Reiki practitioners in the West will find much that is illuminating about Modern Reiki Method for Healing by Hiroshi Doi. With this book, Doi-sensei dispels some of the more common myths associated with the founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui. Doi-sensei integrates Western Reiki and Japanese Reiki into a distinct compelling tradition that reaffirms both the essential teachings of Usui-sensei and their roots in Buddhist thought and practice. The result is a healing method and practice of great benefit to both practitioners in the East and in the West.

Hiroshi Doi came to Reiki somewhat serendipitously. Having studied a number of alternative healing methods including crystal healing and qi-gong, Doi-sensei's first exposure to Reiki was during the late 80's as Reiki, or more accurately, Western Reiki, began to spread through Japan. It was during this time that Doi-sensei began to investigate the Japanese roots of Reiki with some surprising results. While in the West, it had been commonly taught that Usui-sensei's original Reiki school no longer existed, Doi-sensei was blessed to discover this was not so. He even had the good fortune to receive attunements from practitioners who had received their attunements and healings from Usui-sensei or from Usui's successor, Hayashi-sensei. Reiki had not died out in Japan as was previously thought; it was just not commonly taught or promoted. Furthermore, Doi-sensei's research into the history of Reiki uncovered much about Reiki's founder, Usui-sensei.

Whereas in the West, many of us have learned that Usui-sensei was a Christian minister or that he taught in a University, Doi-sensei reveals a man and a technique firmly rooted in Buddhist tradition. Usui-sensei not only adhered to the principles and practices of Tendai Buddhism, he also received formal instruction in zazen meditation from a Zen temple. Likewise, it has been commonly thought that Usui-sensei had a revelation about Reiki while fasting on Mt. Kurama, a mountain sacred to Tendai Buddhists, after years of researching Tibetan and other scriptures for information about healing. Doi-sensei asserts this is not the case. Usui-sensei's understanding of Reiki is now to be seen as the fulfillment of the satori or sudden enlightenment he atttained on Mt. Kurama after a period of prolonged meditation and fasting.

In sharp contrast to Western style Reiki, which has been spread chiefly as an alternative healing method, albeit a healing method with a pronounced spiritual component, Doi-sensei's Reiki Method or Reiki-Ho is a spiritual path first and foremost. As a spiritual path, Reiki-Ho places emphasis on the consistent practice of meditation, gassho, adherence to the Five Admonitions, cleansing of one's chakras, and healing one's karma. The goal is nothing less than the attainment of Satori, which means sudden enlightenment. Both consistent practice and satori, according to Doi-sensei, attune one ever more completely with the higher vibrational energy that is Reiki and thus, one becomes a more effective agent of healing in the world. This places Reiki-Ho firmly within the lotus blossom of Mahayana Buddhism. It is a way of life that emphasizes work on oneself and one's attainment of spiritual understanding leading up to and including enlightenment as a means of realizing the boundless compassion that is the innermost wellspring of each and all beings' existence in this world. As we realize our compassionate nature, we are moved to act more compassionately in the world and to aid those who suffer.

This is not merely a philosophical or religious stance. The practical implications are that a being who has attained such realization is better able to act as a vehicle of the higher vibrational wisdom-blessing energy that is Reiki. In other words, more Reiki is channelled more effectively to achieve greater healing of self, others, and the world at large. While Doi-sensei does not delineate Reiki-Ho as school or sect of Buddhism, he has made it abundantly clear to all that Reiki is a flower that has grown from the ever fertile soil that is Buddhism.

Though this book will certainly benefit any practitioner who reads it, Modern Reiki Method for Healing is not without its difficulties. Foremost among these is an exceptionally awkward translation into English. Secondly, the frequent enumeration of ideas and the parenthesis of concepts gives significant portions of the book the appearance of an outline for a book rather than a completed work. This important work will surely be reprinted; thus it seems likely these issues will be addressed and corrected in later editions.

Typically, books about reiki flow over the reader like the caress of cherry blossoms in the Spring...but not this one. The translation and odd format will require a certain amount of commitment to wrestle the meaning out of the more difficult passages. Nonetheless, those who persevere will gain considerably both in their grasp of Reiki history and practice as it is understood in the East and in their understanding of just how valuable a jewel Reiki is both as a healing practice and as a spiritual path.

