THE COMPLETE BOOK OF TRADITIONAL REIKI
Practical Methods for Personal and Planetary HealingBy Amy Z. Rowland |
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With so many people seeking alternative healing methods and embracing non-invasive health techniques these days, there has been a huge growth of therapists and healers who have studied the ancient eastern art of energy healing, referred to as Reiki.
Yet, question many of these practitioners and a large proportion of them do not know the history or the spiritual journey of Reiki.
Whilst many books offer general overviews, The Complete Book of Traditional Reiki by Amy Z. Rowland focuses only on this particular branch of healing and offers both a practical and historical point of view.
Reiki practitioners direct universal energy into the physical body of a client through hands-on and energy field healing to assist the support of health and the reclamation of wellbeing.
It is a simple and easy to learn form of energy medicine that swept the globe to the point it has become commonplace in the high street and in the hospital. Whilst there are many healing techniques and systems, Reiki has been even embraced by mainstream practitioners and skeptics, therefore a deep and insightful study has been long overdue.
The Complete Book of Traditional Reiki takes the reader through a traditional Reiki level 1 class giving the reader insights into the tradition. There are many illustrations and photos of the author conducting a healing session and the book is filled with clever hints and tips to support the budding therapist.
The Japanese word Reiki means spirit-guided or soul-guided life force, and this reveals a lot about the nature of the energy. The author contends that a divine infinite intelligence directs the healing process, and the only role of the therapist is to simply attune the hands and allow this experience to simply flow through from a higher source.
“It is in just such simple ways that most Reiki practitioners learn to integrate Reiki into their everyday lives,” Amy Z. Rowland writes. “As they do, their lives begin to change, because their understanding has changed.”
Reiki is often used on sick people, but the author indicates that even simple actions such as applying Reiki hands to a single cut flower in a vase and watching the flower perk up, glow with life, and ultimately live longer than other cut flowers “restores a sense of wonder.”
The author then discusses the origins and purpose of Reiki as she describes the attunement process by which a student connects to the power to channel life-force energy. She also gives complete instructions for standard and optional healing hand positions.
This book is a concise teaching manual, an extensive reference work as well as compelling reading for anyone considering taking a Reiki class or receiving a Reiki healing. Perhaps most importantly, the author dedicates a large segment of the book to the founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui. Much of his personal history is shrouded in mystery and appears to have been embroidered into a more “Christian” philosophy to make it more palatable to the western mind. The author is at pains to point out that this embroidery occurred shortly after World War II and during the Cold War, and therefore anyone of Japanese descent living in the United States was subject to scrutiny.
The Reiki five statements, that are used as guidelines for daily living and meditation, encourage everyone to make wise and healthy choices. These guidelines are: Just for today, I will let go of worry; Just for today, I will let go of anger; Just for today, I will count my many blessings; Just for today, I will do my work honestly; Just for today, I will be kind to every living creature.
I am delighted to recommend this concise, enlightening, and thoroughly enjoyable book by Amy Z. Rowland. It is a definite “must have” for any serious student of alternative healing techniques, but also for those wishing to understand the essence of spiritual energy, Prana, Chi or Qi, as it is better known.
The book has many illustrations, diagrams and photographs and does not expect the reader to have any fundamental knowledge of Reiki or other healing modalities. It is well written and easy to read, and most importantly, offers a universal or planetary healing viewpoint of this ancient spiritual art.
– Reviewed by Lesley Crossingham in New Dawn 130
