What is Reiki Reiki - pronounced "ray-key"- can be literally translated into "Universal Life Energy". This comes from the Japanese "Rei", meaning "universal" and "Ki", meaning energy. The Chinese word "chi", meaning Life Energy" is the same as "ki". A lot of the ancient cultures believe and revolve around this "life Energy"., indeed acupuncture, shiatsu and Tai Chi, to name but a few, are all based on treating and working with your Chakras - your energy channels. Chakras can maybe be best likened to your own life blood system of arteries, weaving their way around your body, taking important nutrients to where they are needed. Chakras, energy channels, feed your life's energy forces to where they are needed. Reiki takes that belief even further and believes that your life energy can not only flow within, but also around, you. Life force energy that is emitted can be easily absorbed, for example you can "intuitively" tell when your best friend, your partner, child is happy or sad, though sometimes others can't, that's their life force communicating with yours. How does Reiki Work Reiki is an art in which you learn how to attune your life force with others, animal or mineral. Just like learning to open your ears to hear more. Practicing Reiki will teach you to open your energy channels in order to feel the energy around you. It works by communicating with others on a deep, spiritual and emotional level. You will be able to feel any negative energy (sadness) from the person or animal you are in communication with and you will be able to transfer your positive energy (reassurance) back to them, just like the support and reassurance a friend may give in times of distress. It's not a "treat the symptoms" form of healing it's a "feel the cause and treat it" method of healing. The more understanding you have of the cause of any distress, the better equipped you will be to soothe and reassure, and so the communication will become mutual. Reiki for All Reiki is a useful method of communication where no common language is available, therefore anything that has life - plants and animals - will benefit from this technique. Reiki can also be easily incorporated and used to complement other forms of natural and medical therapies. It works both ways too; there has been increased awareness of the benefits of "therapy pets" where dogs, for example, are visiting hospitals because the energy they can transfer when a patient "strokes" them is communicating a healing life force. So as well as some health professionals practicing Reiki themselves, they are actively encouraging the Art of Reiki by allowing other life forces to communicate with their patients too. After all communication is a two-way process! Reiki is not taught as such, but the knowledge is passed from Master to pupil by tuning in to the energy. I am a Reiki Master and offer courses to pass this knowledge on. There are three levels of Reiki and benefits can be seen and shared by entering only the first level. Follows a brief explanation of the levels ..... to be continued..