Reiki

I just experienced reiki for the first time. Didn't feel much, it was a short session, supposedly they're usually longer. But it was nice to lay down and relax.

The wikipedia article on it reports that scientific studies show it has no greater than a placebo effect, but I think that the placebo effect is worth something--the hope that something good happens is wonderful.

The instructions were, "imagine a white light coming into your head, and you breathing it out." So she put her hands on my shoulders, on my chest and stomach and then knees, and finally my ankles. She said she's tell me when she's done and she did.

She thought I was balanced, no anger pulling energy to my liver.

I'd say it can't hurt. I want to be open to things. There is a part of me that is curious about the scientific community, but there's a part of me that wants to be open to things outside my immediate experience. I have no problem that people make a living doing such things, there are lots worse things.

I like it that a Buddhist discovered Reiki, supposedly enlightened, but I'm also a bit wary. In my tradition, in so far as I understand it, these magical kinds of things are seen as nice, but not really the point. They can be a distraction. I don't have a formal sadhana practice but I'm going to ask for Avalokiteshvara when some day I hope to be ordained into the WBO. The woman who did Reiki on me today said she imagines Jesus Christ.

She talked about healing a woman's breast cancer, and her own heart problems. Of course anecdotal evidence doesn't prove anything, but it doesn't disprove anything either.

I imagine people pro-Reiki might dislike my not embracing it the way they do. I imagine skeptical people poo pooing it. I think people should try it if they can and I hope to try it again.