I WOULDN'T recommend Essential Reiki by Diane Stein. It's misleading and way out of date.

Funnily enough, I had this book bought for me for Christmas when I first learned Reiki. I agree totally with that, it is certainly not a guide to Usui Reiki! I have to say I am not a great fan of Penelope Quest's work either. There are some good elements in her books, but still there are things that do not fit with traditional Usui Reiki. I review books for a magazine so I get to see new books every month and I have to say most of the Reiki books are disappointing in some way or other. Actually I should qualify that statement - most Reiki books are disappointing in the respect of they are Western Reiki focused and miss much of the deeper knowledge of Usui Reiki Ryoho.

Which one would you recommend omega1?

Which one would you recommend omega1?

That depends on what you are looking for in a Reiki book. For a good historical guide to Reiki it is hard to find a book that is more informative then 'The Reiki Source Book' by Bronwen and Frans Stiene. I reveiwed the latest edition recently. It is a really good Reiki book, but some of the interpretations of the meaning and purpose of the key principles underpinning Usui Reiki are flawed. That is probably one of the best Reiki books available at the moment. I think my Reiki book is good, but it is aimed at purists and is not to everyone's taste. At the moment I am reading for review 'The Reiki Bible' by Eleanor McKenzie. At first glance this looked pretty good, but as I read more of it, I have found it to be very Western in approach to Reiki. The Penelope Quest books are very much geared towards Western Reiki too. That is fine, if you are looking for a Western approach, but to me, Usui Reiki should be seen as a Japanese system and therefore a good Reiki book will give the Japanese perspective on the ins and outs of Reiki.

Reiki is an amazing healing art, but in its transition to the West much of the original art has been lost. To me that is a shame, but then I like and respect the traditional Japanese culture and discipline that is embodied in Usui Reiki Ryoho.

Personally I lean more towards the traditional Usui Reiki too. I have Penelope Quest's book "Reiki for Life": what I like about it is that it is easy to read, and has lots of practical ideas for how to use Reiki.

I have been attuned to Reiki I and II, trained with an Usui teacher, and have found that a lot of what she teaches corresponds with what is in that book, so I think my RM has been inspired by that (or similar) book a lot.

So I might get your book, and/or The Reiki Source Book at some point: I'd be interested to see what the differences are between what I have been taught (and is essentially covered by P. Q's book) and the "true" Usui Reiki.

I think some of the main differences are in the use and application of Reiki. I have just got out my copy of 'Living The Reiki Way' by Penelope Quest and had a flick through it to refresh my memory. I found sections on things like 'law of attraction', 'law of abundance' and 'cosmic ordering'. Whatever opinion I have of these marketing tools is not the issue here, the issue is that these are not part of Usui Reiki. The whole concept of using Reiki for any material gain goes against the spirit of Usui's method. The other things that I have found are different is in the use of the Shirushi, Jumon and Kotodama and in the way Usui's method is used to treat illnesses and injuries. There is a real shift in focus from the original disciplined art of healing to the modern 'everything is right' relaxation therapy approach to Reiki.

I just finished Light on the Origins of Reiki (Tadao Yamaguchi) - it was a really interesting read (especially if you are more drawn towards the traditional/Japanese Usui Reiki). It also gives very useful insight into Japanese culture..

I agree zazen, it's a very good book. I read that one before I learnt Jikiden Reiki.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

I just finished Light on the Origins of Reiki (Tadao Yamaguchi)

Sounds like a good book, I'll see if I can get a review copy for my book review column. There are precious few genuinely good books about Reiki, it's always nice to get hold of a decent one, especially one so rooted in traditional Japanese culture.

hello everyone iam looking forward to learn reiki. does anyone out there know who teaches reiki in hertfordshire or london and their contact details many thanks ajay

Reiki: the True Story: An Exploration of Usui Reiki by Don Beckett
Highly recommended. Strips back the western ways :o)

Shamanic Reiki: Expanded Ways of Working with Universal Life Force Energy by Llyn Roberts & Robert Levy
Maybe one for the people who feel drawn towards shamanism and for people who are already living by the reiki precepts and have been working on both themselves and others for a while

Debs

I've been reading a fascinating book into the Japanese background to Reiki and its symbols:

The Big Book of Reiki Symbols by Mark Hosak and Walter Lubeck.

It's a big book! Mark at the time of writing the book was a doctoral candidate in East Asian Art History, Reiki Master through Lubeck's lineage, teacher of martial arts and calligrapher. He shares a huge depth of understanding about Japanese spiritual culture from a Westerner's perspective.

He discusses the roots to Reiki's discovery from a historical spiritual background. So we learn about esoteric Buddhism and the connection to the Sun Buddha King Dainichi Nyorai, Taoism, Japanese Shamanism, and Magic (Shugendo). These lead up to a discussion on how (Buddhist sutras) and where Usui is likely to have drawn source material that led to his discovery of Reiki.

