This is by no means a complete world history of all the various branches of Reiki but it is interesting information all the same.
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Usui/Tibetan Reiki (My Lineage)
LINEAGE: Usui – Hayashi – Takata – Furumoto – Carrell Ann Farmer – Leah Smith – William Rand.
William has also taken Reiki from Diane McCumber (Raku Kei lineage), Marlene Schilke, Beth Gray, Harry Kuboi, Bethel Phaigh and Phyllis Furumoto.
ORIGIN: Rand teaches what he calls Usui/Tibetan Reiki which is a combination of Traditional, Raku Kei and his own understandings.
DEGREES and Levels: 4 degrees: First and Second Degree: taught together in one class: 2 attunements; teaches the history, percepts, hand positions, 3 traditional symbols (names, meanings and use), and a distance healing technique. Advanced Reiki Training (ART): 1 attunement: teaches 1 additional traditional symbol (meaning and usage), a different possible history of Reiki, Reiki Meditation, The Reiki Grid, Attunement exercise,and Psychic Surgery. Master/Teacher Degree: 1 attunement: teaches about the healing crisis, Reiki III Meditation (using microcosmic orbit), 2 Tibetan initiatory symbols, attunement exercise, attunement methods (Raku Kei like) to First, Second, ART and Master/Teacher plus a Healing Attunement, Distance and self attunement; Violet Breath Technique, gives 4 variations of the Antahkarana symbol with description and usage. CEU’s are available for nurses through the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) and for massage therapists, body workers and athletic trainers through The National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).
There are also numerous Independent Reiki Masters who teach this tradition.
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Raku Kei Reiki
LINEAGE: Usui – Hayashi – Takata – Ishikuro – Robertson….
ORIGIN: It is believed that Iris Ishikuro (one of Takata’s students) added much of what is taught in Raku Kei. Raku Kei is also sometimes referred to as “The way of the Fire Dragon”. Raku is the vertical flow of energy and Kei is the horizontal flow of energy in the body.
DEGREES or Levels: 4 degrees. First and Second Degree: taught as one class; 2 attunements; teaches a different history about a man named Rolf Jensen who took reiki from Dr. Usui, percepts, hand positions, disease and treatment with reiki, uses Master Frequency plates (with Antahkarana symbol inside) to switch the polarity of the body to left giving/right receiving (Robertson claims Takata and Ishikuro had and used these plates), 3 traditional symbols are taught, plus 1 additional symbol, a distance healing technique and 3 Kanji hand positions (Mudras). Third Degree is called Reiki Sensei: 1 attunement; requires that the student buy 1 Master Frequency plate; teaches deer exercises, attunements to all 3 levels of Reiki, plus a white light initiation, a breathing technique called “Breath of the Fire Dragon”, 2 additional symbols, the water ceremony, use of herbs and minerals, Reiki Master Spinal Therapy. Master/Teacher Degree is a called a Certified Reiki Sensei: It is required that the student have 3 large Master Frequency Plates before taking class. This Degree is for those students who want to be Center Certified it is basically a review of the Third Degree. Every student must show proficiency in the Reiki attunement procedures, know all the symbols and must be dedicated to healing the planet. The Class requires a contractual agreement with the American Reiki Master Association. If you have received the symbol for white light (also called the Johrei symbol) its’ origin is in the Religion Johrei. This is the symbol for their GOD, followers of the religion enlarge it an put it on the wall over their alter. Look at it closely and you will notice that the upper half is the same as the Usui Master symbol. The original version of this symbol is handwritten in Japanese Kanji in a stylized script, the other version (called the Johre symbol) is printed in Diane Stein’s “Essential Reiki” is a stylized version and is not taught in Raku Kei Reiki; neither are Reiki symbols.
There are also numerous Independent Reiki Masters who teach this tradition.
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Reiki Plus®
LINEAGE: Usui – Hayashi – Takata – Phyllis Furumoto (and Barbara McCullough) – David Jarrell… David trained with
Virginia Samdahl and Barbara McCullough.
ORIGIN: Reiki Plus® is a system developed by David Jarrell and he is the founder of the Reiki Plus® Institute. He has taken the Traditional Reiki information and combined it with other information and classes. Those who attend RPI are offered the opportunity to become ministers in his church.
