What's the difference between Spiritual healing and Reiki?
Hi everyone[sm=wave.gif]
This may seem like a really silly question but is there a difference between Spiritual healing and Reiki? and if so what is it?
Sorry if im being really daft!
Would love to know.
Love and light
Caroline :D
Answers:
[sm=wave.gif]Caroline
Certainly not a silly question, but I reckon you will get a varied response.
My personal opinon is that there is NO difference in what the energies do. I base this on being a Reiki practionner and also being involved in Spiritual healing in our Spiritualist church, so I have seen it on two sides.
In both instances you are calling in an outside source, whether you call it a helper, guide, universal life energy or whatever - we are asking for the healing to come from somewhere other than our own personal energy.
Both tend to use their hands to transmit the energies if the person iswith them. This can, in both instances but hands on or hands off.
To me, the main differences seem to be in using symbols or how we set out our intent.
I am sure there is more to add... . brain just going fuddled! [:o]
Answers:
Hi Dedwydd[sm=wave.gif]
Thank you for your response and i'm glad you didn't think it was a silly question as i have been wondering about it for a while!
Please if you have time would you explain to me what you mean by using symbols or intent? I would really appreciate it.
Thank you
Love and light
Caroline:D
Answers:
As already mentioned, you will get varied responses depending on who you talk to.
I agree that, as far as the energy is concerned, both things are channelling the energy to the person to allow them to heal themselves.
The main differences as far as I'm aware are:
1) Spiritual healers go through a (sometimes) long training process to allow them to perform their healing, whereas Reiki practitioners mostly become connected with the energy through attunments which instantly gives them the ability to channel the energy. Some Reiki practitioners receive reiju empowerments which are, roughly speaking, along the lines of building up the connection, a bit like I believe is done with the spiritual healing.
2) Spiritual healers, as far as I know, do not use any symbols as part of their treatment. Reiki practitioners taught up to level 2 or above (or occasionaly at level 1) are able to use several symbols to assist with their healing. The three symbols traditionally taught in western reiki are the power symbol, the emotional symbol and the distance symbol. Reiki practitioners taught up to level 3 are given a further symbol which allows them to carry out reiki attunements on others.
3) Intention. This is a little more sketchy as it depends what is meant by intention. For some it can be stating how you want the energy to be of benefit to the person who is receiving the energy, whilst for others it can be as simple as saying a prayer or asking for assistance from their god(s). Also intention can be used by Reiki practitioners in place of using the symbols. Rather than draw the symbols, if the practitioner sets their intention to be that of the meaning behind the symbol then the same effect can be concluded from it.
Love and Reiki Hugs
Answers:
Same tree, just branches, different apples, all the healing comes from one place. ;)lyn
Answers:
Hi Giles[sm=wave.gif]
Thanks for your reply. It is all a lot more clearer to me now!
Its very interesting to me but i have another question! Are the Reiki symbols the same for all practitioners?
love and light
caroline:D
Answers:
Hiya Caroline.. you would think that the Reiki Symbols would be the same for everyone attuned to Reiki however thisis not the case. There are also many offshoots of Reiki.
Let me start by saying that I think it is marvelous, great, fantastic etc, that more and more people are finding that they have ability to channel healing on themselves and for others, however a flip side is that so many people think the route to enlightenment is to Get from Reiki 1 to Reiki 3 as quick as possible. It seems more and more that it gets a bit like Chinese Whispers and what may have early on been the symbols or chants have evolved/changed based on peoples understandings and remembering how they were written as initially students were not allowed to copy them and take them away.
I read so much information that differed depending on the author etc that I soon came to realise that for me, it has to remain as pure as it can be. In fact (contraverasl this may be) I no longer use the Symbols and find my channeling seems stronger and more to the point. For me, they were mainly to focus and yet had the reverse effect.
if you are attuned, or thinking of being attuned, the best advice I can give is just follow the symbols etc as you are shown them. If this is how our Reiki Master attunes you, then they should work.
