The state of the energy body is a very important element in the health of any individual, because if blockages and damage in the aura are not cleared and healed, they can eventually manifest themselves as physical illness or disease. Everything that happens to us affects the aura, whether they be negative or positive experiences, although of course it is the negative experiences that create the blockages and eventual damage. Every negative thought you have ever had, every negative word you have spoken, will have had an effect on your aura and whole energy body, although these effects would normally only be lasting if the negative thoughts and words were consistently repeated. Similarly, any negative words spoken to you, or negative actions performed against you, can potentially form damaging energy patterns in your aura, particularly if they evoke your emotions. Even reading the newspapers, which are usually filled with negative news, or watching violent or horror movies or television programs, has a dampening effect on your energy field. All of these things will lower your energy body’s vibrations, or life force, but fortunately we are able to take in more life force, or Ki, every day, and thankfully our lives are not normally filled only with negative experiences. The positive experiences we have—the love and affection from our family and friends, watching children at play, viewing a beautiful sunset, the satisfaction of a creative project or success at work— all contribute to raising our vibrations, or Ki, so the effects balance out for much of the time. It is therefore only major traumas and significant negative experiences that have the opportunity to damage our energy field beyond our normal ability to replenish and repair it.
Knowledge that our bodies are filled with life-force energy—Ki—and that this is directly connected to the quality of our health, has been part of the wisdom of many cultures for thousands of years, and has resulted in the development of many different forms of “energy medicine.” Some of these require direct physical contact with the body, such as acupuncture, shiatsu and reflexology, while others are taken into the body in various forms, such as herbal, homeopathic and flower remedies. Of course it is not only people who have energy bodies. All animals, birds, fish, insects and plants have detectable auras and, indeed, so do what we might term “inanimate” objects, such as rocks, crystals, minerals, metals and water. The amount of Ki or life force within you varies from day to day—there is a natural rhythmic ebb and flow in the energies within our bodies—but we absorb Ki in various ways in order to “top up” our supply of life force, as we naturally use some each day. We absorb some in the form of food and drink—remember, all animal and plant life, and even water, is filled with Ki too—and we also take in Ki from the air we breathe and absorb it through our auric fields.
Ki energy is everywhere; it is the connective force of the Universe so there is a limitless supply. The levels of life force in our bodies have an impact on our inherent healing ability, as Ki helps to nourish the structure, organs and systems of the body, supporting them in their vital functions and contributing to the healthy growth and renewal of cells. However, the amount we absorb is not constant, and can depend on many factors, so we don’t always sufficiently replenish our supply of Ki. If this happens over some time our energy body can become too depleted, and this is when we become weaker and more susceptible to illness, the ageing process and even physical death, because our Ki, or life force, is what defines us as living beings. Without it we would not be alive. This means that when our Ki is high and flowing freely around our whole energy body, we feel healthy, strong, fit and full of energy. We also feel confident, ready to enjoy life and take on its challenges, and are much less likely to become ill. However, if our Ki is low, or if there is a restriction or blockage in its flow, we feel weak, tired, listless and lethargic, and are much more vulnerable to illness or “disease.”
The difference between Ki (life-force energy) and Reiki (spiritual energy, or universal life-force energy) is: • Ki is the energy that surrounds and permeates everything. • Reiki is a specific band or frequency of energy for healing and self-healing that works synergistically with Ki, but at a higher vibration. Reiki comes directly from the Source (or God, the Creator, All That Is) and is directed by that Higher Intelligence for healing (or who-ling) anything, whether animate or inanimate. Because Reiki energy is vibrating at a very high rate it is not normally visible to the human eye, but its use can be detected by a Kirlian camera, and some people do see it, usually as a white/ gold stream of energy similar to the spiral shape of the DNA double helix. However, unlike Ki, which is present everywhere and in everything, Reiki does not flow automatically through everyone from birth. It flows only through people who have been “attuned” to its vibrational frequency. This attunement, or spiritual empowerment, is the way in which the healing ability of Reiki is passed energetically from a “Reiki Master” to a student during a sacred ceremony, which is a vital part of a Reiki course or workshop.
Connecting with Reiki Energy—the Spiritual Empowerment In Buddhism a spiritual empowerment is a familiar but very special element in spiritual practice, and it is where wisdom, existential knowledge, insight and ability are passed from the Master by thought and intention deep into the student’s mind, body and spirit. You may remember that Dr . Usui received a spiritual empowerment on Mount Kurama, where he achieved a deep knowledge and understanding of the Reiki symbols, and acquired the ability to heal.
The spiritual empowerment that is carried out by a Reiki Master is similar in nature, but less powerful, since Dr. Usui received the whole understanding and the full strength of Reiki in one single empowerment from the Highest Source, which also allowed him to become enlightened. As he had been involved in spiritual practice for about 50 years by that time, he was no doubt energetically far better prepared for such a tremendous experience and vast amount of healing energy than any of us would be. In Usui Reiki there are a number of spiritual empowerments spread out between the various levels, so that the student has time to “acclimatize” to the levels of energy involved. We usually call these sacred ceremonies initiations or attunement, as they “initiate” the student into a new life with Reiki (initiate means to begin) and “attune” the student to the unique vibrations of the Reiki spiritual healing energy (attune means to bring into harmony with). The attunement sets up an energetic channel in the student, through which the Reiki energy can flow from the Source, through the student’s energy body —the crown, brow, throat and heart chakras—and out through the hands.
Finally, If one can understand the power that flows through and around their own body, then one can surely truly understand and be more connected to their inner self, the Soul aka "atama".