Article for Portuguese Reiki Practitioners and Masters - October 2015
By Penelope Quest, MSc, BA, Cert.Ed., Reiki Master/Teacher
What is Reiki for you? What does this therapy mean for you and your life?
As I have been doing Reiki for nearly 25 years, I cannot imagine, or remember, what life was like without it! I love Reiki, and use it every day, in lots of ways, so it just fits into my life as something completely normal. Although I have learned many other subjects and techniques, Reiki is what I turn to first if there’s anything wrong, from a sudden headache to a problem in some area of my life. It has profoundly changed the focus my life, and my work, as I used to teach management and marketing in formal education, but for the past 20 years I taught Reiki to thousands of students, including more than 60 Reiki Masters, and that has been a real joy for me.
What Reiki has also highlighted for me is what I believe is my life purpose – to help people to help themselves to a better life – so teaching Reiki, leading retreats, and writing books, all work towards that purpose, and although I am no longer working as a Reiki Master or Practitioner, I am still writing – although my next book will be more generally about health and healing, not about Reiki – to be honest, having written so many books about Reiki I don’t really think I have anything new to say on that subject!
Can you share your Reiki daily routine?
When I wake up in the morning, I give myself a Reiki treatment for at least 30 minutes, then later in the day I do the Hatsurei-ho cleansing and meditation technique, including chanting the Reiki Principles – sometimes in English, sometimes in Japanese. If I go out I always imagine a Power Symbol over my car, and another Power Symbol over myself, for protection, and when I get home again I will do a Reiki Shower to get rid of any negativity I might have picked up.
I might also do Reiki at other times, perhaps working on an area of my life or health I might want to improve, or sending a distant treatment to a friend or family member, and about once each month I will do a Reiju (an empowerment from the Japanese tradition) on myself, to increase my flow of Reiki, and I will also cleanse each room in my home with the Power Symbol. In addition I attend a monthly Reiki Share group, where Reiki practitioners and Masters get together to meditate, experience a Reiju empowerment, and take turns to give and receive a Reiki treatment from 3 or 4 people at the same time – a lovely experience!
What is your favourite Reiki technique?
I particularly like the powerful Mental and Emotional treatment I taught to all my Reiki 2 students, which can be either hands-on or distant, using the three Reiki 2 symbols. The method for carrying this out is detailed in both “Reiki Para A Vida” (page 184) and “Reiki Para Autocura” (page 125).
What is your perception and opinion about the spread of Reiki all over the world?
I think the spread of Reiki all over the world is just what Mikao Usui would have wanted! Usui saw the purpose of Reiki as a way to put us in touch with our spiritual path, to encourage enlightenment in this life, so he developed definite spiritual techniques which form “the way” – techniques that were designed to allow us to connect fully with ourselves, so in essence healing was simply a by-product. This is a quote from one translation of the words on Usui’s memorial at the Saihoji Temple in Tokyo, Japan:
“Although Sensei (Mikao Usui) died, Reiho (Reiki) has to be spread and to be known by many people in the long future. Aha! What a great thing that Sensei has done to have shared this Reiho, which he perceived himself, to the people unsparingly.”
You might perhaps find a Portuguese translation somewhere on the internet, but basically it seems that Usui wanted the benefits of Reiki to be available to as many people as possible, so I think he would now be very pleased to see how far it has spread, as there are now millions of people all over the world who have either experienced a Reiki treatment, or learned Reiki. And long may that continue!
What makes a good Reiki practitioner?
To be a good practitioner, you obviously need to be knowledgeable about Reiki and what it can, and can’t, do, know the hand positions for treatment, be a good communicator to listen to and respond to your client appropriately, realise the importance of confidentiality, have an understanding, sympathetic and caring attitude, treat your clients with respect, and be well organised, so that your appointments run smoothly, and you keep suitable written records of every treatment you carry out. You also need to treat yourself regularly with Reiki, and keep up-to-date by doing some additional training each year, such as learning extra Reiki techniques, or more about health and safety, or how to manage your Reiki practice more efficiently.
And a good Master/teacher?
To be a good Reiki Master/teacher you need to live Reiki, not just know Reiki. Obviously knowledge of Reiki is important, from how to draw the Reiki symbols to where to place the hands in treatments on people and animals, from how to carry out attunements at each level to how to communicate your knowledge most effectively to your students. From my perspective I also think it is important to have a general understanding of energy, to know how to carry out not just the usual Reiki techniques taught in the West, but also the techniques taught in Japan, including Reiki meditations and energy cleansing.
Other vital aspects of being a Reiki Master/teacher are: being well organised, knowing European legislation about healing, as well as following good ethics and codes or practice, reflecting on your practice and identifying development needs (you’re a Reiki Master for life, so you need to keep learning and growing personally and professionally!), and you also need to look after your own physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual health and well-being, so daily self-treatments, energy cleansing and meditation are essential. But I would also add that you need a sense of humour, because although it has its serious side, Reiki can also be fun!
Can you leave a message to the Portuguese Reiki practitioners, please?
I am delighted that Reiki Practitioners and Masters in Portugal are now able to read two of my books in Portuguese, and I hope they find them really helpful. I also hope they gain as much joy and fulfilment from using Reiki as I have done, so I wish you all health and happiness on your Reiki journeys.