Yes, Healing in the church is often 2 years of being observed.
To think you can be attuned to Reiki and out there working with others is IMO very worrying. Healing can, as I am sure you know, release many emotions and being attuned to Reiki does not give you the tools to deal with that.
I think Lyn said it perfectly......
Answers:
I have been an NFSH Healer member for ten years, and I had to be a probationer for 2 years before that. After the 2 years you sit an exam to become a healer member. You also had to do four NFSH courses in between.
I love it and it helps many people, but a lot of people are suspicious of the words "Spiritual Healing"
Some think it is mumbo - jumbo, some people think it some sort of faith healing, and others just think it is weird. This is very sad, but a cross which we have to bear.
HOWEVER........This suspicious attitude doesn't apply to Reiki. Joe public accepts this much more easily. It is trendy and everybody has heard of it now.
Because of this, I have just completed Reiki 1, and next year I will do Reiki 2. It is exactly the same in my opinion, but it doesn't have the "weirdo" stigma of Spiritual Healing. This means I can help more people, so that has to be a good thing. If having a Reiki Certificate brings more people to my door, then fine! I don't charge them anyway, and it means more people can experience healing.
After all, What's in a name?
Much Love
Angela xxx
Answers:
Whooooooooo not entirely sure about that, it is hard to "sell" for want of a better word more so in villages. I have advertised in our Parish mag for three years now, not a snifter have I had from that and it is distributed all around the village.
I had a client with mental problems , had been on a wild and wonderful amount of drugs for it, church goer never away from the place, told the lay preacher "I'm going to try that reiki", the lay preacher, reacted with questions about what reiki is,God,Jesus,and the occult and Devils work. I still went to do the session, I can tell you my hub was a bit worried about leaving me actually,but I said I'd be fine, we sat and talked for over an hour, she told me about the drugs she'd had, the church, lay preacher etc,finally got her on my couch and then she was in the baby position, I had to ask her to lay flat several times but she always ended up curled up. I was with this lady 4 hours for £20 not that that mattered really. I left her with Positive affirmations to say each day to help her, she also phoned me at ALL times day or night as her concept of time had gone. I see her now and she is fine, 1 month after having reiki she went abroad by her self,she does not shake and curl now,she is more presentable too, when I ask her how she is, she says " i'm fine, my faith and my church got me through," Reiki hadn't had any impact on this persons life at all, it was her church and faith in the church that did it, so it really doesn't matter what you name it does it.
People just want a name for something, I found this with the healing with Angels that I also do, but they want it naming, i surpose my doing reiki was also to get a foot on the recognised ladder but it hasn't really happened.
A regular of mine was very sceptic, but she comes back for more, she says "I don't know how it does it, but it does", I could try explain till cows come home with their own bottles,but at the end of the day its Weird stuff, voodoo, mumbo jumbo to any one who hasn't nor will try it.
But we need to do ,what we need to do, to bring the healing to people,however its not our job to convince them. ;)lyn
hope i'm not off topic.
Answers:
Hi Dedwydd, Lyn and Ange[sm=wave.gif]
Thank you for spending the time writing your insightful posts. I knew nothing about healing before and now i am a little more enlightened!
Keep up the good work!
Love and light
Caroline:D
Answers:
Hi Lyn
Simply but beautifully put -thank you for your clarity .
Exatly the kind of thinking thats works well within the NHS trust that I work in .
Kind regards
Zack
Answers:
;)Thank you so much Zack and Carloine. Don't find a need to spend too much energy explaining and arguing the toss, simple is, as simple does. ;)lyn
Answers:
Hi Lyn
Hooray for simple cause that is what it truly is once you strip away all of the frills and window dressing. The energy SHOULD come from one source but then humans have other ideas.
Difficult to sell yup i hear you loud and clear. But here's a thought if you provide an authentic means for the energy to flow and it is totally accepted by the person you are treating the wellness that results can be difficult to explain by the person you treated. Hay you look well who did you see ? what pills did you take? eeerr um.
