The Golden Reiki Way Lineage
Now you have a clearer idea of what Reiki is (check out last month’s blog post if you missed it), I want to touch on lineage.
If you speak to, or research Reiki practitioners they’ll mention lineage - and you might be wondering what does that have to do with my healing? Reiki is an energy therapy, so the line the energy has come to a practitioner is important; it defines their level as a healer, gives an insight into how they’ve been taught, attuned, care for and help their clients, as well as themselves.
The lineage I am a part of is The Golden Reiki Way and I feel super lucky that I am!
The starting point begins with Dr Mikao Usui who rediscovered Reiki. Raised as a Samurai, the discipline of martial arts and meditation were an integral part of his life and foundation. Challenged by his students to find a natural way of healing, Dr Usui studied the world’s religion’s and searched for the healing answers that they all claimed to exist.
After many years of study and travel, he found a healing formula in Sanskrit and along with a 21-day meditation on Mt Kurama, led to enlightenment! Dr Usui now had the tools for healing and so Usui Reiki Ryoho – Usui Reiki System of Natural Healing was born. With this knowledge Dr Usui dedicated his life to healing and treating many people until his death.
He was recognised for his achievement by the Emperor of Japan.
Under Dr Usui’s instructions before his death one of his most dedicated students, Dr Chujiro Hayashi, became Grand Master and continued the healing work. He began documenting and making records for the first time, and Reiki grew in popularity - still however, only practiced in Japan.
The next Grand Master was Japanese-American Madame Hawayo Takata, who met Dr Hayashi on a visit to Japan. In ill health, she was guided to seek Reiki healing and after daily Reiki treatments over many weeks, she was cured and asked to learn this healing art. Dr Hayashi agreed and Madame Takata spent many months studying under his instruction.
The plan was for Madam Takata to continue the healing work in Japan, however with the outbreak of the Second World War, Dr Hayashi had died and Madame Takata was left to return home and continue the work in the USA.
We have much to thank Madame Takata, who brought Reiki to the West, and it couldn’t have been easy introducing this energy therapy in Hawaii - where ideas and customs from Japan weren’t welcome after the war. Culturally East and West is so different, even today, so imagine having this Reiki knowledge while knowing it couldn’t be completely accepted or understood.
She was very successful helping heal many people, teaching this art and trained 22 masters, however left no one person to carry the mantle after she passed. And so Reiki healing went in many different directions, with Eastern and shamanic teachings lost.
The Golden Reiki Way, through Grand Master Christopher Massey, has restored Reiki back to its shamanic roots; teachings and disciplines that were pivotal to its development and application in the East. Core to this; kindness, honour, reflection and awareness - light, life, love and law are part of a universal system of healing. Shamanic Reiki unlocks knowledge and teachings fundamental to our life on Planet Earth.