At last a dream has come true for me.  This dream started in 1998 when Shinobu Saito said to me "They just need to know Mikao Usui as a Japanese man."   This was said in response to a conversation regarding the controversy over the history of Reiki.  I then started to read about the history of Japan at the time of Mikao Usui's life.  I began to discover the fundamental beliefs of Shinto and the way Buddhism was integrated with Shinto to form the culture of the Japanese people.  I was fascinated by the political changes at this time as Japan was moving from a feudal society to an industrialized nation during the lifetime of Usui Sensei.

 

In 2008, I went to Japan with Shinobu and a group of masters who wished to test out my theory that a specific tour would give Reiki students a sense of this time in Japan and the strong Japanese cultural threads that wove through the practice of Reiki.  

Then I found I had breast cancer and several years went by before I was strong enough to plan the tours again. 

 

When the time came, I sought the assistance of a professional tour agency based in Kyoto, Windows to Japan.  I was guided to this company by another Reiki connection and it was a successful partnership. The head of the company has deep knowledge of the temples and shrines in the Kyoto area and recommended some that I did not know about.  Between my experience from 2008 and his recommendations, the tour itinerary formed.  And the anticipation for everyone built as the time grew closer for the flight to Japan!

 

For 7 weeks, I lived in Kyoto and went to many of the temples, gardens, and selected sites with 4 separate tour groups.  Did I become bored?  No.....what did happen is that each time I visited a temple or garden or the Imperial Palace, the understanding of the connections and the gratitude for this culture grew and grew.  This was my culture.  The culture of my ancestors.... blood lines and Reiki lines.  

 

The practice of Reiki does not need an in depth understanding of Japanese history or the experience of a Zen dojo or the sight of the luminous paintings of the Kano School.  The Energy of Reiki teaches us what we need to learn as individuals for our development and healing.  We grow into a conscious and insightful way of being.

However, if given a chance, there is a certain fundamental assurance that comes with the actual experience of this strong and vibrant culture.  This has come through my experience living for a short time within a culture that assumes the divinity of everything and everyone, that serves out of gratitude and respect, and that treasures the soul's joy when being surrounded by natural beauty.

 

Spirituality is not something that is special but is a constant awareness with daily rituals confirming the spirit of nature, of ancestors, and of the self.  There is a sense of the path towards being enlightened....not in the way of being removed from daily life but a sense of being able to take in all sensory input while remaining calm and peaceful.   

 

Reiki brings us to places and situations that take us back to old patterning, to old ways of being in order to choose a different way.  

Every exchange with people there allowed the new way to become more familiar and more a part of me.  Since my return, I have been integrating this new way and look forward to my next visit with great anticipation.