Reiki (ray-kee) is an ancient rediscovered natural healing technique involving the placement of hands onto the body in order to channel energy. Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life. It can be defined as "spiritually guided life force energy". The knowledge that an unseen energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to quality of health has been part of the wisdom of many cultures since ancient times. The existence of this "life force energy" has been verified by kirlian photography. Kirlian photography is a technique that allows the etheric energy patterns around living things to be photographed it was pioneered by Semyon Kirlian, a Russian researcher in the 1940's.

Reiki is an amazingly simple technique to learn. It does not take years of practice, it is simply passed on through a series of attunements from a qualified Reiki Master/Teacher to the student. As soon as this happens, one has and can do Reiki. Because of this, it is easily learned by anyone. The Master/Teacher "fines tunes" the individual's own abilities to channel universal life force energy much the same as turning a radio from am to fm.

The Reiki energy is perceived as heat or sensation that comes from the channel's hands. It is gentle and stimulates the body's own innate wisdom to cure at the cause of the problem, promoting a holistic balancing of body, mind and spirit.

How Reiki Heals
We are alive because life force is flowing through us. Life force flows within the physical body and it also flows around us in a field of energy called the aura. Life force nourishes the organs and cells of the body, supporting them in their vital functions. When this flow of life force is disrupted, it causes diminished function in one or more of the organs and tissues of the physical body.

The life force is responsive to thoughts and feelings. It becomes disrupted when we accept, either consciously or unconsciously, negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. These negative thoughts and feelings attach themselves to the energy field and cause a disruption in the flow of life force. This diminishes the vital function of the organs and cells of the physical body.

Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are attached. This causes the negative energy to break up and fall away. Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way.

Reiki cleanses the body of built up toxins, relieves pain, soothes shock, calms the mind and emotions, and accelerates the body's natural ability to heal itself at the same time promoting a state of total relaxation and well-being. Once a person has been opened up to become a "channel" for Reiki, concentrated universal life force energy will flow through their hands of its own accord and they will retain this ability for the rest of their life. Reiki in no way conflicts with medical procedures and in fact supports and enhances all medical treatments. Reiki can be incorporated effectively into the healing arts practised by health professionals from traditional and alternative medicine.

Reiki Never Lessens Energy
Reiki practitioner's energies are never lessened when doing healing. During a Reiki treatment both practitioner and recipient receive healing. Giving a treatment always increases your energy and leaves you feeling peaceful and revitalised.

What Can Reiki Help You With
You can use Reiki for any illness, it is always beneficial and works to improve the effectiveness of all other types of therapy. A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through you and surrounds you. Reiki treats the whole person - body, emotions, mind and spirit and creates many beneficial effects including relaxation, feelings of peace, security, and well-being.

Reiki activates the body's natural ability to heal itself. Reiki energy goes to the deeper levels of a person's being, where many illnesses have their origin. It works wherever the recipient needs it most, releasing blocked energies, cleansing the body of toxins and working to create a state of balance. It reinforces the patient's ability to take responsibility for their life and help them to make the necessary changes in attitude and lifestyle to promote a happier and healthier life.

Reiki energy can be used for anything and everything if we open up to the situation through our intent. We can use it on ourselves, other people, dogs, cats, plants, birds, groups of animals, situations in the past and in the future, world situations and send it in absentee to those who request help, the list is endless. One of the wonderful advantages of Reiki is that as well as using it on others you can treat yourself.

Reiki can aid relaxation, relieve pain, aid concentration, boost the immune system, increase joint mobility, assist the body in clearing toxins, help in the grieving process. Reiki is beneficial in reducing shock, pain, bleeding and bruising.

Reiki for Animals
It is not known what animals experience when they are treated with Reiki, but they do tend to become noticeable quieter and soon let go and relax.

When treating domestic animals, such as cats, dogs, rabbits etc lay your hands behind their ears. To treat the rest of the body let your hands remain at places where you feel the animal has pain or to whatever area you are guided. The treatment for animals is the same as treating people. In the case of small animals such as mice, guinea pigs, birds, cup them gently in your hands. For penguins, whales, lions or groups of animals in the wild, it is best to use the absentee method.

Compared to other animals cats tend to react to Reiki treatment differently. The position behind the ears may become unpleasant for them after a short time and they can become restless. It is best to start cats off with small amounts of Reiki until they adjust, after they get used to the Reiki they usually want and accept more.

Is Reiki a Religion?
Reiki is used with the same success by people of many faiths and religions, by free thinkers as well as by the followers of widely differing philosophies and ideologies. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it has no dogma and no special kind of faith or belief is required to learn or practice Reiki.

