The Reiki Cafe 

Someone handed me a tape about this and it was very upsetting. They view us as part of the occult and they are warning us that this opens up the channel for demons. Please help me understand this and give me a rebuttal. Thank you!

There is a group within the Catholic church that sees Reiki as occult. I forget their name, saw a website once. I doubt they speak for all Catholics.

I'll post a website reference for you over in Resources.

My view is, those opinions are out there, but the vast majority are interested and open. The same question comes up in other religions, as well. Generally I see that Reiki does no harm to anyone's faith.

Blessings,
Aronaya

eirelassey---
I certainly hope you never understand it.
There will always be ignorance and hate in our midst, not only about energy medicine but so many many things, and I think the best we can do is carry on, and let our work speak for itself.
I'm not sure I would waste any precious energy trying to influence people with that viewpoint---my feeling is they need your sympathy more than your explanation.
Blessings and peace to you,
Coyotesong
PS--check out the thread by Whatever titled "In Jesus's Name" and read what I posted there---it ties in well!

Dear Eirelassey,
Would you share the name of the tape with us? I would like to view the tape and see the arguments/evidence they bring forth.
I understand how upsetting this was for you. Went through an ugly incident with my brother fueled by books about cults & right wing ideas. It may be 2006 but we are still looking for witches to burn at the stake. Nothing I said worked & I was peppered with numerous Bible quotes. A person who is on the defensive & attached to feelings of righteousness will not back down for they see God in their corner. He also believed that he was protecting me. I never did come up with a comeback that helped except, "we will have to agree to disagree & I will not discuss this subject any longer with you".
peace & joy,
holobon

Not sure if you really need a comeback LOL, but Just ask them what their priest does each sunday in church.
Bread and wine representing the flesh and blood of someone? as well as other things.
That seems very occult to me.

You will be told that you misunderstand the process, to which you have a comeback which is so are you?.

Thankfully there is quite a large Reiki movement withing the RC church, many Nuns and Priests and monks do use it.
Namaste

Rob
Truth is not a property of language because language has not been able to express abstract ideas as efficiently as concrete items

Some people in the Church whose priests have been raping children, and whose bishops and archbishops were covering up those crimes, are worried about reiki being demonic? Which one is more likely to be demonic -- a) healing, or b) raping children and then conspiring to reassign the rapists to other parishes where they were free to rape other children? Heed the words of Jesus Christ: "Thou hypocrite! Remove first the beam from thine own eye, then thou shalt see more clearly to remove the mote from thy brother's eye." Matthew 7:5.

Such people who condemn reiki would make better use of their time and effort by getting their own house in order (like the activity of the Catholic lay group Voice of the Faithful). At least, they would stop being hypocrites.

BTW, I've asked for any biblical account of a person being healed by a demon. I'm still waiting for such a reference.
In the meantime, again, the words of Jesus Christ:
"Beware of false prophets, who come in sheeps' clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits shall ye know them." Matthew 7:15-16. After comparing the "fruit," reiki looks rather good.

For a historical perspective of "fruit," some might also point to the slaughter of the civilian inhabitants of Jerusalem at the end of the first Crusade, and the torture inflicted during the Inquisition. Has anything similar been done by reiki organizations?

Bruce

eirelassey said on

>Someone handed me a tape about this and it was very upsetting. They view us as part of the occult and they are warning us that this opens up the channel for demons. Please help me understand this and give me a rebuttal. Thank you!

eirelassey,

Hi,

First, Reiki often involves compassionate action. For me, that pretty much says it all. But, is Reiki occult??

The word occult simply means 'hidden' or secret. So, if some teachings of Reiki are kept secret then Reiki is occult just as any 'knowledge' that is kept secret is occult knowledge.

:)

And so, who has more "secrets" and keeps things "hidden" better than the catholic church?? And, who instigated The Inquisition? I mean, if torture is not the work of the Shadow I don't know what is.

For many (whether catholic, baptist, muslim, or whatever), it seems that if one is not a "believer" one is somehow in league with the "devil" (whose existence is, of course, a myth). So, do not be upset by the word occult. The tape sounds like propaganda and should simply be treated as such.

If the tape seems to have bad vibes? Douse it with a bit of kerosene and set it alight.

LOL

Cheers,

RC

My Spiritual Director reminded me, when I hit similar issues, to study the fruits of the Holy Spirit. If you can answer the question, "Does this activity bring forth ALL the fruits of the Holy Spirit?", THAT is the touchstone. Hey,you can even take that tape and ask the same questions. Hmmm.
Peace,
Feather

I also wonder if these issues come up for us at a time in our spiritual development where it is in our best interest to look at them and solidify what WE actually believe. The reason I wonder is that these questions came up in many ways for me early on in my Reiki practice, and no longer do. Where did the naysayers go? I guess I no longer attract them into my space!
Love,
Feather

I love it!
Never heard it put quite that way.....where are the accounts of people being HEALED by demons?
Hmmm.
Great thought.
Thanks,
Feather

Hi y'all,

My Dad's a priest, long story, just to shorten it he was married a long time ago, then my ma died, so when we were all raised he joined.
Having said that, when I told him that I'd learned Reiki, he said that it was ok as long as it comes from God, which it does, as all things do.
He does have a small problem with giving the healing and recieving money from it, but I hold the view that it's for the other persons personal enpowerment to do so, and it's the time that is being paid for. I need to get comfortable with it myself as well. Hmm. Funny how things 'come up'?

jaguar said on

>He does have a small problem with giving the healing and recieving money from it, but I hold the view that it's for the other persons personal enpowerment to do so, and it's the time that is being paid for. I need to get comfortable with it myself as well. Hmm. Funny how things 'come up'?

In your father's view, what is the problem about receiving money?

Bruce

Healing is free. It seems to me that to accept money for a healing demeans the healing. I'm okay with going to Healers and paying money for their services. I'm also okay with giving a healing and not recieving anything for it, but having said that, it's what one feels comfy with at that particular time. I guess i ain't explaining myself well. I don't want to preach, or be officious, until i feel at ease and less pendantic, I'll say no more.
Is that acceptable?
Maybe for my own self, I need to get comfartable with myself and reiki.

Jaguar,

If you don't want to comment at this time, then yes that's certainly okay. But some of my comments follow.

People that I've heard say healers shouldn't charge for their services, have nonetheless also said it's okay for doctors to be paid. (They don't regard payment as something that demeans the medical services.) At first glance, that seems inconsistent. If the difference is that energy-healing seems more like a spiritual service, then I guess I could understand it, _if_ they also said that priests and ministers and rabbis shouldn't be paid for the services that they perform. I wish I knew what your father's position is on that topic.

A variation of the same argument says it's wrong to take money to teach something spiritual like the ability to do energy healing. And again, I could at least better understand that viewpoint _if_ its proponents also said that seminaries / divinity schools are acting improperly by charging money to train members of the clergy.

If you don't want to take money for your healing services, then don't. But a general statement that money shouldn't be taken, would be better understood if some reasoning were provided.

In any event, best wishes for finding your particular level of comfort in these matters.

Bruce

jaguar said on

>Healing is free. It seems to me that to accept money for a healing demeans the healing. I'm okay with going to Healers and paying money for their services. I'm also okay with giving a healing and not recieving anything for it, but having said that, it's what one feels comfy with at that particular time. I guess i ain't explaining myself well. I don't want to preach, or be officious, until i feel at ease and less pendantic, I'll say no more.
>Is that acceptable?
>Maybe for my own self, I need to get comfartable with myself and reiki.

Okay! This is quite an interesting topic. THere is a website The Cross and the Veil, which discusses reiki. The tape comes from EWTN. I will email the info later.

The tape had some good arguments they interviewed a woman who was a new age healer and she had a bad experience with it and says that we manipulate the energy and we are opening ourselves to forces that we do not understand. They say Usui practiced tantric yoga and uses the secret symbols for the reiki power.I will have to go out to my car to get the tape until then, it is good to question aand see both sides.

eirelassye,

Hi,

There are several 'forms' or schools of tantric yoga: red, black, white.

