Hi Firekeeper,
I, too, have been privilaged to study under a first generation master (and several others). In fact just this week I was visiting this (original) master and was allowed to listen to a tape from a personal (and unpublished) library of some 20 or so cassettes of Takata demonstrating and teaching Reiki to a small class that this person attended during the early 1970s. This was before Takata became "Rev. Takata." (I've seen, but not heard, the cassette of her ordination.)
On the tape I listened to this week, she clearly and unambiguously stated just what I last reported, that Reiki, regardless of where it is applied, will eventually (her word) reach the place where it is needed most.
She went on to say that an organized and systematic application of Reiki "makes the system simpler." But she did not say or intimate that it made the treatment faster or more powerful, as some references would have us believe.
On the same tape, she indicated that you should spend "10 to 15 minutes per position" and in response to the question, "what if there is still activity at the position after 10 minutes" she reiterated that you should move on to the next position, and in so many words, she also said "period."
She comes across as pretty head strong when it comes to describing the Reiki practice. As I said before, she used (and taught) only 8 hand positions, all on the top: eyes, ears, back of head, throat, diaphram, the two intermediate lower positions finishing with either ovaries for females or testicles for males. This information is also from those tapes, and so it is as close to the source (and non-heresay) as I can give it to you.
She only, as a rule, applied vigorous mesaging along either side of the spine on the back. Her teaching, so far as I've heard on the tapes, seems to be about treating specific problems, rather than general treatments. As she had 8 positions, a treatment must have lasted 80 or more minutes. She spent a lot of time with those who came to her, apparently dealing with some for a month or more.
I have not heard all of the tapes, and there is no possibility of obtaining copies at the present time, and so you'll have to take my word for it, if you wish, that this is what I heard.
But whatever, you can test this hypothesis and see for yourself whether Reiki seeks a target on the body or not.
Keeping in mind, of course, that the most "beneficial" location for Reiki is a matter of, could we call it "negotiation?" between the body and the energy, we can easily locate places on the body that are more receptive than others. And so the experiment.
Select a person who agrees to allow the test to be performed on themself, then using whatever method you choose, scan the body and find those areas you judge to be most receptive.
Momentarily stepping back from the volunteer, form a ball of Reiki energy between your hands. Work on it for a few minutes until it is well developed and formed and you can clearly feel its robustness.
Then gently place the ball on the volunteer's chest and using your scanning techniques, follow the ball until it enters the body. Only rarely will it simply sink into the chest and disappear. In my experience, it will usually head for one of those "good" spots, sometimes at a very leisurely pace. Elsewise it'll go to some other "undetected but apparently good" place. You'll know it is doing its work once it sinks in, stops moving and slowly starts to disappear or disperse.
It may take several tries to get the hang of tracking the ball, but good mindfullness and neutrality will see you through. The feeling and sensation of following the ball is much like moving or following a spirit around if you've had that experience. This probably follows; both spirits and Reiki energy have a consciousness of their own.
Important to those who wish to try this for themselves: Keep your mind out of this experience; it will try to help by determining the most logical place for the ball to go, then play games with your senses to try to make it "go" there. It is important that you perform only as an observer once the ball is released. This is not a matter of logic; you can have no idea what is best for the client, and so all the logical thinking in the world will only give you misdirection.
With love from the Corndodger
