USUI REIKI RYOHO
In 1922 in Japan, a man named Mikao Usui created Usui Reiki Ryoho -- the Usui Reiki Healing Method. His great gift was the ability, through Reiki, to reconnect us to Source energy, to reopen the natural pathways, to reactivate our capacity for healing and spiritual awakening.
Mikao Usui was born in 1865. His formal education was not much, though he was obviously intelligent and a deep thinker, and eventually studied many things on his own. He held various jobs during his life, some of which involved foreign travel -- and he became a student of various cultures. Interested in spiritual things, he studied the major religions of the world. For a time he was a Shinto priest, and at other times belonged to various Buddhist sects.
At about age 50, his interest in finding the purpose of his life became all-consuming. He spent 3 years in Zen meditation, seeking enlightenment.....and still it didn't come. With no idea what else to do, he went to Mount Kurama, a favorite place of spiritual seekers, to meditate and fast for 21 days. His intent was either to receive enlightenment or to die on the mountain.
His enlightenment came in the form of Reiki. On the morning of the 21st day, he felt a sudden transformation within himself. He returned home and soon realized he had acquired the ability of healing with his hands. Immediately he began healing other people and, the following month -- April, 1922 -- he started the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Method Society) in Tokyo.
He believed it was important to make Reiki freely available to everyone. He deliberately did not involve any member of his family in the Gakkai, nor did he appoint or endorse any one person to continue the Reiki lineage after his death.
For today: do not worry; do not anger; work honestly; respect your parents, teachers and elders; honour all living things