First of all, I am interested in the way we use the word “lineage.” It seems that with only a few exceptions, all of the Reiki experiences I’ve had through various teachers, treatment and reading come through Hawayo Takata. At various points in time since she brought Reiki from Japan, have people in this stream begun new lineages or just changed the practice she taught? What is the difference between different lineages and different forms of practice?

I am also personally challenged at times by these various different forms of practice. I’ve had friends exclaim that they’d never want a Reiki treatment because they don’t believe in past lives. Just the other day, as I explained my long and rewarding course of Reiki study to a colleague, they said that they never took Reiki seriously because they saw the people could become Masters in a weekend course. Another friend who is now a dedicated Reiki practitioner said that they never took it seriously until they experienced Reiki through my practice. Others teased me about some Reiki fabrications on the cover of a national Reiki magazine. “Reiki Man????” New age soup?

So, I think it’s more complicated than the idea that more Reiki shingles the more notice is received. Some of this notice I really would prefer not having!

This blog post has come along at a very opportune time. Right now, where I live, there’s been a large advertisement for a weekend from a “traditional Usui Reiki teacher.” However, it’s now called “Quantum Reiki” and one can become a master in a weekend. In fact, one “has” to become a master in a weekend because that’s the curriculum. I have to say, I don’t like seeing this. I don’t care for this shingle!

And of course, this brings me back to my practice. I practice daily, I allow it to grow. I pass along what my esteemed teachers have taught and allow others to have their own experience of Reiki.