The Reiki Cafe 

Hi everyone, I feel blessed to have found you all in this space. Since i joined last night, I've taken your advice and re-read all my course stuff and my own books on reiki and I've been doing symbols all afternoon. Thank you!
My query is...has anyone noticed differences in the way energy feels with a man practitioner as opposed to a woman?
Personally I have received most of my reiki from women, with astounding results, but my teacher was a man and the energy felt totally different. Still good, but...all i can say is that something seemed to be missing.
Is it better man for man, woman for woman, or is it valuable to mix energy up?
Do you feel that reiki can by masculine or feminine?

lyssa,

/*\ Namsate :-}}

- welcome to The Cafe. :-}}

- I am glad for your voice and light.

- one view is the energy of Reiki is, "ideally", balanced (including the Yin and Yang aspects)

- are practitioners entirely balanced? I doubt it

- do practitioners let personal energy seep into their Reiki practices? I suspect most do to some degree - depends to a large extent on their Mindfulness

>:-}}

- the same view holds that it is, bottom line, how the energy is received that is Key - Recipient's Mindfulness in accepting and using the energy is Key

- how 'balanced' the recipient is cannot be underestimated either

>:-}}

hope this helps

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

Firekeeper

Otoharo!

Lyssa, Reiki is a unified field energy, neither masculine nor feminine. The difference you feel is the personal energy of the practitioner. How that feels to you is your personal response. These have nothing to do with Reiki, but only of being in close contact with another person.

finality

I have been Practicing Reiki for several years and have channeled healing to both Male and Female clients. Reiki is Universal Energy and cannot be classified. Rest of the feelings are purely personal.

Along the lines of what firekeeper said, I think this comes down to personal energy getting in the mix. Reiki itself is niether masculine nor feminine. The idea of course is to use Reiki, not personal energy or a combo a both. And agree with firekeeper that most folks use both.
I also think part of it is how we view the opposite sex as well.

Dear lyssa,

Adding to what the others said, keep in mind that you have had limited experience with men compared to women so perhaps 'the jury is still out' as far as annocdotal observations.

Also, in many communities Reiki is a woman's world and men are a rarity often and viewed with suspicion by some. As an honest man getting into the Reiki community as such, one learns quickly to be extra Mindful of these energetic matters.

Namaste,
Michael

Thanks to you all. Gave me a lot to think about re my own inner beliefs about men, especially. Whilst I realise that reiki is pure energy and thus encompasses yin and yang, I wonder if sometimes we need more of one than the other. As was pointed out, our perceptions may relate to how balanced we are. In this society, where Western ideals distort and trivialise feminine energy, could it be that some of us may experience a stronger sense of feminine energy depending both on our own needs and the energy needs of our recipients? As a way of addressing the energy imbalances of our planet?

Do you think this is completely off the wall, or is there some sense of something in this?
I appreciate this very much. It's like a long drink after time spent in a desert.
Light and love, lyssa.

Well in my opinion, the thing to remember is in the philosophy of feminine and masculine energy. We as human beings have both regardless of gender. I would say it's definitely possible we may need more of one than the other. But I think that if it is what is needed we would recieve this from anyone sending us Reiki. If we needed more masculine energy for instance, it would just as easily come through a female practitioner as it would a male one. In the philosophy of a divine masculine and divine feminine, Yin/Yang as an example, they energy is not male/female only. It has many other attributes associated with it.And really isn't about gender at all. It's just one quality.

I have noticed a difference between the males I've worked with as different from women. To me male energy feels more intense and yes I agree it could hormones are working.

blessings and joy,

prosperty

Dear lyssa,

Off the wall? Hell no I say. There's been a way over-balance of maculine energy on this little blue orb for the past 3000 years (give or take).

Namaste,
Michael

.....my post, a male practioner often has to be extra mindful within female circles or groups to gain trust and acceptance but also keep energies straying inappropriatly(sp). This especially considering a Reiki session to be equally or more 'intimate' that a message session for example.

