Its summer festival (Natsu Matsuri) season here in Japan and while enjoying my neighborhood festival (comparable in many ways to American block parties that seem to have been much more frequent when I was growing up) I was asked to give a quick Reiki treatment to a friend who was having trouble adjusting to the heat… it was a wonderful experience… and one that I would like to share with you…
First, a little background…
Summer festivals are one of the traditional ways to celebrate the seasons in Japan and they remain largely the same as they have for hundreds of years. Kids play games, adults drink beer and dance and everyone eats the traditional local specialties and does their best to ignore the sweltering heat. This summer is proving to be among the hottest since my arrival in Japan and ignoring it was no small feat. There were so many fans fanning that I’m sure the butterflies in Brazil felt it… 
About mid-evening my wife had taken the kids home and one of my former students started to ask me about Reiki. She sat down and I started to give her a Reiki treatment to show her what it was all about (as opposed to just talking about it). About 30 seconds later she was hooked and so it looks like I’ll be scheduling another Reiki class fairly soon. As I Reikied her, a million thoughts passed through my mind… some more profound than usual… and some just downright interesting…
There was a traditional song blaring on the speakers, accompanied by live Taiko drums, and about a hundred people were dancing in a big circle to this timeless melody that seemed to go on for hours. Here’s a taste of what it was like…
[flv]https://totalreikimastery.net/wp-includes/images/2008/07/natsu-matsuri.flv[/flv]
As I was off to the side giving Reiki, dozens of people stopped and watched, obviously wondering what it was that I was up to. In their wildest dreams they would not have guessed that what I was doing was Japanese in origin and that due to their own secretive culture most of them will probably never have any idea what Reiki is. At that I had to chuckle and when my friend asked what was so funny I decided to keep it to myself… some things are better left unsaid…
As I was giving Reiki, many Reiki thoughts came to mind, many of which happened to drift to Dr. Usui on this occasion. When he was a kid he would’ve been out there with his family or friends, trying to catch the fish with his hands, eating his favorite treats and dancing to the beat of the Taiko drums. Any of the boys out there yesterday could’ve been him. When he got a little older he would’ve been over with the older boys setting off fireworks and pretending not to be watching the girls dance. When he got even older he would’ve been drinking sake and chatting about the local state of things (or perhaps standing where I was and giving Reiki). Again, any of the men out there could’ve been him. And had he lived to a ripe old age he would most certainly have been out there boogeying with the others. In Dr. Usui’s time, these were important social and cultural events that would not have been missed.
These summer festivals are a great time to socialize and get to know the locals. Its also a great time to (re)introduce Reiki to the people who I feel are among the most deserving of having it (re)introduced… after all, Reiki is Japanese. If the Japanese people won’t do it, I guess I’ll have to do it myself and I’m seriously considering making a big sign saying FREE REIKI… and setting myself up in a little corner at next years festival. Maybe I’ll post a brief introduction next to the sign so I won’t have to endeavor to do so.
Earlier in the day my family and I visited the graveyard to clean up and pray for our ancestors (well… their ancestors anyway) and that would’ve also been something Dr. Usui frequently did. Japanese people take this kind of thing very seriously and Dr. Usui would’ve been no exception. When last I visited his grave, it was pretty clean, so it seems someone is keeping it that way and it makes me wonder about what family he still has around. His son Fuji died pretty young, but there was plenty of time for him to have a family of his own.
Living here in Japan gives me an insight into Japanese culture that plays a strong part in my understanding of Reiki. While not necessary to do Reiki, it gives me a much richer experience and overall feel for Reiki that I’ve come to value. Its nice that some customs and local festivals like this have gone unchanged for ages. And as I was being dragged out onto the dance floor, so to speak I felt a sense of welcome and warmth that goes beyond words. Was it because of the Reiki? You bet!!
Thank you Reiki! Thank you Japan!
For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!