What became known as reiki was actually true spiritual healing, ie energy direct from the highest source through the 'healer' to the client.
The trick has always been to allow yourself to be totally used by the very highest level of Spirit without putting
desires and intentions (however well meaning ) and therefore personal energy into the mix and changing the potential outcome.
Answers:
Thank you all for your thoughts on this.It has been on my mind for some time whether to do Reiki Masters or not - I am currentlyprogressing through the 2 year minimun NFSH training and have Reiki II.
The thing is, I have always been aware of the healing energies right since I was a child. What occurs to me is that I was open to them in a very natural way because I grew up in a very peaceful area on the west coast of Scotland, living very close to nature. There wasn't the noise and fast pace of life today, and so there were less distractions and I just felt the energies in a completely natural way.
Then life became really chaotic (parents splitting up, move to the south of England etc) and I had to get on and adapt to life inour hecticworld, which I just about managed to do but it wasn't easy.
Now, after many years, I have the peace of a more tranquil lifeand the energies have been coming through again loud and clear, especially in the last8yearsor so sinceI trained as a therapist andhave lots of quiet time on my own in my garden.
Mymain questionabout Reiki was - why do I need the symbols? And this question hasheld me backfrom doing the Reiki III/Masters level, because to do that honorably I feel I would need to believe in the symbols, but to me I have just found them an unnecessary distraction and I don't use them.
Not sure how to edit, but here goes:
I just want to add that I do honour the symbols in the same way that I honour all spiritual / religious symbols (like, for example, the Cross), it's just that I don't personally feela needto visulalise or focus onthem.
On the other handReiki is a form of healing that seems to be more widely accepted by the 'public', and so if by having Reiki III it means I can teach and offer support to others on this path, making 'healing' more widely available, maybe the fact that I personally don'tfeel a need for the symbols is unimportant - they are there and available to Reiki trainee practitioners who wish to use them.
I think I know which way I'll go but I'm interested in your opinions on this dilemma.
Thank you with love
epinay
This may seem like a really silly question but is there a difference between Spiritual healing and Reiki? and if so what is it?
Sorry if im being really daft!
Would love to know.
Love and light
Caroline :D
Answers:
[sm=wave.gif]Caroline
Certainly not a silly question, but I reckon you will get a varied response.
My personal opinon is that there is NO difference in what the energies do. I base this on being a Reiki practionner and also being involved in Spiritual healing in our Spiritualist church, so I have seen it on two sides.
In both instances you are calling in an outside source, whether you call it a helper, guide, universal life energy or whatever - we are asking for the healing to come from somewhere other than our own personal energy.
Both tend to use their hands to transmit the energies if the person iswith them. This can, in both instances but hands on or hands off.
To me, the main differences seem to be in using symbols or how we set out our intent.
I am sure there is more to add... . brain just going fuddled! [:o]
Answers:
Hi Dedwydd[sm=wave.gif]
Thank you for your response and i'm glad you didn't think it was a silly question as i have been wondering about it for a while!
Please if you have time would you explain to me what you mean by using symbols or intent? I would really appreciate it.
Thank you
Love and light
Caroline:D
Answers:
As already mentioned, you will get varied responses depending on who you talk to.
I agree that, as far as the energy is concerned, both things are channelling the energy to the person to allow them to heal themselves.
The main differences as far as I'm aware are:
1) Spiritual healers go through a (sometimes) long training process to allow them to perform their healing, whereas Reiki practitioners mostly become connected with the energy through attunments which instantly gives them the ability to channel the energy. Some Reiki practitioners receive reiju empowerments which are, roughly speaking, along the lines of building up the connection, a bit like I believe is done with the spiritual healing.
2) Spiritual healers, as far as I know, do not use any symbols as part of their treatment. Reiki practitioners taught up to level 2 or above (or occasionaly at level 1) are able to use several symbols to assist with their healing. The three symbols traditionally taught in western reiki are the power symbol, the emotional symbol and the distance symbol. Reiki practitioners taught up to level 3 are given a further symbol which allows them to carry out reiki attunements on others.
