My Path To Reiki

My name is Cheryl Murray and I am a Reiki Master at the Kincardine Holistic Health Centre. Now normally when I tell this story in front of a group of people, I have with me a little mascot, a ceramic garden gnome...there is a story here so listen carefully....Although I now practice what we call "energy medicine" my scholastic background is in chemistry. Indeed before this I worked for ten years as a chemical technologist, most recently at Ontario Hydro. Before that in an Environmental Wastewater Testing Lab and before that as a Research Biologist for the Ministry of the Environment. I have always been driven to play whatever part I needed to help heal Mother earth. At first that role was as a Chem. Tech.

So how did I end here speaking to you about Reiki. , and what is Reiki anyway?

‘In trying to explain what Reiki is I will begin with the story of how I came to know Reiki...

Ten years ago I moved to Kitchener with my daughter Joline. We had rented a pleasant apartment, freshly painted, carpets cleaned etc. The previous tenant had removed all her worldly belongings except one thing, this garden gnome. (pointing to the gnome standing on the floor beside me). Well normally I would have trashed such an item, ceramic gnomes just didn't fit in with my decor besides he took up valuable space on my 2' x 8' verandah which I planned to fill with pots of tomatoes. A little voice in the back of my head kept speaking to me "hang onto this Cheryl, the reason isn't clear yet, but hang onto this gnome" So I did. He's moved with us everywhere since. It wasn't until I began giving lectures on Reiki that I really understood the role he would play. . .anyway back to my story.

Five years ago I received a phone call from my dear aunt, Anna in Michigan. Aunt Anna has played a major role in my own healing and I feel truly blessed to have her in my life. Anna is a psychotherapist who incorporates holistic health practices with her counseling. She is certified in massage therapy, cranial sacral, therapeutic touch, esoteric healing, aromatherapy and is very knowledgeable about herbs and homeopathy. Anyway, Anna called me one night in late January, excited about this healing practice she had just learned, the ancient art of laying on of hands, known as Reiki- This was very uncharacteristic of her because Anna has never called me before to tell me about any of her other endeavors I asked her if she could be a little more specific, give me details, scientific insight about how this "Reiki" thing works, after all, I am a chem. tech. We chem. techs need to know these things. "It is not something I can explain, especially over the phone, but there is a class coming up in a couple of weeks and Cheryl once you've taken the class you will come to know what I mean." "Okay Anna, sign me up for the class". What could it hurt? Besides, a visit was long overdue.

A few weeks later I arrived at Anna and her business partner, Mimi's clinic. There, along with several others, we met Reiki Masters Libby Barnett and Maggie Chambers. I felt instantly at ease with them, a warmth and a love radiated from them both. Libby and Maggie were obviously very devoted to their work and went on to translate Reiki for us.

Rei' comes from the Japanese Sanskrit character whose meaning could be translated as "Universal," "Spirit," "Soul," "Divine," "Sacred" or even "Miraculous". ‘Ki' means "life energy." *Usually Reiki is translated as Universal Life Force Energy. Before I go on, please allow me to recite this little quote I found in one of my books, it is written by a Taoist Master and he explains "Chi" in the following manner:

Chi is the vital universal energy which composes, permeates and moves through everything that exists. Chi may be defined as the ultimate cause, and at the same time, the ultimate effect. When chi conglomerates it is called matter, When chi is diffuse, it is called space. When chi animates form, it is called life. When chi separates and withdraws it is called death. When chi flows, there is health. When chi is blocked, there is sickness and disease. Chi embraces all things, circulates through and sustains them. The Nei-Ching says, ‘ In heaven there is chi and on earth form. When the two interplay, there is life.'

Libby and Maggie spoke of a healing practice that anyone of any age regardless of state of mind or religious belief could do. A technique whereby the healer is the one being healed, their body drawing in this Universal Life Energy to where it was needed the most. Libby went on to explain that this Universal Life Energy is all around us, even in side us but that we have lost the ability to tap into it , but once ‘attuned' this energy becomes available whenever we need it.. We need only have the intent to heal and to place our hands on and the Reiki would flow.

Reiki is taught in a series of three steps or degrees. The beginning, first degree, in what is referred to as an ‘attunement' opens the practitioner to the ability to channel this energy freely and teaches the healing positions. The second degree teaches Reiki as a distance healing process. The third and final degree of Reiki, confers the information and process of the attunements themselves and the ability to open or attune others. A Reiki Master or Reiki Teacher is someone who has completed this third degree.

