Reiki?

[CAM228]

We pay our priests so that they can have the neccesities of life, such as clothes, a car, food, etc. We are not paying them to perform the Sacraments. Paying for Sacraments is what caused some of the problems at the time of the reformation. I also know of some people with a legitimate healing gift recognized by their Bishops. They would never accept any money for praying with people.

You say you begin the treatment with a prayer to God, what do you continue with? The whole session should be focused on the Holy Trinity, not just the beginning.

Scripture says that the Devil will appear as an angel of light. If the devil can cause an ailment, all he has to do is remove his hold on it and health should be restored.

Bishops and priests are ordained ministers given the authority by God to administer the Sacraments. No matter how bad God wants to perform a Sacrament a laymen does not have the authority to perform a Sacrament. God willingly works through his ordained ministers to perform the Sacraments.

Laymen do recieve the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but I don’t think the one recieving the gift has to go through some training to learn how to use the gift. Anyone who attaches the title of “master” to their name because of a gift from God (if thats what it is) should seek some humility. Jesus’s death was the price paid so that we can recieve the Holy Spirit. People that charge for something that God gives freely are treading on very thin ice.

May Jesus Keep You Close to His Heart

 

[Maryam]

I don’t quite agree with your characterization (the word “bully”), and this sounds much like the objection that some protestants use against priests (they say that we think that we can command God and trap him in bread). The attunement process is a very peaceful, powerful ceremony that I considered a form of Confirmation or Baptism. In those sacraments, does the priest or bishop “bullies” God into giving the grace of the sacrament to the baby or teenager?

We don’t stop ourselves and ask “does God not want to do this right now?” We assume that God’s love for the world is such that we can’t imagine that He wouldn’t want to do it.

Such is the case with reiki and healing.

There are alot of words or things in life that we don’t like but for our own good we need to hear them in order to later have the proper understanding.

I don’t see how what “some” protestants think about the Consecration by the Priest at mass has anything to do with this topic. Nor why you’d use it as a way to show that God isn’t bullied when the Sacraments are admnistered to Teenagers or babies … Which is an example that doesn’t make sense at all. Priests and Bishops don’t have to do an attunement to get any kind of energy from God… Unless you are trying to compare being ordained as being like an “attunement”??? which would be scary for any Catholic to think so… or that the Consecration at mass, prayers of the Priest are along the same lines of gaining energy from God… ???

I’m just trying to understand your thought process on this… so am throwing out all these questions.

That you would use a Reiki “attunement” and say that you consider it to be a **form of Confirmation or Baptism **is an example of the problem within the Catholic church today of some Catholics picking and choosing from other beliefs systems and putting **their own interpretation **on what a Sacrament is instead of being guided by the teachings of the church on what the Sacraments are.

How can any Catholic say that a Reiki “attunement” is a form of Confirmation or Baptism comparable to how it is defined within the teachings of the Catholic church… or form or however else you want to define it as???

Also, using your own words you state **We don’t stop and ask ourselves “does God not want to do this right now?” We assume that God’s love for the world is such that we can’t imagine that He wouldn’t want to do it. **Everything is up to the will of God. And since you used Protestants as an example before… This is exactly the kind of thinking of “some” Protestants that healing is guaranteed or along the lines that if you aren’t healed then you aren’t right with God.

This is the problem when we assume and try to interpret Catholic teaching according to our own comfort level. Everything is up to the will of God and it all comes down to accepting God’s will whether or not He chooses to bring healing to us.

God bless

 

[rcwhiteh]

Folks, I’ve been studying and practicing Massage Therapy (MT) since I was eight years old and rubbing my mother’s feet after a long day working in a dress store. I’m 46 now, and I have seen just about every possible fad in the practice of MT it’s possible to conceive. Reiki is just one; others, especially the one developed here in the USA where practitioners learn to make a “hook-up” with a nebulous cosmic force (thankfully, I have forgotten its name), are even closer to New Age blather.

As a faithful, practicing Catholic, I can tell you that the very idea of developing a massage modality that calls for the practitioner to consciously and deliberately call upon the supernatural smacks of “channeling”.

Certainly there is nothing amiss in a Massage Therapist pausing before working on a patient and praying that God would bless his or her work, or that He would send healing upon the patient, but an MT should never presume to “summon” or “tap into” any supernatural power. There are Massage Therapists who actively pursue a ministry of healing within the Catholic Church, but there is nothing in their modality that requires any invocations.

