Reiki people are often shocked, Pamela, to realize Hawayo Takata didn’t give us a very good translation of the Japanese kanji for Reiki.
Takata brought Reiki to the U.S. (with full support of her Japanese Reiki master), and was devoted to Reiki practice, so how did that happen?
Easily. But it’s not that Takata failed us; our language did.
The English language just doesn’t have an equivalent word or phrase for Reiki, because it refers to something not valued in our culture.
Language develops in any culture to express the ways and values of that particular culture.
Un-American, in a good way
What Reiki represents isn’t a cultural value in either the U.S, or in other English-speaking countries, or in European countries.
Hawayo Takata did the best she could — thank you! — and that’s why we’re able to have this conversation.
If you think about it, how can anyone understand something that isn’t part of their culture?
Well, it takes commitment and an openess to learn. And in this case, it takes practice.
Let’s continue this conversation in January. If you missed the first two installments, you can catch up here and here.
Meanwhile, you might contemplate this: if rather than “universal life force energy,” the Reiki kanji points to something more like Oneness, how might that change your understanding of Reiki practice, and how you talk about it?
Free I Love MySelf Reiki Session
Shall we practice together in 2025’s first free online I Love MySelf Reiki Practice on January 7?
You can register here, and then please share the invite. All your people are welcome, whether they’re Reiki trained or not.
The free self practice sessions are a great way to take the pressure off while introducing family and friends to Reiki.
Sometimes that’s an easy conversation, but sometimes it gets…complicated.
Maybe you’ve been there, and gotten discouraged. Or felt sidelined.
Talking about Reiki is way harder than practicing Reiki. I’ve had decades of practice, so you can shift the burden to me. Just keep in mind these are practice sessions, not a proper Reiki training.
If you’re wondering about training, my short article 5 Things You Must Know about Reiki will help you make a choice that’s a good fit for you.
And of course I’d love to train you — or help you fill in the gaps, if you’ve taken a training that didn’t feel complete, or didn’t inspire you to self practice daily.
Daily, as in every day. That’s how you get the most value from your practice.
My next comprehensive, traditional First Degree Reiki training is in January.
And there’s still a spot in Mexico.
This is the 3rd in a series that starts here.
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