DEGREES or Levels: 4 Reiki Practitioner Degrees, plus Master Level in the 2 Reiki Programs. The institute offers 5 programs including: Reiki Plus® Practitioner’s Program, Reiki Plus® Mastership Program for Teachers, PSEBsm Practitioner’s Program, PSEBsm Mastership Program, Reiki Plus® Home Study Program, plus electives. The RPI offers 310 hours of formal education. The Practitioner’s Certification requires 155 hours of class room training and successful completion of an examination. All current Reiki Plus® Masters have completed the required training and have spent 3 – 9 years practicing, studying and traveling in tutorial study with David. The RPI is paralleled by the Pyramids of Light Church, which is a church of Natural Healing and is Federally recognized as a church of healing through Reiki Plus(s)® and Etheric Body Healing. The RPI is also a Class A Provider for the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and all classes in the RPI earn credit hours to sit the national massage exam. The training offered by RPI and their Reiki Plus® Masters spans from the core principles of Reiki to counseling approaches, Etheric Body Chakra Healing, Soul Level healing techniques and training about the Ascended Masters and Spiritual Discernment.
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Seichim or Seichem or Sekhem
LINEAGE: Usui – Hayashi – Takata – Dr. Barbara Ray – Patrick Ziegler….
ORIGIN: Originally Patrick Ziegler was guided to add additional symbols and to change the name from Reiki to Seichim. Some people say that Seichim has its’origins in Egypt and perhaps after adding to the original system it could be said that some of the information contained within Seichim came from Egypt. However the original roots of this system were in Japan with Dr. Usui.
We have found 4 distinct versions of Seichim Reiki. The first one is very close to the Traditional Usui Reiki (it is the original version with lineage back to Patrick)with the addition of facets (or levels or degrees) 4 and 5. First Facet (Degree) is taught like traditional Usui Reiki: 4 attunements. Second Facet (Degree) has 2 attunements; teaches 3 traditional symbols and several variations on the power symbol, distance healing and mental/emotional balancing. Master Facet (Degree): 1 attunement; 1 symbol, teaches how to attune to 3 levels. Fourth Facet (Degree) 1 attunement; additional symbols, attunements for animals and inanimate objects. Fifth Facet (Degree) 1 attunement; additional symbols, personal empowerment attunement. The second one has a strong Egyptian feel (the lineage on this one is Patrick – Phoenix Summerfield – Marsha Burack…) it has 2 facets with 11 steps to each facet, and 4 levels. Each facet has initiations and contains references to Sekhmet. You start as a Reiki II, the First Level is called Seichem Adept; 2 initiations; Second Level is called Seichem Master/Teacher; 1 initiation, teaches 9 symbols, how to do the initiations and other information. The third one is Tibetan in feel (the lineage is Curtis Hakeem…) and has 7 levels with new symbols and understandings at each level. The first level, 1 initiation, hand positions; Second Level, 1 initiation, 3 symbols (names, meanings and use, and a distance or absentee healing technique; Third Level, 1 initiation, 13 symbols 7 hot, and 6 cold. The symbols are letters and names of the Tibetan alphabet. A treatment is also taught utilizing all 13 symbols it is not hands-on, rather for about 45 minutes the person stands while the Seichim Practitioner dances the symbols into the aura. During the process one feels very much like they are merging with the earth. The fourth one is Seichim as taught by Patrick today. It attunes one to Living Light energy which moves in a figure eight rather than a spiral as in Reiki. The attunement process is done during meditation where the high heart chakra is opened and connected with Earth and Universal energies. The feeling of energy during the attunement is very etherial, with a flavor similar to Reiki/Radiance. It is said that with Seichim one can direct and control the intensity of the energy. We have not noticed a great difference between the energy of Seichim and Reiki, both are gentle loving energies, which help the body to regain balance and reconnects the initiate with Source/Creator/God.There are numerous Independent Reiki Masters who teach the variations of Seichim.
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Karuna Reiki®
LINEAGE: Milner – Derrick – Rand…
ORIGIN: Rand coined and recently trademarked the name Karuna Reiki®. The word karuna comes from the Buddhist tradition and means “compassionate action”. Karuna Reiki® was born from Tera-Mai® (Kathleen Milner’s reiki system).
However the energy of Karuna Reiki® is heart oriented (compassionate).
DEGREES or Levels: 2 levels: Both levels are taught in one class by the Center: 2 attunements: The only difference between the levels are the symbols that are taught, 9 symbols originally from Tera Mai® plus 1 traditional and 2 Tibetan symbols (names, meanings, usage) are given, 2 attunements, Violet Breath, chanting, and meditation are included. There are also numerous Independent Reiki Masters who teach this tradition.
