REIKI TRAINING
This page gives an overview of our Reiki teaching in the Usui, Tibetan and Seichem forms, as well as the Cartouche and Blue Star Celestial Mastery Systems. It includes some background on the history of Traditional Reiki; our philosophies as Reiki Master Teachers and what to expect from our teaching. For dates of currently scheduled courses, go to our "Current Year Courses" page. It also refers you to a page about our new Angelic Multidimensional Healing System, which has its roots in Angelic Reiki.
The School of Inner Light offers Reiki training in a variety of forms and to all levels, from 1st degree through to Master Teacher. Reiki (pronounced ray - key) is a Japanese term that may be defined as "universal life-giving energy". Reiki works at subtle levels to promote healing, balance and wholeness on spiritual, mental, emotional and physical levels. It is a simple, natural, hands-on healing system in which the Universal Energy is channelled through the hands of the practitioner to the recipient. In its original Japanese (Usui) form it is an ancient system of spiritual development and a method for healing which was rediscovered in the mid 1800s by Dr Mikao Usui after many years of study and meditation (more at "The Recent History of Reiki" further down page).
The system is believed by many to have originated in Atlantis or earlier, primarily as a discipline for personal and spiritual development. Originally its aim was not to study a method for healing oneself and others: instead such abilities tended to develop as a consequence of personal growth as a person's energy system developed along with their understanding of their spiritual and energetic nature. These fundamentals of personal development and spiritual growth still retain their importance in the original Japanese Usui system practised in the East today. Before Atlantis fell much wisdom was dispersed around the world and as a consequence the Tibetan and Seichem forms took root and developed in Tibet and Ancient Egypt respectively. Usui Reiki works primarily with Earth energy, whilst the Tibetan style used in the attunement process we teach introduces the Fire element. Seichem Reiki works with Fire, Water and Air energies (which form a very balanced system when combined with the Earth energies of Usui Reiki) whilst the Cartouche adds in the element of Ether (or Prana). Blue Star works with Celestial energies, which bridge the gap between God and Man - the Rainbow bridge or Antahkarana. The Angelic Multidimensional Healing System is based on the Angelic Reiki System through Archaeon Metatron, introducing us to the concept and practise of Angelic Multidimensional Healing. It works with celestial and galactic multi-dimensional energies, and is most likely to resonate with those who work or wish to work with the Higher, Galactic and / or Celestial Kingdoms of Light. You will probably be most attracted to the Egyptian forms (Seichem, Cartouche and Blue Star) if you have Sirian, Pleiadian, Atlantean or Egyptian roots or guides.
THE recent HISTORY OF traditional REIKI - Dr. Usui onwards:
Reiki is believed to be a Buddhist offspring of Qigong, with Shinto influences. It is an ancient healing form rediscovered in the late 19th Century by Dr. Mikaomi Usui. The original Usui movement was called Usui Shiki Ryoho, and the method called Usui Reiki Ryoho (the Usui Reiki Healing method).
MIKAO USUI was born in 1865 and entered a Tendai Buddhist school near Mt.
Kurama at the age of 4. He studied many things there, including Kiko - a
Japanese version of Qigong, which is a health and healing discipline based on
the development and use of Life Energy. When he was older he travelled
extensively in China and Europe to further his education in medicine,
philosophy, religion and fortune telling. In 1914 he went on a 21-day
meditation retreat at Kurama, and it was here that he underwent his
"great enlightenment" into Reiki energies. It is said that he
"saw" the symbols coming towards him in waves of light, and that as
they entered his crown chakra he "knew" what they were for, and how
to use them. In 1922, having worked with and developed his healing system
based on these energies, he moved to Tokyo, and started a healing Society.
Here he gave treatments and taught classes, showing students how to work with
Reiki energy. These classes were in levels and degrees - 1st degree (4
levels), 2nd Degree (2 levels) and Master degree (2 levels). For the Japanese
students of the original system, each level could take years to master. In his
lifetime Usui travelled widely throughout Japan, and directly taught over 2000
students and initiated 16 Masters. He died in 1926.
One of the Masters initiated was CHUJIRO HAYASHI. He continued to teach Reiki
and treat patients, as did other students and Masters initiated by Usui. In
fact in 1940 there were at least 40 Reiki schools throughout Japan, and
training in the Usui traditional methods have continued to be passed on to
native Japanese people since then by / through these Masters. In all Hayashi
initiated 13 Reiki Masters before his death in 1941.