Namaste,
Michael

hi michael. I've never been involved in a reiki group or circle so I haven't realised the saturation of female practitioners. How does a circle work? Are they only interested in distance healing?
I was going to disagree with you, that reiki isn't more intimate than massage, but when i really considered it, it's obvious that while massage is physically more intimate, it doesn't involve emotional or spiritual intimacy. (Unless of course a client has abuse or other trust issues).
Reiki, though, has such a deep spiritual intimacy, and I'm just beginning to realise how a person's inner issues are touched so intimately through a healing. To have things brought out in the open, without needing to verbally communicate it, is so profound!
I felt a little foolish, asking about male/female energies, but I'm glad I did, because it's uncovered some obvious blockages.
Healing a belief system is proving a most exciting challenge.
Thank you all for your assistance and wisdom.
Love, lyssa.

Dear lyssa,

I guess I was playing a bit loose with the term 'circle' where the term group(s) or community would have been more appropriate.

Your question was not foolish or unworthy at all, quite the contrary. Keep in mind that the people who might responde with advice are on the Reiki Path same as you. There are no Masters here, just a place for souls on energetic paths to share and communicate.

If not for queries like yours, the Cafe would be a quiet place of still Chi with elder members ( using that term loosley) sitting high back chairs in front of the fireplace enjoying the moment but waiting for something to happen. Your questions are the 'happen'.

The whole purpose and construct of the Cafe is to help people along thier Reiki Path. If it were not for questions like yours, the whole thing would decline and fall apart.

Namaste,
Michael

I for one am glad you asked. I feel it's better to ask even if we feel a question is foolish, because otherwise we may never learn.

And, adding to what the others just said, your questions and others like them, open up discussions that bring out even more questions--questions you didn't even know you had! Or maybe it brings out questions that someone else didn't realize THEY had. Sometimes we just don't know that we don't know....ya know?

Questions, questions. That's what this cafe is all about.

Namaste,
Lionheart

Yep, time for the swing of the pendulum, back into balance. This means we need Divine Feminine help in a big way.

I do feel the Reiki energy itself is perfectly balanced.

As far as being a male in a mostly (but not completely!) female Reiki community, I've found that mindfulness, respect and time gains trust. It's not unheard of for romance to blossom, but then, it is even more important to work diligently to be in integrity with Reiki, since trust is so important in any community, and especially so when we are connecting on so many levels.

Blessings,
Aronaya

Hey sweetie, *hugs**

From my perspective as i'm being shown now there is a bit of an issue going on with male/female energies.
Peopele in healing practice generally see fem as positive energy and male as negative in many ways.
I don't beleive anymore about clearing energy.
My belief is that we tune into what we already are and intristically know to be truth.
So when you are giving a healing session it might be helpful to intend to help them tune into any vibration that they might benefit from those working with you of a higher CONSIOUS octave than you.

Here is my issue with male/female definitions. I think they cause duality consiousness somehow..
There is still a break and there should be none!
Can't a male be strong, as well as supportive?
Can't a woman be nurting and strong?
See how well these work together in harmony?

Its important that we turn our thoughts around because this truly becomes our reality. Learning to stop dividing ourselves into parts that are better than another will magnify our healing abilities many times over.

I like to ask that all the energy that is unconsious within me become consious. Then I visualize what the looks like inside my body/mind.
This is Very Very empowering. Like a rush of energy when you acknowledge there is energy that you are not utilizing.

In regards to the physical body. I like to ask the body to help me feel any areas that might be unconsious and make them consious.
Then I can literally feel the energy pulsig around me, & waking up the places where it may have been dark (Unconsious).
That is great practice instead of always asking to clear things.
What we need to live authentic lives is inside us now. It is merely not seen because we have had no one to mirror it for us, or we refused to see.

Hope this helps!

Love you,
Jahnavi

In terms of human sexes i agree with what your saying with your statement of makles being strong and supportive and females being nurturing and strong.

