What is Celtic Reiki?
In recent years there has been an explosion of different Reiki styles offered around the world. You might not know where to begin – Usui Reiki, Kundalini Reiki, Karuna Reiki, Celtic Reiki, Dolphin Reiki… the list goes on. You may even wonder how so many systems exist if Reiki is supposedly a “universal” energy which encompasses all of life. Let me explain it as I personally understand it.
Reiki is universal and all-encompassing, but just as Dr. Usui became aware of the symbols and healing energy of Usui Reiki, other Reiki masters and healers have become aware of new energies that are not covered by his original system. Think of Reiki as being a rainbow. White light, as science understands it, is made up of all the colours of the rainbow. Each colour vibrates at a different frequency, creating the beautiful arc we sometimes see in the sky. The colours we see all around us, in fact, are caused by white light bouncing off each physical object at a different angle so that we perceive the colours of the grass, the sky, the sun, moon and stars etc. Reiki is like that rainbow – a group of energies vibrating at different rates to create many different shades. So, for example, if Usui Reiki was red, then Kundalini Reiki might be blue and Celtic Reiki green. Some forms of Reiki are very similar to others, and this is akin to having a paint palette with lemon, sunshine and saffron instead of just on shade of yellow. Some Reiki forms however, though maintaining certain aspects that all Reiki systems have, will have distinct differences unique to that individual form. This is more like having red and blue – both from the same rainbow but from opposite ends of the spectrum.
So Celtic Reiki is just another aspect of the all-encompassing energy that is Reiki. It was developed by a Reiki practitioner who was guided to use Reiki in nature. Martyn Pentecost had studied and used various forms of Reiki when he began to realise that each individual aspect around him – each rock, each plant, each stream – all had their own individual energies. Furthermore, Martyn found that he could mimic these energies within his own self-healing sessions. Then, one day, he came across a Silver Fir that had been broken in two by lightening. Upon healing the fallen half of the tree he felt its very essence enter him, which he then transferred to the part of the tree that was still standing. This experience led him to explore the trees further, using the ancient wisdom of the Celts and Celtic Reiki was born.
This is, of course, a very brief history of how Celtic Reiki came to be, and following on from Martyn Pentecost’s expression that Celtic Reiki is a system of evolution, through the use of which more secrets will become known to us, I will continue to explain Celtic Reiki as I have come to know and love it. This means that the information expressed below, though based on my own experiences and a fair amount of research, is personal to me. Although there will be similarities between my experience and understanding and any other Celtic Reiki practitioner, there will always be distinct differences. Therefore, what is written in the rest of this section is given as a guide only and I do hope that you will go out and build up your own relationship with nature, in which you will develop your own personal understanding of its energies and lessons. Anybody can do this – you do not have to be attuned to Celtic Reiki first! Indeed – I would be delighted to hear from any one of you who has knowledge to share with me, just as I delight in sharing my own knowledge with you.
Celtic Reiki is a system of Reiki that uses the energies and frequencies of the trees, plants and ocean. This means that it mimics and channels the distinct energies of specific trees, bringing about blessings and healing for the individual (and world as a whole) based on each individual tree’s natural gifts and qualities. To explain this further, it is like seeking out advice or healing from specific teachers or healers. For example – if you had backache you might contact a masseur, whereas for a weak immune system you might contact a herbalist for advice on which herbs to take to strengthen your body. Likewise a careers’ counsellor would be your first port of call for advice on your work and a psychic medium for contacting your passed loved ones. By becoming aware of and utilising the specific qualities of the world around us we are able to benefit far more than just a simple walk in nature would bring. Don’t get me wrong, a walk in nature often does us the world of good, because we are blessed by the energies of nature naturally! However, this is like a doctor giving us a general painkiller rather than a specific tablet for our headache or backache. Although you can benefit greatly from being out in nature – the specific energies can bring about healing and changes much quicker and more effectively. This is where Celtic Reiki comes in.
The attunements to Celtic Reiki are given in three stages – the first covers those trees and plants whose energies will greatly benefit us on a physical level, the second includes those whose energies will help us manifest ideal situations within our lives and the third is the master level, including incredibly strong energies that act almost as a booster for all the other energies. All of the energies may be used alone or in conjunction with each other and many have been found to work well with others and on certain chakras.
We must also remember that Celtic Reiki is an evolving system of Reiki and nobody claims to know all there is to know about it. We are all excited about new findings and know that each individual will benefit greatly from the freedom that lies within this system of healing. Nature is powerful and may sometimes feel quite fierce, yet when we work in harmony with her we find such beautiful and healing experiences that it is a real blessing to have the opportunity to do so.
You might be wondering why it is called Celtic Reiki and not Tree Reiki or Nature Reiki. I cannot tell you exactly why this name was chosen but my belief is that although it works with the energies of nature,
that the incredible wisdom and knowledge that the ancient Celts possessed can be found in the spirit of Celtic Reiki. To call it anything else would be to deny this connection to the sacred ways of our ancestors. You only have to pick up a book about Celtic Traditions and flick through a few pages to realise how important nature was to these people, and the exact same interest in and respect of our planet can be found in modern versions of Paganism, Druidism and the like. Yet Celtic Tradition goes far beyond a love of the trees and I believe that your Celtic Reiki practise can only be improved by an interest in the spirituality of the Celts, which is far too involved and beautiful for me to summarise in such a short space. I have included a list of books in the Recommended Reading list at the back of this book that you may find interesting and helpful in filling in the blanks by some fantastic authors who are far more knowledgeable than I am in this area. For me personally, Celtic Reiki is an apt name because it links me to the sacred spirituality and knowledge that I am aware of but only as a spectator. By this I mean that before being attuned to Celtic Reiki I had heard of nature-based spiritualities, practised both now and in Ancient Britain) but had no real knowledge about what it entailed. Through the use of Celtic Reiki however I have felt inspired to read up about Celtic traditions whenever I get the opportunity and have come to know of and enjoy working with certain aspects of the spirituality, including the Goddess, Horned God, Faeries, and certain Saints. I have become aware of several practises, such as tying ribbons to trees as blessings and celebrating the earth at special times of the year, which I previously had no knowledge of. In essence, Celtic Reiki has brought me not only closer to the trees but also to the ancient knowledge of our Celtic ancestors.
Furthermore, the symbols used in Celtic Reiki are drawn directly from the Druidic alphabet - the Ogham. The Ogham is, in simple terms, a system of symbols used to denote certain trees and sacred aspects that the original users (the Druids) created in order to share their knowledge and wisdom with others. Each symbol could represent far more than one individual tree of plant and many also incorporated the essence and qualities of the trees themselves. This means that, although each individual symbol is very simple (for ease of inscribing on stone and wood) the meaning is not always clear unless you have access to the sacred knowledge that is contained within. I hope to be adding a section soon on the Ogham alphabet, particularly as used in Celtic Reiki, but until then why not have a look at some of the incredible sites on the internet that can introduce you to this incredible language.
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