ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the ongoing project of writing up Reiki history. It introduces aspects of thought and practice as found in Scottish Reiki circles. The chapter looks more specifically at evaluations of Reiki energy and how healers are taught to work with this energy through attunements and the utilization of Reiki symbols. It brings together historical and ontological accounts drawn primarily from emic sources. The writing of Reiki history is an ongoing process filled with multiple and sometimes competing voices. Academic writer Gordon Melton also provides a useful overview of how some Reiki practitioners have integrated Reiki with other spiritual traditions, these becoming internationally well-known. For many Western grassroots practitioners 'the search is on' for more efficient ways to incorporate Reiki into all aspects of their daily lives. Many practitioners stated that they had 'got into Reiki' while practising another complementary therapy.
