by William Lee Rand
This is an excerpt from the new book William has written with Arjava Petter and Walter Lubeck titled The Spirit of Reiki.
Because of the change that consciousness is undergoing on the planet, Reiki has a wonderful future. Reiki is becoming more popular because of this change at the same time that it is one of the reasons the change is taking place. In fact, you could say that the spirit of Reiki is the spirit of our planet's future.
In the past people have attempted to preserve their well being by establishing and defending their differences and creating separateness; separateness from other individuals, other ethnic groups, other religions, other countries, etc. Maintaining our separateness has been of paramount importance and we have devoted the majority of our resources to doing this. The underlying idea was that peace will come only when we first protect ourselves from others and then dominate them. The result has been the development of weapons of greater and greater destructiveness and a world that became less and less safe.
The assumption that separateness was the solution to our security came from fear. This fear came mostly from not knowing or understanding members of other groups, religions, and countries etc. Fear creates distortions in ones thinking and this is what caused people to accept this false assumption.
The truth is that we are not separate. We are all interconnected. This has been an important part of the teachings of many spiritual groups and native peoples since ancient times. It is also a basic truth of Reiki consciousness. Fortunately, as the world becomes a smaller place and activities in the world have speeded up, this truth has become easier to see. Many of the world’s leaders are realizing this and have begun to work more closely together. We can see this in the end of the Cold War, the destruction of the Berlin wall; and the fact that the major powers of the world are now working together to solve problems and create peace rather than to engage in or instigate war.
Most of the countries of the world have gotten the message too and are beginning to operate under the assumption that if we all work together, everyone will be better off. And while there are still major problems in the world, there are tremendous resourses being focused on them. It appears that we are over the hump. We are quickly moving from a world where separateness, power and control are the main methods of organization to a world where love, cooperation and acceptance is becoming the primary basis of our activities. These are the basic qualities that Reiki creates in any person or situation it is directed toward. It is certain that the increased use of Reiki in the world is contributing to this process.
Reiki will help bring world peace
One of the difficulties the world has experienced is the struggles that have taken place between different religious and ethnic groups. In fact when we look at the history of the world, we can see that many of the wars that have been fought have been over religious differences where one religious group try’s to dominate the other. This has caused great suffering in the world and created religious hatreds that go directly against religious principles. Much of the suffering in the world comes from religious intolerance.
Because Reiki is spiritual, yet not a religion, it has attracted students from all religious and spiritual backgrounds. There are catholic priests and nuns that practice Reiki. Jews, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists practice Reiki. Jains, Zoroastrinists, Taoists, and Shintoists practice Reiki. Wiccans, shamans, native peoples and those on independent spiritual paths practice Reiki. Virtually all religious groups are attracted to the practice of Reiki. An important reason for this is that Reiki gives each person a more immediate experience of the divine. Reiki places everyone more directly in contact with the higher power; regardless of the name one may call it and provides direct experience of the higher powers grace and compassion. Because of this, Reiki is helping to unite all people of the world regardless of religious or ethnic background.
One of the things I notice from teaching all over the world is that Reiki people seem to be the same wherever I go. There seems to be a sparkle in the eye and a special positive energy that all Reiki people share. This special energy seems to break through all barriers between those who have Reiki. As more and more people open up to the practice of Reiki, the common thread it provides between all religious groups will help them to see each other as friends rather than enemies.
In addition, the fact that Reiki can and is being sent at a distance by many people to heal world crisis situations adds another dimension to the healing Reiki provides for the world. The number of people in the world who practice Reiki will continue to grow. This in turn will increase the help Reiki is providing to create world peace.
Many have experienced the fact that as more people gather together in one group to do Reiki, the strength of each person’s Reiki goes up. This means that the total amount of Reiki energy being channeled increases exponentially. As an example, if you double the number of people doing Reiki in a group, rather than having twice as much Reiki flowing, you actually have four times as much. This also applies to the number of people in the world who are doing Reiki. Therefore, as the number of people in the world who do Reiki goes up, it is causing a tremendous increase in the amount of Reiki flowing in the world. At some point in the near future, a critical point will be reached where there will be so much Reiki flowing on the planet that world peace will come very quickly. In the near future, Reiki, working with all other forms of religious and spiritual practice will make the difference that brings peace to the world.
As this happens, we will see the members of all religions acknowledging, honoring and respecting each other. The world’s religious leaders will be seen together, working to promote higher spiritual consciousness. In the past, only saints and rare individuals could work miracles and have powerful spiritual experiences. As consciousness shifts into a higher dimension, new possibilities will develop for the “common” person allowing everyone to have a direct experience of the higher power that produces results in ones everyday life. Current religions will go through major transformations and new religions will be come into being. Reiki will play an important role in these spiritual developments.