They presented slides of people practicing Reiki, young children and the elderly, on animals and in emergency situations, and spoke of how it could be used for almost anything, by students who needed help in their studies, for people who needed help to overcome chronic illnesses, for those who were going through trying emotional times or stressful mental situations. It also affects those in transition, and especially for their family members. Because the energy being transmitted is not their own, the healer in this channeling of energy does not get tired or depleted. They explained how we are more than just the physical bodies that in fact we were energy. In the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture the acupuncture points are the doorways to this same energy. The focus in the ancient healing science of Ayurveda of India is on energy bodies called chakras. One day, I truly believe, the modern science of quantum physics will figure this all out and give it a long scientific name, wrap it up somehow and sell it for fortunes.

Inside my head, I remained skeptical. Analytical mind was refusing to buy into this. I really felt like I didn't belong in this class.

They then spoke of how Reiki, a century's old healing practice lost, became rediscovered by a Japanese Christian educator, Dr. Mikao Usui. An image of Dr. Usui lit up on the screen. Dr. Usui, challenged by his students to explain how Jesus healed went on a quest that took him through years of study, learning ancient Japanese and Chinese Sanskrit and ultimately to Tibet where he found the answer. The story is a fascinating one and one that would take up more time than we have here tonight. Dr.Usui passed his knowledge onto Dr. Chujiro Hayashi who founded the Reiki Clinic in Tokyo. A picture of Dr. Hayashi appears on the screen. Dr. Hayashi charged several of the most devoted practitioners with the responsibility of carrying on the Reiki tradition. They were all men except one, a Japanese American by the name of Hawayo Takata. Only she would survive World War 11 and bring Reiki to North America. Takata practiced Reiki for forty years. Before her death in 1980 she had trained 22 Reiki Masters one of whom was Barbara Lincoln-McCullough, who trained Judy-Carol Stewart who trained Libby Barnett who trained me. There are now over 900 Reiki Masters in North America.
An image then appeared on the screen of a petite, elderly, Japanese woman, wearing a long, rather boldly flowered dress. She was standing in front of some shrubbery, perhaps lilac bushes. She had a very warm smile as though she were welcoming someone. What I saw first was not Mrs. Takata. No, what struck me first, perhaps because it seemed so out of place, was on the ground, at Takata's feet was one of these. (pointing to my little gnome) And a voice inside me said, "this is why, you didn't know at the time why you should keep this garden gnome, but you hung onto it anyway, and you don't know why you should stay here now but you must. The reason will become clear to you later." So I resolved to let go of my intellect and need for scientific explanations and to trust that there was a gift that I would be receiving there that day.

So I stayed and became attuned to Reiki. The experience was a profoundly moving, one which I shall never forget. One that everyone experiences differently. We then had the opportunity to practice on others using the different hand positions we had just been taught.. As Libby and Maggie explained it really doesn't matter where the practitioner puts their hands because wherever the "hands are on, Reiki's on". When doing a formal session however, the practitioner covers all the main energy centres of the body, these centres being connected to the endocrine system and important nerve centres.

It wasn't until then, when I began to place my hands on the person laying on the table in front of me that I really knew something had changed. A strange tingling sensation, and warmth began to flow from my hands. I have never felt the same about my hands ever since and the more I practice, the more aware I am of this energy being drawn through me. In my own personal experience, I have witnessed Reiki heal in so many ways, from the very trivial of stopping the itch of those blasted mosquito bites, to relieving severe neck pain, to seeing how it significantly relieved the pain in my 14 year old niece who suffered greatly from systemic rheumatoid arthritis.

Six months later I was attuned to second degree Reiki, this time by Anna who had just became a Reiki Master herself and began practicing distance Reiki on so many different situations. In particular, Reiki gave me the clarity of mind to make a very difficult life decision- to leave the security of a very well paying job to pursue a more soulful occupation-truly not knowing at that time what that occupation would be but trusting that whatever it was it would present it self. And it has. Wanting to share this gift I have over the past five years hosted Reiki classes, (both here and assisted with classes in Michigan). I have held bi-monthly free Reiki clinics where local practitioners have the opportunity to practice and people can walk-in to receive a free session. In both the classes and clinics I have heard testimony of how Reiki has helped so many. Indeed Reiki had an important role in bringing us altogether at the Holistic Health Centre...but that is another story.

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