Reiki and Religion

I know going in that today's article is going to be controversial. That can't be helped. The subject matter is sensitive, and is something many people are passionate about. In fact, some folks are so passionate about it that I often wonder why they choose to live in a country where the choice to practice any religion you choose (or no religion at all) is an inalienable right guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. But none of that should concern Reiki. Unfortunately, for several reasons, Reiki healers are often put in the position of having to defend their practice against religious opposition.

My mother was raised in a strict Roman Catholic working class household in the 1930's. My father, although born to Roman Catholic parents, for unknown reasons was not baptized into Catholicism in childhood. He chose the faith as an adult and received the sacrament of Baptism after all three of his children were born. I was educated by the Sisters of Mercy in elementary school (St. Teresa of Avila in Albany NY, now closed due to parish consolidations), and went on to a Catholic high school (Vincentian Institute, Albany NY, now a senior center) and college (College of St. Rose, Albany NY - still open! Can I have an AMEN?!?!?)

And yes...I survived...and the stories about nuns using rulers on the knuckles of unruly students do have a grain of truth :-)

Needless to day my Catholicism and catechismic knowledge and beliefs are deeply rooted.

And yes...I am a practicing and teaching Reiki Master.

It is generally Catholics and some of the "born again" Christian faiths that have problems with Reiki. Policy for the Catholic Church is set in Vatican City, an independent nation within the limits of the city of Rome, Italy. The Vatican has refused to embrace it, citing several specific Reiki paradigms as contrary to Biblical teachings.

I have already established here that I have a very strong Christian faith...God is my supreme being and creator of EVERYTHING (yes...including Reiki). My ascended master is the Lord Jesus Christ. My spirit guides include all of the Archangels, Mary the Mother of God, and several Saints canonized by the catholic Church (St. Teresa of Avila...a healer and doctor; St. Francis of Assisi...he nursed lepers and was the first to bear the stigmata; and St. Patrick of Ireland...among many wonderful works, he used the shamrock as a symbol of the Trinity, and was known to speak with his ancestors, long in spirit, for guidance). St. Patrick and St. Francis were also associated with many fields typically dominated by women, and were instrumental in helping to establish multiple convents and religious orders for women. As a man working in Reiki today, I have a definite empathy for the stigma of working in a field historically heavily female oriented. I have often been the only male in classes or meetings, and always am in a very small gender minority in Reiki groups.

In addition to God the Father and Jesus his son, the third component of the Trinity which forms the core of Christian theology is the Holy Spirit...the giver of life. The Holy Spirit oftens receives prayers for healing, asking that he fill a person with God's love and light (can you say "universal energy"?).

So without getting overly technical (I provide several links to external writings at the end of this article), here are my top ten reasons why I can easily reconcile my Catholic faith with my belief in the practice and power of Reiki...

1. To quote Jesus himself, from the King James' Bible, John 14:12: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

By his own words, Jesus is telling us that we have the ability to continue his healing work.

2. God created everything...this includes universal life force energy. By extension, it goes without saying that God created Reiki and all other forms of energy healing, since they are part of the universe He created. True Reiki practitioners know that their ego has nothing to do with success, and that they are only a channel for healing provided by the Divine. Reiki is effective regardless of the skill set or ego of the practitioner. It is simply about intention to heal for the highest good.

3. The Vatican discredits Reiki for calling on imaginary "spirit guides" and "ascended masters". I honestly fail to see how this differs from asking saints, angels, Mother Mary, etc... to intercede on our behalf in prayer...an everyday practice of Catholics and most Christians.

4. I cannot see any distinction, other than nomenclature, between the Holy Spirit and the Universal Life Force Energy channeled in Reiki.

5. In Biblical references far too numerous to mention, Jesus taught us to be kind. This is not only the fifth principle of Reiki..."Hito Ni Shinsetsu Ni" (Be Kind to all Humans), but if you've ever witnessed or experienced a Reiki session, the receiver always feels blessed with kindness and love by both the practitioner and the energy at the end of the session.

6. The Vatican discredits Reiki for the use of symbology. Without going to the extreme of suggesting that you watch "The DaVinci Code" to see all the symbols used in the Catholic faith, I would assert simply that Catholics make use of many symbols, the most common being the Sign of the Cross. This argument could be extended to obvios comparisons between Catholic sacraments such as Baptism and Confirmation, which cleanse our souls of sin and strengthen our faith, and Reiki attunements which open our energy fields and heal us to allow us to better channel healing for others.

7. Reiki and all energy modalities place significance on the color and strength of the aura as an indicator of health, wellness and spiritual contentment. Why do you think Catholic saints are always represented in artwork with halos?

8. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a paper titled: "Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as an Alternative Therapy".
In this document, they claim that "Reiki lacks scientific credibility" and "has not been accepted by the scientific and medical communities as an effective therapy". This generalization would appear to be applicable to all miraculous works, yet the conference pointedly limits it to Reiki. I have previously, in other blog articles, quoted St. Augustine's wonderful insight on miracles in which he says that: "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature". Enough said.

We are also rapidly learning more and more of the science associated with the study of the human energy field and a significant body of documentation is being compiled by researchers across the planet.

9. Another Biblical reference: Luke, 9: 49-50, "Master" said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

10. Reiki is not a religion...it has none of the core components of a religion...no dogma...no doctrine. It is a healing practice much older than many of today's traditional medical practices but no different in its core mission...to heal the sick. How can that be bad?

In summary, while not everyone will be satisfied with this article or be able to reconcile Reiki with thier own belief system, it is not a problem for me. My God is all-loving, and anything I've stumbled upon to bring comfort to the sick and kindness to humanity cannot possibly be against his wishes.

A couple of interesting articles for further reading on this topic:

Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as Alternative Therapy, US Conference of Catholic Bishops

Reiki for Christians

A Response to the Bishops' Statement on Reiki, William Lee Rand, President, International Center for Reiki Training

Just for today...don't be angry!

Bob McGrath
Master Practitioner/Teacher
Pathways to Harmony