In the light of yesterday’s earthquake in Tohoku Japan I’d like to take a look at the front line, so to speak, of Reiki healers… those Reiki practitioners who are working in emergency zones, hospitals, hospices, treatment centers, and other places where there is the continuous need for a LOT of Reiki, in serious situations, on a daily basis. I refer to this as Reiki in the trenches.
There are stories of Dr. Usui and his troops treating thousands of people in the wake of the 1923 Tokyo Earthquake in which countless people perished. Coincidentally (or not) this came not long after Reiki’s (re)discovery and led to a certain notoriety for Dr. Usui (and for Reiki itself). I can only imagine what it would have been like at the time… Dr. Usui and his entourage wandering through a city in utter ruins. Tokyo was completely devastated, and here was this small group of healers attempting to bring whatever relief they could to whomever they could. The physical injuries would have been one thing, but they pale in the face of the psychological shock and emotional damage that these selfless individuals were virtually swimming in. This is truly Reiki in the trenches!!!
The level of experience gained from this type of healing work would have been tremendous. Encountering every imaginable type of affliction one after the other, byosen on every front and constantly increasing, hibiki ringing non-stop in their hands, hearts and heads… how long would you last in such a situation? Could you handle it? I’d like to think some sort of emergency power would kick in and we, as Reiki practitioners, would have the capacity to spontaneously act without thinking and just keep going until it was all over.
The emotional aspects certainly take their toll being surrounded by that degree of pain and suffering, knowing you are alleviating a lot of it helps (especially with the knowledge that you are affecting change on much more than just the physical level) but it takes a very strong person indeed to be able to do that for any length of time and I really have to tip my hat to those who do this on a regular basis. Doctors and nurses are trained for this kind of thing, but the average Reiki practitioner is not, and even though giving = getting as far as Reiki is concerned I’m not sure how many would step up to the plate in the first place. I like to tell myself that I would have no problem doing so, but…
I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing both the Los Angeles Earthquake of January 17, 1994 and the Great Hanshin Earthquake exactly one year later, having chosen to relocate to Japan in September of 1994, and both of which I experienced from all too near the epicenters. While I was not a true Reiki Master at the time, see my post on Reiki Lite for details, I did attempt to help out, but doing so in the way Dr. Usui did was just not possible, only emergency vehicles were allowed in and officials were turning volunteers back at every turn. I did manage to provide some assistance, but not to the degree I would have liked and mostly in terms of physical digging and searching rather than hands-on healing.
In that practice makes perfect, those people giving hands-on Reiki healing every day to strangers in need are truly a special breed. Their reward, besides the heartfelt gratitude of those involved (even when it is not explicitly stated) is found in the experience itself. This goes beyond giving = getting, and that kind of experience goes beyond anything you can learn from a book or a seminar. In those cases Reiki itself is the teacher… and there really is no better teacher! The karma alone that is accrued has value beyond measure and the experience itself will last your entire life.
As usual, my heart and Reiki healing go out to the victims of yesterday’s quake, and I implore my readers to do the same. We may not physically be there, but we are there in spirit… and in Reiki’s case that is truly a blessing!
For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!
