US Catholic Bishops Ban Reiki, and this is What I Know:

This is in response to the report regarding the US Catholic Bishops ban on Reiki, link HERE.
As the article shares: “There is a radical difference between Reiki therapy and the healing by divine power in which Christians believe: for Christians the access to divine healing is by prayer to Christ as Lord and Savior, while the essence of Reiki is not a prayer but a technique,” the bishops said in a statement.

And this is what I know: Reiki has roots in mysticism and the Japanese art of Qi gong. Reiki is not a technique. It is an attuning to/alignment/amplification of the energy that we and all the universe are made up of, –and for someone who believes God is permeating the universe and also beyond it (panentheism) then, that universal life force is Sacred and a living, flowing part of God. Jesus came from God. Jesus’ ability to heal was from God.

The first tenant of Reiki is that the flow of energy can do no harm. When sharing Reiki, we never use our wills, we are an instrument for the energy to flow through, and we are aligned with the greatest good, the common good and unconditional love. Faith is involved for those with a background or roots in faith. For them, Reiki is an extension of prayer and surrender to God. For secular Reiki folks and others, it is simply and wonderfully the chi flowing strong. Either way, the energy is always seeking balance and healing, just as our bodies are. It is a harmonious, complementary tool for healing. There is no superstition involved.

I am a Usui Reiki Master, and I have witnessed and experienced profound and lasting good results from this art.

The Bishops go on to say:
“And then there’s the fact that “neither the Scriptures nor the Christian tradition as a whole speak of the natural world as based on ‘universal life energy’ that is subject to manipulation by the natural human power of thought and will,” the bishops said.”

“To use Reiki is to operate “in the realm of superstition, the no-man’s-land that is neither faith nor science,” the bishops warned, urging Catholic health-care institutions, retreats and chaplains to ditch the therapy, which originated in Japan in the 1800s.

And this is what I know-–Reiki is never shared in a manipulative or willful manner. If it is, it is no longer Reiki, but someone abusing their power. What the Bishops announced just isn’t true, or rather is a skewed interpretation of the art of Reiki. Moreover, Reiki could be likened most to St. Francis’ prayer, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

Reiki is able to relieve pain from growing pains to chemotherapy (and many other challenges and pains of the body, mind and emotions) and gives a deep sense of peace and relaxation without any manipulation or intrusion to the body. Another key point is that Reiki empowers those who give and receive it. Just as Jesus sought to heal and empower all whom he met and came into relationship with, Reiki elicits some of the same gifts.

Right now there is a volunteer Reiki group that serves at our local Catholic hospital, especially for those receiving chemotherapy. A lot of good is done there, not only with Reiki, but other complementary modalities originating from other cultures and countries.   One of my own experiences was so clearly an important quality of life support: I offered Reiki to someone who had bone deep pain from chemo, and after 20 minutes of Reiki, this person sat up joyously/increduously, and said the pain was gone.

I find this ban by the Catholic Bishops to be another abuse of power. It is wrong to cut off peoples’ choice for complementary care that offers such goodness and relief from pain, time and time again.

In addition to this, one of those US Catholic Bishops (in Madison, WI) recently fired a woman in a masters program for writing a paper encouraging inclusive language for the Church.

These are good examples of why I left the Catholic Church. Still my heart is and has always been catholic, with a little ‘c’.  While I love many people who are Catholic– they are my family, friends and beloved community members–and it is a part of my foundation, –it is no longer my home–and I look at this development with great sadness and disappointment all the same. I am glad to have stepped away from the oppressive, steel hold of the Catholic Hierarchy.  For me, it was like staying in an abusive home.  It is not like that for everyone, it is for me.

I feel huge gratitude and cherish my ecumenical community here. Many people will simply ignore the Bishops. Others will follow their decree without questioning. That’s how it is.  I wanted to offer what I know about Reiki, because it is important.

I am simply a Christian now, who believes in an ecumenical world and faith life. I am affiliated with Catholics, I attend a Lutheran congregation, I practice Reiki, and I learn from other faith traditions as well.  Maybe I don’t really belong anywhere perfectly.  Maybe I am on the fringes.  I think I always have been.  It is alright to be just that. Jesus was on the fringes. It can be a sacred place to be.

I have witnessed countless miracles of healing and good fruits from Reiki, this is what I truly know. There is no denying, in my realm of experience, that Reiki is from and of God, the living God, who I trust my life with. I have received too many affirmations to deny this. If I did, it would be a grave denial of the Holy Spirit, and I will not do that. I offer my love and prayers to my friends and family who are Catholic or not, and to all who are effected by these kinds of decisions.