Before I became a Jesus follower, I had a deep, almost desperate desire to be a healer. On this path I learned Reiki. Many interesting things happened during this training as well as the time that followed a powerful encounter with Jesus that led me to follow Him.
There is so much controversy as to whether Reiki is okay for Christians to practice. I would love to share my story in the hopes that it will help you as you explore.
I believe the desire to learn Reiki as well as the desire to go to a Reiki practitioner is rooted in the knowledge, whether conscious or unconscious, of this command, which Jesus shared with His disciples:
Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.”
Somewhere inside I (and maybe many of us) know that He wants us to be healers in His name but maybe we don’t know how to live this out.
To give a little bit of background, I grew up in the church and believed in Jesus, and even asked Him to be Lord of my life but I had not yet begun to follow or serve Him. I explored many new age philosophies and when the opportunity to learn Reiki presented itself it seemed to call to my deep, core, desire to heal, so jumped at the opportunity.
At the first training, just as we were getting started the teacher had this “vision” of me standing in the middle of the room with a bible in my left arm and torch in my right arm, turning around 3 times. She asked me to stand up and do what she had seen, which I did. It seemed very strange to me at the time, particularly since neither of us were actively involved with seeking God in our lives.
For years I wondered about this and one day God revealed that it was His statement and warning to the spiritual world. Carrying a bible and the light that He had given me, turning in a circle 3 times let all spiritual forces know that I am His, fully protected by the Word of God (the Sword of the Spirit Ephesians 6:17) and the light that shines from Him.
Training was interesting but I remember very little about it. During the ending ceremony the leader “waved” Reiki symbols over me and my body, which is part of the ritual of becoming a Reiki practitioner. I was supposed to memorize the symbols and use them as I healed others.
I practiced Reiki a number of times on that trip but nothing much happened. I tried, repeatedly, for months to memorize the symbols but couldn’t. They are not complicated at all and I could remember them for a few minutes or even a day but then they would disappear.
Over time, I started actively seeking God (which is a story in itself!). I had an intense need to go to church and went every Sunday. It was like an insatiable hunger (that has lasted 20 years now). At church I heard a little bit about healing and remembered that when healing happens you always want to give credit to Jesus. The pastor even shared stories of what happened to people who took the credit for themselves. I filed this away.
At that point I began practicing “Reiki” again and I had 2 significant healings, but both were calling on God, which makes me question if it was Reiki at all.
One was at a church services where a woman came in on crutches. She wasn’t able to walk her foot due to an injury. I mentioned that I was trained in Reiki and asked if I could do this on her foot. She was unsure but I said that all I do is put my hands on the place that needs healing and pray to God for healing. She sat on the pew next to me, I put my hands on her ankle during the service and prayed for God to heal her. At the end of the service she was able to walk normally and didn’t need the crutches again.
The other was a friend with very significant neck pain. She agreed to let me do Reiki on her but as I placed my hands on her neck I prayed to Jesus. We both heard a significant pop and her neck literally moved and the pain went away completely (it came back later but she had relief for a couple of weeks). I was very shy about Jesus at the time and didn’t tell her that is who I called upon. Later that day, however, I remembered that we are to acknowledge Jesus as the healer so, in a very uncomfortable phone call, I told her it was Jesus who healed her neck. Because of her unbelief it put a barrier in our friendship that never seemed to subside.
After that experience, the healings stopped. The pastor and I had a deep conversation about Reiki and he shared with me the importance of knowing who I am praying to when healing, not only for myself but for the person receiving the healing. He challenged me to talk to Jesus about this and work it out with Him.
Soon thereafter I had the realization that Reiki stemmed from my desire to heal and it was my way of taking charge of the healing process to make it happen. I realized that I had not submitted this desire to God and so I laid it down at His feet and walked away from it. It was incredibly hard for me to do this. I asked forgiveness for taking healing into my own hands and said that I would wait for the Lord to let me know if this was ever something He wanted to bring into my life.
One day after that, I had a vision, and could see that the Reiki symbols waved over me were inlaid into my skin. I saw Jesus carefully, gently, lovingly, lifting them up off of my skin, removing them from me and replacing them with His love. That was when I finally felt like the Reiki journey was over for me.
Healing was quiet for me many years after that as I learned more about Jesus and His ways. Many years later He opened up an opportunity for me to participate in healing training through the Healing Rooms of Loveland, CO (healingrooms.com) an amazing healing and prophetic ministry. I was so grateful that He was encouraging me to return to healing in a way that glorified Him directly. It continues to be a deep desire of mine. I have experienced miracles from time to time but until God shared with me the depth of my identity in Him, my desire for healing had more to do with me than Him and so it was not as powerful as it could be. For about 2 years now God has been deepening my knowledge of my identity in Him and there is much less of a need for me to prove myself or find greatness in my own accomplishments and I feel the deep desire for healing stirring again.
As you explore your own journey around Reiki, I know God will guide the journey so you can experience the powerful healing He wants so much for our world to experience.
Copyright © 2024 Sherri Cowhig All Rights Reserved