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    • Using Reiki Magick

      by Christopher Penczak

      (Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

      Reiki is the power to heal using "universal life force." Reiki itself is a system of natural healing coming to the west from Japan. A trained practitioner of Reiki healing has the ability to channel pure life force—what is known as ki, chi, or prana—and gently allow the recipient to absorb this life force. The recipient's own body can use the energy to heal, gently removing any blocks to health and increasing the flow of life force to areas that are ill or injured. Reiki also works on the energy bodies. Healing can occur on an emotional, mental, or spiritual level. Reiki differs from other forms of energy healing, because the recipient is said to be in charge of the transfer of energy. The recipient's "higher self" or "body wisdom" controls the flow, preventing any overload from too much energy. The Reiki practitioner is like a straw, the recipient sucks energy through the straw, and just like having a drink, when you've had enough, you stop drinking. The recipient cannot "choke" or overload on the healing energy.

      As a practicing witch, I use healing magick in my life all the time. I was interested in learning how Reiki and magick were the same and how they were different. Although there are many traditions and teachings of magick, anyone can learn to use it. With some very basic knowledge, or even by closely following a spell recipe book, you can have successful results working magick without a lot of training. Magick is a method of speaking your intentions to the universe, and by using the symbolic language of ritual, you can speak your intention very easily. Tried and true ritualists know magical theory well enough to design their own rituals and spells, but anybody can learn a few basic techniques. Traditional spells become traditional because they work for a variety of people and get recorded in someone's spell book.

      To practice Reiki, technically you must be initiated into the tradition. To do this, you must receive what Reiki Masters call an attunement (so called because your body is attuned to the natural flow of universal life force energy) through a ritual and variety of symbols. There are a variety of healing energy techniques that are similar to Reiki, but without the attunement, you are not practicing Reiki. The benefit of doing Reiki healing specifically is all the safeguards that come with the system. Not only will you never overload the recipient, but you cannot take on the illness of the recipient. The flow of energy is one way. Other forms of energy healing do not have these built-in benefits.

      I know quite a few witches who get initiated into Reiki to supplement their magical energy. These witches use Reiki not just for healing, but also for many purposes. They use Reiki energy to charge candle spells, to consecrate herbal potions, and to cast the magick circle. The Reiki energy will flow wherever it's needed, not just into the body of one who is ill.

      I've also found those who are versed in magick, but not initiated into Reiki, using the symbols associated with Reiki in magick. Originally the symbols were kept secret from the uninitiated. They were passed on and memorized, with few written copies preserved. Later, when Reiki became more mainstream, the symbols appeared in books and online websites. Now anybody can find them.

      Although these symbols were kept secret to prevent people from using them without an attunement into Reiki, some believe they were kept secret so Reiki teachers could charge huge amounts of money to reveal the secret symbols in class. Lore about the danger of using them when you are not attuned to Reiki grew, and tales of how the Reiki symbols were misused in Egypt or Atlantis became a part of the teachings. Personally, I think they can do no harm. They convey healing energy that is guided by the higher self of the recipient. I think the danger is in thinking if you know the symbols, you have been attuned to Reiki, and have all the safe guards to do healing work with others. Someone using the symbols without an attunement may mistakenly use their own personal energy to heal, and become sick, taking on the illness of another. Or they might overload the recipient with too much energy. That's the only danger.

      The benefits of using the symbols, even without having an attunement, can be great. I've given clients symbols written on paper to meditate on after a healing session. The names of the symbols can be used like mantras, to evoke their healing power personally into you. I even know someone who, before coming to a workshop, read my book, Magick of Reiki and found the symbol Cho Ku Ret from the Seichim Reiki traditions, which is used to heal inanimate objects. Her car broke down and she used the symbol on it, drawing it and chanting its name. Her car started back up again and she got to my workshop on time. I found that quite amazing.

      I think chanting the names of the Reiki symbols in meditation is one of the easiest and safest ways to work with them if you are not attuned. Different teachers pronounce them slightly differently, so do your best and see what effect each has on you.

      • Cho Ku Rei: increases energy and power in general
      • Sei He Ki: for emotional and mental balance
      • Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen: to heal karma, healing the past
      • Di Ko Myo: to connect with the higher self
      • Raku: for grounding
      • Nin Giz Zida: to align the chakras, to active energy
      • Zonar: to heal on a multidimensional level
      • Shanti: creates a sense of peace
      • Gnosa: clears the mind
      • Cho Ku Ret: heals inanimate objects and helps make connections to rituals tools and crystals.
      • Lon Say: creates a sense of love

      Explore working with Reiki through chanting. If you find the energy it evokes speaks to you, explore learning more about Reiki, researching the symbols, and even taking a class with a certified Reiki teacher to become attuned to it yourself.

      Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005. All rights reserved.

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    • Double Vision: Should She Reconnect With Her Father?

      timeforyourself

      Is NOT reconnecting with father a harmful decision?

      I recently decided to meet my estranged father. I’ve had no relationship with him throughout my childhood and adolescence. I need desperately to find him so I can release and heal the anger, rejection and abandonment issues that have been blocking me from creating healthy relationships. Now that I have opened that door, fear and uncertainty are preventing me from having a relationship with this man. We are both Aquarians (I was born January 30, and he was born February 12). Will this decision to not have a relationship with him have a negative effect on my romantic relationships with men and my ability to create happiness in life? Please help me – I would love to hear your insights.

      Dreamchaser:

      Honey Bee, I want to thank you SO much for this question. In doing my own soul work and healing, I came across a concept that just blew me away. Here it is: When we are growing up, we are taught how to have a relationship with the opposite sex by the parent of that gender. For example, my father always held open doors, pulled out chairs, etc. I grew up believing that all men should treat all women in that manner. To this day, I will not open a door as long as a man is around.

      On the flip side, my father was a workaholic and would often break promises because of work. From this I unconsciously began to believe that if I couldn’t trust my father, I couldn’t trust any man. As soon as I became conscious of that belief, I started to look back over my love life. I saw that I expected a man to let me down or hurt me because my father did. I did not have any example of “good” behavior from a man, and as a result, I did not expect it. If you can see the same thing and realize that your father should not be your model for all male behavior, then you can get past the baggage and issues that go along with that. (By the way, this works for ALL relationships, not just father/ daughter dynamics)

      As for connecting with your father, I do not want you to romanticize some meeting where everything becomes instantly wonderful. I think you two can forge a new relationship, and you will have to start from scratch if there is to be any chance of you having any type of relationship with him.

      Any negative feelings you are carrying are not going to be instantly erased. Forgiveness starts in our own souls. You do not have to meet this man to be able to forgive him. You just need to start looking back over experiences from your childhood. Take each experience and relive it, so to speak. Stop seeing it from small child eyes and start seeing it from a grown-up perspective. You will see that NONE of it was your fault, and you truly were powerless. Once you start to see your father and his behavior as human, then you can slowly start to forgive.

      For example, my dad did not mean to hurt my feelings so badly by missing my events. He simply felt he was doing the right thing by working and providing for us. I can forgive his non-attendance NOW, because I see he felt he was doing what was right. When I was small, however, I felt that I was not important enough for Dad to make time. See? You do the same, and you will be able to forgive.

      I wish you and your father a love-filled relationship from here on out.

      +++++

      Astrea:

      You are not your father. Your life was shaped without his influence. If you can meet him and take him for the person he has BECOME since you were conceived, you’ll learn a few things. If nothing else, you’ll learn about your own capacity for TOLERANCE. It’ll be worth it to at least mmet him without fear.

      As an Aquarius and a Dual Sign, I’m sure you’ve weighed all the pros and cons of meeting your estranged father. I don’t think that avoiding him is going to affect your relationships with men throughout your life anymore than it already has. Meeting him and dealing with all the hurt and resentment you’ve felt all your life should actually FREE YOU from that. It’s important to remember that everyone has issues and baggage. The men you might be involved with will have their share of that stuff too. Everyone is an INDIVIDUAL. Keep that in mind throughout this reconnection with Dad.

      You seem like an open person who is able to take people for who they are. That open, accepting Aquarian attitude is something lots of us would love to master. Meeting Dad doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll develop a deep, meaningful relationship with him, but you have to know some things, kiddo. You say you “desperately need to find him” to resolve some of the issues you have been carrying around with you since you were a little kid. Do that! Find him, meet him, THEN decide. Reconnecting with him carefully might not HELP, but it surely won’t HURT you spiritually!

      Remember that he too has a lot of guilt and fear coming into this. He doesn’t have a clue who you are, either! It’s going to take some courage on his part to hear some of the things you feel you need to say. You have to give him some credit for his willingness to even try, but since he’s also an Aquarius, it shouldn’t surprise you. Just remember, fear is useless. You can’t eat it, wear it, or spend it. By talking to your Dad, however, you may develop a new relationship, and it could be GREAT!

      Go ahead, open the door. Find out what he’s like. NOT knowing is worse.

      The idea of developing a relationship with someone like him is strange indeed, but it’s the right thing to get to know him, hear his side of the story (there are always two!) and then make an EDUCATED decision about the place he can or can’t have in your life. Your Spirit is STRONG, and you have Guides and Angels who will counsel you when that time comes. Remember, it takes about two years to really get to know a person, even a relative if you’ve had little or no involvement growing up.

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