My Journey with Reiki

“How do you feel?”

“I feel like … I am reborn.”

This was my response to a friend enquiring about my experience with the First Degree of Reiki. And I realized what I’d said, on instinct, was not an exaggeration.
At the outset, I have to add that before I learnt Reiki in 2012 I was not ‘into spirituality’. Couple of years prior to that even the talk of say, yoga, was yawn-inducing for me. So it’s not like I had gone in search of something that would bring me profound answers or change my life.
What did happen was Grace. The thing I had done on my part was make a resolve to become a better human being and overcome my negative personality traits. And, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Today I am not the same person I used to be before Reiki came to me.

Reiki is not merely a healing modality. It is a spiritual path; a path that can transform your life if you walk it with courage, sincerity, and an open mind. Reiki is God’s energy: ‘Rei’ means Divine in Japanese, and ‘Ki’ is Consciousness. A method of healing that is thousands of years old, Reiki was rediscovered in the early 20th century by Dr Mikao Usui in Japan.

Usui & Karuna Reiki:
While ‘Usui Reiki’ is masculine energy, ‘Karuna Reiki’ embodies the Divine Feminine. Together they work in harmony (male-female, yin-yang, Shiv-Shakti), creating a beautiful balance and deep healing. Usui Reiki works on the primary seven chakras. Karuna Reiki, a very high-frequency energy, opens up the dormant transpersonal chakras in the etheric body.

How Reiki benefits you:
Reiki functions in a holistic manner. It heals at all levels – mental, emotional, physical and spiritual – addressing the root cause of an issue vis-à-vis its symptoms, whether you’re struggling with anger, depression, a physical illness, or you simply want to find the deeper purpose of your life.

The beauty of this universal energy is that you don’t have to give up your material/professional life in order to practise it. Like the lotus flower that grows in mud, Reiki helps you blossom even if you feel like you are stuck in the muck, or no matter how dark your circumstances. It teaches you to strike a balance in all areas of your life, ultimately making you empowered and self-sufficient.

If you are fortunate enough to receive Reiki attunements from a Reiki Master/Grandmaster who is a pure channel of this divine energy, who can bring down the Light from Source to assist in the purification and growth of your soul, it can be a life-changing experience. How deeply you continue to benefit from Reiki after that is a choice you make, whether you use your freewill wisely in making Reiki a disciplined part of your life and embarking on a journey where finally there is no separation and you become one with Reiki.

Are you being attentive to your body, mind and spirit? Are you focusing on diet and exercise, but not doing anything to still the mind and nourish your soul? Or are you regular with your meditation, but neglecting physical health and are unsure of what you need to do for your soul’s growth? The thing is, you need to work on improving all: body, mind, soul. And Reiki is wonderful for all three.

More importantly, in the Age of Aquarius, in this time of Ascension, when there are shifts taking place on our planet and Collective Consciousness is evolving at an accelerated speed, the time has come for you to start shedding your issues – your ego, for instance, which raises its head in the form of arrogance, insecurity, low self-esteem, need for approval, victimhood, defensiveness, lack of forgiveness … tricking you in other veiled ways too. And Reiki is a tool that not only makes you face your unhealed aspects but can also help you heal them, laying the foundation for what can turn out to be a magnificent spiritual journey.

For, beneath the layers of impurities is hidden the real you, your true Self, which is like a diamond waiting to dazzle with its beauty. So, go on and shine your light.

Aparna Kadle