Reiki and Christianity

My student from Spokane, Lindsay Daehlin wrote the following:  Receiving my first Reiki treatments, I could not deny the healing energy I felt.  I started reading about Reiki and it resonated deeply with me.  Nothing in my Christian faith caused me to necessarily stay away from Reiki.  On the contrary the idea of a healing spirit flowing through us and healing sounded quite familiar.  But I still wanted some guidance about where this energy was coming from.  I still felt confused.  Why isn’t this part of the current faith tradition I was raised with?

One day, I found myself walking into a church in the Mexican city I was living in.  I was faced with an enormous stained glass window in the front of the sanctuary of Jesus with white light pouring out of his hands.  I was drawn to sit in front of this image.  As I sat, I felt my crown open and my whole energy field expand.  For the first time I felt energy flowing out my hands.  This was my first attunement.  I felt it was God telling me – “This is me.  Reiki is me.”

Reiki often comes to us through our worldview and belief systems.  Reiki is not limited to any one religion yet is present in all and outside of all religions as well.  There is no limit to how the Universal Life Force moves us, guides us and heals us.

Lately, I have seen and felt more openings to Reiki and energy healing in Christian communities.  There is a Reiki club at Harvard University-School of Divinity, and students on the path to becoming pastors there are working to have me come over and teach Reiki 1.  A group of Christians in Montana, including a pastor are also organizing a Reiki 1 seminar for this spring.  I give monthly sessions to women from my church, and have taught adult forums on Reiki and spiritual healing there (Central Lutheran).  I was recently in Yakima at a local church and learned they have Reiki treatments as part of their ministry.  Many churches are doing this, and of course it is not unique to the Christian church.  We see Reiki opening us as a people in different and new sectors and communities, mainstream and otherwise.

The Christian church is one of the places where Reiki could have a meaningful and significant impact.  This is not to suggest the Universal Life Force is not present, healing, transforming, and loving.  But, we are still a broken people with a painful history of intolerance and oppression.  There is so much diversity of thought and theology, yet I would say we, the church body as a whole, currently need healing of our fear of difference, intolerance, homophobia, racism and sexism.  Reiki transforms this fear and opens us to deeper connection with our selves and others across differences.  I feel called be one of the many voices for these changes and see Reiki as an important tool for this transformation and healing.

So in connecting back with my initial question – why isn’t Reiki a part of my Christian faith tradition? – my answer is a resounding: It is, always has been, and appears will be more so in the future.

Reiki Greetings Spring 2005