It would be useful, if one focuses on the perhaps unsubstantiated report that Usui Sensei practiced tantric yoga, to know which form he practiced. I am not sure there is strong evidence he practiced any forms of yoga. But perhaps James or some one of our other 'historians' can elucidate.

:)

Cheers,

RC

Okay here is the tape I think you should all listen to it. It is called Reiki:Hoax, Help or Spiritual counterfeit?
Host: Johnette Benkovic
Guest:Clare McGrath Merkle (former healer)

Living his life abundantly
325 Scarlet Blvd. Oldsmar FL 34677-3019
813-854-1518

eirelassey,

Hi,

Thanks for the resource (though I feel no inclination to avail myself; being as I am quite comfortable with what I do). Obsessing over such 'stuff' really only feeds the insecurities such folks want to feed. Also, I have a feeling that one among us might take exception to putting that sort of 'advertising' here and not in the Resources section. We will see.

Cheers,

RC

reikicurmudgeon said on

(though I feel no inclination to avail myself; being as I am quite comfortable with what I do).

>RC

My feelings exactly. In the word sof several well known Jazz singers "ain't nobodys business if I do"

:-))

I do what I do and take responsibility for my own actions and am perfectly happy to let the Diety in Charge sort it all out at a later date.

:-))

Dealing with people like that never gets one anything except maybe frustrated.

:-))

Walk in beauty
Rebecca

Otoharo!

Actually, charging for a reiki session is not charging for the energy of reiki which is what heals. It is charging for your abilibty to be a channel for the energy. It takes a lot of work on oneself to be clear enough to actually be able to be reiki with another. That one can be proud to charge for. and the one recieving is open to receive after having given.

finality

Why do you think we should all listen to the tape?

Bruce

I just wanted you to listen to the tape and check out the website for the accuracy of the information from Claire the new age healer was giving out in the interview. She seems to be on a mission to prove that reiki and even yoga is not corresponding to Christian beliefs.

Dear Eirelassey,
Thanks for the name of the tape. My brother used to watch ETWN quite a bit.

peace & joy,
holobon

Eirelassey,

My "day job", along w/ taijiquan, qigong, reiki, taijiquan students, qigong students, etc., take up enough of my time and effort (gongfu); at this point I don't see any reason for me to expend further time and effort to obtain the tape and listen to it. Zealous denunciation of reiki isn't anything new, and I don't usually spare time or effort or money to go out and confront those who make the denunciations. (Now, if I had a personal grudge against the people who did the tape, that would be different; then I'd be very motivated to refute 'em. Similarly, when people have posted such denunciations on reiki message boards, well . . . .)

If you would care to summarize particular points on the tape and ask for response, I'm sure that people here would be reasonably obliging. (E.g., you said the former healer had a bad experience. What does that mean? You've listened to the tape; you could give a short summary, which would be more likely to draw a useful response than saying listen to the tape and then get back to you.) Similarly, if you post the website address on the Resources board of this site, you might get some response.

But IMHO, telling us that we should all obtain a tape, and listen to it, and then report back to you, seems a demand for an unreasonable expenditure of time and effort and attention. Perhaps others have a different opinion about that, though.

BTW, have you read the gospel according to Matthew? And if so, then what do you think of the applicability of the excerpts that I posted earlier in this thread?

Bruce

eirelassey said on

>I just wanted you to listen to the tape and check out the website for the accuracy of the information from Claire the new age healer was giving out in the interview. She seems to be on a mission to prove that reiki and even yoga is not corresponding to Christian beliefs.

eirelassey,

Hi,

Reiki and yoga originated out of non-christian traditions. Nothing new there. If that does not make some people happy? Too bad.

So, why is it important that yoga and\or Reiki be made to seem to correspond to christian principles (or any other religion for that matter)? Why should Reiki and yoga be rejected because the pope or other 'religious leaders' say they are not 'proper'. Claims have not been made that Reiki and yoga are "religious" practices, afterall.

I mean, who wants principles that support such practices as the crusades or the Inquisition or Jihad against non-muslims?

No thanks!! I'll take my non-violent, non-religious yoga and Reiki any day.

:)

Cheers,

RC