The Reiki Dojo

I was interested to hear about some aspects of King Charles III’s Coronation that had similarities to Reiki initiation. In particular the anointing part of the ceremony which, like Reiki initiations, was held privately, out of public view, because it was a sacred moment for him. By the way I loved the screens they used that incorporated the reassuring words from Julian of Norwich (All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well), the tree covered with leaves mentioning the names of many lands, embroidered by many hands, both experienced and novice. This reminded me of the Reiki Alliance, whose members are Reiki masters from all over the world. Here’s a song I learned from my friend and fellow Reiki master Plinio Cutait called Many Hands, Many Lands . 

I always ensure Reiki initiations happen in a way that they cannot be observed by anyone else. It’s not that it has to be secret – Queen Camilla’s anointing happened in public view. It’s more about making the moment sacred and personal. During my theatre training we were shown some masks from around the world that belonged to our teacher, Jaques Lecoq. The Noh mask from Japan was kept in a silk bag and he told us that in Japan the most sacred (and powerful) things are kept hidden. When I became a Reiki master seven years later, this helped me understand why the Reiki initiations and symbols are ‘kept hidden’. 

Another thing that resonated with me about the anointing was that the oil was placed on the King Charles’ head, chest and hands. In a similar way these three places are also addressed during the Reiki initiation, through touch or breath, as they are on other sacred ceremonies around the world. The inter-relation of these three places is explored in many spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and Christianity that Reiki evolved from. The kanji (Chinese/Japanese calligraphy) for heart is more accurately translated as heart-mind, suggesting the balance between intellect and emotion, or mind and body, that leads to a happy and healthy life.

So where do the hands come in? It’s through our hands that we do things in the world, like giving Reiki or me typing this article. This can also be a symbol for service to others, another aspect found in many spiritual traditions. I found the Coronation ceremony full or references to King Charles’ commitment to being in service, such as the beautiful recognition of this by representatives of different faiths at the end of the ceremony as he was leaving the cathedral. 

I enjoyed the way different faiths and races were integrated in the Coronation, in a similar way to what happens in Reiki community. There’s a lovely book and programme with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu talking about Joy and they are in agreement that the greatest source of joy is when we act kindly towards others, especially by doing some form of service. In the film each clearly represents his own spiritual practice, but they find a great deal in common and their inspiring mutual respect and sense of fun is clear.

So perhaps both the anointing and Reiki initiations invite the receiver to remember that the head needs to work in balance with the heart and that both can benefit our world by being in service through our hands to connect with and support others.

You can see me chatting about the quality of 'Service' with Swiss Reiki master René René Vögtli here