In this post I’d like to compare and contrast the masculine and feminine or yin and yang energies as applied to Reiki.

At many Reiki Shares I’ve attended we form a Reiki Circle where Reiki Practitioners (and other assorted participants) form a circle and stand with their left hands facing palms up and their right hands facing palms down. Reiki then is passed through your downward facing right hand into the upward facing left hand of the person standing next to you at which point then the Reiki Energies are then able to flow around the circle.

Some people can easily sense the flow while others can’t. After a while we switch hand placement so that the left hand is facing down and the right hand is facing up, and those Reiki Practitioners that can sense the energy can compare the quality of that energy as it flows in different directions around the circle.

I always found the energy flowing out my right hand (and subsequently into my left hand) to be of a much stronger, forceful and heavy quality than when the circuit is reversed. This has been explained to me as the masculine Reiki energy or yang Reiki energy (“yo” energy in Japanese). When the energy flows out of the left hand it is of a much more subtle, warm and yielding nature. This has been explained to me as the feminine Reiki energy or yin Reiki energy (“in” energy in Japanese).

In Advanced Yogic Studies the energy is passed up along the sushumna, ida and pingala nadis, rising up through the body and through various exercises they can be forced to meet at the top, creating what is known as the kundalini effect (sorry… I can’t find any evidence of a kundalini effect in Kundalini Reiki) and is considered one of the goals of Yoga, as it leads to enlightenment (and other advanced phenomena).

In applying these masculine and feminine energies in Reiki, the first step is to be able to actually be able to sense these energies. The second step is to be able to actually use them. Being able to notice the subtle differences in energy being passed out your left hand from that of your right hand and “intuitively” knowing which would be more beneficial in which situations is an exciting, albeit Advanced Reiki Technique, but one achievable by everyone, regardless of Reiki level.

Of course, beginners learn to pass the energy through both hands at the same time, which has the same desired outcome, and is all good and fine, but for those interested in taking it to the next level… the door is labeled “Practice”. 😆

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