The Reiki Method

Empowerments in Reiki and associated modalities

Reiki
Level II
OKUDEN
Manual
http://www.freewebs.com/thereikimethod
May 2007
Contents
Introduction
Disclaimer
What is Level II Reiki?
Symbols
Chokurei
Seiheki
Honshazeshonen
Pronouncing Kotodama
Distant Reiki
Treating Others/Self-Treatment
Usui Reiki Ryoho Techniques of Okuden
Okuden Zenki:
Hatsurei-Ho
Uchite Chiryo-Ho
Nadete Chiryo-Ho
Oshite Chiryo-Ho
Gyoshi-Ho
Hesso Chiryo-Ho
Koki-Ho
Tanden Chiryo-Ho
Genetsu-Ho (Byogen Chiryo-Ho)
Okuden Kouki:
Seiheki Chiryo-Ho
Nentatsu-Ho (with symbols)
Enkaku Chiryo-Ho
Shashin Chiryo-Ho
Ketseuki Kokan-Ho
Introduction
Welcome to Level II Reiki (Okuden).
The purpose of this manual is to provide a practical guide to Reiki at Level II and while
no manual is ever truly complete, it will hopefully be a comprehensive and useful guide
to its practice.
Disclaimer
Reiki is a natural method of hands on energy balancing treatment for the purpose of
reducing stress and for relaxation.
Reiki is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical or psychological health
care.
No Reiki practitioner (unless qualified to do so) treats, makes any diagnosis of a
condition or conditions, performs any medical treatments, prescribes any substance
nor interferes in any way with the treatments of licenced medical professionals.
Reiki does not in any way compete with the medical profession nor medical treatment, it
does in fact compliment medical treatment.
For any physical or psychological ailment, it is recommended that a licenced medical
professional is consulted.
What is Level II Reiki?
So what is Level II Reiki?
Reiki at Level II concentrates on more specific uses of the Reiki energy. Mental or/and
emotional treatment and treatment by distance are features of this level. Level II Reiki
practitioners are able to work with others with extra tools as they are able to work with
the world at large in the same way.
It is better and recommended that permission is obtained before treating any one in a
distant or remote way. Having said that, if permission is not obtainable (i.e. the person
is unobtainable to ask), then it is possible to offer the treatment which the recipient is
then unconsciously able to accept or refuse.
It is not a part of any level of Reiki to force a treatment on anyone. Where treatment is
sent remotely or distantly by you, as at Level I, let Reiki do the work.
Level II Reiki makes use of symbols and Kotodama.
Okuden The Deep Inside
Symbols
Symbols, as used in Level II Reiki, are seen as either
a) shapes or forms containing the power to awaken an ability or create a result or
results or convey information and/or realisation
b) empowered by being charged with the intention of the person using them
c) tools or triggers enabling the user to connect with spiritual functions and/or
information
or all of the above.
There are three symbols used in Level II Reiki giving you ways to focus and work with a
broad range of frequencies for specific purposes.
The symbols are drawn in Gold and can be drawn mentally (envisioned) or with the
palm of the hand. They can also be placed (i.e. seen in full) mentally or with the palm of
the hand.
These symbols are:
Chokurei, also known as Focus in Japan
Seiheki, also known as Harmony in Japan
and
Honshazeshonen, also known as Connection in Japan.
Symbols are known as Shirushi in Japan.
The pronounced name of a symbol (Chokurei, etc.) is its Jumon.
Chokurei
Chokurei as seen above can be analysed in the following way:
The top horizontal line represents the male energy of the universe
The line down represents energy coming down to earth (it also represents the spinal
column)
The spiral represents the female energy of the universe
Its meaning is put all the strength of the universe here or a copy of God/soul
energy
It focuses the energy of and increases the strength of your Reiki
It can be used to protect
It is said that placing the symbol at the solar plexus, post-treatment, causes the
recipient to continue to receive for hours or even days
Drawing this symbol and motioning it towards a person who wishes to have
something materialise in their life will assist in bringing that (appropriate) goal to
him/her
It activates and enhances Reiki
It can be used to clear a space of negativity: Draw on each wall, ceiling and floor
with a central one in the middle of the space (always repeat the name of the symbol
three times after drawing or placing)
The spiral must cross the vertical line, three times, minimum.
