Receiving
Reiki treatments after my father's death inspired in me a desire to offer the
same experience to other people. I had
never thought of being a practitioner of any kind: at the time I was running a
theatre company, directing and secretly still wishing to be an actor! However there was something about Reiki that
touched me deeply and I wanted to share it.
So
I was delighted to be giving my first full Reiki treatment to someone outside
my immediate circle of family and friends just a couple of weeks after taking
the 1st degree class and I have been
giving Reiki treatments ever since. In
those early days I didn't know how much I didn't know! I naively thought that having completed 2nd
degree I was fully prepared for working with the public. Now, after over 25 years of experience, I
have a different perspective. However my
fundamental wish to share the wonder of Reiki with others hasn't changed.
 | |
| Reiki Master Kate Jones giving Reiki treatment |
Giving
Reiki treatments, I have found, can bring much joy. I have recently been reading "The Book
of Joy" which is based on conversations between His Holiness the Dalai
Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu. They
express the belief that humans are fundamentally good and that showing our
compassion for others is the best way to a happy life. Seeing Reiki treatments as a way to offer
service, one of the fundamentals of a spiritual life in many traditions, has
taken my practice deeper and brought more happiness and satisfaction to my
life.
Treating
family and friends can offer this sort of practice, but I have found that
offering Reiki treatments to people I don't know is even more profound. In the early days, treating strangers for the
first time, I discovered that although I didn't like everyone who came for
Reiki, something happened during the Reiki treatment that resulted in me having
compassion for them no matter who they were.
I believe that Reiki creates a field of grace, in which there is no judgement
and where connection in our essential humanity is natural. This grace creates a space for their physical,
mental and spiritual healing. To be a
part of this miracle still moves me.
I
have been involved for many years in helping to set standards for Reiki
practitioners who wish to offer public treatments. I am interested in seeing other practitioners
be successful in offering Reiki treatments, so that more people can benefit
from Reiki. This means ensuring that
those receiving Reiki treatment are honoured and respected, that practitioners
maintain their integrity and can offer Reiki in a supportive and comforting
way. Although this may seem to impose restrictions,
I see this as a way for practitioners to explore their practice more deeply, because
challenges can inspire personal and spiritual growth.
So
if you have learned Reiki and would like to deepen your Reiki practice I would
suggest that there is nothing better than becoming a public practitioner. Sharing the wonder of Reiki in a way that
will be recognised by wider society as being responsible and ideally
professional can benefit you and those you treat. It can be a wonderful way to give service in
the world that can enhance our quality of life: offering comfort and kindness to
strangers can bring joy to the giver as well as the recipient.