The paradigm shift is happening now and the popularity of Reiki is one of the key indicators.
In the past, if one did Reiki, one often found it difficult to explain to others. Often Reiki practitioners would keep this fact to themselves out of fear that others would ridicule them. If Reiki or other healing practices were described on news programs or in the newspaper, it was often done in a derogatory way. Reiki people and other healers were portrayed as being weird and misguided or even worse, as charlatans.
This attitude began to change in the mid-90’s. Reiki became more popular and accepted by the general public. News programs began to air short segments on Reiki and portray it in a positive way, often saying “this is what people are doing now” as a way of informing the public of something that is becoming more popular. Scientific research began to be conducted on Reiki with positive results. Alternative medicine in general became more popular. A report by David Eisenburg indicated that in the US, over 100 million people were receiving some form of alternative health care and spending over 14 Billion dollars of their own money for their sessions.
I noticed about this time that not only were more nurses enrolling in my Reiki classes, but so were some doctors! These doctors and nurses began reporting to me about their experiences doing Reiki in hospitals and clinics. At first, this was difficult and many of their stories were filled with experiences of resistance and difficulty from other members of the hospital staff and the administration. Then as time went by, and Reiki continued to be promoted in hospitals and clinics, the stories began to include more and more successes and greater acceptance of Reiki.
Now at the beginning of the Millennium, Reiki is really gaining a foothold. There are at least 100 hospitals in the US where Reiki is being offered. In many, Reiki has become a regular part of the service the hospital officially offers its patients! In these hospitals, organizations have been started to administer Reiki and other alternative practices. Some have developed protocols, guidelines and ethics that work in harmony with the hospital; at the same time they support the Reiki practitioners and the patients. This is turning into a major success story for Reiki. One indication of this is that those hospitals without a Reiki program are wanting to get started because they are noticing that they are losing patients to those hospitals with Reiki programs. Also, I have just started a “Reiki In Hospitals Support Group” for anyone currently doing Reiki in a hospital or for those who would like to get started. Please go to www.reikiinhospitals.org on the web for more information.
The current attitude is so positive for Reiki and other alternative practices in the US that this trend will certainly grow. I predict that in a short time, Reiki will be offered at most hospitals across the US. In addition, health insurance programs are now looking at Reiki as a possible insurance benefit. As soon as a few add it, the competitive nature of the health insurance industry will cause all of them to include Reiki. Then health insurance will pay for Reiki treatments. The need for Reiki practitioners will grow quickly and Reiki will have become established as a normal part of health care in the US. This will happen easily within the next 10 years!
Looking further into the future, I see advances made in the effectiveness of Reiki treatments. As science gets involved in studying what makes Reiki work, the increased understanding will be used to improve its effectiveness. Also, as more and more people practice Reiki and continue to heal the deeper aspects of themselves, improvements will be made and they will become better healers. With all this attention from both the spiritual and the scientific communities, breakthroughs are bound to happen creating even greater benefits. I see no end to this process of improvement. In the future, when a person gets sick, many hospitals will use Reiki first to heal the patient and in most cases, because of the improved effectiveness of Reiki, this is all the patient will need. Only if Reiki does not heal the patient, would the doctor consider using allopathic methods.
The spiritual nature of Reiki will continue to develop also. We have seen that new forms of Reiki are continually being channeled. Some of these are more powerful. People are having more meaningful spiritual experiences from their attunements and treatments. The validation of Reiki by science and its complete acceptance by the public will move Reiki into a position of great importance. The increased use of Reiki by more and more people and its examination from different perspectives will quicken the process of development. Attunements and treatments will become more and more effective.
The higher power is infinite in nature. There is no limit to what can come from it. As we surrender more completely to the power of Reiki, the superconscious mind from which Reiki comes will be able to heal us more and more deeply. As this happens, we will become better able to hold and ground higher consciousness within our physical bodies. Our awareness will expand. We will channel ever-higher qualities of Reiki energy, which will produce even more meaningful healing. So strong will this energy become, that eventually the vales of illusion that prevent us from knowing our true nature will be broken, dissolved and released. This will lead at first to a few, but then quickly, to more and more people entering satori and becoming self-realized. This higher state of mind which only a very few people on earth have experienced will become the normal state for everyone. Our mission as a race of people will have been completed. The peace, love and freedom of the higher power will be established as the predominate power on the planet and Reiki will have fulfilled its divine purpose on earth. This is our future, yet it dwells within us now. Let us rejoice in our true nature as we experience it unfolding in our lives now.
