There could be several reasons. If you are involved in hectic day-to-day living, you generally become less sensitive in order to cope with all the impressions flooding in on you from your surroundings without becoming overly distracted. This, however, lowers your sensitivity to the more subtle sensations (such as the flow of Reiki energy). In other words, you will hardly notice the flow of Reiki, or not notice it at all. If you give yourself some time to relax, you will begin to get a feeling of the energy again.

Another reason may be that you are fairly new to First degree Reiki. Your perceptive faculties may not have had a chance to develop sufficiently to perceive Reiki, but if you work with it regularly, this will change Just take your time and practice the sensitizing techniques.

Finally, the reason might be that the energy isn't flowing at all. As you know, Reiki is drawn or "sucked in" by the recipient. If he has some unconscious block or simply does not require any energy, there may be no flow, which is perhaps why you don't sense anything. If there is a local blockage, you can treat this area of the body via the reflex zones. The further away are the blocked zones from the area, the better.

No, this is not possible. Through the four initiations you become a Reiki channel and stay connected with this divine energy for the rest of your life. Even if you don't use Reiki for twenty years (which actually is impossible as Reiki flows automatically the moment you place your hands on something requiring it), it is as freely available as after your initiation. It may well be that you simply are not able to perceive the energy at the moment for some reason.

Something always happens when Reiki flows into a living being, but perhaps something quite different to what you had expected. Reiki always acts in its own way and you can only influence this within narrow boundaries. The following example illustrates this point; perhaps you want to help someone stop smoking, and although you give him Reiki, nothing happens. However, your client suddenly starts to enjoy exercise and play tennis a few weeks later. Perhaps this was more important, and perhaps stopping smoking was not as urgent as both of you thought.

If you treat an acute physical disorder with Reiki and there are no evident results, a trained medical specialist should be consulted without delay. It is possible that there is not enough Reiki to change things for the better, or that there is some organic disorder requiring surgical or other treatment. When pus is involved or severe, constant pain, the client should be referred to a physician or a practitioner of natural therapeutics without any further experimentation. Reiki does not make emergency measures superfluous.

There is no simple answer to this question. There are so many methods of faith healing, from the "Faith Surgeons" in Brazil to healing with "the Energy of Christ" and so on. All of these can be called faith healing as they work with subtle energies that somehow address the whole person in the healing process. This is also what Reiki does, but basically its use as a means of healing physical disorders is only a small facet of its many possibilities. Every person is able to use Reiki to live more consciously, become more perceptive and alive or simply to sense God's presence. Reiki is not simply-as other methods of faith healing-a way of bringing health to the ill but also and to a much greater extent a means for people without complaints to develop their vitality and capacity to love in a simple and lasting manner.

Perhaps the question can be answered in this way; faith healing is just one of the many possibilities of Reiki.

Reiki should not be forced onto any living being against its declared will. After all every person is entitled to his or her own way of life. Second-degree reiki is not meant to be used contrary to the wishes or intentions of another. By declared will I don't mean that the person concerned owes you an explanation, rather what I'm referring to is any clear expression of refusal, even in the form of an unmistakable gesture (as with animals).

This point is especially important for those initiated into the second degree reiki because they are able to transmit reiki energy anywhere they like without having direct contact with the recipient. If you are not able to determine whether the potential recipient is in agreement with treatment (due to coma, unconciousness, mental imbalance, no possibility of contact or similar), you should consult an oracle or decide on a distance treatment according to your intuition and in a responsible manner.

Firstly, every person just needs one initiation for each Reiki Degree for his whole life, so relatively speaking, the expense is minimal. If you consider the cost-benefit ratio, you will probably come to the conclusion that the initiations should actually be more expensive.

Secondly, since each person is only initiated into each Reiki Degree once, and since Reiki masters also have to make their living and recover costs, obviously Reiki cannot be had at a bargain price.

Thirdly, a Reiki initiation is a wonderful thing, but people are able to also live quite happily without it. In other words, people are not withheld something that they absolutely need by the price. If you need Reiki for your personal development, you will be able to afford it.

Fourthly, the course fees are ultimately regulated by the market, as are all other prices for goods and services. There is no such thing as a "just price". A price is justified whenever a sufficient number of customers accept it, and a sufficient number of suppliers deliver.

Lastly, Reiki represents a certain value, and people tend to make respectful attitude to things that cost a lot of money. Since Reiki becomes as much a part of a person as his inborn talents, it is important to regard Reiki as valuable from the onset. After all, we are very reluctant to accept the parts of our personality that we see as being of no great value. Only in extremely rare cases do I give a discount on my Reiki course fees. Hawayo Takata, the Grand Master before last, gave the subject short shrift-"Don't bargain with Reiki!". That's exactly the way I feel about it too. There's something not quite about bargaining with Reiki.

No, of course not. Basically, every human has the capacity to transmit life energy through his hands, some a little more than others. However, Reiki initiations guarantee that it is not your life energy that being transmitted, but Universal Life Energy. It is rather that Universal Life Energy is being channelled. It is because of this that Reiki does not cause fatigue and that no specific exercises are need to be performed to gain the energy in the first place. Moreover, Reiki initiations help set up mechanism that protect you and the patient from negative vibrations. Furthermore, each initiation multiplies the capacity for transmitting energy many times.

No, Reiki is automatically transmitted if it is needed and is accepted by the subconscious. Reiki is not a psychological phenomenon like hypnosis or suggestion. The effects of Reiki cannot be explained by the placebo effect or other suggestive effects. The energy flows, even if the Reiki channel does not believe in any anything in particular. It all takes place automatically without any prerequisites.

"Magic is the art of bringing about changes of consciousness at will". According to this definition Reiki cannot be magic, because processes that result in a higher degree of awareness proceed on their own, according to their own dynamic laws and therefore cannot be influenced by will. It is the flow of energy that sets them in motion.

Common parlance defines magic as "the art of using natural forces and means to achieve amazing results". According to this definition, Reiki is indeed magic. If the question "Is Reiki Magic?" has anything to do with black magic, the answer is "NO". The essence of Reiki is unlimited love. So-called black magic is ultimately based on power of hatred and fear.

At the initiations the Reiki Master acts as a channel and mediator of Universal Life Energy. If you think this sounds a bit far-fetched, all I can say is that there is no other way of putting it. This contact with the divine force is so profound that it reaches you in your innermost core. It is at this level that you are freed of ideas of guilt-a necessary step in becoming a channel of Universal Life Energy. This is why the traditional initiations steps bring about such an increase in one's capacity for love and consciousness. The rituals performed as part of each initiation is like a key agreed on with God for unlocking the power of healing love.

No, you can't. Reiki is love and love does not harm anyone. But if you fall prey of the delusion of power of being able to heal everything and everyone with "your" Reiki energy, and do not fetch or carry out the necessary medical or therapeutic help in situations requiring it, your wish to exercise power will indeed cause harm. Reiki does not relieve you of the responsibility toward yourself and those who entrust themselves to you.

Reiki always flows wherever it is needed and wherever it is accepted. There are no any preconditions. Reiki is a gift. There are no strings attached.

No, it isn't. Reiki can do a lot but it can't do everything and it does not make conventional or naturopathic therapies and diagnosis superfluous either, but simply provides them with appropriate support. Symptoms of serious disease or anything similar should be treated by trained medical specialists. In the hands of layman, Reiki should mainly be used as prophylactic measure or as a means of treating trivial complaints. However, Reiki can be of great help as a supporting measure for treatment of all kinds.

Reiki does not impair you individual freedom of choice. If you consciously or subconsciously want someone else to take care of you, you will close yourself off to your "own" Reiki. In this case you are not interested in having the problem solved, but in satisfying your desire for closeness. This is perfectly legitimate and you should accept it is indeed the case. Reiki cannot and should not replace human closeness.

No, it does not. The initiations greatly enhance the capacity of each person to pass on life energy and lifts them to a level where certain effects become possible. This is the basic opening up that takes place, and it can never be reduced. If you give a lot of Reiki, your capacity to channel this energy will also be increased. This too will become part of you and cannot be withdrawn or limited.

Through the initiations into the second and Third Degree, the opening for the Universal Life Energy is developed further each time. The flow of energy can be further enhanced with the Second Degree symbols.

Whenever you pass on Reiki to another, you also get your own share of the energy. Cleansing processes are instigated in your own body the moment you lay your hands on another person. The healing reaction then consumes the body's energies while it is acting. Give yourself plenty of Reiki to help your organism and give yourself time and leisure to grow. The more you work with Reiki, the less "energy-sapping" reactions will occur. Your energy channels will become more and more open and efficient (also see the question above).

No, it can't. The Reiki initiations are carried out by God. And Reiki Masters themselves are just a channel through which this power is able to pass. Man and God stand in constant contact during the initiation. External factors and phenomena of whatever kind cannot influence God. Reiki initiations cannot be made ineffective through some presumed guilt or lapse or other "moral" reasons, either.

What kind of relationship do you have to yourself? Is it loving? Do you allow yourself some of the good things in life? This is often not the case in this kind of situation. What might be helpful are affirmations such as "I allow time for myself because I love myself!" or "I love myself and enjoy doing myself some good". Working with the rose quartz is also helpful. Take some time and sit down and begin to think about why you don't take the time to treat yourself. Look for the real reasons, and ignore the famous excuse "I simply don't have the time". This is often the first step to solving the problem. If that does not help, then give into your feelings and take care of others until you're utterly fed up with it and just want time to yourself. I have found that this has always done the trick. Anyone with the "Good Samaritan syndrome" will have to face up to this question sooner or later, or just burn up.

There's also another possibility. You might simply be overwhelmed by the speed of your own growth, or by the possibilities that open up to you. Since Reiki is something that stimulates growth, you are trying to avoid it. Take a rest for a while. If you like, look into your fear of development. Your desire to give Reiki will return with time. Both rest and exercise have their purpose, one cannot exist without the other.

The essence of Reiki is love and you cannot do anything wrong with that. If some karmic burden is to be released through Reiki, that's great stuff. It is impossible to create new burdens of this kind with Reiki, unless the person applying it wants to live out his need for power. One should make clear distinction between the two. If I try to treat someone against his will I am creating karma, but not for the other person, only for myself. The power of Reiki makes sure of this.

Of course it does, but in order to achieve anything it first has to be applied and then it has to be accepted and let in. Since some people prefer to be treated with Reiki when it is packaged in a nice way and since our subconscious often wants to be made a fuss of and stimulated before it is ready to let in Reiki, the methods described by any master can make a considerable indirect contribution to the effectiveness of Reiki. I am not a purist and therefore I choose my methods according to effectiveness. This does not necessarily have to apply to you, however. Do whatever you like as long you enjoy doing it and it doesn't deprive others of their possibilities or development.

Rameshwar Prasad invites you to the Wonderful World of Reiki

CONTACT THE CONSULTANT Engineer Rameshwar Prasad     (B.Tech., M.Tech., P.G.D.C.A., P.G.D.M.) VAASTU INTERNATIONAL 49 C (Second Floor), Pocket- B,         SFS Flats, Mayur Vihar, Phase-III, New Delhi - 110096, INDIA TeleFax : +91-11-22615299 (Landline), Mobile : +91- 9810105218 e-mail : vaastuinternational@yahoo.com vaastuinternational@gmail.com