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William
Lee Rand
REIKI: THE HEALING TOUCH First and Second Degree Manual Paperback: 256 pages Vision Publications (MI). 2000) ISBN-10: 1886785058 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces reviewed by Patrick Killough (1) biblio.com 12/27/2011 Would you recommend this book to other readers? Yes. review: FYI: The copy that I am reviewing of REIKI THE HEALING TOUCH by WIlliam Lee Rand is dated 1998. Editions listed by biblio.com are dated 2000. The first edition was issued in 1991. End FYI. An advanced Reiki practitioner in my town has applied a few hours of reiki to me in connection with 18 hours of Pilates therapy. She did not, however, "attune" me and thereby give me, like her, the ability to "channel Reiki energy" to myself or to others. That is the extent of what I knew about Reiki before reading this book. William Lee Rand's book is not repeat NOT aimed primarily at general readers like me. For such as me, this book can be helpful as an aid in deciding whether we wish to take standard Reiki training. REIKI - THE HEALING TOUCH has, however, a different intended primary readership: people who have already received some systematic Reiki training or are actively preparing themselves through such reading to begin training very soon. I have read the entire text straight through from beginning to end, taking many notes. For general readers like myself I recommend that you read the first sentence of Chapter One: for a preliminary defining of Reiki. Next skip straight to the back of the book and read Appendix C to learn how long you must study and how much pay to be empowered to provide elementary Reiki energy transfer. Thereafter dip around the book at random: Index, hand positions, metaphysical and religious underpinnings as you see fit. Preliminary Definition: "Reiki (pronounced RAY-key) is a Japanese
technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes
healing."
Elementary Training and Cost: Reiki Levels I and II are taught together during a two-day weekend for $310 (within the USA). By close of day two, the novice will have been attuned and empowered to transfer Reiki energy. He has learned hand positions, how to give a complete Reiki treatment, Reiki symbols, distant healing and the all important scanning and beaming. "Nurses, massage therapists and body workers" and other health care practitioners who have completed this weekend training are now eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEU) training within their disciplines. The book is well illustrated and begins with the life, work (early 1900s) and teachings of Reiki founder Dr Mikao Usui. There is discussion of learning in previous lives, the nature of Reiki energy, its uniqueness among energy medicine techniques of not draining personal energy from the practitioner and much, much more. It is very practical. It is clearly written.The book gives you an adequate elementary vocabulary to discuss with a local practitioner whether you can helpfully be treated with Reiki for lumbar pain, anxiety or other ailments. -OOO- http://www.biblio.com/books/308877796.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-= (2) lunch.com 12/28/2011 review title: To Understand Reiki,You Need to Study its History rating: * * * * review: Rating: * * * * +4 REIKI-THE HEALING TOUCH: FIRST AND SECOND DEGREE MANUAL (1998 Revised and Expanded Edition) is modest in intent, clearly written and a helpful introduction to the Japanese healing technique known as Rei - Ki ("Spiritually guided - life Energy"). Author William Lee Rand's preliminary definition of Reiki (Pronounced RAY ki) is "a Japanese technique for stress reduction
and relaxation that also promotes healing ... administrated by 'laying
on of hands.'" (Ch 1).
Reiki was introduced to Hawaii and to the United State by Mrs Hawayo Takata. On a visit to Japan she was cured of various ailments via Reiki. She brought one Dr Hayasi and his family to Hawaii to spread Reiki. Mrs Takata herself became a Reiki Master in 1938. From 1970 to 1980 Mrs Takata, long a powerful healer, initiated new Reiki Masters herself. She instituted the practice of charging high fees for training: $10,000 for one weekend's training. By the time of her death, Mrs Takata was widely accepted in the USA as virtually the world's sole authority on Reiki. Author William Lee Rand and others laboriously have recently stitched together a more complete, historically accurate picture, based on Japanese sources and interviews with practitioners in Japan. And Rand's appendices lay out very affordable and more flexible paths from Mrs Takata's to Reiki mastership at his schools in the USA and elsewhere. The founder of modern Reiki was Dr Mikao Usui (1865 - 1926). During a Buddhist retreat, Usui was enlightened and discovered his technique, characterized by not draining the healer of his own vital life source. Among the healing touch therapies, Reiki is unique in the way it is taught. "The ability is transferred to the student
by the Reik Master during an attunement process. ... The Rei or
God-Consciousness makes adjustments in the student's chakras and energy
pathways to acccomodate the ability to channel Reiki and then links the
student ot (sic! = "to") the source of Reiki" (I-4).
The healer merely places his hands in various positions on the patient to be healed -- with the intention of healing her. "Reiki has its own intelligence and knows
exactly where to go and what to do" (I-6).
Beginning in Chapter 3, REIKI - THE HEALING TOUCH describes the history, services and fees of The International Center for Reiki Training founded by author Rand in 1988. He blends the pure Usui method wth a special Tibetan technique (1-43). Among the many skills that Rand and staff teach are -- "Scanning" "a way of finding
those places in yourself or others which are most in need of healing"
and -- "Beaming" "a way to focus Reiki energy" (I-44). I suggest that you read early on William Lee Rand's appendices which give you the cost of every stage of Reiki training and how much time you must spend at each stage. There are also useful links, notes, illustrations, definitions and bibliography. -OOO- http://community.cafelibri.com/reviews/d/UserReview-William_Lee_Rand _REIKI_THE_HEALING_TOUCH_FIRST_AND_SECOND_DEGREE_ MANUAL-74-1782481-216683-To_Understand_Reiki_You_Need_to _Study_its_History.html http://www.lunch.com/Reviews/d/William_Lee_Rand _REIKI_THE_HEALING_TOUCH_FIRST_ AND_SECOND_DEGREE_MANUAL-1782481.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-= (3) bn.com 12/28/2011 title of review: Reiki: What it is Not rating: * * * * review: Author WIlliam Lee Rand introduces Rei-Ki ("Spiritually guided life Energy") as "a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing." One is treated or cured by having human hands placed on one's body. As a form of medicine, "healing touch" is ancient. Modern Reiki was discovered in 1922 during a long Buddhist retreat by Mikao Usui. Usui was familiar with healing hand therapy, but sought a better form which did not weaken his own vital force when he healed others. Reiki performed as he expected. Reiki as a technique can be learned by anyone but can only be passed on by a Reiki practitioner to a learner during a process called attunement. Reiki as a life force and especially a healing force is considered to be intelligent. With no assistance from the healer, reiki seeks out, identifies and cures ailments within a human body. The healer places his/her hands on the person to be healed with the intention to heal him. Reiki itself then takes over. Some of the more intriguing passages of William Lee Rand's REIKI - THE HEALING TOUCH: FIRST AND SECOND DEGREE MANUAL describe what Reiki either is not or does not. Thus, (1)
Reiki does no harm because "it is guided by God-Consciousnes";
(2) Reiki does not deplete a healer's own energy, it simply "channels" itself through the healer; (3) Reiki takes neither time nor intellect to learn: once you have been attuned, you have it; (4) Reiki does not have to be used in isolation, it can continue while your dermatologist works on your acne; (5) Reiki's nature is spiritual but "it is not a religion. It has no dogma,
and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki
... it will work whether you believe in it or not" (I-6, 7,
11).
REIKI - THE HEALING TOUCH is clearly presented. It provides helpful historical background, illustrates hand conditions,identifies where to study Reiki and at what cost. By and large, this is an easy book for introducing yourself to Reiki beliefs and terminology. -OOO- recommended reading: --
Moshe Feldenkrais - BODY AWARENESS AS HEALING THERAPY: THE CASE OF NORA
-- Lavinia Plonka - WALKING YOUR TALK http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Reiki-the-Healing -Touch/William-Lee-Rand/e/9781886785052?itm= 2&usri=william%252Blee%252Brand%252B-% 252Breiki3A%252Bthe%252Bhealing%252Btouch =-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-= (4) amazon.com 12/29/2011 title of review: Does Reiki require a structured framework in order to work? rating: * * * * review: This morning (12/29/2012) I read all 21 reviews at amazon.com. It is obvious that every one of the reviewers has had VASTLY more experience with Reiki than I. So where am I coming from? A local Reiki practitioner was giving me one-on-on Pilates therapy for lumbar pain. She is very well known in my town as a manager of an entire staff of movement specialists in a $4 million sports complex of which I have been a member for three years. Her own biographic statement at the sports club mentions how she and her husband once used Reiki to cure their cat of epileptic fits. So when I began Pilates treatments at her private salon, I knew that she offered Reiki and yoga therapy as well (about the former of which I knew absolutely nothing and of the latter very little). We discussed Reiki among possible therapies. When she was trained in that discipline, the cost, she said, was astronomical. A year's training to reach final master's level cost $50,000. But since then she discovered William Lee Rand and his International Center for Reiki Training in Southfield, Michigan. She recommended that I read as an introduction Rand's REIKI-THE HEALING TOUCH: FIRST AND SECOND DEGREE MANUAL (1998 Revised and Expanded Edition). I asked her, within the framework of my 18 hours of Pilates therapy to give me at the very end a half hour pure Reiki treatment, to be observed by my wife, a potential client. For whatever reason, my practitioner's 18 hours completely drove away my lumbar pain, which has been with me for ten years off and on. I felt considerable heat from her hands during that Reiki application. My "therapist" also made it clear that to her and her husband Reiki is something sacred and to be applied with love and reverence. That was the extent of my knowledge of Reiki before tackling Rand's REIKI (1998 Edition). I came to Reiki after considerable experience with and reading into Tai Chi, Feldenkrais and Pilates as well as some readings into energy healing. I found REIKI-THE HEALING TOUCH an easy, rewarding read. As a total beginner I looked first at Rand's introductory definition of Reiki: "a Japanese technique for stress reduction
and relaxation that also promotes healing" (I-1).
I then read his history of Reiki since its "discovery" in 1922 by Mikao Usui and the different directions it took, starting with Mrs Hawayo Takata in Honolulu. I gather that Mrs Takata created a tradition in the USA of charging very high rates for training, specifically $10,000 for one weekend! Her tradition, I also gather, remained secretive and very rigid compared with what was going on in Japan and later in the hands of William Lee Rand and others. I then looked at Rand's Appendix C to find out what I would learn systematically of Reiki from him and and what cost. This, as a rank novice, I found very helpful and practical. I read every word in the book, studied the hand positions, stumbled through unfamiliar jargon such as attuning, scanning and beaming (all well defined, let me add). What stays with me of value from the book is the rather low-key debate scattered across some pages as to whether healing touch is possible without Reiki. Anecdotal evidence from various sources suggests that yes it is. What then, does Reiki add? In the hands of William Lee Rand, people with natural ability to be instruments of healing are exposed to a great deal of analysis, class time, hypothesis ("Reiki has its own intelligence and knows exactly where to go and what to do" (I-6), speculation and hands-on guidance. If you are already gifted with healing touch, Reiki can improve you. But why then is a mysterious process like attunement necessary if Reiki is not essential to healing touch? Attunement smacks of the Catholic Church's theory of "apostolic succession," with bishops being created by the intentional laying on of hands. This is a thought-provoking, helpful book. This novice is very glad that his practitioner recommended it. -OOO- http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/ ABABCND8BHUXC/ref=cm_pdp_rev_title_1?ie= UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview#R2MQBI0LOAQ7BJ http://www.amazon.com/Reiki-Healing-William -Lee-Rand/dp/1886785058/ref=sr_1_3?s= books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321392932&sr=1-3 =-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-= (5) epinions.com 12/29/2011 Review Title: Invite Reiki to flow and it will heal. Product Rating: * * * * Pros: Defines Reiki. Gives history, leading concepts, hand positions and theories behind its healing. Cons:Tantalizes beginners with concepts such as "attuning" that, allegedly, no book can teach. The Bottom Line: Reiki, "a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing," is practiced all over the USA. This book is a good introduction for outsiders looking in. aohcapablanca's Full Review: Beyond 90% of everything that I know about Reiki comes from American William Lee Rand's REIKI-THE HEALING TOUCH: FIRST AND SECOND DEGREE MANUAL, 1998 Revised and Expanded Edition. The rest comes from conversations with a local Reiki practitioner who recommended Rand's book to me. That practitioner, certified in yoga, pllates, reiki and related therapies and many forms of exercise, is also locally famous for having cured with Reiki an epileptic cat. During 18 hours of just completed combined Pilates and Reiki therapy, she apparently cured me completely of considerable pain in my right lumbar region, a thorn of some years standing. In connection with that treatment she had I discussed Reiki and I gathered that to her Reiki is something sacred. Invoke Reiki with the intention of its energy flowing through your hands into a client (including yourself) and the ailment will get better. History and theories behind Reiki treatments abound in Rand's REIKI - THE HEALING TOUCH: First and Second Degree Manual. I infer, from the more than a score of reviews at amazon.com on December 29, 2011, that every reviewer but me was far advanced in the discipline and that few thought Rand's book the best book for rank beginners or the merely curious who are standing outside Reiki and looking in. For there are important elements of Reiki (notably, being "attuned" to sacred secret Reiki symbols) that it is literally impossible to grasp without the hands on help of an initiator. One reviewer recommended instead REIKI FOR DUMMIES by Nina L. Paul, PhD. Why, therefore, does an ignoramus like me even bother to read a book written primarily for insiders? --
(1) My Pilates/Reiki practitioner apparently cured me of long-lasting
pain where four others had failed. And she recommended Rand's REIKI to
me.
-- (2) What I most want from such an admittedly elementary, introductory book is help in deciding whether I want to learn more about Reiki. If so, where do I go? How long will getting through Rand's one, two or three degrees take? And how much will I have to pay? (My practitioner said that when she was a student -- in a more traditional expensive tradition than Rand's -- the cost of the final year to earn Master designation was $50,000.) Rand himself notes that the woman who introduced Reiki to the USA, MrsHawayo Takata, used to charge $10,000 for a single weekend's work. To learn Reiki with Rand costs hundreds, not thousands of dollars and what you can expect to learn is clearly delineated. -- (3) Might I want to become an "energy healer" myself? See my November 20, 2011 epinions.com review of Dorothea Hover Kramer - HEALING TOUCH: ESSENTIAL ENERGY MEDICINE FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS? If so, a very little bit of Reiki (Degrees One and Two, learnable in one intensive weekend for $310) will attune me sufficiently to begin to heal (Appendix C-1) "Reiki is a very easy healing technique to
use. After
receiving the Reiki attunement, all that is necessary to start Reiki
flowing is to request it do to so. Just ask or intend that it begin to
flow and it will. This can be done simply by saying the work 'Reiki' to
yourself at the beginning of a healing session" (II-1)
We learn in REIKI-THE HEALING TOUCH that -- Reiki is not a religion. It has no dogmas. But in some passages it feels otherwise! For example: "The Rei or God-Consciousness makes
adjustments in the student's chakras and energy pathways to acccomodate
the ability to channel Reiki and then links the student to the source
of Reiki" (I-4).
-- Reiki works whether you believe in it or not. -- Reiki ("divinely guided life energy") is intelligent. Place your hands in various positions over various parts of bodies (especially their chakras) and Reiki will seek out and find dysfunctions and set to healing them. All the healer does is invoke Reiki and intend healing of the client. --Reiki complements ordinary western medicine and hygiene. It will not obviate the need for flossing teeth or cutting fingernails. It might help your dermatologist cure your acne. Reiki can do no harm, since it is divinely directed. My bottom line is that there is certainly enough material, very well and clearly presented, in REIKI THE HEALING TOUCH, to help outsiders like me to decide whether to go farther into Reiki. I counted 41 black and white illustrations of healing postures, many full page. They help me understand what the author thinks is going on through Reiki energy transfers which do not deplete the healer's personal energy. For the healer is merely a conduit for Reiki energy that is everywhere waiting to be channeled. There is a great deal of jargon that is adequately defined -- with one exception in my case: "attuning." Attuning is the one stumbling block that makes no sense to me. And it seems to have the same sort of religious overtone that Roman Catholic/Orthodox traditions have of "apostolic succession" of bishops through laying on of hands or of empowerment in a similar ceremony of the sacrament of Confirmation. The sometimes mystical effects of Reiki attunement are described over and over. But I guess I must be attuned to understand attuning. Reading will not work. The good news: "Once you have received a Reiki attunement, you will have Reiki for the remainder of your life" (I-5). Supposedly anyone can heal -- with or without Reiki. And many do effective hand healing. Such natural hand healers can allegedly be helped, improved by Reiki. But Reiki is described as merely one technique among several. So why bother to learn Reiki? As taught by William Lee Rand, Reiki is not just Japanese/Sanksrit mystery drama. It is systematic, rational (as far as it can be) and open to scientific evaluation (of which there has to date been precious little). Still, I am tempted to get some training. One weekend? $310 dollars? Then I might be able to relieve someone's pain? That would be an experience at least worth writing a review about! -OOO- p.s. Thank you DramaStef for making REIKI reviewable by epinionators. Recommended: Yes. http://www.epinions.com/review/William_Lee_Rand_Reiki_ The_Healing_Touch_First_and_Second_Degree_Manual _epi/content_574808952452 =-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-= (6) Open Library 12/25/2011 NOTE: Submitted. Not sure my text went up. Or has been accepted. some
of my text:
published....1998 Where..........Southfield, Michigan, USA Title........REIKI - THE HEALING TOUCH: Revised and Expanded Edition Table of Contents..... Part I - An Overview of Reiki Chapter 1 - Reiki Defined...................................1-1 Chapter 2 - Reiki Past and Present......................1-15 Chapter 3 - The International Center for Reiki Training................................1-43 Part II - Elements of Reiki Treatment Chapter 4 - Using Reiki.......................................II-1 Chapter 5 - The Reiki Symbols............................II-5 Chapter 6 - Hand Position for Self-Treatment.....II-17 Chapter 7 - Alternate Treatment for Self or Others..........................................II-33 Chapter 8 - Hand Position for Treating Others.....II-39 Chapter 9 - Scanning and Beaming......................II-59 Chapter 10 - Giving a Complete Reiki Treatment..II-65 Part III - Your Own Reiki Practice Chapter 11 - Developing Your Reiki Practice........III-1 Chapter 12 - Becoming a Reiki Master..................III-13 Appendices Appendix A - Discovering the Roots of Reiki...............A-1 Appendix B - Reiki in Hospitals...................................B-1 Appendix C - Reiki Training and Licensing through..... the International Center for Reiki....... Training.............................................C-1 Appendix D - Books, Tapes, Supplies and Other Resources.........................................D-1 Index........................................................................XII - XVII Language... English ISBN 10....1886785058 Dimensions: (inches) 8.4, 5.4. 0.7 Weight (oz)...11.2 changed: Edition. Added Table of Contents, Cover Designer. Changed !SBN. Added Pagination, book's dimensions and weight. 12/25/2011 http://www.patrickkillough.com/books/rand_reiki.html |