Are they different or the same?

Many people who practice the system of Reiki have energetic experiences, some are very subtle while others are massively overwhelming.

When practitioners have an overwhelming experience, they often ask if they have had a Kundalini experience.

Some Reiki teachers say that this is impossible as Kundalini is very different to Reiki. But lets take a closer look to see if this statement is correct or not.

According to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Kundalini means: “the power of the Divine Self that is hidden within humans.”

The word Reiki means our True Self, and it is the tools within the system of Reiki that teach us to tap into the power of our True Self.

We can, therefore, say that it is just the wording which is different, but that the essence of the two are the same; our True Self is also our Divine Self and the other way around.

Both the snake and the dragon come from the same source. In the Indian tradition, Kundalini is often associated with a snake, while in Japanese esoteric traditions it is often symbolised as a dragon. The Sanskrit word used to symbolise both the snake and the dragon is actually the same word – Naga. Therefore, Naga can be seen as the family name of both the snake and the dragon.

In conclusion, we can see that the word Kundalini is representative of the same state as the word Reiki.

Why do we sometimes have overwhelming experience and how do we deal with them?

We can become overwhelmed when we begin to remember our True Self (Reiki). The more we practice the system of Reiki, the more we work towards self-fulfilment, enlightenment, remembering our True Self, and unification with the universe. This unification with the universe can trigger a tremendous amount of power within us, just imagine, you being the universe and the universe being you, no beginning or end!

In reality, as practitioners of the system of Reiki, most of us are only scraping the surface of what we can realize; such as unification with the universe.

If we suddenly tap into these deeper layers, it is a shock and our body might start to shake, or we might have strange visual experiences, strong pain, a sense of loss of the self or feelings that we are without a body.

If this happens, it is common for practitioners to feel at least uncertain if not downright scared. We might begin to blame the energy for being too much or too painful. The truth is that this happens because we are not prepared, we haven’t put in the ground work to gradually build our inner strength.

As Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda says: “However do not blame the “Kundalini” but blame the stupidity or incorrect techniques. Whoever faithfully follows the path the master has given will certainly not suffer such problems.”and Sri Mahaprabhuji states: “Kundalini is the divine Mother. A true mother never causes harm or does anything bad to her children.”

Thus to remember our True Self through the practice of the system of Reiki we need to work in the correct way, by starting with the foundation. This is why Usui-san included practices like Joshin Kokyu Ho within Shoden level I. Joshin Kokyu Ho works with focusing and bringing our energy to the hara/tanden which in turn creates a solid foundation for the rest of the teachings to rest upon. This foundation is not established in a weekend workshop but might take a few years of daily practice.

When we have prepared ourselves in the right way the experiences will not be overwhelming. Even if the experiences are strong relatively, we will know how to deal with them as we have created a solid foundation and prepared ourselves to experience these deeper layers of our True Self.

So make sure that if you are interested in delving into the deeper layers of the system of Reiki that, first of all, you chose a teacher who can guide you and that you prepare yourself.