Quantum physics has discovered that our bodies are not solid entities, but rather interacting fields of universal vital life energy or Ki, in constant creative fluctuation that configure and re-configure who we are in ourselves, our relationships, and in the world. These energy fields have different levels or densities that comprise our aura and not only interact within us, but also between us and our environment. Therefore, our energy can be affected positively or negatively by the energy of our environment, the people around us, and also by our own thoughts, feelings and the other activities we choose on a daily basis.
When we take good care of ourselves and have a positive attitude, fulfilling work and relationships and a healthy diet, we tend to have a lot of healthy Ki which nourishes our cells, tissues and organs on the physical level and also sustains our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. When our energy level is high and our Ki is flowing freely through us — similar to water flowing freely in a fresh, clear stream — we feel good about ourselves, we’re confident and can accomplish things easily, and we’re less likely to become sick. However, when we don’t take good care of ourselves or are affected by unhealthy energies from our environment, from unhealthy thoughts we have or from unhealthy foods and beverages we ingest, our energy can become depleted and stagnant allowing unhealthy energy to form in our system. When unhealthy energy forms around a specific part of our body — similar to when a tree falls into the clear, free-flowing stream — physical toxins can accumulate around it blocking the flow of healthy Ki to that area. As more and more toxins accumulate, the body’s natural elimination process is disrupted often resulting in physical illness.
All conditions of dysfunction and disease are rooted in the human energy field, and it is these underlying energetic patterns that must be addressed and resolved in order to create conditions for wellness. This means that physical pain and illness are preexisting in non-visible energetic form before they manifest physically. Therefore, a major benefit of working with an energy healing method like Reiki, is that we have the ability to prevent many symptoms and illnesses before they have the chance to manifest at the physical level.
When a person receives a Reiki treatment, the healthy Ki flows through the practitioner’s hands and is drawn into the body by the recipients’ cells, tissues and organs to where it is needed. The practitioner’s own energy is not used. The energy flows into the recipient’s body through “nadis” which are energetic threads through which the vital life energy flows and is transmuted the into forms usable for optimal metabolic functioning of the body-mind system (See illustration at left). Nadis connect to the six major nerve plexuses of the body and the endocrine glands. The nerve plexuses, are nerve points that come together within the nervous system, influence our patterns of rest and activity. The endocrine system is primarily responsible for chemical homeostasis of the body and works to balance the body’s physical energy and stabilize mental and emotional functioning. While the digestive system takes in biochemical energy and molecular building blocks in the form of the food we eat, the taking in of Ki — the life-supporting universal life energy — is just as integral to the proper growth and maintenance of human life.
Because we all have free will, the recipient — whether offering a Reiki treatment to ourselves or to another person — is always in charge of their own healing. The recipient doesn’t need to do anything except relax and allow Reiki to flow and fulfill it’s healing mission. When Reiki is offered, it reenergizes the Ki within the body, making it stronger so it can flow freely again. Then in conjunction with the increased flow of Reiki, the body can eliminate physical toxins through it’s natural elimination avenues and the body fluids — similar to stirring up mud that has accumulated at the bottom of the stream and washing it away. Programmed for health, the body’s own innate wisdom supports Reiki’s healing energy — which is guided by the highest spiritual intelligence of the universe — and is able to self-right itself back to a stable state of mind-body-spirit balance and wholeness. Once the body’s Ki is again flowing in harmony with the loving, divine order of the universe and the physical toxins are removed, the body can heal itself and we can return to our natural state of wholeness — or true pure being.
— Portions adapted from The Japanese Art of Reiki by Bronwen and Frans Stiene and Reiki Energy Medicine by Libby Barnett and Maggie Chambers —