If you don’t think Satan can deceive you, you’re already guilty of the sin of arrogance. If you have the slightest doubt or misgiving about the teachings or authority of the Church, Satan has an open door into your soul. Start mucking about with the idea of using “spiritual energy” to augment a massage technique, and you are as likely to give the Adversary an opening to lure you into Hell as you are to get that sub-scapular knot out of someone’s back.

Perhaps the Church doesn’t teach explicitly about the nature of spiritual energy and how it may be manipulated (or even if it can or should be manipulated); then again, perhaps it does. I don’t know; I haven’t seen anything official on the subject. I DO know, however, that the Church explicitly and specifically condemns many New Age practices, and I believe Reiki falls squarely among them.

The terms “Catholic” and “Reiki practioner” should be mutually exclusive.

 

[cheese_sdc]

That you would use a Reiki “attunement” and say that you consider it to be a **form of Confirmation or Baptism **is an example of the problem within the Catholic church today of some Catholics picking and choosing from other beliefs systems and putting **their own interpretation **on what a Sacrament is instead of being guided by the teachings of the church on what the Sacraments are.

Perhaps I used the wrong word. Maybe if you substitute the phrase “similiar to” might make it more understandable.

I’m trying to draw an analogy and use something familiar to explain something unfamiliar.

I don’t see how what “some” protestants think about the Consecration by the Priest at mass has anything to do with this topic.

I have heard it from some extreme fundamentalists that the priest, during the consecration, “forces” God to come and change the host. The verb “to force” is very similiar to the verb “to bully”.

The Church also rejects this interpretation of the consecration. I was attempting to show that the action of God (even a mystical action) in the world being accomplished through a person is a very Catholic idea.

Everything is up to the will of God. And since you used Protestants as an example before… This is exactly the kind of thinking of “some” Protestants that healing is guaranteed or along the lines that if you aren’t healed then you aren’t right with God.

Ah, that idea is connected the Gospel of Wealth that is preached by many these days. I reject that interpretation of the Gospel. I can tell you that as a reiki practioner, sometimes people do not experience a physical healing. We do not attempt to explain it simplistically - it is not that they “are not open” or that they are bad people. It just didn’t happen. The Gospel of Prosperity, that you correctly point out, contains the idea that good behavior = temporal reward.

Reiki practioners do not teach that (at least responsible ones don’t).

Let me also clarify that “reiki practioner” only means “a person who has been reiki attuned”. I don’t have a business giving reiki treatments. In fact, in my state, you have to be a massage therapist to perform reiki professionally.

We pay our priests so that they can have the neccesities of life, such as clothes, a car, food, etc. We are not paying them to perform the Sacraments. Paying for Sacraments is what caused some of the problems at the time of the reformation. I also know of some people with a legitimate healing gift recognized by their Bishops. They would never accept any money for praying with people.

One of the tenents of reiki practice is that there is some sort of gift given to the practioner. The reason for this is two fold: first, it recognizes the value of the service being offered; second, if offering reiki is a person’s job, then they have to eat! We no longer live in an agrarian barter economy. I have special skills that exchange for money. I take that money and pay for other specialized items that I can’t produce myself. Reiki is similiar. Also, the gift doesn’t have to be money. I have received homemade soap, organic sea salt, among other things in exchange for reiki.

Perhaps the Church doesn’t teach explicitly about the nature of spiritual energy and how it may be manipulated (or even if it can or should be manipulated); then again, perhaps it does. I don’t know; I haven’t seen anything official on the subject. I DO know, however, that the Church explicitly and specifically condemns many New Age practices, and I believe Reiki falls squarely among them.

I would respectifully disagree. Just because something is not completely understood doesn’t make it evil. When the first radios and telegraphs were used, they weren’t completely understood, and many people thought they were evil. We now have a better understanding of radio waves.

For a long time, gravity wasn’t understood (and as I understand it, they’re still not completely sure how it works - Einstein’s Theory of Relativity has been disproved in some of its aspects). But we don’t call gravity evil.

 

[Maryam]

Perhaps I used the wrong word. Maybe if you substitute the phrase “similiar to” might make it more understandable.

I’m trying to draw an analogy and use something familiar to explain something unfamiliar.

Even if you had used the word “similar” its still not the same nor will it ever be. You can’t say that an “Attunement” is like the Sacraments of Confirmation or Baptism. When Reiki can say that it has over 2,000 years of church history, Tradition and Apostolic lineage then you can start saying it is similar. For all of the Popes, Bishops and Priests throughout Catholic history have come through the history, traditions and Apostolic lineage that was founded by Christ.

