Reiki and You: Awakening the Healer Within

By Margaret Lee Lyles

Imagine healing through balancing your energies by your own hands! While others have written of Reiki, Reiki and You, Awakening the Healer Within is unique for its Judaic-Christian perspective. Author Lyles traces the history of laying-on of hands and shares the how-to information about this healing modality in twelve easy-reading chapters.

Reiki (Ray-Key) is now considered by many medical experts to be an important component of (w)holistic healing. It is currently used in over one hundred hospitals in the United States, including Sloan Kettering in New York. Its gentle, non-invasive ways, which help balance the endocrine system, help you feel and heal better. It is the subtle energy system that is the essence of life.

Readers Comments about Reiki & You

... I encourage all health practitioners to learn to utilize the principles involved in Reiki in conjunction with conventional medical care. I believe the results would amaze them. Those interested in assuming some responsibility for their own health, as well as improving the lives and health of those around them, should read this book as their first step in their journey towards better health and enlightenment.

Kent C. Kyzar, M.D., Yazoo, MS

The historic religious roots found in chapter two were comforting and assuring to someone who looks for validation with God and science. As I learned more about the strength from within to heal, I found I was on a new threshold of ancient origin, one that feels and sounds exciting and divine in its sense of vocation and of empowerment.

Connie Biagioli, Dental Assistant, Baltimore, MD

I have read other books about Reiki and found none more clear than this one. Marge makes it easy with her simple, down-to-earth approach.

Lino Stanchich, Macrobiotic International Lecturer, N.C..

Reiki & You is an excellent tool to be used when teaching Reiki. The book lends itself to thorough reading and understanding by even the busiest.

Reiki Master, Patricia D. Conroy, M.S., L.M.T., Miami, FL

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 25, 2002
• ISBN: 9781462823864

Margaret Lee Lyles

Not often does a reader receive gifts of new insight and knowledge, a personal story of healing and recovery wrapped in a life of dedicated faith and trust, and a powerful tool for healing all in one book. From her own journey through cancer, Margaret Lee Lyles has lived into more than recovery. She has embraced hands-on tools of healing as a Christian massage therapist, and as a teacher of Reiki, the life-enhancing practice that enables one to receive God’s life energy in a simple, concentrated way. Marge teaches with wisdom and effectiveness. Her writing, with its direct simplicity, introduces readers to a powerful way of healing. —The Rev. Edwin E. Harvey, Mdiv.,S.T.M., Th.D (Episcopal Priest of 40 years; Doctorate in Hebrew Scriptures; service includes: India; former Seminary Dean in Fiji Islands; Visiting Professor of Bible Studies and Rector of parishes in Florida and Texas.)

Book preview

REIKI & YOU

AWAKENING THE HEALER WITHIN

MARGARET LEE LYLES

This book is a documentary of the author’s personal experiences and research. It is intended as an informational guide for Reiki students with a Reiki Master and for those seeking basic information about Reiki. The remedies, approaches, exercises and techniques described herein are meant to supplement, and not to substitute for, professional medical care or treatment. They should not be used to treat a serious illness without prior consultation with a qualified health care professional, licensed in the place where he/she practices.

COPYRIGHT © 2001 BY MARGARET LEE LYLES.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2001119351

ISBN:         Hardcover                               1-4010-3570-1

                  Softcover                                 1-4010-3569-8

                   ebook                                      9781462823864

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

13379

Contents

important notices

FOREWORD

PRELUDE

Part I

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

Part II

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

Part III

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

PART IV

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

POSTLUDE

Part V

APPENDIX - A

APPENDIX - B

APPENDIX - C

End Notes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DEDICATED

In Honor of Our Mother

REGINA COELI

In Memory of

Our Beloved Sister

Regina E. Babka

With Grateful Acknowledgement and Love

To my husband, Louis, who deserves my greatest appreciation, for without your belief in me and your joyful love, I could not have gotten well and this book could not have materialized. Your wit and charming humor kept me laughing through the occasional cloudy days. Your help in taking over the managing of our home, which gave me computer time, will never be forgotten.

