I get asked this often and I understand the hesitancy! I am a Protestant preacher's granddaughter. There are many preachers in my family on both sides. I was raised knowing about good and bad spirits, was baptized in the spirit, I have the gift of prophecy and healing, and I spoke in tongues. I am very aware there are good and bad spirits out there and well versed in the Bible. You don't want to open yourself up to something demonic! We've seen the darker spirits of the world and we do not want to get messed up with that. Been there, done that, no thank you! I like to sleep at night and have peace and health.
So, to understand if Rieki is spiritually safe. You need to understand where it comes from. A big reason it feels scary is it is from a different culture.
To understand better, first let's look at United States Christian churches as a whole. I'll be talking about the mainline Protestant, Catholic churches from my limited experience.
First, let's say you want to help heal people via prayer. There are training classes in many churches that teach you how to do Christian healing. You learn about the technique and you are asked about your spiritual gifts. Everyone there has gone through the Christian initial rites of accepting Jesus into your heart, saying the sinner's prayer, and being baptized in the Holy Spirit and water. -keep that in mind for later - You learn how to pray with the Holy Spirit to help people heal. You may or may not get a certification, but the church knows who took it and vouches on your behalf and you can then join their prayer team. I've taken many of these classes. I've done the Vineyard Church training and I also took a class through the local Catholic church and learned their style, both were similar.
Second, let's focus in on what is Christian healing prayer. The person who is praying connects with God by saying a starting prayer, "Dear God, in the name of Jesus, we ask that your holy spirit come over this person right now" and maybe you wait, maybe you keep talking, maybe you don't say in the name of Jesus, it depends on your training and your version of Christianity, there are 40,000+ in the United States listed right now. So there are a lot of options here!!! Next you place your hands over the person, you listen for the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom, you might get information about the person, you ask them about it, pray about it, pray over what their main concern is, and you thank God for healing and then the healing prayer is done.
Third, let's look at what the people feel who are getting prayed over. When the Holy Spirit comes on you during Christian prayer, you might get tingly all over, feel emotional, a cool breeze, feel warmth or feel none of this, maybe you just feel peace, relief, a sense that God is taking on your problem. People cry and grieve. You yourself might get wisdom or visions. Some people get healings, some do not. We aren't really sure why that happens in Christianity, there are ideas that get tossed around.
Finally, let's look at what you need to do in order to have access to that type of prayer. You need to find a church that prays for people. Not every church believes that healing is possible in modern times and that it was just available "back then" to help Jesus's ministry. Once you find a church that does healing, and you agree with the denominational beliefs, you need to tithe. Tithing is not mandatory but expected (or the lights don't come on, someone needs to pay the pastor and the church bills!)
Alright, alright, now let's look at Reiki.
First, training: Reiki students learn from Masters and they go up in levels as they learn new skills. In Reiki training, there are blessings from Universal Energy, aka the Holy Spirit, and you learn how to pray over people. The prayers are very similar to what is done in Christian churches. The training goes into more detail than you get at a Christian church though. This is where the divergence happens. Reiki students practice and are trained in much more detail, they are taught how to check the entire body for changes in energy versus just praying over only what the person wants. It is more scientific and much more detailed than any training I got at the Christian churches I went to. Not saying they were bad, but they left me with gaps on how to help the people I was praying over. Reiki helped fill those gaps of knowledge and techniques where if this happens then do this.
Second, let's look closer at prayer: with Reiki, you turn it on and the energy flows over the person. This is just like in Christianity, asking the Holy Spirit to come over the person. And then the practitioner follows the guidance of Universal Energy, the Holy Spirit, along with methodical ways of checking the whole body for areas that need extra energy balancing.
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Third, what do people feel getting Reiki? Well since Reiki is praying with the Holy Spirit it is the same as in church because it is the same spirit. People feel tingling, they feel warmth, they feel the coolness, healings might happen, they might not, peace of mind comes, wisdom comes, and visions can happen. People feel happy and healthier, some have dramatic changes whereas others feel more subtle changes.
Fourth, let's talk about access: to get Reiki, google your local Reiki therapist, schedule a session and you're good to go. Do you need to believe in any specific religion? No. Universal Energy, the Holy Spirit, is available to all. Do you have to pay? Yes. Someone needs to pay the therapist's salary and turn their lights on, just like at any church. The upside about Reiki is that it's private, people are not at the front altar with everyone looking at them wondering "Why does Mandy get prayer so often? What is going on, is she fighting with her husband? He hasn't been at church lately...". Avoid the gossip, get Reiki.
Last point here. REIKI IS NOT A RELIGION, it compliments whatever religion you are in. Think of it like a fitness class. You can be Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or Wiccan, and all take a fitness class together. Reiki is like that. Reiki is neutral, it uses the Holy Spirit, to help people's bodies heal. It does not take the place of your religion. It is complementary medicine.
