Reiki and Religion

I was asked by a reader to discuss my views on reiki and religion.  As an active Christian member in my church and a reiki practitioner for over 15 years, I felt drawn to respond to the request.  In fact, I just led a healing service this past summer at our church while our minister was on holidays.  I was able to find numerous supporting scripture verses to support “laying on of hands” as a healing modality. My initial reiki Master taught that “reiki takes care” as she would have students in her classes of different religious background or those who didn’t have a specific religious belief.  In these three words, I would also hear, “God takes care”, as it is not the reiki practitioner who does the healing.  We provide the channel for the universal life force to come through and provide whatever healing is required for the person’s highest interest.  These wise words of guidance take the responsibility for healing away from the practitioner.  In fact, my focus is to get out of the way and not let my ego take a lead role in the session.  So – my own inner belief is that I am supported by God to bring love through me to provide healing which can often be called energy healing.  As a person experiences this energy healing, they in turn often connect to their inner guidance that always knows what is true. As such it can be difficult to describe as each person experiences the healing in a different way pending their current physical condition, their belief systems and their ability to tune into the messages of their body.

The December 2010 issue of Oprah Magazine had a full article from Susan Casey on her experience going to Brazil to see John of God.  Here is an excerpt from that article that addresses energy healing.

“Despite widespread skepticism, evidence shows that energy healing not only exists but can be deeply powerful. Traditional Eastern treatments like acupuncture and Reiki act to strengthen the body’s life force, known as chi or prana. Prayer as a conduit for healing is a long-held religious ritual, along with the laying on of hands. Though belief in the effectiveness of prayer is as old as civilization, the results are tough to pin down. Bernard Grad, PhD, a Canadian biologist from McGill University, worked with a spiritual healer named Oskar Estebany conducting controlled studies in the late 1950s and ’60s. Using mice that had been uniformly wounded, Estebany would place his hands upon the wire covers on certain cages, willing those animals to heal. The results were dramatic: In one experiment, the wounds on Estebany’s treated mice were “very significantly smaller” after two weeks than those of mice that had been left to heal on their own. The team also discovered that plant seeds exposed to energy healing grew at a faster rate. There was a force here, they agreed, and it appeared to be doing something beneficial. What that force was, however, no one could say for sure.

One physician I knew to be interested in John of God’s work was Mehmet Oz (known by many as Dr. Oz). As a cardiac surgeon his training had been rigorously scientific, but he wondered about what Western medicine didn’t yet know. “I think the next big frontier is unlocking the doors to energy medicine,” Oz told me. “It dramatically broadens our vista of opportunities to heal. The challenge we have is that energy is not as easily quantified as the surgeon’s scalpel.” Please click here for a link to the full article.

In researching other thoughts on this topic, I also uncovered an interesting discussion specifically on reiki and Christian beliefs.

“As Christians search for ways to follow more fully Jesus’ teachings and examples in order to draw closer to God, it is important to be aware of the examples Jesus set for us. Many of these focused on healing others (Matt: 14:14, Mark 3:10, Luke 4:38-39). And much of his healing was done by laying on hands. Here are a few examples: In Matthew 8:14-15, Jesus uses touch to heal Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. In Mark 1:40-42 Jesus uses his hands to heal a man with leprosy. This is also mentioned in Luke 5:12-13. Matthew 20:29-34 describes how Jesus healed two blind men by touching their eyes and in Mark 8:22-25 Jesus uses his hands to heal another blind man. In Mark 7:32 35 he uses touch to heal a man who is deaf and can’t speak. In Luke 7:12-15, Jesus raises a dead man by touching his coffin and in Luke 8:49-55 Jesus uses touch to return a dead girl to life.

Scripture clearly indicates that healing is something appropriate for Christians to be involved with. Christians who have a solid foundation in their faith know that God will always protect and guide them. Those Christians who practice Reiki do so within the guidance and protection of God secure in the belief that they have been guided to follow Jesus’ example to be a healer.”  Please click here for more information.

So to sum up from my viewpoint, I believe in the healing power of reiki as I have both experienced and witnessed incredible healing over the past 15 years. Whether the magical shifts come from the power of our intention, from our own higher self, from a divine connection or God power, you can come to your own conclusions.  I know that for me it brings a broader spiritual focus to my life, that it works and it brings me peace and joy and connection to a deep loving presence.  That’s good enough for me!  I am aware that I covered a Christian focus to this piece and welcome input from others.

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Until next time,

Karen