The Reiki Cafe 

Just thought I'd put this one out for people's thoughts :)

If we self treat with Reiki whilst falling asleep, how do we maintain our intention and mindfulness whilst asleep? Does Reiki still flow regardless or do we have to 'consciously aware' for it to flow ? Or is it perhaps true that we can set our intention in advance so to speak? I have had dreams when I have dreamt that I am either giving or receiving Reiki, it felt so real that I woke up wondering whether Reiki had indeed been flowing in my sleep. I wondered what other's experiences/thoughts are about Reiki and sleep/dreams?

Gentle Blessings
Helen

That's a great question you're asking. Here's my take.

We can think of sleeping and wakefulness as different states of consciousness. While we are awake we can reach different levels of awareness. When we remember dreams we have been aware of them. Basicly, the question you are asking is about two different types of consciousness: state consciousness and consicousness as awareness.

If we assume that "intention and mindfulness" require awareness, then it is still possible to act with intention and mindfulness while dreaming.

However, we do not always dream while sleeping. We shift between dream states and non-dream states thruout the night. When we dream we are conscious, we have experiences and awareness. So we are left with a different question, Does Reiki continue to flow in non-dream sleep?

I don't know an answer to this question, but I do know that Reiki sometimes continues to flow a while after my intention or sometimes jump-starts without it.

Concluding, if we regard awareness as a requirement for "intention and mindfulness" and if it is possible to have awareness both when awake and while dreaming, then it is possible to keep intention and mindfulness in dreams. Whether this is the case for non-dream sleep I dare not say.

Finally, we percieve dreams as very real, but realize when we are awake that they are not. We have not actually been engaged in bizarre dreaming activities. The problem then is, what if Reiki feels real in a dream. Is it real? Do we feel the aftereffects of Reiki when we wake up?

Perhaps some of the lucid dreamers out there in the forum could help us out by experimenting?

Ivoryraven

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- dreaming is no less real than waking

- no more real, either

bagl

- the reference to lucid dreaiming is a good one

- the yogas of sleep and dreaming would be a good resource as well (also the title of a fascinating book)

- if I fall asleep with the intention of waking at 0400 to go fishing, so that an alarm that would wake my wife is unnecessary, I will awake at 0400 (+ or - a couple of minutes, usually)

- occasionally I will hit the nail exactly on the head

>:-}}

- will Reiki practices persist after we fall asleep??

- yes, if one has developed the art of taking intention into sleep and working with it there - a lucid dreamer or one working with yogas of sleep and dreaming might be able to discern that about which you inquire

- remember, too, that if the Reiki is directed to someone else, that person may be continuing to draw on your intention and using the energy while you sleep which means, quote possibly, that your intention may already be mostly out of the loop

>:-}}

- recipient's intention - and all that - being Key

>:-}}

- hope this helps

>:-}}

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Thanks for your reply :)

I agree about the lucid dreamers....that would be an interesting experiment :)

You made a good point too about things seeming incredibly real in dreams when actually they aren't so indeed it may or may not be Reiki flowing.

Thanks again for the food for thought :)

Gentle Blessings
Helen

Namaste :)

Many thanks for your reply.

I didn't know that there was such a thing as yogas of sleep but now I have visions of people getting into all sorts of yogic postions whilst they sleep! lol

With regards to intention. If a recipient is using their intention to continue drawing energy from our intention to send, would this not also be possible whilst the practitioner is awake and perhaps in their mind has 'finished' the session?(I am referring in particular to distant Reiki sessions).

Gentle Blessings
Helen