Stop Worrying, Just Practice

I've often been surprised by the number of people who write to me, worrying that they might be using Reiki inappropriately.

In their mind, they have a set of ideal conditions for Reiki practice — a quiet room, a state of deep meditation, no distractions, total focus, etc. — and they can't help but feel that anything less would be ‘disrespectful’ to Reiki.

As a result, they tend not to practise much — if ever.

Their lives are too busy to find those perfect conditions, so although they know Reiki would do them a lot of good, they sadly give it up.

Now, I'm only guessing, but this attitude appears to have crossed over from mainstream religion. It’s the type you sometimes find in a church or a temple. It’s the one where spiritual devotees look more like they’re making a trip to the morgue rather than the 'House of God'.

It's the attitude that condemns any overt displays of happiness or joy because that would be — wait for it — ‘disrespectful’.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm sure most of you have been to church at least several times in your life, and unless the ones you have visited are a little less orthodox (they do exist, fortunately), I doubt you found many people who joked or laughed there.

No, what you generally find in traditional churches (at least in, say, Australia and Italy) are people with their heads bowed in what they take to be humility — a state that is apparently at odds with exuberant joy (or at the very least, any overt expression of it).

Of course, there are other reasons why people might feel the need to appear sombre in church. Perhaps — like in a library — they don't wish to disturb others who are in prayer or quiet contemplation.

Point taken.

But still, a little levity, a little energy — some enthusiasm and delight wouldn't go astray either.

Because, after all, we are meant to be in the 'House of God' — and that should be a place of celebration, a place that fills us to the brim with happiness.

But what about ‘disrespect’? Shouldn't we show the proper pious attitude to God, or in our case, Reiki?

Well, that depends on what sort of 'God' you believe in. Because I, personally, doubt that God takes 'himself ' as seriously as we do.

In fact, I’m confident God can live with people not only forgetting to be as serious as they ought to be, I think he could probably even take a joke at his own expense. After all, do you seriously think it is very ‘Godly’ to get ruffled by a few impious words or trivial mortal actions?

That, to me, sounds more like something that would bother regular mortals — not God.

Which gets us to the 'gods’ of Reiki (and no, I’m not using the term ‘gods’ literally!).

Are they really so precious that they get offended if we practise Reiki, say, while on a tram?

Do they really lose a night's sleep because we practise while watching the Friday night footy?

(I hope not!)

No. In my view of the world, the Reiki gods like nothing more than for us to summon them forth.

They love to flow into our world. They love to come alive.

And if this happens at a football game, then they are delighted.

Indeed, the tragedy for them is to be ignored. They want to participate in everything we do, to fill us with their light.

Of course, I'm not saying that the benefits of 'football Reiki' are equivalent to those of its more traditional meditative forms. But believe me, a 'little bit of Reiki is better than no Reiki' — to quote Mrs Takata (the founder of Western Reiki).

Personally, I think that the optimal approach is a combination of meditative and what I call 'incidental' Reiki. I do roughly an hour of regular meditative Reiki practice a day, but I also very often do another hour of incidental Reiki. And believe me, the incidental Reiki is a big help. It keeps the Reiki energy flowing. It keeps my energy system in great shape.

So while my philosophy is to both practise and play hard, and while the spiritual path is the most important thing in my life, I also want to have fun while travelling along it. I want to take it seriously — without getting too serious.

Because when we start to take Reiki too seriously, when Reiki takes on the sombre colors of certain church services, then not only do we not enjoy ourselves as much, we also tend to take ourselves far too seriously.

So let me invite you to take every opportunity to not just practise and work hard at your Reiki, but also to love it and have fun. Because even if you could disrespect the 'gods of Reiki', they truly wouldn't care. They have one wish and one wish only — and that is to be summoned forth into the world. They live for the rush of being used — the rush that comes when they flow through our being.

So if we crack a joke and have a laugh, then the gods of Reiki will share it with us. Because if there is one chakra they like seeing activated, it's the 'clown' chakra. Hard to locate in the physical body, but great fun when it's uncorked.

(Postscript: Just in case it wasn’t clear, I use the term ‘gods of Reiki’ to mean something like ‘spirit of Reiki’. I’m not talking about literal gods.)

Conclusion

For millennia, the hara has helped people in all walks of life to feel calmer, more centered, and energetically charged.

And today, in an increasingly busy world full of distractions, we likely need the hara’s energy more than ever.

Due to the grounding nature of ‘haric’ energy, it is robust enough to help us stay centered even under duress, and with practice, maintaining a connection to it only requires minimal effort. And that means we can stay anchored in its energy, even as we work, rest, and play.

It is therefore an ideal tool to help us bridge the gap between the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘non-spiritual’.

It's a way to stay plugged into our spiritual side even as we go about our regular day.

So let’s learn from the many traditions that emphasize the value of the hara.

Let’s meditate on it.

Let’s strengthen it.

And then let's enjoy the energy, harmony, and balance it bestows on our life.

— Article by Om Reiki Founder, Jeremy O'Carroll