Today there are probably over 1000 different branches of Reiki. You will find a number of them, along with their lineage details etc… listed in The Reiki Sourcebook. Most of these branches have evolved within the last 20 years in the West. Students of the system have altered their teachings to accommodate their other beliefs and practices – many of these belonging to the New Age Movement.
The International House of Reiki is interested in travelling back through time to the system’s origins in Japan. Though Frans and Bronwen Stiene have studied master classes in numerous branches including Gendai Reiki Ho and Komyo Reiki Kai they have chosen just one branch to teach – and it is called Usui Reiki Ryoho.
What is Usui Reiki Ryoho? Usui Reiki Ryoho translates as Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method.
The Usui Reiki Ryoho lineage as taught by the International House of Reiki aims to reflect the practices that were taught by Usui Mikao during his lifetime. For this reason there is no modern founder to this particular branch. The more research and training that is completed into this area, the more the teachings develop – it is an ongoing study.
There are two areas in which the founders of the International House of Reiki, Frans and Bronwen Stiene, continue studying these teachings.
One is in practical, manual research; where old and new Japanese Reiki books are read and, if necessary, translated; where specialists in Japanese culture, religion, and healing practices are contacted; and where, eventually ideas are pieced together. This includes studying with different teachers who offer their own insight into the field that is being researched. Some teachers include Doi Hiroshi, and Inamoto Hyakuten. Choosing a teacher is very important as the teachings must support development rather than sidetrack it.
The second area of study is in personal practice. One cannot understand an energetic practice without personal development. Without a direct experience of an energetic system only a rational, and therefore limited, understanding is gained. Frans and Bronwen Stiene commit to practicing the system, not just teaching it.
The combination of these two areas creates the Usui Reiki Ryoho lineage as taught by the International House of Reiki. It is the entire teachings that are being handed down – practical and energetic. These reflect the oneness that is achieved by connecting mind (experiential) and body (practical) – both are utilised to gain a complete understanding of the teachings.
Are all Usui Reiki Ryoho courses the same? No they are not. Teachers will always teach what they understand is the Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method and it will depend upon the teachers’ research and own spiritual understanding as to what that includes. Courses by the International House of Reiki are unrivalled in their pursuit of excellence in these areas.
What does Usui Reiki Ryoho typically include? As this is a Japanese, rather than New Age influenced, branch of the system it does not include the chakra system but uses the Japanese energetic system. This is briefly written about here.
Usui Reiki Ryoho as taught by the International House of Reiki is not Gendai Reiki Ho, Komyo Reiki Kai or the teachings of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. It is a researched branch that attemps to teach the teachings of Usui Mikao.
It is a personal spiritual journey that you can use to help yourself, and sometimes others, to feel healthier and happier in life - with an underlying aim to journey the road back to enlightenment.
There are three levels: Shoden Level I (first teachings), Okuden Level II (inner teachings, and Shinpiden Level III (mystery teachings). To the left is the Shinpiden certificate from the International House of Reiki. Course outlines are available on the website under Reiki courses on this website.
Why choose the International House of Reiki’s Usui Reiki Ryoho course? If your interest is in finding logical and energetic truth within the system of Reiki then this is the course that will set you on a solid path of discovery and awareness.
It is about embracing the system of Reiki as it once was taught – it is not about developing a new system by including Western and Japanese practices as does Gendai Reiki Ho; and it is not about making the system easier for westerners to comprehend; or focussing on Hayashi’s teachings as does Komyo Reiki Kai.
This form of Usui Reiki Ryoho looks at what was taught in Japan in the early 1900s by a man called Usui Mikao and explores the influences on his life such as Shugendo, Japanese Buddhism, Shinto and other popular healing practices from that time. It is not about creating something new but rediscovering the old.
If you want to make a connection to those early teachings and understand how the elements of the system relate to one another from a Japanese perspective then the International House of Reiki Usui Reiki Ryoho course was created for you.
Who is the International House of Reiki? Founded as Reiki House in the Indian Himalaya in 1998, Frans and Bronwen Stiene moved their school to Australia in 1999 where they opened the International House of Reiki. Here they began to research the system of Reiki travelling to Japan and Europe to further their understanding and knowledge of what is taught in the system and what was once taught in Japan. Their research lead them to write the first entirely sourced research book into the system of Reiki called The Reiki Sourcebook, as well as The Japanese Art of Reiki which is specifically about healing the self with the Japanese teachings. In 2006 the Reiki Techniques Card Deck; Heal Yourself Intuitively and the pocketbook A-Z of Reiki will both be published. Frans and Bronwen Stiene currently teach in the USA, Canada, UK, Asia and Australia.
And there’s more…. The International House of Reiki is not only legendary for its research and high level of education but for its student support systems. It provides; a ‘students only’ website where students from all around the world connect with one another and the teachers; availability of updated manuals; opportunities to re-sit all Reiki classes; intensive classes to support ongoing learning; and access to your teacher via email, phone or in person.
