REIKI HEALING

Reiki means Universal life force energy. REI - sacred or spiritual, KI-energy or life force. Reiki is taught or transmitted in three degrees/levels, level three being the master/teacher level, at which stage you are considered competent enough to pass/teach and attune others to the reiki energy. Most reiki practioners will be able to trace their lineage back to Dr Mikao Usui who founded the system of reiki in Japan a the of the 19th century. Primarily a Buddhist he studied other religious systems, including Shinto which was once Japan's state religion.  Shinto is  commonly translated as "The way of the Gods" and this  religious  practise involved the worshipping of spirits known as Kami.
Through Usui's education he was able to learn several languages, and studied theology, medicine and philosophy. His memorial states that he was well versed in history, medicine, Buddhist and Christian scripture as well as Waka poetry.
Usui was probably influenced by the Shingon methods of meditating on symbols in order to create the sacred symbols that are used in reiki today. It is understood that Dr Usui spent time researching and collecting texts on Buddhist systems of healing which helped him in his search for what we now know as reiki.
Dr Usui went to meditate at Mount Kurama as part of his search for healing energy and he is said to have practised a from of meditation called Kushu Shinren. It is thought that he spent 21 days in this state of meditation and at it's completion he realised that he understood a way to heal. Some accounts say that a great light appeared over his head and he received an empowerment of the universal healing energy. Other accounts say that during the meditation he saw the reiki symbols in gold spiralling towards him and entering his forehead. There are other accounts that say that after he had received the reiki symbols during the meditation on the mount he injured his foot on the way down and healed it himself with the new found energy.
Dr Usui set up a reiki clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, outside Tokyo where he began teaching the system. He taught 2000 students before his death in 1926 and 21 of those students attained master Level.