Reiki Contradiction

[Martyn13]

It is said that children are naturally psychic. They see magic in everything - but as we 'grow up', We begin to worry about future plans, we become embroiled in life, and our natural psychic ability disintigrates.
It is said that very young children are naturally attuned to Reiki, but lose it as they get older.

It is also said that adults, once attuned to Reiki, are attuned for life - They do not lose it.

I see a contradiction here.

I've mentioned this to countless people in 'real life', but so far, no-one in the field has really been interested in addressing this apparent contradiction.

[MariconesUnited]

I know little about Reiki despite my mother practicing the art for many years. Maybe it's just the way you worded your post but I don't see any contradiction. According to your post an adult who practices reiki never loses its uses. The ones who never do never get back in touch with their psychic abilities. Where's the contradiction?

[Martyn13]

To enable an adult to practice Reiki, they have to undergo what is known as a Reiki attunement. Without going into detail, this is basically like having an 'operation', but at the deeper psychic level rather than a physical operation. It is said to alter the person in such a way, that they now have the ability to heal using Reiki, which they didn't have before the operation.
This 'operation' doesn't depend on them practising Reiki - In theory, they can be attuned, and never know anything about Reiki.
This attunement operation is considered to be pemanent.
It is considered that a person, once attuned, is attuned for life.
The contradiction is that a child is already attuned, but is not attuned for life.

Either you lose it or you don't!

Why should a child lose it but never an adult?

[floslib]

I've heard that children are naturally more psychic, but never that they could use Reiki without an attunement.

Assuming what you say is true, however, I'd guess the difference is that a child hasn't been fundamentally altered psychically, so they'll just take whatever course they'll take. The attuned adult has been psychically altered in some way, and this alteration is what causes them to never lose the ability to use Reiki.

Bear in mind that I have no training in Reiki, or any kind of energy healing, so this is just my best guess based on a lot of reading and limited experience.

[runningbird]

It's possibly that what they say is nothing more than "what they say". Considering that children have an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, and the prefrontal cortex is primarily involved in spiritual states and highly abstract cognition, it seems unlikely. If children are naturally attuned to Reiki practices, I wonder why I have never heard of a child that is a natural Reiki healer (without instruction)?

[tintin]

running bird no it might not be documented or researched but children do have natural healing powers.they are amazing energy workers.by default.you can call it reiki.imo they are 'naturals' and this power of healing is so a part of them that it has no otherness in it.as in its not something they 'do'. they simply 'are'.
as adults ,since we have become out of touch with ourselves we see it as a separate ability.therefore we run the rigmarole of re-realizing what came as essentially a natural state for us.

[Martyn13]

Yes tintin, that's what I thought - Children are in touch with their 'real' selves, and so technically, are attuned to Reiki - but they lose it.

Living in the physical world, with all its attachments, causes them to lose their powers.
As you say, as adults, they can be re-realized. and so again attain this healing state.

My question however still remains unanswered - After being re-realized again, why don't they again lose it, as they did originally??

They are still subject to the same physical reality and attachments, and continually living in the future - The same conditions which caused them to lose their ability in the first place!!

Why is it pemanent second time around??

[floslib]

Originally Posted by Martyn13

Yes tintin, that's what I thought - Children are in touch with their 'real' selves, and so technically, are attuned to Reiki - but they lose it.

Living in the physical world, with all its attachments, causes them to lose their powers.
As you say, as adults, they can be re-realized. and so again attain this healing state.

My question however still remains unanswered - After being re-realized again, why don't they again lose it, as they did originally??

They are still subject to the same physical reality and attachments, and continually living in the future - The same conditions which caused them to lose their ability in the first place!!

Why is it pemanent second time around??

Ok, I see you're assuming that the child is attuned to Reiki. First, as was said, assuming that children are more psychic is true, that doesn't make them attuned to Reiki. They could just be natural healers (not all energy healing is Reiki), or they could know how to access Reiki. But, that doesn't mean they are attuned to it. Attunement is a process, and natural healers don't generally go through that process. This is the difference, and this is why there isn't necessarily a contradiction if what you say is true.

[nhaasch]

Belief and choice.

The truth is that children don't actually loose it when they become an adult. They just forget what is in them. Reiki becomes lost within them and must be reawakened.