This book has a very comprehensive examination of Reiki healing, including history and both Western & Japanese techniques. It promotes the non-exclusivity of Reiki and its availability to anyone, with an outline of how a Reiki class may be organized. The book is lacking in illustrations, and it was seemingly translated to English in a bit of a hurry, with some awkward sentences and phrasing in places. Overall, a rather accurate explanation of Reiki healing methods and Reiki spiritual philosophy.

I was VERY surprised to see the author do research to seperate the facts from the myths of Sensei Usui.

This book deals with the following myths.

Sensei Usui was a "christian". Usui was a Buddhist; and he fasted on Mount Kurama (a sacred place for Buddhists,

Chujiro Hayashi was Sensei Usui's successor. Hayashi was not a member of the Usuui Reiki Gakkai.

That Reiki and Qigong uses different energies. The energy is identical; nut the methods of accessing it is different between the two modalities.

The energy flow is static and can not be enhanced. Sensei Doi likes the practise of hatsoreiho. I use Zhan Zhaung Qigong and recommend it to students that request this info.

Reiki is is only effective on believers. I love doing Reiki on non believers; There are about 2-5 % of the population that are insensitive to this subtle lifeforce energy.

Attunements are all you need. The attunements are just the beginning. The healing ability only comes from practise and experience.

One MUST ALWAYS use the sumbols and mantras. Those are only tools to focus the mind and calm the breath. You might say training wheels.

And others.

Please E-Mail me if you have questions or comments about this review. Two Bears

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)

Richard Ellis has recently published a new book which at present is only available through UK distributors. You can find it at Amazon.co[m].uk

The new Title 'Reiki And The Seven Chakras' offers us a unique perspective of the practice of Reiki by drawing on the authors personal experiences and conclusions coupled with an in depth step by step journey through the seven chakras.

Highly recommended

for more information go to www.practicalreiki.com

This book is a beaurifully written resource about the practice of Reiki, an energy healing method. I recommend it to any one who is interested in alternatives to traditional Western medical practice.

As a student Reiki, I was referred to this book. As a now Reiki Master, I recommend it to students, or anyone wishing to understand this great Universal Healing Energy that we all have. It has short chapters, that are in depth, with illustrations. It is not the end of all of Reiki knowledge, but Richard Ellis has packed as much as he should have into this easily transportable book. It is sturdy, and has flaps, built into the book, at either end for bookmarking. A great tool for Reiki Masters, and an easy to understand book for newcomers to Reiki.

This is my favorite book on Reiki. As all good things that have great power and energy, Reiki has generated a lot of discussion about who, what, how and when. Look no further. This story will touch your heart and if you haven't already you will want to try Reiki for yourself. I teach Reiki and recommend this book above all others. Hawayo Takata dedicated her life to this wonderful energy and paved the way for many miracles. It is truly an inspiring story.

I am a practicing Reiki Master in the Sacramento area, and have read many books on Reiki, becoming more confused along the way.

Reading this book and Living Reiki, coupled with my own direct experience of Reiki, brought home to me again how simple yet powerful Reiki is, and highlighted the fact that some physical problems take a bit longer to heal and require quite a few Reiki sessions.

This eloquent book is void of new-age thinking, chakra balancing, and the use of Reiki symbols: It brings home the fact that all that is needed is to be attuned to Reiki and then place one's hands on the body in order to start the healing process, in oneself or another, and that chronic conditions will take longer to right themselves.

Four months ago I started daily Reiki sessions, several a day lasting one-half hour, on a friend of mine diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and given only weeks to live. The cancer is almost totally gone and the terminal diagnois has been lifted. Chemotherapy side-effects were kept at minimum, and once I started Reiki, my friend never again experienced pain.

For my new students and those unaccquainted with Reiki, this little book is a great and inspiring introduction to what Reiki is and the incredible things that Reiki can do.

This book is a phenomenal book! The story of how Hawayao Takata brought Reiki to the United States, and the Love and dedication in which she taught and honored the Reiki Energy and the Usui System of Reiki Healing. I have read many many many books on Reiki, this book "Hawayo Takata's Story" is simple as Reiki is simple!

As a Reiki Master I used this book in all my classes and I recommend this book to my students and friends, and then I suggest they read other books AFTER they read this one, and then they are able to see that REIKI IS SIMPLE. Anyone who would like to know what Reiki is, how it came to be, how it came to the US, and how to heal and raise one's consciousness through Reiki, this is the book to read!

