“Don’t worry if you forget one of the hand positions or get them out of order; Reiki will go where it is needed.”
“Then why do we learn the hand positions?” That is a very good question, but very few Level 1 students ask it. I wish more would.
Students don’t ask enough questions. I think they are afraid of looking foolish. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard the phrase “I have a dumb question.” The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.
“We teach you the hand positions until you learn to sense the energy and develop your intuition.” That is the typical answer. But does it really answer the question?
No.
If Reiki will flow where it is needed, why do we need to use hand positions, learn to sense energy, or even develop our intuition? Why don’t we just put our hands on the recipient’s shoulders for the entire treatment and let the Reiki flow wherever it is needed?
Excellent question. And the truth is, you totally could. In fact, if I am out in public and a loved one needs Reiki, I place my hand on their back or hold their hand and channel Reiki through that.
Remember, that Reiki is energy; and like water, energy flows. Imagine that you have planted some plants at the bottom of a hill. However, because of wind and weather patterns, no rain gets to the bottom of the hill. You want to water the plants. Do you water at the top of the hill or at the bottom of the hill where the plants are?
Obviously, you water where the plants are. You COULD water at the top of the hill and water will run down to the bottom of the hill and get to your plants. But not all of it. Even if the dirt is saturated at the top of the hill, some of the water will collect up there. Some of the water will be soaked up along the way down the hill.
Reiki works the same way. If you are giving Reiki to someone with a hurt knee, and you place your hands on their shoulders, Reiki will flow to the knee. However, some Reiki will be soaked up by the other parts of the body along the way.
That Reiki will not be wasted by any stretch of the imagination. Even a perfectly healthy body, spirit, and mind will benefit from Reiki. But if you want Reiki to apply directly to the injured knee, the best results will occur by placing you hands over the hurt knee.
Now since beginners can not generally sense hibiki through Byosen scanning, we teach beginners a series of Reiki hand positions to cover the body. These hand positions cover the majority of the organs where most sickness will start. The truth is, they could use any pattern to cover the parts of the body, the twelve hand positions (or 18, 20, or whatever number you were taught) give beginner students a starting point – something to use until they build their confidence.
Learning Reiki comes in stages. There is a reason for everything along the way. Ask questions, knowing the ‘why’ is just as important as the ‘what.’