An attunement for an adult is a reawakening of something already within them.

[Martyn13]

Originally Posted by nhaasch

Belief and choice.

The truth is that children don't actually loose it when they become an adult. They just forget what is in them. Reiki becomes lost within them and must be reawakened.

An attunement for an adult is a reawakening of something already within them.

But you don't seem to have addressed the point of my question -
To use your terminology - Why do they always remain 'Awake' second time around?? WHy, after getting an attunement, is another one never necessary??

[nhaasch]

Why do they always remain 'Awake' second time around?? WHy, after getting an attunement, is another one never necessary??

They remain awakened because they remember they have and can work with reiki energy. It is pure belief.

Perhaps the confusion is in the parts of us that are aware of the reiki. Your unconscious self is aware of reiki and capable of using it. Children use reiki through their unconscious self. Even adults that don't believe in reiki are capable of recieveing it because of their unconscious self. Still, the conscious self limits our awareness of the wolrd around us. As we become adults it is common that the conscious self begins to only notice particular parts of our unconscious. Hense we become unaware of the reiki. The attunement process is a reminder to our conscious self of the reiki within us. It is drawing out something we already know and have and merely forgotten.

We remain awake the second time because our conscious self remembers through the ritual like process of attunement that we have access to reiki within us.

And to be clear, sometimes another attunment might be necessary if someone were to somehow forget. Yes, this may be contrary to what they say. That is alright! 'They' tend to contradict each other anyways. This is why I keep mentioning belief. It's about discovering what feels right to you.

[Martyn13]

Originally Posted by floslib

Ok, I see you're assuming that the child is attuned to Reiki. First, as was said, assuming that children are more psychic is true, that doesn't make them attuned to Reiki. They could just be natural healers (not all energy healing is Reiki), or they could know how to access Reiki. But, that doesn't mean they are attuned to it. Attunement is a process, and natural healers don't generally go through that process. This is the difference, and this is why there isn't necessarily a contradiction if what you say is true.

Isn't attunement simply a balancing process? Balancing the Chakras.
Isn't this essentially a 'healing' process? Bringing about an inner balance which was present only in early childhood.

It is also not clear to me why this has to be permanent - If the person is not 'spiritually aware' enough to maintain that change, then it seems reasonable that the chakras will once again become out of balance.

Would people pay a lot of money for their chakras to be balanced, if they thought that they might become out of sync again??

Although the idea of Reiki is quite clever, in that it instills the belief in people that they have beem suddenly given 'permanent' healing ability, and are able to do the same for others, I do find it full of logical inconsistencies

[Martyn13]

Originally Posted by nhaasch

They remain awakened because they remember they have and can work with reiki energy. It is pure belief.

Perhaps the confusion is in the parts of us that are aware of the reiki. Your unconscious self is aware of reiki and capable of using it. Children use reiki through their unconscious self. Even adults that don't believe in reiki are capable of recieveing it because of their unconscious self. Still, the conscious self limits our awareness of the wolrd around us. As we become adults it is common that the conscious self begins to only notice particular parts of our unconscious. Hense we become unaware of the reiki. The attunement process is a reminder to our conscious self of the reiki within us. It is drawing out something we already know and have and merely forgotten.

We remain awake the second time because our conscious self remembers through the ritual like process of attunement that we have access to reiki within us.

And to be clear, sometimes another attunment might be necessary if someone were to somehow forget. Yes, this may be contrary to what they say. That is alright! 'They' tend to contradict each other anyways. This is why I keep mentioning belief. It's about discovering what feels right to you.

Yes, I would say it is a 'belief' thing. But that is not generally acknowledged or even known by those who become attuned.
It therefore follows that if you appreciate that it is really a 'belief' thing, then you might not need to be attuned.
I just thought that it was interesting to try to get answers to what I thought were obvious contradictions, glaring inconsistencies, but no-one who really knows about the 'mechanism' has so far come forward.