Thank you: Yumnah Zuel Aguba El, Hollywood, Florida

There are many books available which talk about the Usui System of Natural Healing (Reiki). Earlene Gleisner's "Reiki In Everyday Living" is the book I give my Reiki students or to those interested in learning about Reiki. These short essays and poems give the best illustration I've found for the "feel" of the practice of Reiki. I highly recommend it.

Earlene Gleisner did more than just write another book on Reiki; in sharing her experiences and insights as Reiki Master teacher, she provides a most useful tool for those who have just had their first level attunements and are about to begin their journey as Reiki practitioners. Students will always find there enlighthened words of wisdom born out of steady faith in the process of life and how Reiki can and will help them live their lifes consciously. It helps Reiki students understand their initial feelings and uncertainties when starting their path towards self-discovery. Even non-reikians will benefit from this book because it is in fact addressed to all human beings who are searching for understanding the events in their own lifes and are ready to take full responsibility for themselves, their choices and decisions and then learn from the results. I will always be grateful to Earlene for having so compassionately shared her deep knowledge on the workings of Reiki in my everyday living.

Simple, concise and very insightful; a must read for any Reiki practioner. Written for someone who is at least a Reiki I, it gives the insights as to why first treat yourself, then others; as well as putting the 5 precepts into practice into your daily life. Also covered are just what does a Reiki practioner do; and what limits should be observed, including when to let go. This is a book about Reiki from the point of view of a Usui Master; there is nothing in here about "channeling" or other modalities or non-Usui practices incorporated into many other books on Reiki. It assumes you know the basics. It has a delicate balance of the practical and the spiritual. I feel any Reiki library is very incomplete without this work.

These days most people I know are trying to find the "meaning" in their lives. Their trying to "get clear" of the information in their head that isn't necessarily their own... cultural messages, family messages, "I should" messages. This book is excellent for explaining in a technical yet understandable mode of what is really going on. Thus, one can "reclaim" their personal power in order to live their life full of "ease and grace."

A concise, easy to use text for anyone interested in exploring and strengthening their gift of intuition. Whether a beginner or experienced student of the subject, everyone will walk away with practical tools to enhance everyday living!

The information Ms. McCartney shares in this intriguing volume provides valuable insight to seeking and understanding yourself. I have studied with Ms. McCartney and have experienced the lessons in this book firsthand. This process has helped me to uncover who I really am and what I want to do with my life. If you don't live in the Bay Area and cannot attend the Academy of Intuitive Studies and Intuition Medicine in person, this book and the companion tapes are the next best thing. You will learn a compendium of tools from a variety of disciplines, including those developed by Ms. McCartney herself, that can provide ways to find deeper insight into your life and purpose. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

the points in this book, when applied and lived by everyone, the whole world can get transformed. everyone's life is directly or indirectly spinning around the "money". money is like blood in the human body. the more it will flow, the more healthy it becomes.

Barbara Wilder's book is a spiritual gem that guides her readers
in a powerful and thought provoking way. Energy does follow thought....what we think about all day long is what we get...she
guides us down a beautiful path that helps us understand not only our relationship to money but also our relationship with ourselves as we deal with money and others. I highly recommend
this book.

This extraordinary book stages a radical revision of the concept of money, reversing the traditional emotional and spiritual polarities around our most potent form of symbolic exchange from abject fear to unbounded love. Wilder reveals that the underlying power of money derives not from the privileged hoarding of scarce resources, but from the foundational principle of a life-endowing eros. In this sense, her thought resonates not only with New Age prosperity thinking, but with such social thinkers as Marcuse, recent feminist philosophy (including Irigarary) that emphasizes the idea of a connective, mutually supportive love-based economy, and with the dynamic implications for transformation contained in the latest research in quantum physics and chaos and complexity theory. Wilder's idea that the latent power of money is to be found in its role as a vital connecting agent capable of promoting spiritual transformation is both deeply subversive and richly ennobling. Since the catastrophe and turmoil of Sept. 11, her message of healing and love is even more timely and necessary. This is a powerful book!

I couldn't put it down once I started. It felt as if Maureen was in my livingroom with me and sharing these stories and experiences. I had to smile and cry. It left a smile on my face when I closed the book.