I am sorry… but there is no similarity of the Sacraments of Confirmation or Baptism with Reiki “Attunements”… it just doesn’t have these aspects to it.

I have heard it from some extreme fundamentalists that the priest, during the consecration, “forces” God to come and change the host. The verb “to force” is very similiar to the verb “to bully”.

Fine, but what does this have to do with whether Reiki “attunements” or any other aspects of it are compatible with the teachings of the Catholic Church?

The Church also rejects this interpretation of the consecration. I was attempting to show that the action of God (even a mystical action) in the world being accomplished through a person is a very Catholic idea.

This is if God should so choose to use a person as an instrument of His will… There is no paid class that a Catholic can take to get “Attuned” with God. We can’t just get a certificate and then be attuned to the power of God just because we want to. God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way would like for Him to. And this is the hard part in learning to accept the will of God.

Reiki practioners do not teach that (at least responsible ones don’t).

Ok, at least thats one less thing to worry about.

Just so that others who may be into Reiki reading these posts can see where I have come from… I myself use to be fascinated with Energy manipulation back in the days before I came back to the Catholic Church. I wanted to see how I could manipulate this energy in affecting change in my environment and in myself. I use to practice Tai Chi and could feel the Chi moving in my center and I could move the Chi with my will. I then went on to Touch Therapy and tried Falun Gong for a bit… but in the end I saw that I can’t control the world around me let alone whether I will fall ill and eventually die due to the illness.

In life there are 3 things you can count on… Birth, Death and that everything in this life changes except for God. People change, civilizations change, buildings are constructed to later be deconstructed and new ones built up in their place. That is the way life works… it’s just a matter of understanding our place in this world. When my end comes and my soul goes up to be held in judgement before the Lord my God how will I explain to him that I held as more important trying to control/extend my ‘temporary’ human existence through all these techniques/methods of energy manipulation in a body that will return to the dust from which it was made and not in praising the Lord my God every day?

God bless

 

[blessedtoo]

When ever I begin a formal reiki treatment, I always begin with the Glory Be. A friend of mine (also a reiki practioner) begins with a prayer to the Holy Spirit.

And a friend of mine calls on “her spirits”. These are the same spirits that reveal apparations of the dead to her.

I have yet to find any scriptural support for the idea that the Adversary can heal.

And what scientific data exists that proves Reiki actually heals?

We don’t stop ourselves and ask “does God not want to do this right now?” We assume that God’s love for the world is such that we can’t imagine that He wouldn’t want to do it.

We absolutely do ask ourselves this, or at least I do. Even if the action is positive and affirming, God’s will must be the first consideration.

The problem with any form of “healing” through the new age philosophies is that they are calling on some relativistic view of spirituality that is often outside the Christian view. Christ may well just be another spirit that is corralled to “heal”.

 

[CatholicSam]

I have yet to find any scriptural support for the idea that the Adversary can heal.

And I have yet to find where the Catholic Church endorses the mentality of “sola scriptura”.

 

[DiscerningDave]

Most fears about Reiki have come from pure ignorance of it. There is nothing evil about it. My wife, a nurse, is a reiki practitioner. Nursing Schools are now starting to offer it. Nobody conjures up any spirits. If anybody remembers, Jesus himself healed with his hands. Most (if not all) Reiki folks feel their healing gift has come straight from God.

Here is a Christian Reiki website that includes Catholics.

christianreiki.org/

Read and be educated!

It amazes me that a nurse or nursing schools would practice an unfounded, disproven, theoretical technique. It has not been proven medically. If anything, it is a placebo effect type of “cure”. The difference between Jesus laying hands and Reiki is Jesus is God. Discovery channel had a huge show on it and the so-called “masters” would not allow special cameras, eeg monitoring, etc… I am all for alternative types of medicine, i.e. acupuncture, because it has been proven medically to work, they even did heart surgery with needling as the only form of anesthesia, but Reiki is not that and it has no place in the Catholic church. Faith in God is what heals people, not some hypothetical energy channeling technique.

 

[InLight247]

I am a reiki practioner myself, and am a practicing Catholic. I find no contradiction between Catholic teaching and utilizing reiki energy.

Instead of our personal opinions, let us see what the Popes say about it.
The following link has an article talking about the view of JPII about new age.
lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2006/11/la-salette-attleboro-center-for.html

Towards the end of John Paul II’s pontificate, the Vatican issued a document about the New Age that was reviewed, one can assume, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, even though his congregation was not redactor of the actual document.

