy. This is a meaningful interpretation of the word Reiki. It more closely describes the experience most people have of it, Reiki guiding itself with its own wisdom, and being unresponsive to the direction of the practitioner.
It is an amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student by the Reiki Master. Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and, therefore, is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.
Reiki training will not only give you the ability to assist in healing, it will open up your intuition and allow you to be more connected with the source. Many people report that Reiki enhances their intuitive abilities in an extraordinary fashion. While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through you and surrounds you. Reiki treats the whole person including the body, emotions, mind and spirit and creates many beneficial effects including relaxation and feelings of peace, security, and well-being. Many have reported miraculous results. Reiki is a simple, natural, and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use.
The Attunement
Reiki is not taught in the way other healing techniques are taught. The Reiki Master transfers it to the student during an attunement process. This process opens the crown, heart, and palm chakras and creates a special link between the student and the Reiki source.
The Reiki attunement is a powerful spiritual experience. The attunement energies are channeled into the student through the Reiki Master. The process is guided by the Rei or God-consciousness and makes adjustments in the process depending on the needs of each student. Reiki guides and other spiritual beings who help implement the process also attend the attunement. Many report having mystical experiences involving personal messages, healings, visions, and past life experiences. The attunement can also increase psychic sensitivity. Students often report experiences involving: opening of the third eye, increased intuitive awareness, and other psychic abilities after receiving a Reiki attunement.
Once you have received a Reiki attunement, you will have Reiki for the remainder of your life. It does not wear off and you can never lose it. While one attunement is all you need for each level to be attuned to that level, additional attunements bring benefit. Experimentation has found that additional attunements of the same level add to the value of that level. These benefits include refinement of the Reiki energy: one is channeling, increased strength of the energy, healing of personal problems, clarity of mind, increased psychic sensitivity, and a raised level of consciousness.
The Reiki attunement can start a cleansing process that affects the physical body as well as the mind and emotions. Toxins that have been stored in the body may be released along with feelings and thought patterns that are no longer useful. An important consideration to bear in mind here is that you can continue to increase your vibratory level after the attunements by simply using the energy regularly.
The History of Reiki
The origin of Reiki is found in the life of Mikao Usui. Mikao Usui was born in the village of Yago in Gifu prefecture in Japan on August 15, 1865, where his ancestors had lived for eleven generations. Around the turn of the 20th century, Usui contracted Cholera as an epidemic swept through Kyoto. He had a profound near-death experience in which he experienced visions of -- and instruction from -- Mahavairocana Buddha, the Great Central Buddha. This was a life changing experience for Usui that caused him to make a major reassessment of his life. He developed a keen interest in the esoteric science of healing as taught by Buddha, and he developed the compassionate wish that he may learn these methods in order to benefit mankind.
In 1914 Usui undertook a 21 Day meditation retreat so he might receive an answer to his prayer and vow. Usui went to his favorite meditation spot at Mount Kurama-yama and undertook "Isyu Guo", an intensive practice utilizing some the tantric materials he had studied. During his "satori" experience, he came to the realization of Reiki. Through the distillation of years of study and practice Usui was able to meld together a method for bringing the essence of these Buddhist practices to the masses, which he called Reiki.
Now to give you an idea of what is covered in each class i have included a brief description of the process:
REIKI I WORKSHOP: (First Degree) THE INITIATION DEGREE
Reiki I covers the definition and history of Reiki and four attunements allowing you to connect to the source. Hand positions are given. The one-day workshop is half lecture, half hands on. As soon as you finish you can start feeling the energy and help yourself to stay in balance.
Reiki II Workshop: (Second Degree) The Practioner's Degree
Reiki II reinforces Reiki I knowledge and 4 more attunements are given. The one day course covers giving a complete Reiki treatment, the Reiki II symbols and how to use them, using Reiki to heal unwanted habits, distant healing, scanning and beaming. The class is a combination of lecture, discussion and experience. Practice time includes giving and receiving a complete Reiki treatment using all the hand positions, the self -treatment, scanning self and others, beaming, use of the second degree symbols and sending Reiki to others at a distance.
Reiki III Workshop: The Teacher's Degree
Those who receive their Reiki III certification are considered Reiki Masters. The two day workshop consists of 3 parts:
-- The Master level attunement is performed wherein the student is opened to the fullest experience of the Reiki Energy available to them. The Master Symbol is presented, and the student learns to draw upon the highest and purest of healing energy. A great deal of hands on work is involved the first day.
-- The second section of the course covers psychic surgery, the master grid, and how to work with clear quartz crystals.
-- In the third section, the student is taught to perform all the attunements and to teach the classes. This portion of the class is given on the second day so the full depth of the teachings can be absorbed.
Karuna Reiki Workshop
Karuna is a Sanskrit word and is used in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is translanted to mean any action that is taken to diminish the suffering of others and could also be translated as "compassionate action." When individuals experience enlightenment, they report that all beings are known as one. Therefore, it is natural to extend compassionate action or Karuna to everyone without distinction because we are all one. As we help others and aid them in their healing process, all beings benefit.
The Karuna Workshop is only given to Reiki Masters/Teachers. It is complete with two levels, two attunements, four master symbols and eight treatment symbols. In comparison with Isui Reiki, the energy has a more definite feeling to it. It works on the emotional and spiritual levels and also can help one become more grounded. Those who receive the attunements report experiences with their guides, angels, and higher self and feel the healing presence of other enlightened beings.
Taking the Workshop With Zeffi
If you wish to take a Reiki workshop with Zeffi please email her and/or her assistant to set up an individual session. Consider attending with a group of your friends and/or family. Individual packages are suited to your needs. Zeffi will teach one client or a group. If you are considering coming to Sedona for this workshop, a private apartment may be available for your use. Contact us for more information.
Note: Locations can be organized closer to you if you have a group of 6 - 10 people that wish to take the workshop.
Next month we will explore how Reiki is linked to the Chakras.
Testimonial of a Client
I first read about Zeffi in, "The Insider's Guide to Sedona," a great book by Dennis Andres. She is as impressive as her reputation... to me, what sets Zeffi apart is that she's not just an intuitive reader, but also a skillful healer. That is, she can connect with you spiritually and see what's going on with your life, and while you're impressed by that, it's not her goal. Her goal is to note what is ailing you - physically, emotionally, spiritually - and give you techniques to heal yourself. And to encourage you to work toward that healing, and to offer her help if desired. This is how Zeffi's approach is different and wonderful... she may give a mind-blowing, spot-on reading, but her goal is to help you become happy and healthy. I am so thankful that I've met her... she has helped me so much in life. I'm always blown away by our phone calls - they prove to me that spirituality, or connectedness, does exist.
-- John L, Burke, VA