| Q.
I have heard that the Holy Spirit is the power in Reiki.
Is this true? |
- The
Holy Spirit is one member of the Catholic Christian religion’s Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Reiki
is not a religion. It is a form
of energy healing. The energy may be thought of as part of God’s creation
which God has given to make God’s reality plain to all
people.
(Romans 12.20) I would refer you to a
Catholic theologian for your question about the Holy Spirit.
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| Q.
Isn’t the energy used in Reiki known as “the universal life force?”
The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, but a person. |
- There
are writers on Reiki that do use this term, and it was used by the founder
of Reiki, a Buddhist monk (with Christian training). A Catholic Christian would be more likely to equate it to an
aspect of God’s creation as mentioned in the Letter to the Romans 1:20.
In that scripture, St. Paul states, “For since the creation of the
world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine
nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made….” In this sense, the Word-created healing energy used by Reiki practitioners is a witness to God's reality.
[John 1:2-3 He (Jesus) was with God in the beginning. Through
him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.]
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| Q.
As a Catholic Christian, we are encouraged to “pick up our cross and
follow Christ.” Who needs to
receive healing through Reiki if prayer to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ for healing goes unfulfilled? |
A. Picking
up our cross means accepting our reality and living faithfully in that
reality. That does not mean we
shouldn’t seek help from medical professionals or people in the
alternative-healing field. A Reiki
practitioner following Christ is showing Christ's compassion by
providing healing energy where possible.
Jesus never refused healing to anyone who came. |
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| Q.
A New Age writer has said “Reiki is wisdom and truth.” However, the Catholic Christian scriptures quote Jesus as
saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
How can Reiki be equated with truth? |
A. I believe this statement has been attributed to Hawayo Takata,
the woman who introduced Reiki to the United
States. If so, she was not speaking in a religious capacity, but
only saying that Reiki energy goes where it is most needed and seems to
have its own wisdom and truth in so doing. By the way, she preceded
the New Age movement as did Reiki. What some Catholic Christians
object to about Reiki is what New Age writers have written on the
subject. It is important to separate out New Age philosophy from the
simple practice of Reiki. Keep in mind that Reiki is not a religion,
and makes no religious claims.
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| Q.
Doesn’t the effect of practicing or receiving Reiki water down the
Catholic Christian faith? |
A. To
the contrary, Reiki is a practical demonstration of God-created energy which
promotes healing, relieves pain and decreases the effects of stress on the
body. To a Catholic Christian,
this can be experienced as a sign of God’s love and compassion.
To a non-believer, this can be a bridge to the Gospel which is the
Good News of God’s love in Jesus, our Savior.
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Q.
Can’t evil appear as an “angel of light,” something that looks good
but is not of God? I wonder if
Reiki is just this—evil appearing good. |
- Reiki
is a healing practice. To my
knowledge there is no evidence in the Catholic Christian scriptures, nor in
Catholic Christian tradition, where healing was caused by evil.
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| Q.
Don’t you think Reiki energy’s healing and comfort could lead someone
away from Jesus Christ rather than closer? |
- Reiki
is not a religion and is not in competition with Catholic
Christianity.. Reiki is only the practice of bringing healing energy
to others. As a Catholic
Christian and a Reiki master, I bring Jesus into the healing process through
my witness to the Gospel. I
consider the energy of Reiki to be something created by God to demonstrate
God’s practical love to each and every living thing.
I see it as a tool used by those with the spiritual gift of healing
spoken of in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
[ In the Gospel of John, we are told that all things were made
through the Word who is Jesus, the Christ.
This being so, the healing energy brought by a Reiki practitioner is
available to all through the creative work of our Lord.]
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| Q.
Doesn’t the practice of Reiki take away from the saving work of Jesus
Christ? |
- As
Reiki is not a religion and does not claim anything regarding the salvation
of the soul, and since it brings a healing energy to the body, it can point
to the creator of that healing energy, Jesus, the Christ, "through whom
all things were made.".
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Q.
How can Reiki be said to be “an effective tool in helping us realize
our ultimate self-realization? Isn’t
this like saying that Reiki is necessary for salvation? |
- Self-realization is a
psychological aspect of becoming a whole human being, not a factor in
salvation from sin provided by Jesus Christ. Therefore, Reiki is a tool for helping the human aspect
of a person heal. Salvation
from sin is through Jesus Christ.
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Q.
A Reiki master has written: “When
we reach spiritual consciousness we can guide our life energy (Reiki) to
optimize our spiritual, physical, emotional and mental states.”
This sounds like Reiki energy is necessary to be the best Catholic
Christian I can be. Is this
correct? |
- What this writer may mean is
that the Reiki energy (when attributed to God the Creator, Jesus Christ to
the Catholic Christian) conveys God’s personal love to body, mind and
emotions through a healing touch. This
is truly a beneficial outcome, but in no way is Reiki essential to being a
Catholic Christian any more than is taking Aspirin.
Reiki is not a religion, only a way of supporting healing in the
individual person.
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