Reiki is a Japanese word often translated as Universal Life Force Energy. It is a method of opening the body to larger experiences of energy and for balancing the energies. After a revelatory retreat at Mt. Kurama’s waterfall, Sensei Mikao Usui discovered his ability to heal himself and others was unusually strong. He began to teach others and was very involved in helping the injured from a large earthquake. There are many stories in the larger Reiki community about Reiki’s origins and about Mikao Usui. My understandings come from the books by William Lee Rand, and Frank & Arjava Petter, who have done extensive research in Japan. My training is in the Usui lineage and I was trained at all 3 levels by Joan W. Thirion, MA. My belief is that we ALL have the ability & instinct to heal. Reiki is a beautiful way to increase that inherent skill and refine it further. It is also a beautiful adjunct to spirituality practices as it gives a kinesthetic, direct, experience of ki/chi/prana. After many years of personal inquiry, I highly respect the definition offered by Linda Johnsen, MS in her book Lost Masters: “Prana, or the lifeforce, the mediator between spirit and matter, flashes into existence when spirit “attends” to matter.” I began benefiting from Reiki in 2000 and have been greatly blessed by integrating its beauty in all aspects of my life.