Many other acknowledgements are found in the back pages of this book.

—Margaret Lee Lyles

important notices

There is nothing new under the sun. With those words in mind and with heartfelt thanks, this acknowledges the works of all the authors and teachers of Reiki who went before. All who served as teachers for me through my research of their books or in conversations are hereby recognized. Please understand and forgive me if I have failed to give exact credit because memory is a playful thing.

Most of the Scriptures used herein have been taken from Today’s English Version of The Holy Bible (TEV) by permission of the American Bible Society. In certain places The King James Version (KJV) has been chosen because of the special wording needed to portray the thought.

Although the majority of those I have initiated have been women, many men also are gifted Reiki practitioners and masters. My choice of pronouns is to use both genders, sometimes together and sometimes individually, depending upon the circumstances in mind at the time.

The information in this book, or as presented at my seminars, is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Medicine and healing, although related, are two different disciplines. Before employing any techniques or exercises described herein, be sure to consult with a licensed health practitioner of your choice. In the event of serious illness you are advised to consult a licensed medical practitioner.

In no way do I claim that Reiki cured my diseases. However, there was a tremendous boost to my immune system following my initiation into Reiki. This prompts me to give Reiki huge credit for the state of my present wellness following a long battle with both cancer and hepatitis-A virus.

Writing has now become a new passion and one day, God willing, I will write the story of my personal healing and the ever-deepening spiritual growth that evolved from that experience. For now, at the request of my early readers, I have written a brief autobiography describing the part that Reiki played in my secondary and on-going healing from cancer. This story follows the Foreword as a prelude, sub-titled: The Story of Reiki and Me. If you find this interferes with your pursuit of Reiki, please skip to the first chapter of: Reiki and You: Awakening the Healer Within. This book is written in gratitude for my now almost ten years of recovery.

—Margaret Lee Lyles

Miami Springs, Florida, U.S.A. March 2002

FOREWORD

I am honored to be able to write a few words about this wonderful work on Reiki that you are about to read. Marge has been a longtime patient and was my Reiki I and II teacher. She does a wonderful job of simply and clearly tracing the evolution and practice of Reiki combined with Judeo- Christian spirituality.

God is One, no matter what religion or spiritual beliefs you hold. Only one power to heal exists in the universe, the power that comes from the Spirit of God. Whether you call it chi, ki, Reiki, life force or Holy Spirit, permanent healing comes only as we open up to receive and become vessels for God’s healing love. Reiki is a powerful method for attuning to God’s universal energy and sharing it with others.

Though there are many paths leading us back home to God, Marge has touched the golden key. This is the highest, and for some, the most difficult quest known to all spiritual paths: to love ourselves, which enables us to love God, above all else, with our whole heart and mind. Only then can we learn to love others as ourselves which Scripture mandates.

As a medical doctor I have found that it is truly the Spirit of God that heals, that laying-on of hands and prayer are very powerful and that God uses us as instruments of healing. To treat the physical body alone does little on the deeper levels of our being. My prayer is that through the reading of Reiki and You, you will recognize Reiki as a powerful method for connecting to God’s healing energy and that you will feel led to share it with others.

—Kirby R. Hotchner, D. O.1

Kent C. Kyzar, M.D.

203 North Main Street

Yazoo City, Mississippi 39194

662/746-2612

To Whom It May Concern:

From a medical standpoint, all of the information in Reiki and You: Awakening the Healer Within is sound. Marge Lyles has given us further insight into healing by making it evident that Reiki can help with our healing while continuing our relationship with standard medical care. Furthermore, she maintains a Christian viewpoint and is able to enlighten anyone who reads this book about the ways Reiki can help us benefit others and our own health by recognizing and utilizing the Universal Life Energy.

