Our Reiki lineage is important because it reflects the information that the Reiki teacher will transmit to her students. Different lineages can have different philosophies and understandings. This is relevant because they have different understandings of working with the Usui Reiki System. The Reiki lineage is not about taking classes; the class creates the connection, but the Reiki lineage is about practicing what you learned in your Reiki class.
True alignment with universal energy means practicing Reiki and creating a Reiki lifestyle. Although the Reiki lineage is significant, it is time and practice, combined with living by the Reiki Principles, that define your true connection to Reiki. Some people may find that knowing their Reiki lineage increases their sense of connection, and this can be a very profound spiritual experience. To know your lineage is to feel part of what has happened before.
It provides a solid foundation for your Reiki practice and gives you a connection to the founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui. A Reiki lineage is the line of teaching in which your teacher has been trained, similar to a family tree. Why is the Reiki lineage important? Knowing lineage adds credibility to the Reiki learning process; to see who was taught by our teacher and his teacher and his teacher, etc. The question of lineage for those who find it valuable is mainly an internal conversation, which may become more complicated for those who have taken teacher training very divergent, some of which have been added to the practice they were taught.
Mitchell designing the 4 Aspects and the 9 Elements to articulate what constitutes Usui Shiki Ryoho, in my opinion, helps to broadly define what constitutes the Takata lineage (not a complete definition). Reiki lineages are very important in some European countries, I understand, and some people like to play the game of “my lineage is shorter than yours, on the basis that a shorter lineage somehow indicates that your Reiki is purer and more intact than that of someone who has a longer lineage. In 100 years, when people look back, there will be a documented and credible line of communication about the Reiki process and how it worked in the early 2000s. In Japan, where Reiki originated (as well as in other Asian cultures), a lineage generally suggests that there was an ongoing study and the relationship between a teacher and a student.
However, it matters a lot to me that they practice auto-reiki on a daily basis (is this my angle?) and that they contemplate their practice. I keep reminding people that it's not about delivery, it's Reiki itself that counts and you know as well as I do that Reiki is in all of us and in everything. Therefore, the Lineage Tracking Service has two purposes, first to verify the Reiki lineage for those who want to request verification as practitioners, and second, to help people trace a lineage when it is not known or there are doubts about its accuracy. This is how Takata learned Reiki in Japan from Hayashi (although later in his life he stated that he waited a year before going to second grade to justify his decision on a waiting period, the reality is that his two first and second grade certificates have the same date; I have seen originals in person).
I have decided that because I have an appropriate connection with my second teacher and truly embrace her approach, I will declare her lineage as my own. As a Reiki teacher, I offer ongoing support to my students because I care that they get the most out of their practice.
