Reiki and the Holy Spirit

I used to be able to pull healing energy from the ethers and send it to whom I wanted. On the one hand I was happy, but religion kept telling me I was a sinner if I were doing healings and had read the Book of Mormon or touched a deck of tarot cards. I felt like I would go to hell and take those who I healed too. I just thought I was all wrong. Then, it stopped including my empathic abilities which i didn't even notice was gone. I saw the TV Show Medium and heard a serial killer telling the medium she was messing up God's flow. It's been years since I short-circuited due to stress but I honestly didn't want to go to hell. Finally, I chilled out and still I feel a bit scared sometimes when I hear religious people come up with explanations I used to believe. I mean, the Bible tells us Satan will come and fool even the most elite, well-meaning and sweetest folk. Thus, such is why I freaked. Yet, I couldn't live life so stressed and said: If I am going to hell, then I guess I will do good as I go by healing and have a good life on the way through living in peace. Honest to God, I don't know how I could do TT or healing in church when I used to go! Why did the preacher know I could do it before I did? Why do people get in my presence and light up? How do they see the God in me? Now, I mean well and I hope to God my intent to heal is not a trick of the evil one!
Yet, every time just to make sure I do such in the honor of the Christ spirit even though I don't really feel worthy to be a worshiper of him. Yet, that's my own personal relationship with God and has nothing to do with either of you.

This church seems to become more and more out of control with each passing day as it seeks to become more controlling. I haven'tread the document but I would guess that part of this stems from James 13:14; the same arguement used to deprive the sick (and their families) from the comfort of the sacrament of the anointing of the sick being given by deacons and lay people. Somewhere I remember when the disciples told Jesus they had seem others doing good in his name that Jesus told them basically "so what? Let them do the good they are doing." Too bad the men who are suppose to be most Christ-like aren't listening to those words.

"God, being omnipresent, is in that room too, an ever-loving and all merciful presence. I cannot for a moment imagine that the Holy One would be dismayed with the woman who believes in universal life energy. Our God is bigger than that. If you have any doubts, go read the Bible."

Yes, but this isn't God talking, it's a man. And the men in the Catholic church have a 2000 year old tradition of disallowing anything that might empower women to use divine power or usurp the authority of their priesthood. You can either accept these mens authority to forbid reike or not. But you may also choose to question why such authority would forbid good works such as healing the sick. Such prohibition surely does not come from that gentle boddisatva who lived in Galilee.

Good points, Demetria.

While assigned to the Indonesian Air Force academy in Yogyakarta from Mar. '90 to Mar '92, my wife Gloria experienced some bad asthma attacks,as she has periodically since we went on a government assignment to the Congo(Kinshasa) in '70. In different countries we've tried different modalities of healing, and we have tended to read and reflect more while on these assignments. While in Yoga, my wife ordered and studied a couple of books on Reiki and taught me some Reiki she learned from the books. We discovered that it usually helped when she was in serious trouble. My intention was sincere as were my silent prayers that accompanied the efforts. Some of those attacks were quite serious and could easily have led to a situation of being fatal. I don't care how the Reiki works (and I can be skeptical), but I'm grateful for the results and will continue to use it. ... After returning to San Antonio from the assignment in Yogya, we both took a 1st degree Reiki course, given gratuitously by a fellow member of the Theosophical Society lodge we attend.

Do as I say, not as i do...is the first thing that comes to mind.
I first heard of this announcement when a Local newspaper in NH reported that a Reiki Clinic operating in a Local Catholic Hospital owned building was being asked to leave due to this Church Doctrine Declaration. As I read that article, It went on to explain the reasoning behind the church position. It was because Reiki was focused on Universal Energy and not based on any proven scientific evidence. This art
While to some degree I can understand thier explanation when comparing it to proven science; I am also wondering when the offical Church position, will also offer similar declarations on "Laying of Hands", Faith Healing", or other similar practices that have not (and cannot) be proven scientificly. In fact, Faith, regardless of whose brand it is, is unproven and definately not science.
It seems to me, that the basic tenant of this "Doctrine" is that ONLY the tenants of the Official church is acceptable, all others are wrong.
I must agree with the referenced quoted Nuns comment, its Definately a "witch hunt".
All in all, it sounds to me that this "Bishops committee on Doctrine" is just a few steps towards the path of the "Inquisition". They didnt much care for Non-Church sanctioned practices either.

Good grief, Demetria. I had just learned about Jesuit Roger Haight getting clobbered and now you tell me about this.

At our free integrative health clinic here in South Tucson, we have three Reiki practitioners who regularly work alongside our primary care practitioners, nurses and acupuncturists. They have been and continue to be a great blessing for our patients. (By the way, all three are men, two of them a father-son team.)

Maybe acupuncture will be next. After all, that practice is only 2,000 years old (according to record, and 5,000 years old according to tradition.)

Ricardo Elford

Luke 9: 49-50
Mark 9: 38-40

I probably never would've even tried Reiki, but now that the bishops have condemned it without even speaking with a single Reiki practitioner, I and several others have made sure we signed up early so we can be assured of experiencing Reiki at our retreat in June...can't wait!