I heal people but have no interest in becoming attuned, even though my friend wanted to attune me

[tintin]

cause we are aware of acquiring it again? as long as we have our memories working wed remain attuned.the moment we forget (due to whatever reason) we'd go outa the loop.just like as kids we did our thing without knowing.but then kids are cleaner so the energy channeled is cleaner too.
we all emanate energy.wether we know it or not.
but attunement is not necessarily incorruptible.we can go off it depending on how we use our fee will.
usually a person studying reiki would be into conscious living. so the negative stuff is being transmuted.
but ive come across a reiki 'master' whos vibes were not happening at all!
she was attuned? dunno.

[nhaasch]

Originally Posted by Martyn13

Yes, I would say it is a 'belief' thing. But that is not generally acknowledged or even known by those who become attuned.
It therefore follows that if you appreciate that it is really a 'belief' thing, then you might not need to be attuned.
I just thought that it was interesting to try to get answers to what I thought were obvious contradictions, glaring inconsistencies, but no-one who really knows about the 'mechanism' has so far come forward.

I heal people but have no interest in becoming attuned, even though my friend wanted to attune me

Now that arouses my curiosity. You may have answered it somewhere, however, I'll go ahead and say what is in my head anyways.

I'm curious as to what you actually feel. For a moment, without thinking about the logical consequences, what do you feel is the right answer with regards to your questions? Do you feel that an attunement may change you?

Someone in your situation may have a profound experience from an attunement. During the attunement process you may discover something you had previously not realized or you may develop a deeper appreciation for something you already knew.

Having said that, the attunement is unnecessary. You are perfectly capable of doing healing with Reiki energy without the attunement. Reiki flows through you and you know it.

Woah. I'm having a moment of deja vu writing this.

I'm thinking of this in comparison to attending a class about a subject you already know a lot about. Sure, you can do the things in the class. You know the materiel. Still, there is always an opportunity to pick up a better understanding. To learning something new. Likewise you don't need the class, you know the materiel.

[Martyn13]

Originally Posted by nhaasch

Now that arouses my curiosity. You may have answered it somewhere, however, I'll go ahead and say what is in my head anyways.

Sounds good!!

Originally Posted by nhaasch

I'm curious as to what you actually feel. For a moment, without thinking about the logical consequences, what do you feel is the right answer with regards to your questions? .

I see Reiki as a belief system. As I don't follow this belief system, prefering to create my own beliefs instead, the question for me has no real meaning.

The Reiki belief system is so widespead now ( in self development circles) and its mechanisms so well known, that it puzzles me why no-one has ever addressed what seem to be logical inconsistencies in their belief system.

My aim is not to destroy their belief system, as I do not normally question them, except on this sort of forum! I'm just curious as to how the 'experts' would answer these questions, and I still don't know!

My suspicion is that, whilst the Reiki inventors had this great idea to instill belief in potential healers, it wasn't logically consistent.
My experience is that the sort of people who gravitate to Reiki, whilst often having a highly developed 'feeling' or empathc capacity, do not usually have any interest or ability to logically examine their belief system for flaws.
If for example, I asked the same question on the 'James Randi' forum, they would all agree with me straight away, but then, they only see the logic, and are not aware of anything deeper.

I am looking at it from the view of someone who has spent years in various aspects of self development, and is very aware of deeper realities.
Also, hands on healing has been performed long before Reiki theory was invented!

Originally Posted by nhaasch

Do you feel that an attunement may change you?

I have to say No. It's quite hard going into personal detailed reasons on this forum! Another reason which I would have liked to discuss with the 'experts', is that I have retained a child-like quality, so would that make me still attuned?

Originally Posted by nhaasch

Someone in your situation may have a profound experience from an attunement. During the attunement process you may discover something you had previously not realized or you may develop a deeper appreciation for something you already knew.

Having said that, the attunement is unnecessary. You are perfectly capable of doing healing with Reiki energy without the attunement. Reiki flows through you and you know it.

Woah. I'm having a moment of deja vu writing this.
.

That's because you have just transcended the duality and 'briefly' become aware of the Unity - by seeing two conflicting realities and accepting both of them!!

You said that I may have a profound experience, and then you say that attunement is unnecesary!

Originally Posted by nhaasch

I'm thinking of this in comparison to attending a class about a subject you already know a lot about. Sure, you can do the things in the class. You know the materiel. Still, there is always an opportunity to pick up a better understanding. To learning something new. Likewise you don't need the class, you know the materiel.

