Nine Elements
The Nine Elements describe the physical form
of practice for this system. This description
supports the underlying premises or values of
the elements. Some of these are: For every
level of initiation, preparation of the
prospective student is a natural part of the
practice. Each level of initiation carries full
empowerment for the student. The First
Degree, contact with the Energy of Reiki, is all
you need to change your life. All elements are
at work in every level of practice.
Each of the elements is of critical importance.
The interplay of the elements create a spiritual
technology that awakens the hidden potential
for healing, guiding the development of
human consciousness. Any change to an
element is a change in the practice.
As tradition keepers, the masters steward the
practice through their faithful teaching of the
practice they carry. Each student has the right
to his or her own personal practice and
relationship to the energy of Reiki and the
system of practice.
The Nine Elements are: Form of Teaching,
History, Initiation, Money, Oral Tradition,
Precepts, Spiritual Lineage, Symbols, and
Treatment. In First and Second Degree the
Nine Elements are not a part of the actual
teaching of the practice but serve as the
framework for the master’s teaching.
In the preparation of a master, the Elements
add another dimension of understanding for
the aspiring master as a steward of this
system.
This articulation of the system, Usui Shiki
Ryoho, allows all students to use this practice
as a still-point. This means that the system is
stable and reliable, creating the opportunity to
use the system for growth and development,
for deepening the human experience, and for
integrating the Absolute into the Relative
Universe.
Form of Teaching
The class form for teaching this system is
simple, direct, and comprehensive. It is easy to
learn and integrate into daily life. A master
teaches a beginning class at each level
supporting the student in being able to
experience their individual path in the
practice. There are two levels, First and Second
Degree. First Degree is taught in 4 three hour
sessions on 4 consecutive days. Second
Degree is taught in three sessions of varying
length, usually over three days. There are
other details involved in this Element that are
too numerous to recount here.
History
History is the story of the origin and
development of this practice through time as
held, carried, and cared for by the spiritual
lineage of Mikao Usui, Chujiro Hayashi,
Hawayo Takata, and Phyllis Lei Furumoto. The
story traces the development of the practice
through the life of each lineage bearer.
Initiation
Initiation is the ritual known and practiced only
by masters to bring the student into the
unique relationship with Reiki as gifted to
Mikao Usui. The initiation can be described as
a sacred time when the student and master
experience communion with the energy of
Reiki. Though daily practice the gift of
initiation puts the student on the path to
healing and development.
Money
Balance of giving and receiving is a concept
that is reflected in the element of money in
this system. The practice of Reiki calls for an
exchange for learning Reiki at each level and
for treatment. There are many social beliefs
about money. This system opens the
conversation for the healing of these beliefs
and restores the elegance of spirit through the
gifting of money.
Oral Tradition
This practice is taught and passed on in the
form of oral tradition, that is, the student and
master are together in person for the class
experience. There is a unique quality to this
meeting that only can happen in person-to-
person contact where ritual or sacred space is
created. Through the medium of story,
demonstration, initiation, sharing, and
responding to questions, the essence of the
practice is communicated. Oral tradition is
also about the quality of transmission that is
present when being together in person. In this
system, personal experience through practice
is emphasized over the written word.
Precepts
The five Reiki principles are guides to daily
living. They challenge the student to look more
deeply into the nature of being human. Each
question that is provoked by the precepts is an
opportunity for personal development, a way
to change our perceptions of life, and to find
personal peace.
Spiritual Lineage
The Spiritual Lineage of Usui Shiki Ryoho is
Mikao Usui, Chujiro Hayashi, Hawayo Takata,
and Phyllis Lei Furumoto. The system of
practice as we know it today has been carried
through these four lineage bearers and their
time/space in the world as we know it.
Historical events, changes in communication
and travel methods, research into the human
conditions, and many other factors have had a
bearing on the practice through the lineage
bearers. This is a developing system that has
at its root the inspiration and teachings of
Mikao Usui and his trans-cultural values.
Each student has an Initiation Lineage which is
the line of masters connecting to the Spiritual
Lineage of this practice. The Spiritual Lineage
can be viewed as a horizontal line and the
Initiation Lineage a vertical line connecting at
some point to one of the 4 lineage bearers.
Symbols
There are three symbols in this practice that
are keys or doorways to another level of
relationship with the energy of Reiki. A
student is asked for further commitment of
time and attention to the practice. The three
symbols have specific functions and form of
use in the student’s daily practice. These
symbols are held as sacred and therefore
secret. This means that the symbols are not
used publicly in any way and the student is
thoughtful when practicing to keep this part of
the practice private.
Treatment
The form of treatment is simple while
comprehensive. The hand positions offered in
the First Degree class create a pattern on the
body that allows for the person receiving as
well as the person giving the treatment
awareness of the energy movement in the
body. The basis of the practice is self-
treatment and treatment of others within the
realm of family and friends. The student learns
the technique for self-treatment, treatment of
others, and for first aid applications. Beginning
students have the capacity to give a good
treatment. Reiki treatments are not used for
diagostic purposes nor should there be
expectations about the outcome of the
treatment. Reiki always works, sometimes on
unseen levels of the being.