The Five Principles of Reiki

(as developed by Dr. Usui)
Additional commentary taken from The Reiki Press

1. Just for today I will count my many blessings

Few of us ever stop thinking about what we want, but don’t yet have, long enough to focus on what we do have. This is the concept of the first principle. Take time each day to focus on and give thanks for what you do have. Realize your abundance rather than focusing on what you do not have. By taking the time to acknowledge your blessings each day, you become a magnet for further abundance because you are placing the energy of your thoughts into further manifestations in your life, rather than into what you do not have. All of us are truly abundant. The universe has an endless supply of energy with which to manifest blessings and abundance in our lives if we allow it. The key really is letting it. An excellent first step of that process is to recognize what you already have and be grateful for it. Do not overlook such things as friends, family and health by focusing only on material possessions.

2. Just for today, I will not worry.

When we worry, we separate ourselves from the whole that is the universe. We are in effect saying, I don’t believe that you can support me, nor do I believe in the abundance of the universe. To a great extent, these beliefs determine where we place our faith and trust. When worry arises, it is because of those beliefs that are buried deep within us. We are not static beings, in reality everything about us is constantly changing. This includes even our deepest beliefs. Worry is not a lack of trust and faith. It is a demonstration of exactly where our trust and faith lie, on other levels, as generated by the beliefs we hold on the many levels of our being both conscious and not. As such it can be a truly remarkable tool in our lives.

When worry arises, try your best not to become absorbed by it. Instead take the position of neutral observer and recognize the tremendous opportunity at hand to eliminate a belief from your system which you no longer desire.

Fear is a similar vibration and can be dealt with in much the same manner, so the second principle could easily be: Just for today, I will not worry or fear. It is a powerful principle to incorporate into how you live your life. Trust in the universe, create the beliefs you desire and you will live a life of happiness few others will be able to understand or realize.

3. Just for today, I will not be angry.

Anger is another byproduct of one’s belief system, though it is of a much higher vibration than you may think. Simply put, it is you reacting to your environment.

Consider the following for a moment. How can you ever really know someone else in every way and on every level of their being? You cannot. All that you can know of them is what you project onto them from your own belief system, your own reality. This means that on at least one level you literally create the world around you from your own thoughts and beliefs.

Each of us think we know what is possible based on the experiences that we have accrued in the process of living our lives. If something falls outside of the parameters of what we consider possible, typically one of two things happen. Either we do not see or recognize it (if the object of discussion is an idea, this would include thinking it’s «crazy»), or we attempt to learn about it and assimilate it into our prior experience and knowledge.

Whether you meet someone on the street or a good friend in a restaurant for lunch, for the most part you are encountering a projection of yourself. You are creating who they are from your own belief system, thus if something or someone causes you to become angry, it is not truly them that is producing that reaction in you. It is what you are choosing to perceive about them that is.

The next time something upsets you, thank the universe for the gift it has given you in pointing out something in your reality or belief system which you may wish to change. Try to determine what that person, place or thing was reflecting back to you about yourself that you do not like and work on it. This is one of the precepts behind unconditional love and is also why it is said that it is impossible to truly love another unless you completely love yourself. In reality, there isn’t much of a line between yourself and another. Everything is perception and what you project upon it.

4. Just for today, I will do my work honestly.

I believe that, in combination with the others outlined here, you will be truly amazed at the tremendous effects this principle will have in your life. It matters little whether you work for yourself or another, the universe truly seems to reward honesty in every respect. The most important thing is to be honest to yourself in each moment of every day. Always strive to see the world in ways as honest as possible, and to be as honest as you can in the ways you interact with it.

5. Just for today, I will be kind to every living creature.

It has been said that without love there is nothing, and love means kindness. Our society’s belief in separatism has done a great deal of damage to our world. Only when we begin to see the world and everything in it from a holistic viewpoint, will true change begin to occur within consciousness and consequently on earth. Indeed, until we all understand in our hearts as well as our minds the interconnectedness of all things, true change will allude us. The only truly effectual and lasting change comes from within not without.