What on earth is Reiki? hehe. A very loose translation of Reiki is done by looking at the two parts of the word. 'Rei' can mean spirtual/divine, and 'Ki' energy. So, it can be said it is 'Spiritual/divine energy'. The mainstream Reiki community regards Reiki as meaning 'Universal Life force' energy. To me, that's more of a newtonian explanation, and moves away from what is most definitely a spiritual phenomenon.

Reiki is very simple to learn, or at least in the words of Usui sensei's memorial 'Furthermore, when it comes to
teaching, it should be as be as simple as possible and not difficult to understand.' (source: www.aetw.org). In mainstream Reiki, three levels exist, the first level being the gateway to experiencing the ability we all have to access what is already inside us. A process called an initiation is performed, usually taking around 10 mins for level 1, which enables the student to permanetely access the ability to utilize this Reiki.

IMO, the primary responsibility of a Reiki student is to themselves, ensuring they are able as much as possible to experience this phenomenon we call Reiki. An immense deepening of the individuals spirituality can ensue. Old, negative beliefs or hang-ups may begin to dissolve. Health, vitality & joy may be experienced with a never before zest.

One of the best aspects of it all, imo, is that with a Denju initiation (commonly known western Reiki attunements), the connection to our Reiki can be regarded as permanent. With any illness, or seemingly loss of spirituality, we have on demand, a most excellant tool, one we can 'walk with through life', forever.

Throughout my life, i always managed to excel at messing it up. Not a desirable 'quality' to have, hehe, but one i had a certain aptitude for. Parties, drugs, and the inevitable problems that particular lifestyle brings, helped me steadily & surely ruin not only my life, but the lives of my family, freinds, and almost anyone else i came into contact with.
I'd always been interested in spirituality for as long as i can remember. Meditation, Yoga, even martial arts, it all seemed to kinda resonate with me on a certain level. It's maybe no big surprise then, that just over 2 years ago, at the lowest point in my life, it was something spiritual that i would look to for what would really be my last hope. I'm getting slightly ahead of myself here though, hehe....
The summer of 2005 was the culmination of years of personal abuse. I was experiencing a drug addiction that had spiralled so much out of control it literally scared the heck outta me. I had no freinds, most of my paternal/maternal family had lost all hope with me, and my own partner and kids had already left me months beforehand. All that, and the fact i owed an awful lot of money, to some pretty serious people, really made for a lonely, scary, existence. Quite literally, it hurt me every day to be alive. I had created my own living hell, and had the ringside seats. Unable to get any form of substantive help from the local medical community, i saw no way out. I began to gather as many diazepam as i could lay my hands on over the next week or so. I was determined to escape my self-induced torment, forever.
A chance leaflet at a local Mind, Body , Spirit shop, about some kinda healing caught my eye. It mentioned something called 'Reiki'. I hadn't a clue what Reiki was, so decided to go into the local library to check it on the internet. After some exploring, i found out that anyone can learn this simple art, and even heal themselves! Something stirred within me, that maybe, just maybe, there may be one small chance left. It was only a hope, a faint, maybe even a false hope. though I remembered that i'd read somewhere before, that sometimes even false hope is enough, until real hope arrives.
Over the next few weeks, i rang the woman taking the Reiki course often. Jacky was very understanding with me situation, helping as much as possible, gladly giving as much advice/support as i needed.
September 2005 i took my level 1 training. It was probably the most fascinating, magical time of my life. Within two weeks, drug use in my life had reduced by over 95%. Here, right with me, i had, on demand, healing that i can use for my own benefit as long as i needed each day! Not only that, all my old fears, insecurities, negative thoughts/beliefs, seemed to be dissolving at a phenomenal rate. I could see the world in more sharper colours, i felt so calm, so relaxed, almost serene. And for the first time ever, i began to really experience life. Away from all the illusions and false highs i was used to. For the first time ever, a realisation was forming that i'd been asleep for 30 years, and i was now seeing the world for the first time! It was a truely wonderful experience, that isn't easy to put into words, but hey, that's Reiki alright, hehe.....