June 17-19, 2005
Reiki (pronounced ray key) means Universal Life Force. We can use this force to reduce stress, relieve the pain of chronic illness, and facilitate the healing process. Reiki, an ancient healing art, may be the most rapidly growing form of alternative health care in the world. Hands are placed on the body noninvasively, allowing universal life energy to flow through.
“The energy transfer revitalizes the body’s cells,” John Harvey Gray has written. “By the end of a single treatment, all body systems (blood supply, nerves, organs, and the like) are operating in a stronger, more normal way. Because the delivery of the energy is standardized, the Reiki practitioner need not know anatomical details so it doesn’t require medical knowledge or specialization to be effective.” Reiki induces the relaxation response through physical touch without body manipulation, helping the patient slip into a deep state of relaxation. Reiki balances and replenishes the body’s energies, mental clarity, and focus. It enhances the ability of the immune system to fight bacteria and viruses while stimulating the brain’s production of endorphins, hormones that decrease the perception of pain.
In this experiential workshop, participants will explore the energy fields outside the body. We will scan these fields to assess general physical vitality and energy input at specific points on the body and learn how to channel Reiki into ourselves and others. There will be ample opportunity during the workshop to receive Reiki and practice giving it to others. Nursing credits are available.
The Rev. John Harvey Gray served in WWII, worked as a banker, a developer of computer systems, and a researcher at Stanford Research Institute. In 1974, his life changed when he took a workshop in handson energy transfer from Mrs. Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the United States from Japan. In 1979, John left the business world to teach Reiki, and he’s conducted over 775 healing workshops around the world. He’s the head of a loose fellowship of personally trained, very committed Reiki healers, incorporated as a religious nonprofit, nondenominational church devoted to spiritual healing called The Church of the Loving Servant. He’s just written Hand to Hand: The Longest Practicing Reiki Master Tells His Story, and his influence is felt in schools, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, private clinical settings, and churches nationwide. Lourdes Gray, born in Cuba, came to the United States 30 years ago and worked in real estate and banking until she found Reiki. She has extensive experience using Reiki to treat arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and emotional problems. She’s studying for a Ph.D. in Naturopathy, and we welcome them both to Rowe.