The Japanese word Reiki is made up of 2 characters; Rei and Ki. It is usually translated as Universal Life Force Energy or Spiritual Energy.

 

Rei is translated as the ‘wisdom and knowledge of all the universe or atmosphere of the divine, in other words the higher intelligence, the wisdom that comes from God or the Source.

 

Ki is life force energy, Prana or Qi which flows through all things.

 

Reiki is a form of healing developed by a Japanese priest, Dr Mikao Usui, who after many years of study, discovered a way of accessing and using this healing energy and of passing this ability onto other people.

 

The story goes that Dr Mikao Usui, a learned scholar dedicated his life to learning about how Jesus and the Buddha were able to heal. He travelled extensively and finally ended up at a Zen Buddhist monastery where he sat in  meditation and fasted for 21 days. At the end of 21 days, he received spiritual empowerment and insight. Thrilled with what he had received, he rushed down the mountain and injured his foot in haste. When he bent down to hold his toe, he discovered that the bleeding stopped and the pain disappeared and he was healed.

 

Dr Mikao Usui spent many years healing people and towards the end of his life he founded Usui Reiki Ryoho, the Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method and this has become widely known around the world as Reiki.