The Attunement
Reiki is transmitted to a student by a Reiki Master during an attunement process. This process opens the crown, heart, and palm chakras to receive the ability to channel Reiki.

The Reiki attunement can start a cleansing process that affects the physical body as well as the mind and emotions. Toxins that have been stored in the body may be released along with feelings and thought patterns that are no longer useful. After an attunement there is a 21 day cleansing cycle that consists of three cycles of the 7 chakras, moving through from the base chakra then the sacral chakra, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown, one each day, then after the seventh day returning to the base chakra and then repeating the cycle. Once you have received a Reiki attunement, you will have Reiki for the rest of your life.

Reiki Always Works for the Highest Good
Because Reiki is guided by the God-consciousness, it can never do harm. It always knows what a person needs and will adjust itself to create the effect that is appropriate for them. Permission should always be asked of the healing recipient before proceeding to give Reiki.

Channelling Reiki - What Do You Feel?
Our hands can feel hot and sometimes cold, or we feel a tingling or pulling sensation in our hands. Occasionally the Reiki Channel will feel no sensation at all and in this case it is a good idea to ask the recipient what they are feeling ie if they are feeling heat in some area of their body you know where it is working and the recipient can tell you when it cools down or changes. At times the recipient will say that they can't feel anything, then we know that Reiki is probably working on an emotional, mental or spiritual level. Accept that Reiki is working upon some level, and that it is working for the highest good of all concerned.

Growing with Reiki
Learning Reiki is a good starting point for experiencing and working with healing energy. In general, Reiki complements other healing methods and spiritual practices. Again, listen to your heart and you will be guided in choosing the right experiences and teachers for you. Once you have learned a healing technique, the work begins. To develop your understanding of, and sensitivity in Reiki, it is a good idea to devote time to regular practice. Reiki is something that will transform your life. It helps you become active in your own healing.

Information On Tera-Mai Seichem
The following is taken from Kathleen's book "Reiki & Other Rays of Touch Healing"
With Kathleen Milner's Tera-Mai Seichem, she was initiated into Seichem in June 1991. Kathleen found herself channelling a different kind of energy from Reiki.  Rather than energy running hot and cold as Reiki does, Seichem sparkled through her hands like effervescent bubbles or small electrical impulses.  She found the Seichem initiations were lacking in several areas, yet Seichem healing facilitators were able to initiate healing with this energy.  When she saw the Seichem symbols they were identical to the Reiki symbols, only slanted.  Even the Master Symbol which is used to fully open the initiate to the Seichem healing ray, was the same as the Reiki Master Symbol. The masters and angels told Kathleen in a dream that Seichem played on the outskirts of a larger ray which in full manifestation comes in like a sparkling rainbow of colour and that she was to call this energy Sakara.  Later Kathleen was told by a practitioner that the individual who rediscovered Seichem found it by reading the original Sutras, the same Sutras theat Mikao Usui had read.  It is her own personal feeling that this individual came into conscious awareness and connected with this ray and its healing properties as they were reading the Sutras. However, what this individual did not do was seek a conscious raising journey.  Thus, neither the complete knowledge, nor the correct symbols, nor the full power was retrieved.

Later Kathleen was approached by an array of 5th dimensional beings: the Ascended Masters, the Galatic Confederation, and the Angels of The Eternal Light.  It was their intention, with her approval, to move her up from being a Seichem master to a Sakara Master and at the same time initiate her into Angeliclight & Sophi-El.  The Angels and Ascended Masters processed within her being the energies of Sakara and Angeliclight and Sophi-El (The Other Elemental Rays of Touch Healing).

She realised later, when questioned by one of her students, that the Reiki/ Seichem attunements she was giving would give people the ability to pass on all 4 Elemental Rays ie Earth (Reiki), Fire (Sakara), Air (Angeliclight), Water (Sophi-El) - even though it was only equivalent to the first level of Sakara, Sophi-El  & Angeliclight. This makes Kathleen's "Tera-Mai Seichem" different to all other brands, styles and types of Seichem. Tera-Mai Reiki/Seichem Master attunement is equivalent to the first levels of Sakara, Sohpi-El & Angeliclight. Kathleen Milner is the only person who can give higher attunements of Sakara, Sohpie-El & Angeliclight. (most of this information is taken from "Reiki & Other Rays of Touch Healing").

I would like to acknowledge that some of the above information was derived from the following sources:
Reiki & Other Rays of Touch Healing by Kathleen Milner
Tera, My Journey by Kathleen Milner
Reiki (Universal Life Energy) by Bodo J Baginski & Shalila Sharamon
Reiki The Healing Touch by William L Rand
Rick Rivards The Reiki Threshold Website
Traditional Japanese Reiki Website
Atlantis Rising Website