The Muddy stream… Hayashi sensei often used the image of a “muddy stream” when explaining the natural cleansing process.
When you look at the surface of the water it looks clean and clear. However when you stir it the mud from the bottom is brought to the surface making the water cloudy and muddy. If you remove the mud floating on the surface the stream will appear to be clear although some mud will have sunk back down to the bottom. Repeating this process enough times the muddy stream will eventually be reborn as a clear one.
By the same process Reiki stirs and removes toxins from our system. After receiving a Reiki treatment, initially the person’s condition may appear to become worse but this should not be seen as a problem. It is merely a part of the natural cleansing.
Sensing Imbalances With Byôsen Reikan Hô
byôsen 病腺 – illness, disease
[byô 病 – ill, toxic; sen 腺 – lump]
reikan 霊感 – inspiration, sacred intuition
hô 法 – method
To be used on yourself or others to sense imbalances in the body.
- Gasshô – to centre the mind and set intent.
- Move the hands approximately 5-15cm over the sitting, standing or lying body looking for a sensation in your hands.
- When you sense byôsen (on-netsu, atsui-on-netsu, piri-piri kan, hibiki, itami.) in your hands place your hands on that part of the body.
- Wait until the flow of Reiki tapers off.
- Repeat steps 2 – 4 until no more byôsen is perceived.
- Gasshô – to give thanks.
Levels of Byôsen
Byôsen has its peaks and troughs and is divided into five levels. When you lay your hands on Byôsen you will feel:
- On-netsu (Warmth)
When your hands are places on a stiff part of the receiver’s body you will sense warmth (1st level), which is slightly higher than the usual body temperature. - Atsui-on-netsu (Intense Warmth)
It will be followed by more intense heat (2nd level). - Piri-piri kan (Tingling Sensation)
If the stiffness in the body is even more serious your hands will have a tingling sensation in the palms or fingertips. Some people describe this as “numbness” and others as “electric vibration.” - Hibiki (Throbbing Sensation)
Hibiki is a pulse-like sensation in your hands, which indicates that you can actually feel the Reiki stimulating blood vessels, causing them to expand and contract. At this time the blood circulation is activated an the blood begins to flow more smoothly. - Itami (Pain)
Itami means a pain, which tells you that the receiver’s Byôsen, is quite serious. If the problem is more serious, your hands will feel more painful. Pain can move from your palm to the back of your hand, to your wrist and gradually to around the elbow area. Sometimes it stops there and at other times it may move up to the shoulder. After the pain eases, the tingling sensation you felt also simultaneously decreases. When they experience this pain some people become worried about being affected by negative energy from the receiver, but this is not possible so do not worry unnecessarily. Taking your hands off the receiver can easily relieve the pain although occasionally it still continues for a while.