This is one of the cases where in-person instruction can be of some help! It’s easier in some ways to ‘show’ than to ‘tell’, but I’ll do my best.
Please note, this is one individual’s personal experience and opinions, so your mileage may vary. I’m not very ‘traditional’ with this, which sometimes raises folk’s hackles.
Results and effectiveness > Tradition – in my estimation.
It is.
To begin with for the first time, start by rubbing your hands vigorously together until they feel warm – 15-30 seconds. Once you’ve ‘warmed up’, if you focus on your hands and try putting them together, you should feel a faint bit of resistance. You can experiment with (and enhance your energy sensitivity!) growing and shrinking that distance to feel the increase/decrease in resistance.
This matters, because you want to be paying close attention to the energetic flow through your hands when you reach out for the Reiki.
Imagine that there’s a ‘sun’ overhead – not too far, maybe just out of reach – and that this ‘sun’ is the source of Reiki energy. Mentally reach out and draw some of the light and heat and warmth of that sun down. Draw it down through your crown, down your spine, swirl it around your heart like you’re letting a glass of wine breathe. Then split up your flow of energy, pull it down your arms and out your hands. You might feel warm, you might feel cold, it might ‘buzz’ – whatever you feel (or don’t!) is okay. It may be really really subtle and that’s okay too.
Congratz – you’re now doing Reiki!
Many practitioners start with the ‘Cho Ku Rei’ symbol – you might’ve seen it, it’s the spiral-y one. They’ll draw it on their hands or on their target or in the air in front of them to ‘get started’. But I’ll let you in on a secret – the symbols are just mental shortcuts. It’s the intention that matters. Intend to increase the flow and the flow will increase. Intend to send it over distances and you can send it anywhere.
The symbols might help anchor the concepts for you – in which case, use them! – but if they feel superfluous, don’t worry about it.
Although I think it’s markedly ‘easier’ to start with in-person healings (like on yourself!) first, distance healing is no problem. No words required. Usually you’d draw the ‘Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen’ symbol in order to ‘tell’ the Reiki that you intend to use it in this way, but again – this is just a mental shortcut. The intention to send it over distance is sufficient.
When I first started, I’d imagine the person in question and then direct the Reiki out through my hands and to my mental image of the person. You can use a teddy bear or other convenient plush as a voodoo like ‘proxy’ and lay your hands on it and then pour the energy into your proxy. If you have a list of names (even just usernames), this is more than sufficient!
You’re a conduit for the energy. It won’t stop flowing instantly if you lose your focus – it’ll keep flowing for a while. How long? Hard to say. I often feel a sense of ‘inertia’ or ‘momentum’ during Reiki sessions – the more flow I’ve pushed through and the ‘faster’ it’s going, the longer it keeps going if I get distracted.
Try not to get too worried about it. Worry is tightness and tightness is the antithesis of flow. Relax and let it flow through you. Activating Reiki is like turning on a water faucet.
Keep some attention on the flow, of course, but it doesn’t have to be some razor sharp focus or anything. Just like with any meditation, if you lose where you’re at, just gently put your attention back where you want it and go on about your business.
Right – when you are giving Reiki (Symbols or no!) to someone else, you are also giving Reiki to yourself, as the Reiki passes through you on its way to wherever you are sending it.
However, in my experience, there is never any risk of energetic or nervous system overload from Reiki. Reiki energy is self-intelligent. It can be guided and directed to a large extent, but it will often self-prioritize and ‘do what it wants’. It won’t hurt anyone. In fact, a major effect of prolonged Reiki exposure is calming and soothing the nervous system. You could be bathed in Reiki energy 24/7 for weeks and probably the only thing you could complain about is being too relaxed and blissful to get anything done.
That isn’t to say that certain kinds of healing are always comfortable. Healing some things will trigger a healing crisis or a major ‘detox’ response. Same as with any sort-of ‘magical’ healing. More Reiki will usually soothe and smooth it out, so it’s not contraindicated or anything – the Reiki itself isn’t ‘causing’ the problem. The problem was already there, the Reiki just revealed it.
I think the best way to get started is to use Reiki on yourself. Or as it’s sometimes framed:
“Healer – Heal Thyself”
It’s easier to notice, easier to feel, easier to verify and makes you healthier all at the same time. There are no downsides.
Pets are also great choices, as they often love Reiki and will respond very favorably to it. Small children too! I’ve used Reiki to put crying children back to sleep many times.
Practice, get comfortable, feel your way through and let the Reiki teach (and upgrade) you as you go.
Reiki attunements massively open up your energy channels (particularly in the hands and feet), so you may find that this increases your overall energy sensitivity too!
