by Marvin Whitbeck
A powerful and effective way to help others with Reiki is to organize a healing service in your church. Not only does this provide an opportunity for people to receive healing, it also helps people become acquainted with Reiki. Many churches, such as Unity, Unitarian Universalist and Church of Religious Science to mention a few, are open to the idea of spiritual healing. A healing service using Reiki and Reiki like techniques is a wonderful idea that can implement the purpose of the church - healing its members - as well as give people a personal experience of Reiki.
I have taken part in organizing several healing services in two different churches over the past year with enthusiastic results.
The steps taken were as follows:
- Talk to the ministers to get permission and cooperation.
- Meet with them to plan the order of service.
- Make announcements and place notices about the service.
- Recruit healers asking for volunteers who practice Reiki as well as those who practice other Reiki like techniques.
- Meet with the Music Director to select and arrange background music as well as solos and congregational singing.
- Arrange for ushers to guide people to healer s chairs.
- Decorating the sanctuary, including candles.
- Meet with the healers as a group immediately preceding the healing service to review the Order of Service, answer questions, pick partners and meditate to become centered.
The service opens with a meditation emphasize healing thoughts. Introductory remarks include guidelines for congregants who want to receive healing and the fact that offering baskets will be placed at the door for any who wish to make a donation when the service is over. Comments and suggestions were also asked to be placed in the offering baskets. Chairs are arranged in front of the auditorium - one chair for every two healers. Music is played as the healers move to the front to take their places beside their chairs. The music continues as ushers guide those requesting healing up to an available chair. The person is quietly asked by the healers if they have a special request. Rather than draw the Reiki symbols with the hand, they are repeated silently and pictured in the mind. Healers work on each person until both feel the healing is complete but not longer than about 5-7 minutes. Then the person is asked to return to their seat and the ushers escort another person up. This continues until all who request receive healing. Then the healers work on themselves. Following this, all join in a great circle (including the congregation) holding hands to give thanks and send healing to others in need and to the world. A closing hymn is sung by the congregation and the service is concluded.
Conducting the services has required planning, coordinating, contacting healers, sanctuary preparation, and most of all, the donation of time from the healers and all others who help.
My first service took months to organize, but it was worth it. (Subsequent services were much easier.) We had about 100 people with 14 healers. Comments received include: "Thank you for a wonderful service. This is what Unity is all about, love and healing." "I really enjoyed the spiritual healing service and hope it will be done on a regular basis." "I wish the church would have regular healing services." (This comment was repeated many times.) "A very spiritually moving experience." "More spiritual healing services. This evening was wonderful."
An interest was also expressed by many for a healing class. So I organized a Reiki class and had 17 people sign up. More classes are to follow. It is a nice "plus" that in addition to all the healing given and received at these services, many new people are becoming acquainted with Reiki and taking classes. This increase in the use of Reiki is certain to make the world a better place.
