Reiki: A Disturbing Substitute for Faith

Reiki: A Disturbing Substitute for Faith | Anna Abbott | A Special Report for Catholic World Report

Reiki, a “healing” practice, has gone from the New Age fringe to the cultural mainstream to the insides of convents.

On March 25, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued guidelines for the evaluation of Reiki, a Japanese healing practice based upon "universal energy" that has gained increasing popularity in Catholic retreat centers and other institutions. The USCCB statement said that the therapeutic practice "lacks scientific credibility" and is "inappropriate for Catholic institutions."

Some time ago, in a Napa Valley pharmacy, I came upon 10 people in a circle listening to a woman instruct them on Reiki. She walked around them, resting her hands on their shoulders as they sat with their eyes closed. Afterwards, some said they felt warmth; others, “tingling.”

The demonstration seemed in a way innocuous, yet I sensed something awry and opted out, retreating to the herbal tea samples section. A few years before, that same Reiki practitioner had offered me a free “sample” of her work; I declined then as well. Somehow Reiki didn’t strike me as harmless meditation or healing.

Nevertheless, Reiki has gone from the fringes of the New Age to the cultural mainstream.  Newsweek has highlighted it with acupuncture and other methods. It is offered at hotels and spas. In the Napa Valley Register in November 2005, a woman credited Reiki with curing her of pancreatic cancer, claiming she visualized God as golden energy flowing through her body. Reiki also enjoys the favor of celebrities such as Prince Charles.

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Comments

[Frances Daly]

Congrats to Anna Abbott and her article above re 'Reiki'. It may be of help Anna to see the link I attach from Maranatha Community in England on their document produced a few years ago. It reveals the harmful effects of Reiki. God bless your work, you are certainly guided by above!
http://tinyurl.com/cuq6kg

[MenTaLguY]

Ever since I researched Reiki (as an outsider rather than a practitioner) some years ago, I've been trying to encourage people to examine it critically. There has been (what seems to me) to have been a concerted effort to promote the practice among Christians, and it's a relief to see authors like Albot (not to mention the bishops!) giving it serious critical attention.

One phenomenon which was only briefly alluded to in the article is that Reiki healing is often specifically understood to occur through the guidance of spirits called "Reiki guides" which are intrinsic to the practice, but which do not ordinarily manifest to a practitioner until they have committed themselves more deeply to it in Reiki II. "Christian Reiki" resources will often disclaim this, but -- tellingly -- frequently go on to suggest that "angels" might serve a comparable role.

Many pages and resources about Reiki misrepresent the practice and obscure its origins in an effort to make it more palatable to Christians, but information about its early history is out there. While Dr. Usui may have been a Christian, he "discovered" the practices which became Reiki through occult researches in the context of Buddhism, and one of the pivotal events in the early history of Reiki was the suicide of his protegé, Dr. Hayashi:

After some more time it was nearing when World War II would start, the part in Europe already having begun. Dr. Hayashi appeared to Mrs. Takata in a dream asking her to come to Japan. She did this and found Dr. Hayashi having his Naval Uniform out of storage and fretful. With the coming war he knew it was a matter of time before the Navy would call him out of retirement and he would be asked to perform actions he was not capable of doing due to his spiritual development. At this time he passed to Mrs. Takata the leadership of Reiki. He gathered all the Reiki Masters to a gathering, announced Mrs. Takata to be the leader of Reiki, and then announced he would kill his physical body through bursting three blood vessels. And as he continued speaking and lecturing those blood vessels burst and he died.

There is nothing in the origins of the practice to suggest that it is in any way compatible with Christianity.