3) Intention. This is a little more sketchy as it depends what is meant by intention. For some it can be stating how you want the energy to be of benefit to the person who is receiving the energy, whilst for others it can be as simple as saying a prayer or asking for assistance from their god(s). Also intention can be used by Reiki practitioners in place of using the symbols. Rather than draw the symbols, if the practitioner sets their intention to be that of the meaning behind the symbol then the same effect can be concluded from it.
Love and Reiki Hugs
Answers:
Same tree, just branches, different apples, all the healing comes from one place. ;)lyn
Answers:
Hi Giles[sm=wave.gif]
Thanks for your reply. It is all a lot more clearer to me now!
Its very interesting to me but i have another question! Are the Reiki symbols the same for all practitioners?
love and light
caroline:D
Answers:
Hiya Caroline.. you would think that the Reiki Symbols would be the same for everyone attuned to Reiki however thisis not the case. There are also many offshoots of Reiki.
Let me start by saying that I think it is marvelous, great, fantastic etc, that more and more people are finding that they have ability to channel healing on themselves and for others, however a flip side is that so many people think the route to enlightenment is to Get from Reiki 1 to Reiki 3 as quick as possible. It seems more and more that it gets a bit like Chinese Whispers and what may have early on been the symbols or chants have evolved/changed based on peoples understandings and remembering how they were written as initially students were not allowed to copy them and take them away.
I read so much information that differed depending on the author etc that I soon came to realise that for me, it has to remain as pure as it can be. In fact (contraverasl this may be) I no longer use the Symbols and find my channeling seems stronger and more to the point. For me, they were mainly to focus and yet had the reverse effect.
if you are attuned, or thinking of being attuned, the best advice I can give is just follow the symbols etc as you are shown them. If this is how our Reiki Master attunes you, then they should work.
Yes, Healing in the church is often 2 years of being observed.
To think you can be attuned to Reiki and out there working with others is IMO very worrying. Healing can, as I am sure you know, release many emotions and being attuned to Reiki does not give you the tools to deal with that.
I think Lyn said it perfectly......
Answers:
I have been an NFSH Healer member for ten years, and I had to be a probationer for 2 years before that. After the 2 years you sit an exam to become a healer member. You also had to do four NFSH courses in between.
I love it and it helps many people, but a lot of people are suspicious of the words "Spiritual Healing"
Some think it is mumbo - jumbo, some people think it some sort of faith healing, and others just think it is weird. This is very sad, but a cross which we have to bear.
HOWEVER........This suspicious attitude doesn't apply to Reiki. Joe public accepts this much more easily. It is trendy and everybody has heard of it now.
Because of this, I have just completed Reiki 1, and next year I will do Reiki 2. It is exactly the same in my opinion, but it doesn't have the "weirdo" stigma of Spiritual Healing. This means I can help more people, so that has to be a good thing. If having a Reiki Certificate brings more people to my door, then fine! I don't charge them anyway, and it means more people can experience healing.
After all, What's in a name?
Much Love
Angela xxx
Answers:
Whooooooooo not entirely sure about that, it is hard to "sell" for want of a better word more so in villages. I have advertised in our Parish mag for three years now, not a snifter have I had from that and it is distributed all around the village.
I had a client with mental problems , had been on a wild and wonderful amount of drugs for it, church goer never away from the place, told the lay preacher "I'm going to try that reiki", the lay preacher, reacted with questions about what reiki is,God,Jesus,and the occult and Devils work. I still went to do the session, I can tell you my hub was a bit worried about leaving me actually,but I said I'd be fine, we sat and talked for over an hour, she told me about the drugs she'd had, the church, lay preacher etc,finally got her on my couch and then she was in the baby position, I had to ask her to lay flat several times but she always ended up curled up. I was with this lady 4 hours for £20 not that that mattered really. I left her with Positive affirmations to say each day to help her, she also phoned me at ALL times day or night as her concept of time had gone. I see her now and she is fine, 1 month after having reiki she went abroad by her self,she does not shake and curl now,she is more presentable too, when I ask her how she is, she says " i'm fine, my faith and my church got me through," Reiki hadn't had any impact on this persons life at all, it was her church and faith in the church that did it, so it really doesn't matter what you name it does it.
