Welcome to this section of my web site. I am Elayne Rae Crystal and happy you are interested in learning about Reiki. I was born in Toronto, Canada and have lived in the United States for most of my adult life. I have my Master's Degree in Reading and specialized in early childhood education. I taught over 25 years in a preschool, sunday school, and in the public school system as a Kindergarten teacher. All of my teacher training was with lectures, reading books, writing and following lesson plans, and student teaching. My Reiki training was very different from this training. Let me explain ...
Reiki is usually taught as an oral tradition, and thus it is hard to explain in writing. Oral tradition means that the story and teachings of Reiki are passed on from teachers to students by word of mouth. Reiki is not learned by reading about it books or watching on DVDs. The best way to understand what Reiki is would be to personally experience a Reiki treatment and/or attend a class.
Taking Reiki Classes
I started receiving Reiki treatments when I had a number of health concerns and was very stressed while teaching Kindergarten. I decided to learn Reiki to help me overcome these conditions and hopefully treat my children. I was taught in the First Degree Reiki class that it is very important to do self-treatments. Ideally one should do a full body treatment every day. This can be done as one sitting or divided into a few sessions. When I started treating myself daily, I could feel and see the benefits. I began to use more effective ways for handling stressful events, family issues, painful conditions, and even the challenges of daily living. After a while, I began to feel healthier, calmer, and happier.
Once I became comfortable with Reiki, I started treating my husband and children. Then I started treating others who lived close by. I was interested in taking Second Degree class to increase my Reiki energy levels. I also wanted to learn more advanced techniques and be able to do absentee (or distant) treatments for family members who were not living nearby. Eventually I decided to take the Master training which allowed me to become an instructor and teach Reiki to others. I enjoy the role of a teacher and wanted to put my teaching skills to use.
What I Noticed - Things started changing during my training as a Reiki Master Candidate and working as a Reiki Practitioner. I started to notice profound changes in the way I dealt with environmental issues, unexpected situations, and various medical conditions. I also found myself feeling more relaxed and was able to decrease (and eventually stop taking) some prescription medications for stress and digestive problems.
Life as a Reiki Master
When I retired from teaching in 2008, the timing was right for me to study and learn the time-honored tradition of Reiki, brought to the USA by Hawayo Takata. This system of Reiki that I practice and teach is called Usui Shiki (Reiki) Ryoho. As a Reiki Master/teacher, I live with Reiki every day. This includes doing self-treatments daily, following the five (5) Reiki Precepts, and trying to be a positive example for others. I have learned that one cannot become a Master of anything in a weekend. That would be like becoming a Master Electrician just by watching a video of how to do electrical work. It takes a lot of time, practice, dedication, and an apprenticeship of learning directly with someone who is experienced in this type of work.
My Master training was intensive, very thorough, and included a long apprenticeship program. I had to attend many of First and Second Degree classes, treat over 75 people in-person, and 75 absentee treatments. I also attended many Reiki seminars. I have been truly fortunate to have met many other Reiki Masters from all over the world and can join in their zoom sessions of practicing Reiki together.
My training was also quite extensive. Unlike some who learn it over a weekend, a week, or even ten days, mine was almost two years in training. I am truly grateful for the opportunity. My Reiki journey continues to be on-going. I learn more about Reiki as I practice and teach others.
In May 2015, I attended my first Reiki Alliance Conference, near Portland Oregon. All participants were trained Masters of Usui Shiki Reiki Ryoho. Can you imagine meeting others from USA, Canada, Amsterdam, Denmark, Barbados, Argentina, Italy, England, Mexico, Brazil, Grenada, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Australia, and the Netherlands? I formed friendships with people all over the world who share a common bond of Reiki.
During and after the COVID pandemic members of The Reiki Alliance continue to meet on zoom for group sharing and learning. Even though we are countries apart, we are still together.
I have also participated in Reiki conferences in the Massachusetts area. These are wonderful opportunities for Reiki professional development, on-going education, and feeling part of a local community. One keynote speaker was Reiki Master Frans Stiene, who lives in Australia and Holland and various places. He talked about "The Buddhist Roots of the System of Reiki & What it Means for Our Practice." Another time, we heard Reiki Master/author Frank Arjava Petter who explained many details about Usui's background, his life in Japan and about his personal Reiki practice.
My Reiki Journey Continues
June 2017 - My Reiki journey continues to grow, develop, and amaze me. I moved from Foxboro to Needham, MA and also live part time in Lexington, KY. I did some Reiki sessions on helping with the sale for my Massachusetts condo and purchase of another, and it worked. I even got above the asking price for the sale of my place. I started doing absentee Reiki sessions for others who want to purchase or sell a home in this competitive market.
January 2018 - I want to share with you correspondence that I received from the person who bought my condo in Foxboro, MA. She wrote me the following:
"You may think I’m a bit crazy, Elayne, but I feel this home is magical. We love it very much and are so happy here. It creates such a positive aura. I can see it when people visit. They actually feel so good while they are here. I don’t know what you did to create such a magical feeling. Just want to let you know that we are all ecstatic about the place."
Elayne's thoughts about having a "positive aura": While living in that condo, I practiced Reiki daily and followed the Reiki Precepts. I did many things connected to Reiki including: teaching Reiki classes, doing hands-on Reiki sessions for myself and others, and performing absentee/distant healing treatments. I also had Reiki to help me buy a new place, sell that condo, and have people buy it who would appreciate living there. Now that I have a condo in Needham, I hear people commenting that they feel positive energy when they visit. What do you think?
Buying & Selling Homes - I have been providing Reiki for people buying & selling homes. Real Estate Agents have requested that Reiki be used to help with situations where their clients weren't getting the homes they wanted. I explain that sometimes Reiki may not always work the way we want or expect, but in the long run perhaps it does work as it’s meant to be. I am happy to say that most of these people are getting the homes they wanted after I use Reiki for such situations.
Another popular use for Reiki -- to clear negative energies that are still lingering in the recently purchased home. When there have been traumatic or stressful situations in the home, potential buyers want the home to be cleared so they won't affected by the energies of the previous owners. Such negative energies can leave an energetic imprint or residue that stays there.
Also, a sickness or suffering of individuals who have passed and those who are left behind grieving can be heavy. Emotions like grief, anger, depression, and resentment can change the energetic frequency of vibration of a house and that can also affect how quickly the house sells. Even if the house is empty the negative imprint can still be there. By using specific Reiki techniques such negative vibes can be removed and replaced with positive energy.
More examples where Reiki can be used to clear negative energies: