Recent posts have brought the idea of Karma under the microscope so I thought it might be advantageous to organize my thoughts on it and present them here in reference to Reiki.

What is Karma?

There are many definitions and interpretations of Karma, but I basically believe it to be the Law of Balance in the universe. On the physical plane, the concept that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction can be seen in the effect the butterfly in Brazil has on the weather in China or perhaps more quantifiably in the effect each yoga (yogic) position has on different parts of the body. A hangover is another example of Physical Karma… drink today, pay tomorrow!

Physical Karma is much easier to identify than Mental Karma or Emotional Karma. In that thoughts and emotions have power and/or energy of their own that are attached to them, expenditure of those energies can have the same karmic results as physical actions. Not to drag religion into this, but the Buddhist belief that thinking about harming someone is just as harmful as actually harming someone represents this idea that thoughts themselves (whether acted upon or not) have definite and discernible repercussions. Christian faith supports this belief as well… if you’ve thought about breaking one of the 10 Commandments… you’ve already sinned.

Spiritual Karma brings another aspect into play here and for those who believe in reincarnation, the karmic principle is that you carry your karma scorecard into your next life with you. Alternately retribution may appear later (sometimes much much later) in one’s present life… or as the Apostle Paul said… “man reaps what he sows”. Go have a look at your Akashic Record if you want to see what the score is as the score is imprinted on your very soul (insert dramatic organ music here for special effect).

Karma & Reiki

In Reikic terms (did I just manage to invent yet another Reiki word? my spell checker believes so…) I’ve discussed the ongoing debate about Remuneration in Reiki or charging for Reiki training and/or Reiki healing which is why (if you subscribe to Mrs. Takata’s early stories of Dr. Usui) Dr. Usui started charging for Reiki in the first place… i.e., something is only worth what you’ve paid for it. So in order to value Reiki, you must pay for it… and it stands to logic that the more you pay, the more its worth. Also if you don’t pay (or if you don’t pay enough)… you are karmically indebted… and at some point in your existence… you will pay! On the other hand, if you overpay (i.e., pay too much) I don’t think it has any effect on your karma… but it will certainly effect your teacher’s karma!

I believe one’s personal beliefs as far as karma is concerned are important to consider. If you believe that one must return the karma specifically to the person the energy exchange was made with than that belief will influence your karma score sheet… if you believe that it is possible to return karma to the universe in general, than that is certainly an alternative. If, for example, you reincarnate with a Reiki debt… how do you track down that person you are indebted to? In some traditions they believe that that person will manifest at some point in your life so you will have the (sometimes brief) opportunity. The other (perhaps more forgiving) side maintains that by giving to the poor (for example) will erase some of your karmic debt… so, again, I believe it all comes down to what you believe.

I subscribe more to the universal rule (that you can repay to the universe) although I don’t think it is equally balanced (actually, energies are spent elsewhere… so technically it does balance). My own solution to this, as I’ve stated previously, is that I don’t charge for Reiki healing but I make sure those involved understand the law of karma. After that it’s their call… if they want to repay me directly they can… if they want to, at some point give back to the universe they can… I’m fine either way. As with my fees for Reiki training, any money I make from Reiki is given to the needy… this fulfills the student’s karmic debt to me and helps me to fulfill my karmic debt to the universe. There are exceptions to this (as with healing for children and/or those not capable of understanding karma) but I believe the universe is a kind and forgiving place. In those cases I send Reiki healing directly to the soul… which is more than capable of determining how to deal with it.

I realize my solution is not for everyone… I have no problem at all with people charging for Reiki training and/or Reiki healing… as long as they understand the laws of karma… as… how to say it in karmic terms… payback is a beyatch!!! 😆

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!