As you progress on your spiritual path with Reiki, you become increasingly sensitive to other people’s energies, and one of the possible consequences of this is that you can “pick up” energy particularly negative energy from other people and from your surroundings. Of course you can protect yourself from this, but I am sure you don’t want to be a kind of psychic blotting paper, walking around absorbing everybody else’s rubbish! It is therefore vital to cleanse yourself (your whole energy body as well as your physical body) every day, and often several times a day, depending upon what you are doing.
My initial impression was that the Reiki channel created by an attunement could not become blocked, but after many years of experience I have revised my opinion on this. I now realize that unless people work on themselves by using a regular energy cleansing routine and carrying out a self-treatment each day, plus working on their spiritual awareness and development, the Reiki channel does seem to get smaller, which affects the amount of flow. Energy meridians are in this way not dissimilar to artery that can become clogged by a build-up of bad cholesterol on the inside of the artery, slowing down the flow of blood. If the bad cholesterol continue to accumulate and nothing is done to clear out the artery, it could eventually become lethal and surgery may be required.
I am convinced that this is one of the main reasons why, in Japan, students receive regular Rei-ju empowerments, not only to increase the amount of Reiki they can channel, but also to help to keep their energy channels free-flowing. Reiki itself will cut through negative energy and other blockages, but it needs as clear a channel as possible to work effectively, and most of us have plenty of negative “stuff” stored in our bodies. Some of this could possibly adhere to the Reiki channel as it is loosened and brought to the surface to be eliminated over the weeks, months and years of using Reiki. Negativity in the form of thoughts and emotions is pretty stubborn “stuff”!
Eventually our energy channels can become really clean and free-flowing, but how long this takes will depend upon how much “baggage” we have been collecting during our lifetime. However, the process is ongoing and continuous. Having Reiki does not shield us forever from susceptibility to collecting negative thoughts and emotions. Our initial attunement starts the purification process, but afterwards we really need to continue with self-treatments, a sensible energy-cleansing routine and, if possible, regular Rei-ju empowerments.
To cleanse your physical and energy bodies fully, I recommend a cold shower. Yes, I know it might be an unpleasant thought, but it really works! However, if you have any health condition that might make you particularly susceptible to shock from the cold water please ask your doctor before adding this technique to your cleansing routine.
Cold water has a particularly vibrant cleansing energy, so when it flows through your energy field and over your physical body the “shock” of it shakes loose the negative or “sticky” energy that is trapped in and around your body. While a warm or hot shower or bath is good for cleaning your physical body and can also be very relaxing, it has the effect of expanding your aura. This can potentially make the negative, sticky energy enter farther into your energy body so that it becomes harder to remove. This therefore means that it is important to start your shower with cold water rather than ending with it, which some people like to do to close the pores in the skin, although you can do both if you wish.
The important thing is to let the cold water flow over all your chakras, so that they are cleansed. You don’t necessarily have to stand right under the shower head with the cold water flowing over all of you at once, unless you want to, and you can wear a shower cap unless you want to wash your hair. Your crown chakra will still be cleansed by the water flowing over the cap. Also, it is only necessary to be under the cold water for about ten seconds at-least.
The parts that need the water to flow over them are all your major chakras at the front from the crown down to the root chakra and the same down the back, plus the minor chakras and major points on your meridian system, including your shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles and feet. You might find it easiest to hold the shower head in your hand and direct the water quickly, always in a downward flow. Start with feet, just to get used to the temperature, then move to each shoulder, down each arm and then down each side of the body. Then let the water flow from the crown of head down the centre of back, and then from the crown down the front of face, throat and body, finishing with both legs and feet again. As soon as this is accomplished you can turn the water up to the nice, warm temperature you usually shower with, and I guarantee that you will feel wonderfully clean, invigorated and refreshed.
If you don’t have a shower in your home, you can buy shower attachments that will fit onto most bath taps, or you can use a pitcher: just fill the pitcher with cold water, stand in the bath, and pour the water over your chakras. Afterwards, you can fill the pitcher with comfortably hot water, to warm yourself up, although a vigorous towelling or wrapping yourself in a towelling robe will do the job too.
I recommend at least two cold showers a day one in the morning, to wash off any negative energy you have picked up during the night (at least a part of our spirit rises out of our body during our sleep, but even if this does not happen, any negative thoughts or dreams can “pollute” our energy field), then another one before bed, to wash off the negative “stuff” we pick up during an average day. This includes the energetic residue of any arguments or disagreements, negative comments and thoughts from people we have met, or even the misery and violence we have seen on a television news program.
If you work in any of the caring professions, or as a therapist or counsellor, or in any profession where you are dealing with negative people, I really recommend a cold shower as soon as you get in from work; otherwise the negative energy you have been absorbing all day from your clients will slowly seep into that nice, comfortable chair into which you flop as soon as you get home. Much better to wash it all off, put on clean clothes and feel refreshed and ready to enjoy your evening.
If after reading this you suddenly think of all the negative energy that you must have brought into your home over the years, don’t panic! Use the Power Symbol all over the home chairs, sofas, beds, as well as the corners, walls, floors and ceilings of all the rooms, with the intention of cleansing all negative energy.
If you have not done Reiki 2, just sit quietly with your palms open on your lap. Allow and intend that Reiki should flow around your home to cleanse the energies, and visualize the Reiki spreading like a white light until your home is filled with it. Over a period of weeks you will gradually sense a lighter feel as the Reiki peels away layers of negativity that have just been lying around for ages.
In addition to the above cold showers, I am sure you will continue with your usual cleansing routine, nice, relaxing hot baths and exhilarating hot showers are two of life’s great pleasures, I think. However, to cleanse yourself energetically as well, you can draw the Power Symbol over the shower head, so that as the water flows through it, it picks up Reiki to cleanse and heal you as you shower.
You can also draw the Power Symbol over your bathwater, before you step in (or when you are sitting in it, if you forget) so that you are bathing in cleansing, healing water. Add a few drops of lavender oil, light some candles, and you have the perfect remedial, relaxing retreat.
The self-cleansing technique are excellent ways of keeping your energy body clear so that Reiki can flow through you more effectively, and ideally you can integrate them into your daily Reiki practice.