Use at the beginning to open a treatment and at the end to close a treatment
Can be drawn on the palms before treating
Can be drawn over shower head for a Reiki enhanced shower
Seiheki
Seiheki, seen on the following page, can be analysed in the following way:
It is the harmony or mental/emotional symbol
It quiets the mind allowing mental and/or emotional balance
It balances the left and right sides of the brain
Its meaning is God and humanity become one
It restores psychological and emotional balance bringing deep healing
It promotes self-growth, improves human relationships, helps to remove unwanted
habits and resolves all sorts of disorders resulting from karma or/and trauma
It brings up and heals emotional issues underlying physical problems
Heals emotional and mental distress
Supports positive behaviour changes
Use where you feel emotional processing is required
Can be drawn in all eight top/bottom corners of a space along with a central one to
clear negativity
Can be drawn on the palms before treating
Useful in dissipating headaches
Useful in assisting with memory
Put into drinks and food to remove negativity
Honshazeshonen
Honshazeshonen, as seen on the following page, can be analysed as follows:
The Buddha in me reaches out to the Buddha in you to promote enlightenment and
peace
Used for remote or distant treatment
Known as the distance or connection symbol
Honshazeshonen also translates as Right consciousness is the root for everything
Use as a focus for sending to Reiki to someone at a distance although intention is all
that is necessary to send Reiki anywhere
Useful in past or karmic issues
Symbol of karmic release
Time not relevant regarding use of this symbol
Hon (source, origin, book)
Sha (person)
Ze (right, just)
Sho (correct, exactly, certainly)
Nen (thought, idea, wish)
The symbol is actual Japanese writing or kanji (as is the writing on the manual
cover which reads Rei Ki (Reiki))
The long term use of this symbol is to help us live in the present free of blocks and
worries about the past or future
Thanks to Rick Rivard (www.threshold.ca) for permission to reproduce all three symbol
images.
Kotodama
Kotodama are extremely old. A translation of Kotodama would be word spirit or
language soul. The source of these Kotodama is the Japanese religion, Shintoism.
They represent the forces of the Universe or Divine aspects of creation.
The Waka poetry used by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai contains Kotodama within it. One
of the ways Usui Sensei taught his students to connect to the energy was through
Kotodama and the use of Kotodama predates the use of symbols in Reiki.
As symbols are tools within Reiki that can eventually be left behind as you become able
to work with the energies that they represent, directly, so are Kotodama tools that can
also be left behind as you become able directly to work with the energies that the
Kotodama represent.
The energies that the three symbols represent and that the Kotodama represent are, of
course, essentially the same energies.
Usui Senseis use of Kotodama was what is referred to as classical Kotodama.
Chokurei corresponds to the Focus kotodama which produces earth energy. The ki that
comes from the earth is heavy and powerful and is a physical healing energy. Chokurei
is not a power symbol as misconceived in western Reiki thought.
Seiheki corresponds to the Harmony kotodama producing heavenly energy which is
light and etheric. Heavenly ki increases intuition, psychic ability and mental focus.
Honshazeshonen corresponds to the Connection kotodama producing a state of mind
in the practitioner, a state of oneness. A side-effect of this state is the ability to send
Reiki to another at a distance.
It is important to bear in mind that originally, the Reiki system was about self-healing
and spiritual development and that the treatment of others was not emphasised. The
Kotodama represent energies that you needed to become once more in your spiritual
and self-healing path.
Pronouncing Kotodama
A aaah
O as in rose
U as in true
E as in grey
I eeeee
Focus ho ku ei hoe koo ey-eeee
Harmony ei ei ki ey-eeee ey-eeee keee
Connection ho a ze ho ne hoe aaah zay hoe neigh
Kotodama should be intoned using a deep resonant voice, breathing them out from your
entire body, resonating them from your Hara.