For us in the West however, things were to change. Hayashi brought Reiki to
Hawaii, and thus to the USA, when he met Mrs HAWAYA TAKATA. He initiated her
as a Master in 1938, and it is through her that the title "Grand
Master" came about. She was declared Grand Master (although it is not
known by whom) on Hayashi's death. Mrs. Takata taught Reiki to many people in
the West, and had some very strict rules regarding its' teaching - high fees
were charged to students wishing to learn it; students were not allowed to
take notes; all teaching was purely verbal (no written copies of the symbols
were allowed either) and she advocated loyalty to the same Master Teacher. It
is thought these changes were to make the system more acceptable to
Westerners, who were thought to value everything by cost, and to have no
interest in spiritual discipline for its own sake. In all Mrs. Takata
initiated 22 Masters, and passed on the title of Grand Master to her daughter
PHYLLIS LEI FURUMOTO on her death in 1980.
Since then Western Reiki has split, firstly into 2 main factions (partly
because some Masters disagreed with some or all of Mrs. Takata's stringent
rules, especially those regarding charges), and then has developed several
off-shoots, as various Masters have chosen to change or add to the original
system (by experiment or by "receiving" new information from Higher
sources.)
We teach and work with mainly the Tibetan / Usui version which was developed by William Lee Rand, based on the original methods taught by Dr. Usui but with some additions that have Tibetan Buddhist sources.
our teaching philosophy:
All prospective students who have not worked with us before will be invited to talk with us before being accepted onto a course, and those potential students who are new to Reiki are also advised to experience a Reiki healing session with us before making their commitment. It is important that each student is comfortable with us as their teachers, and that we feel the student is ready and able to learn through us. Reiki is a profound experience which often leads to changes taking place at physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual levels. The prospect of such changes, and any challenges these may bring, needs to be fully considered before embarking on the process. Having said that, it is our belief that any changes that take place are always for the ultimate Highest good of each individual, and will only be experienced at the level that each person can safely cope with. The other reason for meeting with us is so that we may be sure that the time is right for the new energies to be accepted into their energetic system and that any previous attunements (if received) have been fully integrated. Those students who use their Reiki regularly (on themselves especially) will usually integrate the energies quicker than those who do not! So too will those who use or work with subtle energies on a regular basis, or those who are actively working towards personal development on a spiritual level.
We feel that it is not right to rush the attunement process and try to force the energy system to make changes too fast, and indeed that it could even be dangerous to do so. This is why we do not offer "fast-track" courses or recommend taking more than one degree at a time. Neither do we agree with the latest trend towards distance attunements over the internet! Although it is possible to pass attunements at a distance, we feel that this method is for emergency use only, and that there is no acceptable substitute for hands-on learning from a properly qualified Reiki Master, fully supported by manuals and plenty of time for practising and asking questions. Following the Reiki path requires commitment and dedication, and "instant" fixes are not demonstrating a mastery of anything! We have come across instances where distance attunements have not been carried out properly, leaving the attunement incomplete, or lodged in the incorrect place in the energy body. For anyone who has been attuned in this way, and who feels that something about their energy system is not right, we (and most competent Reiki Masters) will look at your energy system, and check that all is as it should be, and if necessary offer remedial action.
All classes are usually kept small, with a maximum of six to a session (8 in the Angelic Multidimensional Healing System). Tuition on a one-to-one basis can be given, although a minimum of two students is preferred to make practising the techniques more practical. Full manuals, snacks and hot / cold drinks are included in the fee. We are always available for back-up and advice and our students may join in courses to refresh their knowledge at any time for a small nominal fee. For details of courses now being booked, go to our "Course Dates" page. If we do not have what you want scheduled, phone us and we will try to accommodate you.