Moreover, readers are helped to understand the history of Reiki so that they are not looking at some new fad but rather a representation of fundamental truths with regard to our physical and spiritual self, and the means by which these are so intimately connected. The author carefully describes how we can use Reiki in our lives on a daily basis, and I believe she has presented this information in an objective manner.

I encourage all health practitioners to learn to utilize the principles involved in Reiki in conjunction with conventional medical care. I believe the results would amaze them. Those interested in assuming some responsibility for their own health, as well as improving the lives and health of those around them, should read this book as their first step in their journey towards better health and enlightenment.

—Kent C. Kyzar, M.D.2

PRELUDE

The STORY OF Reiki & Me

"Whether we are conscious of it or not,

we are on a healing path our entire lives."

-Rita Robinson, Author-Editor3

how reiki came into my life

Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) is a non-denominational healing technique that uses laying-on of hands to channel God’s healing life force. In Japanese, Rei (Ray) simply means universal life force, and ki(key) means energy. Once we are attuned to this energy, all we need do to use it is make an intention in our mind to employ it for healing ourselves and others. This includes the earth and all its creatures. It is simply prayer with specific movement of our hands. How blessed we are to live in a time when this has been revealed so clearly. How blessed I am that this life force was revealed to me in the third year of my journey through natural healing from cancer, changing my life for good in countless ways.

Reiki has helped me to find fulfillment and to lead others to find self-fulfillment. Moving through the three levels of Reiki, each dealing with an aspect of the essence of my tri-fold being—body, mind and spirit, I found I experienced an even deeper relationship with God as I became reintegrated, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If this book is your introduction to Reiki, welcome to a wonderful world of healing where you may discover hidden strengths, innate wisdom, wholeness and empowerment by God.

Although the main purpose of this book is to encourage you to study Reiki, not to keep you in suspense, I have decided to include a small portion of the story of my healing and the role which Reiki plays today in my health. The story of Reiki and Me actually began in 1987, a few years after our daughter’s departure for college, when in the middle of my empty nest syndrome I chose to become a student again at age fifty-five.

With the blessing of my husband and cheers from our daughter, I enrolled in a course of instruction for massage therapy at a local vocational school. Little did we realize how my decision would not only enhance our lives as a family but have a direct bearing on saving my life six years down the road. Studying anatomy and physiology as an adult was far different and much easier than during high school days. My newfound knowledge and practicing bodywork on my family brought us closer by opening new avenues of conversation. It eventually was the doorway to my becoming a Reiki practitioner.

In my earlier life I looked upon my body as mere muscle and bone held together by the skin, with a few assorted organs somewhere in the torso. As long as these organs did their respective jobs I wasn’t much interested in understanding them or their functions. Our massage teacher, Howard Walton, had other ideas for his students. He had once been a pre-med student whose studies were interrupted by war. After finishing his tour of duty in World War II, Howard found in those days he was considered too old for medical school. He then became a massage therapist who was totally dedicated to his profession. Eventually he became a teacher of massage with the goal of forming students into true therapists who understood what lay beneath their hands and did not just move tissue around over the bones.

Somewhere during my studies of anatomy and physiology with Howard, I came to truly appreciate the magnificence of how we are created. While Howard did his part to promote understanding of and appreciation for the construction of the body and its operation, my young classmates began to teach me how to nurture my body by proper exercise and sound nutritional habits. Observing and interacting with my new friends, I began to eliminate red meat from my diet. It soon became obvious there was great improvement in my digestion once the heavy animal proteins of red meat were totally gone from my daily menus.

At lunchtime I noticed a young woman, Alma, who chose to eat alone while reading a book. At first I thought she was being too diligent by studying while she ate, but I soon observed the only book she read during that time was her bible. She invited me to join her for scripture discussion on a weekly basis. Being Seventh Day Adventist and a strict vegetarian, Alma enjoyed teaching me the reasons behind the Adventists‘ choice of vegetarian eating. This inspired me to make even more subtle changes in my eating plan and I found new vigor came my way as a reward. I also found that Alma and I both loved the same Lord.