Distant Reiki
To send Reiki to a distant recipient (be that a person, place, issue or event etc.) you can,
of course, simply think of the recipient and let Reiki flow. The use of the three Level II
symbols and/or kotodama, however, enhances your work. The method to use them
varies.
An example would be to, lets say, send Reiki to a distant event (e.g. to enhance the
proceedings of a spiritually-oriented meeting) as persons are not the only possible
recipients. You would draw or envision Chokurei on each palm followed by Seiheki
followed by Honshazeshonen followed by Chokurei (use of symbols or kotodama one at
a time was the original practice, however).
You would then draw or envision the same sequence of symbols in the air before you
and send Reiki through those symbols to the event. Your intention at the beginning
(known in Japan as Mokunen) determines where Reiki is going although you must
remember that Reiki knows where to go and may go wherever to carry out your
intention. This applies to treating people in that you may believe Reiki ought to go here
or there yet it will often go to where you didnt expect, to carry out the treatment.
You can also envision a grid (as in noughts and crosses) and place persons, events,
issues, places, scenarios etc. upon it, one to each cell of your grid and send Reiki as
above to it all at once, each occupant of the cells on the grid then receives Reiki.
Another method is to write the name of each such scenario, event, person, etc. on a
piece of paper, one to each piece and place these pieces of paper into a box and Reiki the
box intending that all within as mentioned on the pieces of paper will receive Reiki.
A toy such as a teddy bear can also be used as a proxy for a person you wish to treat, i.e.
treat the proxy intending it to represent him/her and the person will receive Reiki.
You can also use your left thigh and right thigh for a proxy front and back of a person.
You can, of course, send Reiki into the past and future (to a meeting tomorrow, for
example) and it will arrive at the time you have sent it to.
It is your intention that is the key.
An interesting point is that although the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai in Japan does not use
symbols as these were training wheels used by Usui Sensei to help those who had
difficulty sensing the variation in Reiki energy that each symbol represents with the idea
of eventually overcoming the need for them, Hayashi Sensei did use them in his school
(Hayashi Reiki Kenkyukai).
Treating Others/Self-Treatment
When treating others or yourself as at Level I (hands on, etc.) you can, of course, utilise
each of the symbols and/or kotodama to enhance the treatment in line with the
applicable use of each symbol or sound.
Usui Reiki Ryoho Techniques of Okuden
Okuden Zenki or First Step
Hatsurei-Ho (Hatsu = generate, rei = energy or spirit, ho = method)
This is a technique to enhance your Reiki channel and to help you grow spiritually. As it
cleanses the aura, you may want to let your hands be a little away from the body.
1. Kihon Shisei standard posture.
Sit on the floor in seiza style (on your knees, sitting on your legs) or sit on a chair.
Remove all bodily tension. Relax. Lightly close your eyes. Your back straight, bring
your attention to your hara (8cm below the navel). Both hands on your lap, palms
down.
2. Mokunen focussing (intention).
Tell yourself I begin Hatsurei-Ho.
3. Perform Ken Yoku:
Place the fingers of your right hand at top of left shoulder, hand flat
Draw the flat hand diagonally across the chest to right hip, saying aaaaah as you do
so
Repeat this on the right side using left hand
Repeat again using right hand
Place fingers of right hand on middle of left forearm, draw the hand down all the
way to left hand and off
Repeat on right side using left hand on right forearm etc.
Repeat on left side again.
4. Connect to Reiki :
Raise both hands high in the air, palms upward and
flat. Feel Reiki flowing into your body through your hands.
5. Perform Jo Shin Kokyu Ho:
Close your eyes, let your hands be in lap as if holding eggs
Inhale Reiki light through the crown to your hara (8cm below navel)
Hold your breath momentarily (If safe for you to do so) and feel the energy
Let Reiki energy sunburst from your hara, radiating out from your body (to infinity)
As you exhale through your mouth, feel the energy leave your hands and/or soles of
your feet.