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Tera-Mai® and Tera-Mai® Seichem
LINEAGE: Usui – Hayashi – Takata – Ishikuro – Robertson – Rick & Emma Ferguson – Margarette L. Shelton – Kathleen Ann Milner…
ORIGIN: Kathleen took the original Raku Kei Reiki system that she learned, changed the attunement process, left out some information, and added several symbols. Originally she taught this system as just plain Reiki which caused much confusion between Reiki practitioners. Now she teaches Tera-Mai® Seichem Reiki and Tera-Mai® which includes energy activations of Sakara, Angeliclight and Sophi-el. Kathleen says that reiki is very Earthy. Tera-Mai® Seichem is a combination of some Raku Kei, some Seichim, some from no other reiki system and a lot of her own understandings. Her attunements are very different from Traditional Usui. She claims that a great being gave her the information to change the attunements and 3 new/old symbols.
What we have found is that the energy of Tera-Mai® is indeed very earthy, mainly because of the symbols/attunement method she added. Traditional Usui is a much more subtle vibration (a higher frequency).
DEGREES or Levels: 3 degrees. First Degree: 1 initiation; teaches the history, percepts, hand positions. Second Degree: 1 initiation; teaches the 3 traditional symbols, 2 symbols from the great being and other symbols (names, meaning and usage), distance/absentee healing. Mastership: 1 initiation, a water ceremony, and a YOD initiation; teaches 1 traditional, 1 YOD and 1 symbol from the great being which are initiatory symbols, 2 sealing symbols, and other symbols, her attunement method to First, Second and Master Degrees, a gold, blue and rainbow “Breath of the Fire Dragon” technique, the water ceremony and another initiation called the YOD initiation which is said to connect one with the energies of the Arc of the Covenant. Other symbols are given to Masters that have been channeled by her students. There are numerous Independent Reiki Masters who teach this tradition
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LINEAGE: Tschen Li, Ralph White, Craig Ellis…
ORIGIN: This lineage claims that Tschen Li taught Dr. Usui and Ralph White brought Reiki to the US.
DEGREES or Levels: There are at least 3 distinct ways that Tibetan Reiki is taught. The first one is usually taught First, through Mastership in one course: 1 attunement; teaches 4 traditional symbols and 15 non-traditional symbols. The symbols in this course are not Tibetan in nature or form and they do not have Tibetan names. Some of them are Egyptian in form and name, some just archetypal symbols. Teaches how to attune to the system, breathing techniques which are essentially yogic breathing, and cabalistic information. The second one teaches 5 levels. Training is said to include: the Tibetan concept of the five elements in relation to initiation, purification and healing; 25 symbols, Meridian Therapy, information on the energetic body including 8 wondrous channels, micro/ macrocosmic orbit, psychic pathways and etheric template expansion; distant healing, psychic surgery, trauma release, self-empowerment, and clearing the emotional body; 1 attunement at each level. The third one is the same teachings given in Usui/Tibetan but called Tibetan Reiki.
There are numerous Independent Reiki Masters who teach the variations of Tibetan Reiki.
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The Radiance Technique® (TRTAI)
LINEAGE: Usui – Hayashi – Takata – Dr. Barbara Ray…
ORIGIN: Originally Dr. Ray taught just plain reiki in 3 degrees; as time went on she claimed that she was the Grand Master of Reiki, that Takata had given her all of the keys of Mastership. Several years later she said Reiki was polluted so she changed the name of what she taught to The Radiance Technique®.
DEGREES or Levels: Ray teaches 7 levels. The Radiance Technique® is similar in form to Usui, and Raku Kei. First Degree: 4 attunements; teaches history, percepts/principles, hand positions. Second Degree: 1 attunement: teaches, distance healing technique, and 3 traditional symbols. Ray does not give the sacred names for the symbols in second degree instead she calls them; Cosmic Pattern 1 (power symbol), Cosmic Pattern 4 (mental/emotional symbol) and Cosmic Pattern 22 (distance symbol). Later in higher degrees she gives the sacred Japanese names (mantras) for the symbols. Her symbols are identical to the ones that Rand teaches (as far as we know, all the way up to 7th degree). The attunement process is slightly different from the others in form. A technique to empower the breath is taught which is nothing like the techniques above. From all we know about The Radiance Technique®, Dr. Ray does have/give more symbols then Phyllis (Takata’s granddaughter), maybe she got them from research or maybe from Takata. In Radiance, Third Degree can teach: first and second degrees; Fourth Degree can teach: first, second and third; Fifth Degree can teach the addition of fourth; Sixth Degree teaches fifth and Seventh Degree can teach every level. Dr. Ray only teaches the higher degrees now
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