With Reiki blessings from Penelope Quest
As I have been doing Reiki for nearly 25 years, I cannot imagine, or remember, what life was like without it! I love Reiki, and use it every day, in lots of ways, so it just fits into my life as something completely normal. Although I have learned many other subjects and techniques, Reiki is what I turn to first if there’s anything wrong, from a sudden headache to a problem in some area of my life. It has profoundly changed the focus my life, and my work, as I used to teach management and marketing in formal education, but for the past 20 years I taught Reiki to thousands of students, including more than 60 Reiki Masters, and that has been a real joy for me.
What Reiki has also highlighted for me is what I believe is my life purpose – to help people to help themselves to a better life – so teaching Reiki, leading retreats, and writing books, all work towards that purpose, and although I am no longer working as a Reiki Master or Practitioner, I am still writing – although my next book will be more generally about health and healing, not about Reiki – to be honest, having written so many books about Reiki I don’t really think I have anything new to say on that subject!
Can you share your Reiki daily routine?
When I wake up in the morning, I give myself a Reiki treatment for at least 30 minutes, then later in the day I do the Hatsurei-ho cleansing and meditation technique, including chanting the Reiki Principles – sometimes in English, sometimes in Japanese. If I go out I always imagine a Power Symbol over my car, and another Power Symbol over myself, for protection, and when I get home again I will do a Reiki Shower to get rid of any negativity I might have picked up.
I might also do Reiki at other times, perhaps working on an area of my life or health I might want to improve, or sending a distant treatment to a friend or family member, and about once each month I will do a Reiju (an empowerment from the Japanese tradition) on myself, to increase my flow of Reiki, and I will also cleanse each room in my home with the Power Symbol. In addition I attend a monthly Reiki Share group, where Reiki practitioners and Masters get together to meditate, experience a Reiju empowerment, and take turns to give and receive a Reiki treatment from 3 or 4 people at the same time – a lovely experience!
What is your favourite Reiki technique?
I particularly like the powerful Mental and Emotional treatment I taught to all my Reiki 2 students, which can be either hands-on or distant, using the three Reiki 2 symbols. The method for carrying this out is detailed in both “Reiki Para A Vida” (page 184) and “Reiki Para Autocura” (page 125).
What is your perception and opinion about the spread of Reiki all over the world?
I think the spread of Reiki all over the world is just what Mikao Usui would have wanted! Usui saw the purpose of Reiki as a way to put us in touch with our spiritual path, to encourage enlightenment in this life, so he developed definite spiritual techniques which form “the way” – techniques that were designed to allow us to connect fully with ourselves, so in essence healing was simply a by-product. This is a quote from one translation of the words on Usui’s memorial at the Saihoji Temple in Tokyo, Japan:
“Although Sensei (Mikao Usui) died, Reiho (Reiki) has to be spread and to be known by many people in the long future. Aha! What a great thing that Sensei has done to have shared this Reiho, which he perceived himself, to the people unsparingly.”
You might perhaps find a Portuguese translation somewhere on the internet, but basically it seems that Usui wanted the benefits of Reiki to be available to as many people as possible, so I think he would now be very pleased to see how far it has spread, as there are now millions of people all over the world who have either experienced a Reiki treatment, or learned Reiki. And long may that continue!
What makes a good Reiki practitioner?
To be a good practitioner, you obviously need to be knowledgeable about Reiki and what it can, and can’t, do, know the hand positions for treatment, be a good communicator to listen to and respond to your client appropriately, realise the importance of confidentiality, have an understanding, sympathetic and caring attitude, treat your clients with respect, and be well organised, so that your appointments run smoothly, and you keep suitable written records of every treatment you carry out. You also need to treat yourself regularly with Reiki, and keep up-to-date by doing some additional training each year, such as learning extra Reiki techniques, or more about health and safety, or how to manage your Reiki practice more efficiently.
And a good Master/teacher?
To be a good Reiki Master/teacher you need to live Reiki, not just know Reiki. Obviously knowledge of Reiki is important, from how to draw the Reiki symbols to where to place the hands in treatments on people and animals, from how to carry out attunements at each level to how to communicate your knowledge most effectively to your students. From my perspective I also think it is important to have a general understanding of energy, to know how to carry out not just the usual Reiki techniques taught in the West, but also the techniques taught in Japan, including Reiki meditations and energy cleansing.
Other vital aspects of being a Reiki Master/teacher are: being well organised, knowing European legislation about healing, as well as following good ethics and codes or practice, reflecting on your practice and identifying development needs (you’re a Reiki Master for life, so you need to keep learning and growing personally and professionally!), and you also need to look after your own physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual health and well-being, so daily self-treatments, energy cleansing and meditation are essential. But I would also add that you need a sense of humour, because although it has its serious side, Reiki can also be fun!
Can you leave a message to the Portuguese Reiki practitioners, please?
I am delighted that Reiki Practitioners and Masters in Portugal are now able to read two of my books in Portuguese, and I hope they find them really helpful. I also hope they gain as much joy and fulfilment from using Reiki as I have done, so I wish you all health and happiness on your Reiki journeys.
With Reiki blessings from Penelope Quest