Reiki principles

The Reiki Principles

Just for today, do not worry

Just for today, do not anger

Honor your parents, teachers and elders

Earn your living honestly

Show gratitude to everything

Traditional history says that Dr Usui received inspiration about the healing of spirit through a decision to take responsibility for one's own health and well-being in order for Reiki to have a lasting effect.

One of the most important aspects of the principles is the phrase Just for Today. Living in the moment, being aware of what is going on around you causes you to live in the present. Consider the thoughts that have been going through your mind. Are they present centred? or are you thinking about the past or future? The past is gone and the future has not arrived yet, so for today, try to stay in the moment you are in.

Here is an exercise for Living in the Moment:
Use your senses to pick up sensations.

Find a comfortable place to sit. Try to relax, concentrate and slow your breathing down.

Close your eyes and focus your attention on what you hear around you. What are the sounds, let your awareness spread out and see if you can hear more.

Then turn your attention to what you can smell. Breathe in the air slowly letting the smell linger. What can you smell? See if you can expand your sense of smell to find even more odors around you.

Next try to pay attention to your sense of touch. Are you aware of different parts of your body, the weight of your body in the chair, different textures of your clothing? Warmth or coolness against your skin, the tenseness of your muscles (letting them relax).

Now open your eyes and notice the light, colors and shapes of things. Look down at your own hands, see the texture and color of your skin

Spend time integrating this experience. This is what your life is like at this moment. For a few minutes you have paid attention to what is going on around you, what you are doing, all your senses. This is living in the present. Let yourself enjoy today, as it will never come again.

Just for Today, Do not Anger

Anger is a destructive emotion. We often express it to people close to us, and it usually hurts us as much as them. Anger is tied to expectations about what we believe should or shouldn't happen or may be a response to the past. Choosing to express anger is a conscious choice, we can chose not to be angry. Usually we will say "you made me angry" ,but in reality it is we who chose to be angry. We can chose not to at any given time. The way to change the tone of any situation is to talk calmly, expressing your feelings in a non-hurtful way. Its about holding an attitude of forgiveness, understanding and conciliation rather than anger, misunderstanding and confrontation. If one does find themselves angry, it is important to acknowledge your anger and not keep it bottled up without finding some safe release for it. Physical activity is an excellent way of getting rid of anger-going for a walk, swimming, singing, painting, housework, sports, talking things over with a friend, writing your feelings down in a letter and burning that letter watching it go up in smoke along with your anger.

Just for Today, Do not Worry

Worry is often our usual response to something we think is going to happen in the future (not the present) but often doesn't happen. Some people put themselves through weeks of agony only to have what they thought MIGHT happen not. If you can do something about the situation, go do it, if not, then just "let go and let flow". You can ask yourself this question.."is this going to matter a year from now, or 10 years from now?" Struggling to control a situation just creates an energy cycle which makes things worse. Choose not to worry, just for today.

Honor Your Parents, Teachers and Elders

This means we should honor and be grateful to everyone for the part they play in our lives: friends, neighbors, children, spouses, colleagues, store clerks, telephone receptionists, everyone we come into contact with throughout our day. I believe what goes around comes around. If you honor and respect others they will do the same.

Earn your Living Honestly

This refers to all the work you do from cooking a meal for your family to meditating or reading inspirational books. We confuse what we do with who we are , taking our identity or the importance of it from what kind of job we have. We need to remember we are human beings not human doings. Everyone of us is valuable and special and not because of some job title. We all play special roles in each others lives and we all impact each other in many different ways. All work is valuable and we should honor ourselves for doing it and create the best we can with satisfaction in what we do. Take it from the simplest tasks and be present and find enjoyment in what you are doing at the moment. Be honest with yourself, accept yourself for who you are.

Show Gratitude to Every Living Thing

As our consciousness is raised we realize that we are part of the Universal Life Force and begin to feel more connected to everything and understand that we are all connected; what we do effects others. We come to realize there is no place for negative behaviors on this planet and all (people, animals, plants) should be respected. We all have a role to play and should be valued, respected and treated with kindness. We need to be grateful for our many blessings even when we think that life is difficult. When our life is calm and happy we mostly take our blessings for granted. Most of us living in the West live pretty good lives. We need to constantly remind ourselves how wonderful our life really is. There will be ups and downs, sometimes we will be happy, sometimes sad, but every experience we have had has made us who we are. So, for today show gratitude for everything and show thanks for your many blessings in this life.

Much Love & Reiki Blessings