Japanese Pizza

I’m all for multiculturalism and diversity. I live — and thrive — in New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world. 

But when I saw Japanese Pizza listed at a local restaurant, it gave me pause. I enjoy both Japanese food and (really good) pizza, but the thought of the two together makes me queasy. (This from someone who’ll eat dark chocolate with anything. Well, maybe not pizza.)

I started wondering where we are heading — not the restaurant industry, but all of us, and especially the Reiki community — you and me.

When we mix up everything indiscriminately, are we celebrating diversity — or obliterating it?

And when it comes to spiritual practices such as Reiki, meditation, yoga, or taiji, what is gained by inventing a new practice without first taking the old one out for a thorough run? In the rush to be different — or better, faster, greater — are we not seeing how much we slow ourselves down with unnecessary complications?

I remember giving a phone consult to a Reiki master seeking guidance. I asked him the question I always ask: Do you practice daily self-treatment?

He did not, and was flabbergasted to learn that I did. I could hear his jaw drop. I was at a loss to understand why a Reiki master found daily practice so daunting until he continued, “You mean you lie on your white wool mat with your feet facing west and this crystal on your right and and and (going through a list of details)…every day?

“No,” I said, “I just place my hands on my head or torso, usually before I even open my eyes in the morning.”

“And that works?”

“Yeah, it seems to be working.”

Many years later, it still seems to be working.

I practice today — and every day — the simple practice I was taught in 1986. If I hadn’t kept my practice simple — if I had mixed it up with other wonderful things in my life — how could I have discovered how effective this simple practice is? How could I have gained the confidence that my practice is always here for me, even when placing hands is all the effort I can possibly make?

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10 thoughts on “Japanese Pizza”

  1. Theresa, Mrs. Takata frequently said, “A little Reiki is better than no Reiki.” She encouraged her students to use the full head-and-torso protocol, but it was very simple, no special ritual other than moving your hands through the sequence.

    The length of my morning treatment varies. It’s often an hour, and it’s sometimes 2. But it’s rare that it’s less than half an hour.

  2. dear pamela

    wow thanks for that tip. i seem to have a full ritual every time i do reiki. how simple it could be . how long do you spend in the am with your hands on yourself? when i am practicing reiki daily on my self it is a solid hour and thirty minutes start to finish. no wonder i don’t want to do it every day. this full beautiful ritual was taught to me by my master teacher. i have continued with the tradition. i need to try a new approach so i am getting the benefits of reiki daily. again, thanks for your help

    respectfully

    theresa sheehan
    rmp

  3. Thank you for your comment, Rowan. From a practitioner of another modality, it carries much weight.

    And I agree that “it is essential to truly understand what Reiki is and is not…” and that Reiki practice is about self-enlightenment (the ultimate healing).

    However, I propose that Reiki practice is not channeling energy, and that there is no separate “Reiki energy.” Rather, the circulation of all subtle bioenergies is normalized through Reiki practice–and here I completely agree with you–as a by-product of a much more comprehensive process of enlightenment. Distinguishing between Reiki “energy” and Reiki as consciousness opens one’s understanding considerably. It also requires relentless effort, because the channeling-Reiki-energy model is generally accepted without question or contemplation.

    This of course means that only people who subscribe to the channeling-energy belief can comfortably approach Reiki practice. This is an obstacle for those who find the channeling model limiting, but don’t have the experience or cultural background to put it in the broader context.

  4. Thanks for this Pamela,
    As a Reiki practitioner and a Shamanic practitioner, I often combine Reiki with other techniques. That having been said, I think it is essential to truly understand what Reiki is and is not before (if ever) combining it with any other modality. Self care with Reiki is essential for every Reiki practitioner. After all, Reiki is first and foremost a self-enlightenment system. The ability to channel this energy for others is essentially a side effect, not the goal (or shouldn’t be in my opinion). So it seems to me that self awareness, self exploration and self care should be the center from which all other Reiki practice flows.

  5. I love how you see things Pamela, and I’m certainly wondering myself still, what exactly a Japanese pizza might be! I agree completely with the daily self-treatment, and with keeping it simple.
    I was at a public event today, volunteering for the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP). I am a member, and a qualified Psychotherapist. The people that came up to me on the stand were asking about training, how can they train to become a Psychotherapist? And when I told them that part of the training is, at the very least, 50 hours of your own personal therapy, most of them backed off. They did not want to do the work themselves, for themselves. Some part of them was hoping that they would magically resolve their own personal issues by learning how to help others. And in order to join the IACP, you need to continue your own personal work on an ongoing basis.
    As Reiki does not have a requirement of self-treatment, it is up to us to do this for ourselves. Once we are clear, healthy and connected to Reiki, our clients will come. As practitioners, we have a responsibility to regulate our own practice of Reiki, including self-treatment.
    Keep talking, keep supporting each other, keep the Reiki practice strong and vibrant so we can continue to spread the light to people who need it.
    Abby

  6. This was a great article Pamela.
    So many practitioners that I meet are eager to mix something in with their Reiki practice to make it “more effective”. I even had a Quantum Touch practitioner tell me that by learning that practice it would make my Reiki even stronger. I responded by reminding her that energy comes from one source and there is no “stronger” or “better”, that it just “is”. No matter the technique, the energy from source is what it is, no amount of mixing of practices is going to change that.
    Daily Reiki self treatment, reminds me of what Reiki is capable of and my purpose as a healer as well as keeps me a clear channel for the energy and the abundance that comes with that.
    Thanks for sharing your view point with us : )

  7. Amber,

    A lot will come from your own enthusiasm for self-treatment. Why don’t you list and contemplate all the benefits that you receive from your practice. And remember that people need reinforcement–come back to the importance of consistent daily practice many times during the class. And include enough time for in-class practice as well as home practice that they “report on” in the next class session.

    I state my intention clearly at the beginning of each class. I tell my students they are signing on for self-treatment, every day, for the rest of their lives, and that although the class itself is very healing, if they don’t practice, the benefits will diminish.

    I ask my students to commit to 6 months of daily self-treatment. I’m confident that within 6 months they will feel such a difference in what it’s like to be themselves, living their lives, that they will be motivated to continue their practice.

    It’s also helpful to have a venue–a Reiki share or clinic–where your students can practice together, to support their enthusiasm during the “dry spells.”

  8. (website not up yet)

    Pamela…this was an excellent arcticle. Thankyou. I wish more people understood this. When I teach, I let my students know that no crystals etc. will be used with class and that only Reiki is being taught. I teach the importance of self treatment as it was taught to me but I find that 1 out of 4 or 5 (guesstamet) students do not do self treatment….do you have any ideas how I might change the numbers here???Or maybe an approach that I might take to help students see the importance? I’m wondering if this is a reflection…:-(

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