It would do well for the U.S. bishops to revisit that document (entitled “Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life”) and make certain that parishes understand and heed Rome’s definition of what is meant by the “new age” – a refined form of occultism that looks upon God as more an energy and impersonal, psychic force in classic pagan perspective and is expressly prohibited.
Despite that prohibition, which was issued in 2003, I receive many e-mails about New Age or Eastern-style practices that have been allowed and even promoted in church halls, convents, retreat centers, and occasionally from the pulpit. It’s an insidious infiltration [see bottom] that thus far has not received nearly the attention it warrants – putting, as it does, those who are exposed to it into potential touch with the dark side, which comes as an angel of light.

I invite you to send such cases here, if they are occurring in your parish. In just the past week, we have linked to articles about nuns in northeast Philadelphia who instruct in massage, energy, kinesiology, and “therapeutic touch” (which some say is akin to psychic healing). At any rate, they are described as “nuns” at the Center for Human Integration. They also use “reiki,” an ancient form of therapeutic touch that taps into occult “ki” or “c’hi” energy.

Will you argue with Pope John Paul II?
As a practicing Catholic, don’t you have to listen to the Pope?

 

[Jeanette_L]

catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=2929

**THANK YOU **for this link! This article was written by the same woman I referenced above who was a guest on Johnette Benkovich’s program on EWTN. She had been deeply involved in Reiki, had progressed to a high level within that system, and she had a powerful story on the damage it had done in her life. She went years without having a clue as to what she had let into her soul, but in the end she paid a great price. Fortunately she found a great priest who helped her get free from the spirits that had attached themselves to her through this practice. It was very frightening. And she wasn’t a kook, she was a normal, even highly intelligent woman who blindly allowed herself to be led into a seemingly benign practice and then trapped in a nightmare.

People, please be careful. The Church doesn’t warn us about these things arbitrarily. They see the damage done and want us to avoid tragic consequences.

 

[cheese_sdc]

And I have yet to find where the Catholic Church endorses the mentality of “sola scriptura”.

I constantly amazed at the lack of respect some people here show scripture. Scripture cannot contradict Tradition and Tradition cannot contradict Scripture. This is not sola scriptura, this is studying the Word of God.

 

[fullofzeal]

We Can Be Trained By Some Master To Receive The Gift Of Healing? Are you serious?
Ludicrous!

Most Reiki Types Don’t Attribute Their “healing Power” To Our Lord And Savior But To An External Healing Force. I Know Cause I Have Them Come To My Salon/spa All The Time Looking For Work. Pottage For A Catholic To Be Involved In This. They Don’t Have the Foggiest Notion About Any Questions I Ask Them…can’t Do It, Soorry…hogwash!! This Nonsense Started Creeping In To The Catholic Church As Innocent As The Religion Of Yoga…it’s All A Bunch Of Nonsense.

Peace And Love

I

 

[CatholicSam]

I constantly amazed at the lack of respect some people here show scripture. Scripture cannot contradict Tradition and Tradition cannot contradict Scripture. This is not sola scriptura, this is studying the Word of God.

And…your point is…??? How is your statement NOT a form of sola scriptura?

Where’s that Bible verse that condemns cloning again? Oh, that’s right, it’s not in the Bible, so it must be all fine and well–after all, the research is aimed at finding cures for people, so that just *has *to be of God, right? :nope:

 

[scapularkid8]

Why do we pay priests then? Aren’t we paying them to administer the sacraments?

Priests have responded to a higher call and have devoted their very existence to the spiritual lives of their parishoners. They do not have the time for a job like the laity. How else do you think they are supposed to buy food and clothing? Beg? They aren’t paid to administer the Sacraments. They’re paid so they can eat. If they became a priest, obviously it wouldn’t matter one way or the other if they were ‘paid to administer the sacraments’. They wouldn’t be a very good priest if they were in it for the money. Jesus didn’t die to get paid, He died out of love. Same for a priest.

 

[mikew262]

We Can Be Trained By Some Master To Receive The Gift Of Healing? Are you serious?
Ludicrous!

Most Reiki Types Don’t Attribute Their “healing Power” To Our Lord And Savior But To An External Healing Force. I Know Cause I Have Them Come To My Salon/spa All The Time Looking For Work. Pottage For A Catholic To Be Involved In This. They Don’t Have the Foggiest Notion About Any Questions I Ask Them…can’t Do It, Soorry…hogwash!! This Nonsense Started Creeping In To The Catholic Church As Innocent As The Religion Of Yoga…it’s All A Bunch Of Nonsense.

Peace And Love

I

This sounds like strictly your opinion only, which you are entitled too. Now do you have any facts to back your opinion up? I suspect not.

 

[peaceandwisdom]

Mikew262 - you are sadly mistaken and confused.

Jesus heals through His own Divine power.

reiki calls on other powers.

Anything that claims to heal through mystical powers other than the One, True God is diabloical.

I don’t care who teaches it, nursing schools, seminaries, parishes, or whatever - it still comes from the enemy.

The website you should get to is www.crossveil.org

That is insulting because I am in NO way shape or form evil. I DO NOT believe in “god” or “jesus.” I am spiritual. I do not see anything wrong with practicing Reiki or Channeling. I talk to my spirt guides. So, just to let people know. I am a good person. I help charities and volunteer. I go to school. I have a family and I am not an evil person. There are GOOD people out there who do not PRACTICE or BELIEVE in RELIGION!

 

[mikew262]

It amazes me that a nurse or nursing schools would practice an unfounded, disproven, theoretical technique. It has not been proven medically. If anything, it is a placebo effect type of “cure”. The difference between Jesus laying hands and Reiki is Jesus is God. Discovery channel had a huge show on it and the so-called “masters” would not allow special cameras, eeg monitoring, etc… I am all for alternative types of medicine, i.e. acupuncture, because it has been proven medically to work, they even did heart surgery with needling as the only form of anesthesia, but Reiki is not that and it has no place in the Catholic church. Faith in God is what heals people, not some hypothetical energy channeling technique.

While I acknowledge there are currently few scientific studies out there concerning Reiki, they are coming. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has begun several studies. There are also many personal stories out there concerning it’s effectiveness.

How educated are you really on it? Who is to say that God hasn’t given certain people a certain healing ability? Maybe everybody has that ability, but you need genuine faith to use it.

People are too quick to dismiss things out of hand just because it’s a little different from the norm. I am guilty of that as well, at times.There is no proof from anywhere that I know of that Reiki comes from an evil source. Most responsible practitioners feel/know there gift comes from God, hardly evil. Jesus and the apostles all healed by the “laying on of hands”.

 

[DiscerningDave]

That is insulting because I am in NO way shape or form evil. I DO NOT believe in “god” or “jesus.” I am spiritual. I do not see anything wrong with practicing Reiki or Channeling. I talk to my spirt guides. So, just to let people know. I am a good person. I help charities and volunteer. I go to school. I have a family and I am not an evil person. There are GOOD people out there who do not PRACTICE or BELIEVE in RELIGION!

Seems like people need to re-read post #29. This post sheds the view of the Catholic church on new age techniques. No one says that people into new age healing are bad people, I have many friends that practice new age techniques, BUT this is a Catholic forum to discuss Catholic views. The Catholic church believes that new age techniques are derived from paganistic ideas. And, the church is correct. Its sort of like the saying, You Can’t be Christian and be pro-life. To be pro-life and christian are contradictory beliefs, the same as believing in new age energy techniques and being Catholic.

 

[mikew262]

That is insulting because I am in NO way shape or form evil. I DO NOT believe in “god” or “jesus.” I am spiritual. I do not see anything wrong with practicing Reiki or Channeling. I talk to my spirt guides. So, just to let people know. I am a good person. I help charities and volunteer. I go to school. I have a family and I am not an evil person. There are GOOD people out there who do not PRACTICE or BELIEVE in RELIGION!

While I agree with you that the comment by that other poster was insulting and that Reiki is indeed not evil, many Reiki practitioners (my wife included) believe/know their healing ability comes straight from God; in fact many are Christians and Catholics like one of the other earlier posters.

Your spiritual guide may very well be your guardian angel.

 

[DiscerningDave]

While I acknowledge there are currently few scientific studies out there concerning Reiki, they are coming. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has begun several studies. There are also many personal stories out there concerning it’s effectiveness.

How educated are you really on it? Who is to say that God hasn’t given certain people a certain healing ability? Maybe everybody has that ability, but you need genuine faith to use it.

People are too quick to dismiss things out of hand just because it’s a little different from the norm. I am guilty of that as well, at times.There is no proof from anywhere that I know of that Reiki comes from an evil source. Most responsible practitioners feel/know there gift comes from God, hardly evil. Jesus and the apostles all healed by the “laying on of hands”.

Sure everbody has the ability if you have the faith to use it given to you from Christ. But guess what??? Once you have the faith to use it in the name of Jesus, it is no longer Reiki. By the way, I am very educated on these ideas and techniques, I practice acupuncture as a hobby. I took a 3 year course on it. I have friends in these circles and have been taught the techniques, which I think are absurd. Acupuncture has been proven medically.