“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”
Since you’ve already been practising Reiki for some time, you already know something of the theory of Reiki. You might understand it as universal energy channelled through the palms, or perhaps as the Holy Spirit of God, which manifests wherever you lay on your hands. Maybe you’ve done research into Reiki’s origins, or even studied different styles of Reiki. That’s all very much for the good, but now I invite you once again into beginner’s mind, to approach Reiki without any conceptions about what it is and what it should do. I’m inviting you once again into mystery.
Naming Mystery
The way you can go
isn’t the real way.
The name you can say
isn’t the real name.
In Judaism, the most holy name of God is spelled YHWH, a word with no vowels that you can’t even pronounce. This un-naming of God recalls the Taoist idea that every concept we use to define reality necessarily falls short of the real thing.
And this also applies to Reiki. The name and our theories about the mystery of Reiki are like the words in a guidebook that lead you eventually to a beautiful mountain lake. When you are floating in the cool clear water, with sunlight gleaming off the ripples and laughter in your face, you have no need for words or understanding.
True knowledge of Reiki—connection with the original source—is experience.
Unity
Our theme throughout the master level is unity. You have seen glimpses of this in the lower teachings, especially in the HSZSN symbol. But now we’re looking at more than just a hint. Our focus now is this mystery, this holy mystery, the mystery of what Reiki truly is, and what you truly are. At the master level you awaken to the reality that you and it are One.
To understand this, let’s put it into the perspective of the different levels of Reiki. The first level was your connection to Reiki, and discovering that you could be a vessel for universal energy to flow through. The second level then was the clearing of your mind and emotions, and realising that you are connected to everything in the universe. Now you step into master level, in which you will touch, via the fourth and final symbol of Reiki, your true nature. The challenge at this level is to become one with the essence of Reiki, to realise not just intellectually but experientially that you are a manifestation of the great love and power of the universe, and so also is Reiki, and so you and Reiki are not two separate things. You discover yourself to be the very universe in its unfolding. The mystery then is not just the phenomenon of Reiki, but you.
The potential of the master symbol to affect your practice is without limit. It will bring renewed fire to your own healing journey, as well as making you a clearer wellspring of healing energy for others.
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