One day, during massage practice lab-time, an accident happened to another classmate, a lovely Italian-French woman, named Pierrette Sardo. Pierrette wore a long, full, white skirt each day over which she placed a fresh crisp white apron. It was, she said, the uniform her mother and grandmother wore when they did massage in southwestern France where she was raised. Pierrette had powerful hands that were wonderful for deep massage work. Her demeanor with her classmates was that of a mother, showing much compassion and love. That day, Pierrette decided to help a young classmate, Ralph, to receive back relief by lifting him up on her back! Back-to-back, arms linked with his, she stretched his spine. This is definitely not something we were taught by Howard, but something Pierrette learned from her family and was usually very good at doing. This day, Ralph’s weight appeared too much for her and Pierrette suddenly crashed to the terrazzo floor on her knees, crying out in pain.

Members of the class who witnessed this felt dreadful seeing her tearfully hold her injured knees and they ran to the school cafeteria to fetch ice. Meanwhile another classmate, Patricia Conroy, quietly approached Pierrette and asked if she could treat her knees. Still sobbing with pain, she nodded agreement and Pat began to lay hands upon Pierrette’s knees. At the time the accident occurred, I was receiving massage and did not witness what took place. Later that day, descriptions of this incident reached my ears from Pierrette and from the testimony of others in the class.

In speaking with her just now for this writing, I asked her to verify the incident that took place in 1987. She laughed heartily at her first thought of the memory, and then in her delightful European accent said: «Wow! Pat worked on my knees for half an hour and the next day I had nothing! No black and blue marks and no pain! I asked her what she experienced while Pat worked on her and she replied: Nothing but this tremendous heat of the hands of Pat! And this marvelous energy!" Now thirteen years later she was still enthusiastic over the healing she had received because of the accident. Hanging up the telephone after speaking with Pierrette, I had other scenes from my massage school days come flooding into mind.

Between the first day of school and before I made friendships with these wonderful young women, I had experienced a dreadful time of adjustment to my new routine. The early morning risings and the drive from the suburbs to downtown Miami soon taxed my night-owl-nature and caused my system a bad case of constipation. After five consecutive days of a miserably bloated feeling, one morning during massage practice, Pat Conroy, who had become a friend and valuable mentor because of her math-science background, noticed the hardness of my lower abdominal area and asked: What’s all this? Your large intestine is hard. It feels tight and dry—are you drinking enough water? I confessed that I probably wasn’t, and mourned the disruption of my morning procedures at home that was affecting my daily hygiene routine. Having said all that very confidentially and with delicate discreetness, I finally revealed it had been five days since my last bowel evacuation.

Pat suggested, Why don’t you come with me to the office of my chiropractor where I work? We can go at lunchtime. He’s not far away. Having been raised on chiropractic care, I did not hesitate to go, knowing that an adjustment of the spine sometimes took care of constipation especially if there was low back tension. Although I was enjoying school very much, I was certainly full of tension from the change of schedule. Expecting a routine adjustment from the chiropractor, I was totally unprepared for the kind of treatment they administered that day.

Once I was on the treatment table, Doctor Don and Pat positioned themselves one on each side of my lower abdominal region. They placed their hands, side by side just over my large intestine, Pat on the ascending colon on my right, and Don on the descending colon on my left. They hovered just over my body in a slow motion, very similar to ironing, but mostly not touching me. Nevertheless, I began to feel an enormous heatlike energy much like the temperature of a heating pad on medium high. They covered my entire lower abdomen, including the transverse colon and the small intestine curled up in the center. After about 10 minutes of this treatment, I felt an urgent movement within. Using my newly acquired vocabulary, I found the courage to say: Excuse me, but I believe peristalsis is beginning. They smiled and simply said: That’s what we were aiming for. I hopped off the table and dashed to the ladies room— mission accomplished.

During the drive back to school I questioned Pat about what had occurred. She simply said she had always had healing hands and that Don did too. Therefore, she thought the two of them could accomplish