Reiki takes you to a deep level, and when you are fully relaxed, this is when the healing can begin. I am able to channel flower essences for the client during the session as the image or name of an essence will appear, and I never question this guidance but completely trust in the process (which I use with myself as well).
I can truly say that Reiki has changed my life for the better. It has cleansed me of much negativity, connected me to my higher self and given me greater compassion and love towards human and all life forms (snails eating my broad beans do test me!). More than anything else, it has brought more love into my life, and its powerful energy has also made me more receptive to the subtle and nurturing forces of flower essences.
Continue to work within us long after the treatment is complete.
Becoming a Reiki Practitioner and Master
After clients have experienced the healing power of Reiki during treatments, they are usually drawn to receiving the energy within them. The process for passing on Reiki energy is called an attunement. During this process a Reiki Master uses a number of techniques to transfer the energy into the chakras (or energy centres) of the client.
Usui Reiki has three levels of practitioner status. In Reiki 1, the client receives the energy for the first time and usually practices on themselves each day for some months to integrate and balance the energy in their system. During the Reiki 2 attunement, the level of Reiki energy is amplified, and clients receive a number of symbols for use in distance healing and other situations. Reiki 3 provides the client with knowledge of the attunement process itself and the Reiki Master symbols.
Purple Monkeyflower and a Special Reiki Attunement
In my time as a Reiki Master I have attuned a number of clients to the beautiful energy of Reiki. For me, the one-on-one experience of this sacred occasion works best, as I find I can adapt the attunement and course material to the individual client's needs. It also gives me the opportunity to experience on a deep level the nature and form of the sacred power which is invited into the attunement process without it becoming formulaic.
Over the last couple of years I have become aware of a new way of being in the process, which involves greater trust in the Reiki Guides and Reiki itself, and less in following the structured technique which I was taught.
The attunement of one client in particular -- one who tended to approach life in quite a critical and judgmental way -- led me to this understanding for the first time. A healer herself, she had done a lot of research on what to expect at an attunement and I could feel the pressure to conform to her particular expectations. The night before the attunement I had a powerful dream of the purple monkeyflower, of which I knew very little before.
In the Flower Essence Society Repertory definition, "Purple Monkeyflower essence addresses fears of the upper chakras, namely our relationship to spirituality, religion, and religious authority. The purple color has an association with ecclesiastical hierarchy, as its densely clustered growth habit suggests enmeshment in a group identity. This essence has proven beneficial for those who fear religious judgment or have turned away from spirituality out of reaction to fear-based religion. The lesson of the Purple Monkeyflower is to have the courage to find one's own genuine spiritual path, whether that be a new quest for meaning, or a renewal of one's religious roots."
(Richard Katz "The Monkeyflower Essences: A Unique Genus of Plants
Addressing a Wide Spectrum of Soul Fears" -- www.floweressencesociety.org)
After reading this description and taking the essence, I knew that I had to have faith in a new understanding which was dawning on me; that the structure and technique of the attunement is not as important as the intention to attune. Another insight also emerged: Reiki is evolving with us and the Universe, and therefore what held true 10 years ago may not be useful or appropriate today. Reiki is an evolutionary tool and as such is always evolving.
On the day of the attunement I let my fears go and surrendered to the beautiful moment. After meditating and turning to my client I suddenly saw her "Buddha Face". This term came out of the blue without any understanding of its meaning; it was not until later that I understood that beautiful gift that we had both been given.
The attunement that followed was amazing! I hardly knew what I was doing or why as the Reiki Guides moved my hands in different ways, but had complete trust in the process.
Afterwards when speaking with the client, she said it was different to what she had expected and all that she had read, but felt somehow that this was special and was grateful for it. I felt that the client had also let go of her expectations and come to receive a unique blessing as well. Since that time, I have let go of following a structured format for attunements, and trust in the loving guidance that I receive on the day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate McManus is a Tibetan and Usui Reiki Master who uses flower essences from around the world for self-healing and her clients. Kate lives in Katoomba in Australia with her two dogs Roxy and Aggie and Persian cat Hamish. Her passions are the Australian bush, singing and the essences. She can be reached by email.
Art Credits: Page designed by Windfall. Images courtesy of Clipart.com.
The World Wide Essence Society does not mean to imply any recommendation of nor give certification to any individuals or companies above. This article is provided purely for informational purposes. We ask consumers to make their own determination as to quality of the services and products offered above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.
Reiki is a powerful and gentle form of hands-on healing which was initially discovered by Dr. Usui in Japan in the 1920s. It derives from ancient Chinese and Tibetan healing systems and was brought into the Western consciousness in the 1980s, where it has thrived and gained acceptance in most countries as a valid form of energy healing. The word "Rei-Ki" means God or Universal life energy, and has a spiritual aspect which can be adapted by people of all faiths (I have a friend who is a Catholic nun and has integrated Reiki into her daily prayer and work life). The practice of Reiki is based on key values which provide a way of approaching life and its challenges. In Usui Reiki (there are many different types of Reiki, just Google!) the following principles are given to each person when they are first attuned to Reiki:
I was drawn to Reiki when I met my Reiki Master-to-be on my birthday 7 years ago. I was impressed by her energy and her outlook on life and wanted to know more. Shortly after I had had some Reiki sessions I became attuned to Reiki, and a year later became a Master.