Reiki Styles

There was a discussion on Linkdin recently following the inquiry "are there different styles of Reiki?"  Yes & no! 
There have been many different branches, since Mikao Usui brought it forward more than 100 years ago.  This article provides an interesting overview of the history in Japan, plus some of the Western modifications & modifiers!

Usui's focus (Usui-Do) was on a spiritual system rather than hands-on healing, and many of his students were Buddhist monks and nuns, including his neice Suzuki-san, Yuri-in (who lived past 100), & Tenon-in (aka Mariko-Obaasan) who in died in 2005 at 107. Research, practice and a traditional fast granted Usui a high level of Ki.

Around 1925, Usui-Sensei began 'renting out his dojo to others,' who would present their own lessons. Senior students Toshihiro Eguchi & Dr. Chuujiro Hayashi both explored healing, & included hand healing concepts and an energy transfer ceremony in their own teachings. Spiritual concepts were retained at the higher levels, while novices focused on healing. 

Several Naval officers joined the dojo, & founded a new society, Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. Meetings began to include readings of the Meiji Emperor's poetry (gyosei) - possibly to make the meetings seem more loyalist and not religious (which was outlawed at the time of the Taisho emperor.) 

Eguchi-sensei left the URR Gakkai in 1927, & continued to teach both his own & the more traditional system, while Hayashi left the group in 1931, & made revisions into the late 1930s. The articles on the site offer an interesting glimpse into early Japanese shifts.

Light in the darkness

At the Breitenbush Reiki Gatherings in the mid 1990s, Takata's granddaughter Phyllis & the other Masters and practitioners in the Usui/ Hayashi/ Takata lineage brought focus back to the rich spiritual heritage of Reiki. In a post on the Usui Shiki Ryo several aspects and elements common to Reiki are identified - the four Aspects of Reiki are defined as:

• A Healing practice - both for self treatment, & for the environment & those around
• Personal Development - self-awareness and becoming more authentic
• Spiritual Discipline - spiritual growth, development, identification of gifts
• Mystic Order - "A group of people who share a common practice that brings them in relation to reality beyond the realm of the five senses is considered a mystic order.

A comment I appreciated is toward the end of the first article - that Reiki seems to offer grounding sometimes lacking in other healing forms, & students from other disciplines often feel a positive shift after taking Reiki initiation. I've found this as well. 

The Reiki streams flow, merge & diverge; the energy - ah, the energy!