I’m often asked if it’s okay for a Christian person to receive or learn Reiki. The short answer is a resounding YES!

Of course it all depends on one’s own belief, but Reiki is equally available to Christians and non-Christians alike. Below is the long answer — an excerpt from a recent email conversation with a client. The question was, since Christians believe that only belief in Jesus Christ can allow someone to access the gifts of The Holy Spirit, how can non-Christians heal with their hands? Here is my response:

“I would love to share my thoughts, and thank you for your honesty and forthcomingness. 

“So, you are going to hear me say, “From my understanding” a lot because these are things I have been taught, I find truth in them, but I do not hold dogmatic, rigid beliefs about them — at least not enough to proclaim them as Universal truths.  Put another way, I know enough to know that I know very little about the Universe. 

“So, from my understanding, Reiki — a modality created in the early 1900’s — is the latest iteration and name for what human beings have been doing since the days of the Old Testament and prior: healing each other with life force energy, the energy of the Creator.  This sort of healing energy (again from my understanding) predates Jesus but is the same energy that he moved, in greater ways, when healing the sick and lame.  He gave it a name, The Holy Spirit.

“During my training, I was in class with an Evangelical Christian, a Pagan and a Wiccan.  We were all able to move energy in the same way, each inviting and calling on the energy of our own higher power.  The Evangelical student called on The Holy Spirit, the Pagan and Wiccan students called on the power of the cosmos, meaning the quantum field and creation therein.  I was a Unitarian at the time and just called on “The Divine”.

“Since then I have taught many Christians, and the way that they understand Reiki energy is that it is the energy of The Holy Spirit. They see their ability to channel the energy of The Holy Spirit during a Reiki session as a reflection of John 14:12, when Christ says, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to my Father.”

“As for non-Christians being able to work with the energy of Source, which I do think of as Espirtu Sanctu/The Holy Spirit, it’s my understanding that since humans were using energy healing prior to Christ’s birth, that it is available on some level for everyone’s use. 

“It’s also worth noting that Christ lived for 33 years and it would be unrealistic to assume that healing was available on this planet for only those 33 years, and only through one man. When Christ said, “because I go to my father,” he was basically asking people to continue his good works – including helping and healing others. For Christians to believe that spiritual practice and healing is against the desires of Christ diminishes there ability to carry on the desires of Christ.

“You are correct that each person can learn to channel this life-force Spirit, regardless of belief.  From my understanding, it is the Divine spark of humanity, of being part of the natural world, a part of Creation and therefore a child of God/The Divine that allows each individual to draw on the life-force Spirit.  It is the holiness of our existence, not our belief systems, that enables us to connect with Greater for our own greater good.

“Again, these are merely my loosely-held beliefs.  It is 100% okay if we disagree or if your steadfast faith, which I find such beauty in, doesn’t align with what I’ve said.  I hope this may have helped foster some more understanding, and am fine if it doesn’t.

“Thank you again, I am happy to have the opportunity to crystallize my swirling thoughts in this way.  😊”

Still have questions about Reiki and how it relates to “the occult”? Check out Part 2 in this blog series!

If you are interested in learning more about the intersection of Reiki and Christianity, please visit https://www.reiki.org/reiki-christians.