6. Gassho
Two hands together at heart level (or just above) as if praying.
7. Sei Shin Toitsu (Concentration)
Keeping Gassho, focus on your hara, imagining you are breathing through your
hands
When breathing in, visualise Reiki light flows in through your hara line, filling your
hara
When breathing out, say aaaah and visualise the Reiki light radiating out through
your hands from your hara (concentrate on your normal breathing)
Repeat this a for a couple of minutes or longer.
8. Mokunen focussing (intention)
Place your hands back on your lap, palms down and say to yourself I have finished
Hatsurei-Ho.
Eyes opened, shake your hands up, down, left, right for a few seconds.
Hatsurei-Ho when done as a group is called Shuyo-Ho, the difference being that Gyosei
(the Waka Poetry of the Meiji Emperor of Japan) is sung beforehand and the Gokai is
recited during Sei Shin Toitsu (at Gakkai meetings).
Uchite Chiryo-Ho (Uchi = strike, hit, knock, tap, te = hand, chiryo = treatment)
This is applying Reiki by patting with your hands or palms to areas of numbness, to
stimulate the surface allowing better penetration of the Reiki energy.
1. Lightly pat the area of numbness (do not hurt the recipient)
2. This will wake up the cells in the area.
3. The hands may be cupped while doing this.
Nadete Chiryo-Ho (Nade = stroke, smooth down)
This is where Reiki is applied like brushing with a paintbrush.
Move hands up and down (or in circular motion). This encourages the energy flow of
Reiki in the body. Treat from the shoulders to the tips of the hands, waist to tips of feet.
Stroke body from top to bottom (or left and right) although this is more appropriate on
the back (in all of this technique be aware of and avoid recipients areas of sensibility).
The back can be treated by hands clockwise on the right side of the spine, anti-clockwise
on the left side (as if dusting with a cloth).
Oshite Chiryo-Ho (Oshi = push, pressure)
This is where Reiki is applied by pushing gently with the fingertips.
Push area requiring treatment with your fingertips (index and middle or middle and
third finger, together) sending Reiki through the fingers.
This can also be done by slightly opening and closing the palm, stretching the fingers
and the palm open and then relaxing. Done rhythmically , Reiki emanates from the palm
of your hand.
Gyoshi-Ho (Gyoshi = gaze, stare, fixation)
This is where Reiki is given by softly staring (Reiki will come through your eyes).
Look at the area that requires treatment maintaining a soft focus (not a glare)
Hesso Chiryo-Ho (Hesso = navel)
The navel is the centre of your body and the healing spot for every disease.
1. Place your middle finger into your navel (until you feel a gentle pulse)
2. Let Reiki flow from your middle finger into your navel until you feel the energy is in
harmony with the pulse
3. Keep this way until you feel relaxed and balanced (about 5 10 minutes)
Some recipients may be uncomfortable if you apply this technique on them, in which
case let your hand hover over the navel about 5cm above and send Reiki into the navel.
Koki Ho (Koki = exhalation, breath, breathing)
This is where Reiki is sent through the breath.
1. Breathe in through your nose
2. With a whistling shaped mouth, breathe to where Reiki is need to be applied, gently.
Useful in treating burns, for example.
Tanden Chiryo-Ho (Tanden = point 8cm below navel (hara))
1. Place one hand on your hara and the other on the upper forehead (where hair starts
to grow)
2. Feeling the energy from your hand on your forehead, say in your mind please get
rid of the poison from my body
3. Leave your hand there for a couple of minutes
4. Move the hand on your forehead to the hand on your hara so that two hands are
there
5. Let Reiki flow to hara for about 20 30 minutes
This technique can be applied to others as well as yourself.
Genetsu-Ho (Ge = to bring down, netsu = fever)
This is the standard technique developed by Mikao Usui to treat the source of any
disease and of the head particularly. It is also known as Byogen Chiryo-Ho (Byo =
disease, gen = origin or root).