If you choose to become a Reiki practitioner and work with members of the public, we always recommend that you join a professional organisation and obtain professional indemnity insurance. The UK Reiki Federation is a very good place to find out more - there is a link on our web links page. This organisation (rightly in our view) will only accept you as a full member once certain conditions are satisfied, one of which is the production of your Reiki lineage, showing that your training can be traced back to Dr. Usui. Mark and I have a fairly short lineage, with only four other Masters between us and Phyllis Lei Furomoto at Master Teacher level.
reiki that we teach:
The Seichem, Cartouche and Blue Star forms have their background in the Ancient Egyptian Mystery Schools. An Angelic form was developed in 2006 by Kevin Core under the direction of Archaeon Metatron, however since his passing in summer 2009 the Angelic Reiki name and logo (which we chose not to use from the outset) has been trademarked and some new regulations have been introduced that are not compatible with our ethos. Accordingly we can no longer say that we teach Angelic Reiki. However we have created a new process that works in the spirit of the original Angelic Reiki processes, which we have extended, adapted and clarified following study and under Higher Guidance. We have chosen to adopt a new title for the course - "Angelic Multidimensional Healing" - to find out more follow this link. You can also follow the links at the top of this page to find out more about the costs and training content of each of the forms and levels of Traditional Reiki that we offer.
For those wishing to study and practise Reiki for themselves a consecutive series of initiations / attunements is offered in a variety of forms. Students may choose to study to any level, usually starting with Usui Reiki 1. With Usui / Tibetan Reiki it is recommended that a minimum of 3 months elapses between taking Usui Reiki 1 and 2, and a minimum of 12 months between Usui Reiki 2 and Usui Master Practitioner. This is to allow sufficient time for the student to practice and feel confident in their abilities, and for the energies to integrate fully. Usui & Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher may be taken any time after a minimum of 21 days has elapsed following Master Practitioner level, if the student wishes to learn to teach and attune others to Usui & Tibetan Reiki.
We are able to teach the following forms of Reiki to Master Teacher level:
Usui / Tibetan Reiki 1 (this may be taken at any time you are ready for it)
Usui / Tibetan Reiki 2 (this may be taken at any time after Usui Reiki 1 has been integrated, but after at least 3 months has elapsed)
Usui / Tibetan Reiki Master Practitioner (this may be taken any time after Usui Reiki 2 has been fully integrated, but after at least 12 months has elapsed)
Usui / Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher (this may be taken any time after Usui Master Practitioner has been given)
*Seichem 1 (this may be taken at any time , but we suggest after Usui Reiki 1 has been integrated)
*Seichem 2 (this may be taken at any time after Seichem 1 has been integrated)
*Seichem Master Teacher (after achieving Usui & Tibetan Master Teacher level and Seichem 2, and when all those energies are fully integrated)
*The Egyptian Cartouche (as a follow on to Seichem Master Teacher)
*Blue Star Celestial Energy System - Practitioner and Master Teacher (following on from any Master Teacher level form of Reiki, but best following Seichem / Cartouche).
N.B. * THESE 3 FORMS ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING OFFERED, DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS
These additional courses are also available, although they are not "Reiki" courses as such:
Angelic Multidimensional Healing System - stages 1 and 2 to Practitioner level (may be taken at any time you feel you are ready for it).
Angelic Multidimensional Healing System - stage 3 to Master Practitioner level (following on from level 1 and 2, and when those energies are fully integrated - we suggest a minimum of 7-11 months).
Angelic Multidimensional Healing System - stage 4 to Master Teacher level (qualifying you initially to attune others to Stage 3 inclusive) once all other levels have been integrated and you are able to hold and work with the required level of energies.
our experience of reiki:
For us the traditional Reiki, Seichem, Cartouche and Blue Star Mastery experiences each resulted in huge leaps forward in our spiritual growth and psychic development and have proved of invaluable help in treating family, friends and clients. An element of hands on healing with these Energies nearly always plays a major part in our treatment sessions and we have found that using a combination of crystals and energy work is very effective, both in "live" and absent healing sessions, which is what led us to develop our own unique Diploma course doing just that! Hilary found that the Angelic Reiki course was, for her, the most profound of all the Reiki courses she has undertaken, and provided huge revelations about her path and her Being (read more on the Angelic Multidimensional Healing page). Reiki's power is not to be underestimated and we feel that working with its energies and teaching the methods to others must be fully respected.
reiki shares:
All those who have studied Reiki with us to any level are welcome to attend our bi-monthly meetings, where we share healing, news and updates as well as meet Reiki friends old and new. These are held in the evening of the second WEDNESDAY of alternate months from 7.30 onwards, with effect from February 2010. Donations welcomed to cover costs. See our calendar page for full dates.