There is an in-depth discussion of the 4 traditional Reiki symbols upto Master Level, including detailed reasoned insight on strokes to correct drawing, and exercises to deepen our understanding of symbol work through medatative exercises. They also discuss the symbol that represents the word Reiki.

There is a richness of references to artwork and historical spiritual knowledge that I've yet to find in other Reiki books. This quality of knowledge makes the book feel grounded.

It's a very spiritually satisfying to read too! After reading the chapter on pilgrimages in Japan, I've set an intention that at some point in my life I'd like to attempt the pilgrimage to the 88 Temples of Shikoku. Mark shares some wonderful annecdotes of miraculous occurrences when he attempted this arduous pilgrimage.

One downside to the book is that the chapters aren't organised very coherently. It's not always clear from reading the first paragraph why the authors are introducing a specific topic, until much later in the chapter. So the book makes for a choppy read at times.

This is advanced material for Master/Teacher level. But boy is it absolutely delicious to drink up!

I have been reading the recomended reading on here and there seems to be a big varience,no one has posted here for a while so I am curious if peoples views have changed and if there are new books on the scene,I like Diane Steine's books but perhaps there are other ones I have not heard about.
I am a long way off doing Masters level but am interestd in which books I should consider as an approach.

Living Reiki by Fran Brown - a collection of Takata's stories written by one of her 22 Masters. If you can't get hold of the recordings of Takata from John Gray, this is the next best thing.

All of her stories had a point - one of the precepts, for example, or Reiki for a particular condition.

Highly recommended.

Fx

I am reading The Japanese Art of Reiki by Bronwen and Frans Steine for the second time.......thoroughly enjoying it's clearcut and pure explanation no frills Reiki...... Recommended

Hi all, I have been reading "Reiki and the 7 chakras" by Richard Ellis it is an insight into Reiki and the experiences of the Author. I am sudying Reiki at the moment and find this a great help. The book doesnt talk down to you and it is a good reference. Well illustrated too which helps!
Take Care X

I think the book by Diane Stein is a classic that most Reiki practitioners use, at least that's the one I started using in Cleveland after taking the class. I have also heard of reiki recently in movies, one of them that inspired me greatly was this new spiritual documentary I watched, called 'Meetings with Remarkable women'....it was released in March, and one of the women interviewed there talked about how reiki helped her progress on her spiritual path. I found that fascinating. Anyway, anyone else know of any other recent books or movies they have seen that mention Reiki or energy therapy?

Hi all, I have been reading "Reiki and the 7 chakras" by Richard Ellis it is an insight into Reiki and the experiences of the Author. I am sudying Reiki at the moment and find this a great help. The book doesnt talk down to you and it is a good reference. Well illustrated too which helps!
Take Care X

Hi
have you read the book Reiki Masters secrets well worth reading come back to me if you can't find it.

Peace and light
Peter

Hi everyone

I just wanted to recommend some really good Reiki books that I have read.

My favorite is Reiki For Life by Penenolpe Quest. It covers all 3 levels and is written in plain simple terms. Ideal for someone who is just getting into Reiki for the first time.

Another very good book is The Spirit Of Reiki by Lubreck, Petter & Rand. This is a very in depth book all about Reiki.

And Reiki For Common Ailments by Mari Hall, is also excellent. This book gives the hand positions for the most common ailments we suffer.

I am sure we all have a favourite Reiki book, just wondering what your favourites are and what recommendations you have also.

Love Angel xxx

Is reiki just a Ponzi scheme?
It seems to have the same sort of recruiting methods and initial payments from recruitee to recruiter as any old fashioned pyramid scheme would have

Is reiki just a Ponzi scheme?
It seems to have the same sort of recruiting methods and initial payments from recruitee to recruiter as any old fashioned pyramid scheme would have

No, certainly not, unless you have been to some unscrupulous person who is being dishonest.

Many Reiki Master give Reiki and attunements to people for free.
Often a charge is made to receiving Reiki teachings, though for many that just covers the cost of the time and materials provided.
Of course there are always unscrupulous people in any walk of life, so I hope you have not been conned by someone; but certainly that is not the way of Reiki, which is intended to be a personal journey of healing.

No, certainly not, unless you have been to some unscrupulous person who is being dishonest.

Many Reiki Master give Reiki and attunements to people for free.
Often a charge is made to receiving Reiki teachings, though for many that just covers the cost of the time and materials provided.
Of course there are always unscrupulous people in any walk of life, so I hope you have not been conned by someone; but certainly that is not the way of Reiki, which is intended to be a personal journey of healing.

Hello everyone. I write right through a translator , sorry.
With this video I tried to explain the physical creation of the chakras. I hope you look successful.
Greetings.

[video=youtube]

If anyone is still interested, Shoden by Marion McGeough is a a great first degree Reiki book.
This book teaches you all you need to know to carry out a Reiki treatment at first degree level. There are pictures which act as a step by step guide as well as other stuff such as the hIstory of Reiki and useful meditations. Yes this is my book, available on Amazon, however I use it on all of my courses and my students find it really useful to dip into after the course has finished Check it out on Amazon.
Reiki Blessings
Marion