Treat the forehead, temples, back of the head, neck, throat, crown, stomach, intestines.
The head positions ought to take up to 30 minutes, the stomach and intestines 10 15
minutes.
Okuden Kouki or Second Step
Seiheki Chiryo-Ho (Seiheki = idiosyncrasy, disposition, inclination, characteristic)
1. Place one hand on the forehead and one on the back of the head
2. Transmit a pure message through the hand (no mind power, let Reiki do it) on the
forehead for 1- 2 minutes (i.e improve personality, correct bad habits)
3. Remove the hand on the forehead keeping the other hand on the back of the head for
five minutes or more, giving Reiki.
Can be used on self and others.
Nentatsu-Ho (Nen = idea, feeling, sense, concern, tatsu = discontinue, cut off, suppress)
1. Place your dominant hand at the crown, the other at the base of the skull
2. Visualise the Chokurei symbol, send it into the base of the brain and send Reiki for a
short time
3. Visualise the Seiheki symbol, send it to the base of the brain and repeat with another
Chokurei symbol
4. Imagine the whole of the head filling with Reiki from the symbols and filling the rest
of the body slowly from the head down
(The difference between Nentatsu-Ho here and as presented in Shoden is the additional
use of symbols)
Enkaku Chiryo-Ho (Enkaku = distant, remote, isolated)
This is a technique to send energy from a distance.
Use a proxy (i.e. a teddy bear) along with the honshazeshonen symbol. In this way, Reiki
is given to the proxy and goes to the person that the proxy represents.
Shashin Chiryo-Ho (Shashin = photograph)
In Enkaku Chiryo-Ho, the essence of the person is brought to the Reiki practitioner for
treatment. In Shashin Chiryo-Ho, Reiki is sent to the person by use of a photograph of
the person.
Use the photograph to get in tune with the intended recipient.
Focus on the combined energies represented by the combination of the Chokurei,
Seiheki and Honshazeshonen symbols.
Send Reiki to the intended recipient.
Ketseuki Kokan-Ho (Ketseuki = blood, kokan = exchange, replacement)
This technique stimulates various meridians that may affect blood flow, cleanse the
blood of toxins and stimulate the production of new blood cells.
Hanshin Koketsu (Hanshin = half the body, ko = old, ketsu = blood)
1. Sweep down the back from centre to left and centre to right with your palms working
your way down the spine (10 15 outward sweeps)
2. Hold your index and middle fingers on both hands and place them on each side of
the spine
3. Sweep down the spine from the neck to bottom of spine
Note: See warning regarding Finishing A Session in the Level I Manual that relates that a
similar method presented there must not be used on a person with diabetes or a heart
condition the warning given there also applies to Ketseuki Kokan Ho.
Zenshin Koketsu (Zenshin = the whole body)
1. Recipient is lying down or comfortably in a chair
2. Give Reiki with your hands to the head (front/back, both sides, forehead/neck
bottom)
3. Give Reiki to both lungs, heart, stomach and intestines
4. Sweep both arms from shoulder to tips of hands several times
5. Sweep down from thighs to tips of feet (gain permission first)
Recommended Reading
Iyashino Gendai Reiki Ho
Hiroshi Doi
Fraser Journal Publishing ISBN 0-9688100-0-4
The Original Reiki Handbook Of Dr. Mikao Usui
Dr. Mikao Usui and Frank Arjava Petter
Lotus Press ISBN 0-914955-57-8
Reiki, The Healing Touch
William Lee Rand
Vision Publications ISBN 1-886785-05-8
Essential Reiki
Diane Stein
The Crossing Press ISBN 0-89594-736-6
The Reiki Sourcebook
Bronwen & Frans Stiene
O Books ISBN 1-903816-55-6
The Japanese Art of Reiki
Bronwen & Frans Stiene
O Books ISBN 1-905047-02-9