Just as it is not possible for us to know exactly what color another person is actually seeing when they look at a red (for example) Ferrari there is likewise no way of knowing what they are feeling when they experience Reiki. Let me back up a bit…
When we look at the car in the image above we (unless we are colorblind) can easily identify it as being red. That is the name of the color assigned to that particular distribution of light energy and wavelength that our minds are perceiving. However, how do we know that the person standing (or sitting, as the case may be) next to us is seeing the same color as we are. We both call it red, because that is the name assigned to it, but how do we know they are not seeing what our mind perceives as blue? Or any other color for that fact? Obviously, we can’t.
If we ask them, they will say it is red, because that is the color’s name. But how do we know its the same red as we are seeing? Unless we can see through their eyes, with their brain interpreting it for us, there is no way of knowing if we are actually seeing the same color at all.
Now let’s apply that same logic to Reiki. Reiki vibrations are easier for some people to experience than others. Personally, I connect to Reiki by holding my hands over my head with the intent to connect for whatever purposes lay (or is it lie… always getting them confused) before me until I feel that familiar Reiki vibration, or sensation, or Reiki Vibes, if you will. If I am with a group of people, for example at a Reiki Share, and we are all connecting to Reiki in the same way at the same time, how do I know that the Reiki Vibes that I am experiencing are the same as the person next to me? Is it possible? I don’t think so.
One thing that is possible, is that, as may be true with colors, we are all experiencing something completely different, and calling it Reiki… cause that’s its name. Pretty neat, eh?
Okay, so honestly, does this even matter? I think it does, because it might explain some of the negativity that some people experience where Reiki is concerned. Perhaps, the red that one person sees is a hideous color… and they look at a red Ferrari and have to struggle to stifle their gag reflex (whereupon they will almost certainly purchase the black one instead) while the rest of us think it is a beautiful color (well… most of us anyway). Reiki… being the Ferrari of energy healing modalities that it is, might also encounter the occasional perceiver, who finds that energy repulsive.
The bottom line here is that unless we are comparing apples to apples, it is quite difficult to be sure we are on the same wavelengths with people we are discussing Reiki with. It is said that the meaning of communication lies (or is it lays) in the response you get. This means that the perceptions of the listener determine the outcome of the conversation. Likewise, it is the perceptions of the Reiki Receiver that give it meaning. In my post on the fifth Reiki principle I offered the lyrics to a Hank Williams song that stresses the importance of compassion in dealing with other people. The possibility that none of us, on this great Earth, are experiencing the same things, even in regard to simple things like color, really makes you stop and wonder. And I just wanted to share that notion with you…
For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!
