The Reiki Cafe 

I have a close relative with chronic depression and anxiety. I am doing what I can by way of distant Reiki but would be very grateful for all your help, please. Thanks, MikeH

Dear Mike,
It's great you're able to help your relative. I would suggest that if you are not doing the adrenals and liver absently, that you include them. Both these are involved in hormone production/activation that are involved with depression. The adrenals are also the seat of anxiety (think about that adrenaline rush when something startles you!) Good luck.

MikeH,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- does your relative know of your request on his\her behalf and has he\she given permission??

>:-}}

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Good point about permission, Firekeeper, in terms of others supporting Mike's absent healing (which I assume the recipient has already granted Mike permission to do).

However, if there were an emergency or someone was unconscious and asking permission was not possible, I would do absent healing anyway, on the basis that the person's inner would determine whether to accept the healing or not.

yes to both

MikeH

suzibeth,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- there are those who believe as you do

- I am not one of those

- it is by no means certain that any sort of so-called 'higher self' has anything to do with the permission issue

- if someone is unconscious or otherwise not competent to give permission for him\herself then it is incumbent upon us to seek the permission from a family member, legal guardian, etc

>:-}}

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

MikeH,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- then he\she is added to my list for nightly Reiki practices though 'directness' would be enhanced were we to know this person's given name (I assume he\she is in the UK??)

>:-}}

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Dear Firekeeper,

I certainly respect your position on asking permission regarding reiki treatments generally (whether in person or absently).

So I wonder if you feel I was wrong for sending reiki to victims of 911 without asking permission, as I continue to do for victims of violence in Iraq, my own community, a child who has been kidnapped, the shark victim in hospital etc.

I would rather do something than attempt to find people to ask permission of under these sorts of circumstances.

And I assure you it is made abundantly clear to me if a person does not want to receive absent healing (and I respect that, of course). I always ask to be shown that the person wishes to receive the reiki (even if I have already received verbal/written permission earlier).

Do you ever make exceptions to your rule regarding permission? Perhaps such as the ones indicated above?

And because I'm thinking along the lines of permission generally, should people ask permission of those they want to offer prayers for too?

You have definitely got me thinking...

With all good wishes,

Suzibeth

suzibeth,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- interesting that, all at the same time, you can tell if thousands of individuals do or do not want Reiki

- be that as it may

- Reiki and prayers are rather different processes

- Reiki is a direct connection from the sender to the receiver (thus openning the possibility that some of sender's personal energy might get into the act - something that is not desired and could be 'unhelpful')

- and, I suspect, not everyone's so-called higher self is going to be aware of the energy - thus would not be able to ask the lower self if it is OK

- for myself?? It is my impression that our so called lower selves and our so-called higher selves do not communicate all that well at all - so it is difficult to imagine the ease of knowledge of someone else's higher self that is claimed by some

- too, unexpected energy can be misperceived and in some cases this can be harmful

- on another hand, prayer (as I assume you mean) involves a "middleman" so to speak - usually some entity is invoked as the means by which aid or healing or whatever is shed upon the "recipient" - that the sender asks for the help rather than delivers it him\herself

>:-}}

- for myself?? I would still be likely to ask permission were I to invoke some deity to the aid of someone else

>:-}}

- my desire to 'help' is not the same as others' desire to be 'helped'

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Dear Firekeeper,

An interesting response...

I perceive reiki as an energy that is not of me, but originative external to me, and that I am merely a glorified garden hose. To me, reiki is (as in a literal Japanese translation), "God Power" or "spirit power". So to me, reiki could be termed "prayer in action", and nothing to do with me personally in terms of how it is received by the other person/people.

I also don't beleive that my own energy can taint/influence in any way, that of reiki. I am not (whether hands-on or absently), passing on my own "stuff" to others. I am very clear in that in terms of my intent.

Apropos asking permission of groups - I define it in terms of asking that reiki go to those who desire it and are willing to accept it within the intended group. Those who do not desire it, simply don't receive it.

I agree that the higher self/lowerself/inner child do not always communicate that well, and I do not assume that it is always the higher self that I am asking permission of - indeed, it's usually just "Fred" or "Joan" and I wait to see what the reaction is.

So, it seems there is much we can agree on, and some points where perhaps we can agree to consider the other's point of view, even if we don't adopt it for ourselves.

Thank you for spending time on the thoughtful replies.

Suzibeth

suzibeth,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- you said in part: "I perceive reiki as an energy that is not of me, but originative external to me, and that I am merely a glorified garden hose."

- you say also: "Apropos asking permission of groups - I define it in terms of asking that reiki go to those who desire it and are willing to accept it within the intended group. Those who do not desire it, simply don't receive it."

- one view is that we are more than a simple or even glorified garden hose if we apply any intention to the energy work (and hence the energy) - we are more than a simple passive conduit

- we must take responsibility for what we do (our intentions as well)

>:-}]

- if we send energy into a room, then every entity in the room will be affected by the energy in some way (and there is no guarantee that it will be received in a positive way by all - hence the importance of explicit permisssion)

- to say the energy will go only to those who want it attributes an 'intelligence' to the energy it simply does not have (if it did, why are we needed??)

>:-}}

- as for ULE being some sort of god power?? that is a theological issue and not a Reiki issue. But, the fact that ULE responds to our intentions might argue otherwise

- and, ULE does respond to the 'spirit' of any of our intentions

>:-}}

- if your intentions include not polluting your Reiki work with your personal energy then I applaud your efforts in this - I find such efforts Key in Reiki work

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Her name is Ann.

Dear Firekeeper,

Thank you for your response.

I do not ascribe intelligence to reiki. Our bodies do many things without our consciously contributing to the processes - you might call this inate intelligence. For example, my body knows how to breathe, extract oxygen from the air via my lungs, and then transport it around my body. All this without me needing to think about it. My belief is that the "body" and/or "inner" of a person makes the same use of additional energy it receives, whether it's extracted from reiki, or food, or other sources. And perhaps like excess vitamin C, if it's not in need, it doesn't use it/absorb it/accept it.

Apropos theology, another translation of reiki that westerners are probably more comfortable with is "spiritual energy". Those who want to take up the theology discussion can feel free to, perhaps on the discussion board. I won't be buying into that one!

Thanks to Mike for providing Ann's name. I will send some energy tonight. I hope she is improving.

I will also leave this "conversation" here, as what's being discussed is entirely subjective - reiki is experiential after all - and we all make the decisions we do (hopefully) based on personal reflection, discussions with others, research and conscience.

Peace and blessings to all!

Suzibeth

suzibeth,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- ULE is only spiritual energy if the intention applied to it is 'spiritual'

- intentions other than those considered 'spiritual' may be applied to ULE

>:-}}

- Experience?? all experience is a matter of perception which is, ultimately, only Illusion

- this is Samsara afterall

- take care,

Reiki All Around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper