From Karma Gaia:
What is Reiki Energy?
So what exactly is Reiki energy, and how can we recognise it? In The Spirit of Reiki, a book published in 2001 there is a definition of Reiki on page 22. According to this, Reiki is any form of healing energy that satisfies the following four requirements:
1. The ability to perform Reiki comes from having received an attunement, rather than developing the ability over time through the use of meditation or other exercises.
2. All Reiki techniques are part of a lineage, meaning the technique has been passed from teacher to student through an attunement process, starting with [the founder of the technique].
3. Reiki does not require the energy to be directed by the mind since a higher force that is aware of the vibration or mix of vibrations that the client needs directs the energy.
4. Reiki can do no harm.
The experience with Reiki is always an internal journey that starts with a touch that instructs us to change the way we are perceiving the world and to begin paying attention to what is going on inside. The solutions emerge from the core of who we are. We discover that everything we require is provided for us at all times. Our acts and relationships start to become more inspired and insightful. And we begin to live from the inside out, applying the talents God has given us to our surroundings. Then, everything we do starts to matter and affect the world around us.
Touch is reentering our lives in a big way. Healing Touch, Comfort Touch, and of course Reiki Touch are three new touch-based healing methods that are being brought into the medical field. Regardless of how it is called, human touch carries enormous power to provide comfort and support, to relieve pain and stress. Although there is much more to it than can be measured and evaluated, anything that can give legitimacy to this kind of work aids in our transition to a healthcare system where genuine human contact is a crucial component of all other therapies. Not only does it help patients, it helps medical practitioners as well. When we honor the healing power of nature, which we are a part of, anything we do is empowered by this connection.