Dr. Mikao Usui rediscovered Reiki in the late 1800's. Dr. Usui travelled to the United States and entered the Chicago School of Divinity, where he earned his Doctorate in Theology. However, he did not find the answer to his question, How may you heal the body? He returned to Japan and entered a Zen monastery. There he studied ancient Buddhist, Sanskrit, and Tibetan texts for many years.

Dr. Usui felt like he had failed and expressed his feeling to one of the monks. The Zen never say this is the end "everything is a beginning." Do not give up your quest, because everything known to man can be known again. Finally in the original Sanskrit he found the formula for healing the body in the ancient texts, but he did not have the ability or understanding to use it. So he decided to Fast and Meditate.

He travelled to the holy mountain of Kuriyama. He climbed the mountain chose the spot for his meditation then gathered 21 stones and piled them before him. Each day he threw one stone down the mountain. On the final morning just before dawn. Dr. Usui saw a beam of white light coming toward him. His first reaction was to run. However he decided to stay still. The light entered his third eye and he lost consciousness. He reported that he saw millions of rainbow bubbles and little known Sanskrit symbols glowing in gold. As he saw each of the symbols he was given the names and uses for each as well as information on how to activate the healing energy. Dr. Usui came down the mountain and experienced what is know as the miracles.

1. Coming down from the mountain he stubbed his toe on a rock and fell to the ground. His toe was bleeding. He instinctively grabbed his toe after a few minutes, the bleeding stopped and the pain disappeared.

2. Dr. Usui had fasted for 21 days and then ate a very large breakfast without any adverse effects.

3. The innkeeper's granddaughter had a bad toothache for several days. Dr. Usui laid his hands on her face and she immediately felt better.

Dr. Usui began to practice Reiki in the slums of Kyoto, where he healed the beggars at no cost asking only that they start a new life. He worked for seven years in an asylum treating many illnesses. However he found the same people returning who although healed of their physical ailments still chose to live by begging. Dr Usui was deeply shaken. He realized that he had forgotten something very important in his healing work: To teach gratitude. Following this he thought out the Reiki principles:

Ethical Principles of Reiki

Before his death, Dr Usui passed the teaching of Reiki to his closest associate Dr. Chijiro Hayashi. Dr. Hayashi opened a clinic in Tokyo where he practiced Reiki. (that is the story as it was passed on to me). Here Ms.Takata came for healing Hawayo Takata was Hawaiian of Japanese decent. She was in Japan facing surgery for gallbladder disease appendicitis and a tumour. On the operating table she heard a voice telling her " The surgery is not necessary"", She got up off the table and asked the surgeon if there was another way for her to heal. He directed her to Dr. Hayashi's clinic. She was completely healed in four months. She decided she would like to be trained in Reiki so she stayed in Japan and became a student of Dr. Hayashi. Dr Hayashi knew a great war was coming and decided to pass the complete teaching to two women. His wife and Hawayo Takata.

Reiki is universal healing energy:

When you are attuned to Reiki you are opened to the universal life energy. Reiki attunements are much like tuning in a TV station. The TV waves are there you just need to tune them in. The same is true with Reiki. Reiki does not only treat where your hands are placed but will travel to where it is needed in the body. Intuition is important when using Reiki. Move your hands to where you are guided even if that is not where the pain is.