Reiki History & Training From Bodhi Mindful

Recently, I have come across a couple of different articles and podcasts that speak to the beauty of oral tradition.

Originally, Usui Reiki was taught as an oral tradition, with little or no notes accompanying the teaching.

Today, there are many different schools of Reiki, and each has its particular style and learning materials. One thing many people do not realize is that at the time Dr Mikao Usui began to offer his version of Reiki, there were at least two other practices (possibly four) already in circulation in Japan.

However, these older systems all fell into disuse. Usui's Reiki system carried on due to a fascinating story of Mrs Hawayo Takata.

She was a young Japanese widow living in Hawaii when she travelled to deliver news of her sister's death to her parents living in Japan.

Takata was suffering from a variety of ailments mainly centered around her abdomen and was told to have an operation before returning to Hawaii. She heard of a Reiki clinic in Tokyo run by Usui's successor, Dr Chujiro Hayashi, and decided to visit there before the operation.

Four months later, Takata's health had improved, and she was so impressed that she asked to learn Reiki for herself. Two years later, in 1938, Takata returned to Hawaii having been initiated as a Reiki Master by Hayashi. By the time of her death in 1980, Takata had initiated 22 Reiki Masters, and this helped cement this modern mystery school in the West.

I am blessed to have learned from my wonderful Reiki Master in Japan, Rosayln Hagiwara. She learned from a few different teachers, and was able to amalgamate her learning into what she taught me.

And now I am finally looking forward to creating my own Reiki training this spring. At the moment, most internationally recognized Reiki organizations/associations are still only accepting members who receive face-to-face attunements--preserving the earlier place oral tradition had in transmitting Reiki from teacher to student.

Still, since distance Reiki is possible, many people ask why distant attunements are not also possible? I believe the answer is anything is possible! But as with any kind of change, it takes time for larger groups to adapt to changes, so in the meantime, face-to-face attunements are the only way to be accepted into the main international organizations associated with Reiki.

For now, I will be designing my teachings to help people with self-practice, which is Level I training. I am hoping to coordinate with other Reiki Masters so that local attunements can be done while recognizing the training from another teacher.

Stay tuned for more details to come on the Level I Reiki training with Bodhi Mindful!