I do not feel that these "issues" between the sexes are energetic in terms of male energy being this and female energy being that. I think that is more of an issue with societies outlook on both sexes, and how society tries to but everyone into more traditional roles.

In terms of understanding the energies of both halves of the universe i think it's important to remember that what we see physically as male/female are imperfect,unbalanced humans. Not a real life picture of these energies. Saying that male energy is as male humans are is grossly misunderstanding the energy. And vice versa.

In a way I can see how it may encourage duality of conciousness. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the statement that the Tao is incomprehensible as a whole, yet understood through it's parts. By understanding the bits and pieces we begin to understand the whole. We do after all exist in duality until we break free of it . therefore it's neccessary to initially use such a framework for understanding. I think that is the purpose of the classification of male/female energies.

I also agree with what you said about how they are often percieved as one negative and one positive. Like mr. michael pointed out with Reiki. There are simply more female practitioners. I really think this extends to the New Age and Pagan movements in general. Not just Reiki. Nither is positive or negative. They just are. I can't speak for all forms of expression of duality. But with the principles of Yin and Yang, one quality of Yin energy is that it is the feminine side of things. Under Yin also falls the attributes of negative,chaos,destruction,death. This does not mean that females as a sex are these things. The sex of humans is only an expression of one type or another within us.

Again speaking socially. Most males are taught that to be "manly" you have to incorporate certain aspects into your personality. These are social and not energetic.
They stem from the thoughts of unbalanced spirits. The same goes with the social values forced upon females. If you take too many "manly" traits. You're a tomboy or unladylike.
Again this is not a reflection on what these energies are. These are just social values. If women were the embodiment of the archetypal feminine half of the universe then they would be dead and introspective and silent. Simply being alive shows the archetypal masculine aspect of the Universe within you. This does not mean by being alive you are being a man. Or something only men do because of energy. When a woman is active this too is an expression of "male" energies.

Again gender has nothing to do with the spiritual principles of these two energies.

Hey there you!! *hugs with a big smile**

I like what you wrote, right along side what I was trying to say.. I also like the way you clarified that saying, God/dess is a bit of duality consiousness.
Also merely a stepping stone into something deeper, more integrated.
The energy of male female in its highest form is formless and has no gender attached.
Its grounded, balanced, and harmonious.
Darn we humans for seeing one as better than the other etc..
There is a big surge in the Goddess and Feminine principle and I wondered why it was always a bit like nails on the chalk board.
Looking back I see that I couldn't embrace that philosophy because it just didnt ring right for me some how.. Of course I do use these terms interchangeably first off so I don't get stuck in saying one or another and using my minds eye to remember my preconditioned belief that One is one thing and another is something else..
We are the energy in its totality!

The only thing missing is our awareness of that fact.
Recently Spirit was showing me an example..
The example was places within us that need healing..
I use a picture of a tapestry in my mind and ask, "What do I look like in my minds eye"- The illusional belief..
When I look, I see dark spots on my tapestry ( Or body if you like).

Then I ask to see Truth.. Then the dark spots dissolve (As my vibration tunes into LIGHT- Truth) before my minds eye and I Know I'm clear.. Sometimes I'll even ask, What does that dark spot feel like within me? Then let myself feel it. Once I've felt it I can say, "Ok, I'm ready to let it go" and it lets go, once again my tapestry is restored to its true state..
I like to say that no one is really recieving healing because were really just remembering who we really are. In other words, the dark spots are unconsious places within us that we can light up with our intention..
The truth is were not dirty, or in need of healing. In truth we need only remember to be restored..
Allowing it to be simple makes life simple.
Learning to trust takes time but feeling the process working so simply makes it easier to start changing my thought process..
I"m still working on changing my thoughts becuase without thinking I think alot about moving energy... Where exactly are we moving this energy?
Maybe were just amping up our vibration so we can see more clearly.. :}

Blessing sweetie!

Jahnavi