It seems that we're all in this 'course' together - the 'course' of our life!

[nhaasch]

I'm enjoying reading what you have to say Martyn.

While I'm unsure of the intent of the inventors, I find peace with my own logical understanding:
-Reiki flows unconsciously in all of us.
-Children work more from their unconscious and thus have direct access to Reiki.
-Adults [in our society] tend to develop a strong conscious which ends up blocking the unconscious understanding of Reiki.
-Adults may 'remember' Reiki through the attunement process.
-As long as adults consciously remember, there is no need to for another attunement.

Again, I stray slightly from the notion that an adult may never loose the attunement. That depends on the interpretation. An adult may forget and thus conscously loose the attunement. Regardless, as with the child, the Reiki energy is always present.

I largely suspect the attunement process is merely a mental trick to add value to Reiki. You could think of it as a placebo affect of sorts. The ritual of attunement frees up their mind such that they are open to understanding and appreciating Reiki. For most people they could not accept Reiki any other way. For most people if you told them they had this healing capacity already in them then their conscious mind would quickly shrug it off. The ritual of attunment allows for the supernatural to occur. It allows for an identity shift.

Also, by adding the notion that attunement is permanemnt this allows for a permament identity shift.

[Martyn13]

nhaasch, I think that my understanding of the nature of Reiki is the same as yours.
I've always thought of it as a placebo (in the broadest sense of the word - instilling belief, thus creating healing), and thought that the reason they say it's permanent is to magnify the extent of the placebo.
The symbolism also has a powerful effect.

I wouldn't dream of normally attempting to corrupt their placebo by extrraneous arguments and logical questioning.

I'm used to those around me talking in Reiki language - but this seems to have niggling inconsistencies.

You and I hold a different view of Reiki, and my question was really addressed to those who understand Reiki from an 'Orthodox Reiki' perspective - The Fundamentalists!

How would they answer? I was just curious.

Maybe I should not draw attention at all to inconsistencies, but it is interesting to try to get to the bottom of their beliefs

But as there has been no response from those in the know, I am becoming increasingly skeptical that there is any deeper theory to explain this

[nhaasch]

aha! Well I hope to see someone respond. I'm not curious about an understanding from an 'Orthodox Reiki' perspective as well.

We'll see!

[SimonaRich]

Originally Posted by Martyn13

To enable an adult to practice Reiki, they have to undergo what is known as a Reiki attunement. Without going into detail, this is basically like having an 'operation', but at the deeper psychic level rather than a physical operation. It is said to alter the person in such a way, that they now have the ability to heal using Reiki, which they didn't have before the operation.
This 'operation' doesn't depend on them practising Reiki - In theory, they can be attuned, and never know anything about Reiki.
This attunement operation is considered to be pemanent.
It is considered that a person, once attuned, is attuned for life.
The contradiction is that a child is already attuned, but is not attuned for life.

Either you lose it or you don't!

Why should a child lose it but never an adult?

Nobody loses anything. We just forget what we used to know.

[Martyn13]

Originally Posted by Martyn13

To enable an adult to practice Reiki, they have to undergo what is known as a Reiki attunement. Without going into detail, this is basically like having an 'operation', but at the deeper psychic level rather than a physical operation. It is said to alter the person in such a way, that they now have the ability to heal using Reiki, which they didn't have before the operation.
This 'operation' doesn't depend on them practising Reiki - In theory, they can be attuned, and never know anything about Reiki.
This attunement operation is considered to be pemanent.
It is considered that a person, once attuned, is attuned for life.
The contradiction is that a child is already attuned, but is not attuned for life.

Either you lose it or you don't!

Why should a child lose it but never an adult?

Originally Posted by SimonaRich

Nobody loses anything. We just forget what we used to know.

In other words, we 'lose' our memory of it,
and as a result of this, we 'lose' the ability

I'm not clear what your objection is to the word 'lose'!
I'm normally quite precise in my use of words -

The word 'lose' means that you are unable to locate something.
In the case of the 'psyche', to lose an ability means that it is not in conscious awareness - It might still be dormant within you, but as you can't 'see' it, it is 'lost'.

'Lost' means that you cannot find it.

That aside, have you any thoughts on addressing my original question??