My Naked Journey touched, moved and inspired me with stories and vinyettes about the authors' life as a Reiki Master. O'Shaughnessy is disarmingly humble and humorous, pointing out her own weaknesses in a way that gives the reader permission to be more fully human. Though her life focuses on Reiki, the book will speak to every reader who is on a journey toward wholeness, or would like to be on one!

Reading My Naked Journey is like sitting down with a great friend and having her tell you interesting stories that openly and honestly illustrate her thoughts on life, love, authenticity, embarrassing moments and more. It is thought provoking as well as an inspiration to be the best person you can be -- while never asking for perfectionism or that anyone be anything other than her authentic self.
Maureen's stories are entertaining, open, honest, and real. There is no pretense or posturing, just an open-hearted sharing of the human condition and some of the challenges we face. The stories are short, so it is a book you can read straight through or a little at a time. Or you can do what I did and read straight through and then go back and read them one at a time. It's a book that I'll read many times over -- each time I pick up something that I hadn't seen before. Some of the ideas I want to keep coming back to and exploring.
It's a lovely book -- I hope you enjoy it!

I have studied Reiki and am a Reiki Master. I give this book to all of my Reiki students because it explains Reiki so simply and well. I especially like that it is informative without giving the impression that only the author's opinion of Reiki is important, and also that it sites Reiki's founder, Dr. Mikao Usui. It is clearly a tool to help one further one's understanding of Reiki.

Thank you Frank Arjava Petter for being daring and brave to bring the 'real' version of Dr. Usui's Reiki to the west. I had from the beginning a little difficulty to accept everything which was said about the 'grand-masters' and their likes. And in the past very little facts were given about Dr. Usui and mainly in a kind of fairy story tale. Now I can accept Reiki as I believe Reiki should be: free from major money making and available for all people who truly wish to heal themselves, others and the world. God and Reiki bless us all. B. Müller, Reiki Master, South Africa

I learned the real history and idea of Reik

Reading this book will make you feel happy, energized, and calm. It is easy to read and it clears your head. Never have I had this much peace of mind. If you are looking to help others or yourself, read this book and you'll feel wonderful.

This book reminded me that life isn't about the rat race. It is good to stop and take the time to appreciate those around you, to take in the energy that helps you through each day and to share the positive attitude you generate from a peaceful state of mind with others. I highly recommend this book for anyone in search of a little rest for the soul. It's an easy read with great suggestions about how to go within yourself to find peace rather than searching for it from others.

Pat Upczak takes us through the steps of the Reiki process, but in so doing, she has also opened the doors and windows to her own life. Pat practices and shares with her readers the lifestyle she ahderes to and the spirituality she espouses. This book is not only a guideline, but also an insight into a master Reiki practitioner. It is an inspiration and a beacon for all.

Many women are at their wit's end trying to raise a family, compete in the job market, and generally deal with all the problems and responsibilities of day to day living without losing theirself in the process. That is where "Complete Earthly Woman" comes to the rescue. Within the covers you will find forty invocations to help you find your way to personal fulfillment. Whether it is a need to embrace forgiveness, inner healing, or peace with your past, it is all discussed in the book. If I had to sum up this book in just a couple of words it would be don't exhaust yourself, exhalt yourself. It is sure to bring hope to many women who are completely exhausted fighting the cares and woes of life and want to embrace fulfillment with life. "Complete Earthly Woman" is a recommended read.

It takes the heart of a woman to know the heart of a woman and author Genie O'Malley
shows this attribute in her work "Complete Earthly Woman."

In this tender read she takes you through
exercises that help you learn about yourself and your needs. She takes you step by step through exercises that allows you to release stress, speak peace and learn to become the woman you so long to be.

There are many avenues that we seek to bring us fulfillment. For some it is deep commitment to their faith, not all things are right for each person. We all must find what works the best for us.
The author gives you another avenue to explore that perhaps will help you find that inward peace. A very interesting read!

Genie O'Malley has written a life-changing book. For the recovering women in Perspectives' Supportive Housing Program her words shine like an eternal candle in a cave of darkness. The transformation for our women- women who have lived a life of substance and physical abuse is nothing short of miraculous. The healing words found within the pages of Complete Earthly Woman brings hope, healing and light to a depressed soul and ignites a new awakening. If nurtured it is an awakening that will thrive and flourish forever because it is based on the knowledge...and power... of self-love.