I would like to talk to you about the spiritual path of Reiki, Reiki-Do.
When I first encountered Reiki in February 2002, my life was very, very different from what it is now. Much worse. Obviously, many things have happened over the years that could justify or explain this change; however, I have no doubt that the most significant, powerful, and clear influence of this great transformation has been the practice of Reiki.
For me, Reiki started as a practice for healing or health. My understanding of Reiki was extremely limited, and it was that very limitation that led me to think that practicing Reiki daily would “simply” help improve my health, vitality, and mood. I never imagined what Reiki would come to mean for me, nor did I ever think that one day I would be giving Reiki sessions to strangers or teaching it in different countries.
Reiki entered my life. It stayed. It grew. It encompassed everything. It made me happier than I ever thought possible. The regular practice of Reiki introduced me to meditation and healthy habits: between the ages of 16 and 25, I didn’t read a single book. Then, between 4 and 10 books per month. I smoked. I drank. I ate unhealthily. I stayed up late. I lacked empathy. I didn’t respect nature… Everything changed. In difficult moments, Reiki supported me. In moments that were too easy, Reiki moderated me.
The regular practice of Reiki not only grew but became the center of my life. Even after getting married. Even after becoming a father. If there is something I’ve learned in these more than twenty years of practice, it is that if you allow it, Reiki will not only improve your life and surroundings, but it will accompany you in a spiritual awakening that will give meaning to everything.
It is a practice of perseverance, moderation, and humility. Three great qualities that are really difficult to consolidate, but if you manage to do so, your life will be full. No doubts. No buts. No judgments.
Perseverance because Reiki will change everything, but not overnight. It does so in a respectful, ongoing, and profound way. Reiki simply requires that firm commitment to get up six days a week at 5:30 or 6:00 AM and practice before the day begins. I promise you, this will change everything. It doesn’t matter if you’re going through a tough time, persevere in the practice. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a sweet moment, persevere in the practice. It doesn’t matter if you have good, solid excuses, persevere in the practice.
Moderation, because Reiki will teach you that discipline achieves everything, but only if we understand our human nature—changing, contradictory, and emotional—which means discipline needs, from time to time, a bit of flexibility. Moreover, in a world full of distractions, leisure, and indulgence, moderation is key to never losing our center and balance in life.
Humility because the more you practice, the more you sit in silence each morning, the more you recite the principles of Reiki, and of course, the more life experiences you go through, the more you realize the smallness and insignificance of what we are in comparison with the history of life itself, the Universe, or, why not, God.
At 6:00 AM, I begin my ritual: a glass of warm water with a little lemon. Twenty to 30 minutes of exercise, alternating between Qi Gong, Yoga, and physical exercise, depending on the day. Then, 10 minutes of prayer: with my hands in Gassho, I simply recite the Gokai (the five spiritual principles of Reiki), my personal prayer, and share my anxieties, fears, or dreams to ask for and feel the help of something much bigger than myself. Then, 25 minutes of silence. Some days, this unalterable practice is followed by a 30-minute self-treatment of Reiki. Other days, I do the self-treatment practice at night. What happens between the end of the morning practice and the evening is the same as what happens to anyone: children, work, calls, emails… Only, in my case, there’s also Reiki, lots of Reiki, and meditation. Classes and therapies. At 9:00 PM, an alarm goes off: ‘read’ it warns me. At 10:00 PM, another alarm goes off: ‘sleep’ it tells me. Occasionally, indulgence pushes me to ignore the alarms, but I am very conscious of how important it is to follow them in order to maintain an internal and spiritual balance, so I try not to ignore them almost ever.
Reiki is not a therapeutic practice. Reiki is a spiritual path. It is a practice that subtly teaches you to look at yourself first and, later and gently, teaches you that other people also exist, and suffer, and yearn, and feel lonely and lost. Reiki is a spiritual path because, when practiced regularly, you feel the joy and pain of nature as your own, and you want to relieve it. You feel the loneliness and despair of others as your own, and you want to alleviate them. You feel that nothing makes sense unless it is for and by all. And it is, right at that moment, when everything makes sense.
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