People just want a name for something, I found this with the healing with Angels that I also do, but they want it naming, i surpose my doing reiki was also to get a foot on the recognised ladder but it hasn't really happened.
A regular of mine was very sceptic, but she comes back for more, she says "I don't know how it does it, but it does", I could try explain till cows come home with their own bottles,but at the end of the day its Weird stuff, voodoo, mumbo jumbo to any one who hasn't nor will try it.
But we need to do ,what we need to do, to bring the healing to people,however its not our job to convince them. ;)lyn
hope i'm not off topic.
Answers:
Hi Dedwydd, Lyn and Ange[sm=wave.gif]
Thank you for spending the time writing your insightful posts. I knew nothing about healing before and now i am a little more enlightened!
Keep up the good work!
Love and light
Caroline:D
Answers:
Hi Lyn
Simply but beautifully put -thank you for your clarity .
Exatly the kind of thinking thats works well within the NHS trust that I work in .
Kind regards
Zack
Answers:
;)Thank you so much Zack and Carloine. Don't find a need to spend too much energy explaining and arguing the toss, simple is, as simple does. ;)lyn
Answers:
Hi Lyn
Hooray for simple cause that is what it truly is once you strip away all of the frills and window dressing. The energy SHOULD come from one source but then humans have other ideas.
Difficult to sell yup i hear you loud and clear. But here's a thought if you provide an authentic means for the energy to flow and it is totally accepted by the person you are treating the wellness that results can be difficult to explain by the person you treated. Hay you look well who did you see ? what pills did you take? eeerr um.
What became known as reiki was actually true spiritual healing, ie energy direct from the highest source through the 'healer' to the client.
The trick has always been to allow yourself to be totally used by the very highest level of Spirit without putting
desires and intentions (however well meaning ) and therefore personal energy into the mix and changing the potential outcome.
Answers:
Thank you all for your thoughts on this.It has been on my mind for some time whether to do Reiki Masters or not - I am currentlyprogressing through the 2 year minimun NFSH training and have Reiki II.
The thing is, I have always been aware of the healing energies right since I was a child. What occurs to me is that I was open to them in a very natural way because I grew up in a very peaceful area on the west coast of Scotland, living very close to nature. There wasn't the noise and fast pace of life today, and so there were less distractions and I just felt the energies in a completely natural way.
Then life became really chaotic (parents splitting up, move to the south of England etc) and I had to get on and adapt to life inour hecticworld, which I just about managed to do but it wasn't easy.
Now, after many years, I have the peace of a more tranquil lifeand the energies have been coming through again loud and clear, especially in the last8yearsor so sinceI trained as a therapist andhave lots of quiet time on my own in my garden.
Mymain questionabout Reiki was - why do I need the symbols? And this question hasheld me backfrom doing the Reiki III/Masters level, because to do that honorably I feel I would need to believe in the symbols, but to me I have just found them an unnecessary distraction and I don't use them.
Not sure how to edit, but here goes:
I just want to add that I do honour the symbols in the same way that I honour all spiritual / religious symbols (like, for example, the Cross), it's just that I don't personally feela needto visulalise or focus onthem.
On the other handReiki is a form of healing that seems to be more widely accepted by the 'public', and so if by having Reiki III it means I can teach and offer support to others on this path, making 'healing' more widely available, maybe the fact that I personally don'tfeel a need for the symbols is unimportant - they are there and available to Reiki trainee practitioners who wish to use them.
I think I know which way I'll go but I'm interested in your opinions on this dilemma.
Thank you with love
epinay