Cultural and Spiritual Appropriation within Reiki
Spiritual and cultural appropriation is an important issue in the world of Reiki. Reiki practitioners of all backgrounds and spiritual beliefs need to look closely at this topic, uncover your truth and learn new strategies.
This topic was one that inspired me to create the Reiki Healing Society community, where we can be intentional about practicing Reiki using decolonization and trauma informed principles.
The truth is that many Reiki teachers and practitioners have made culturally inaccurate assertions about Reiki and have added or deleted elements of traditional Reiki to support their cases. As more changes have been made, the system of Reiki has begun to lose its connection to its roots (Pearson: Foundations of Reiki Ryoho).
My practice of Reiki is grounded in authenticity. As a teacher of both Reiki and Yoga, I am invested in teaching about the cultural practices contained within both of these modalities so that you can have a deeper understanding of their context, meaning and purpose. I believe this is just one solution of many to help us honor the traditions of the past while also bringing this potent medicine forward to future generations.
The goal(s) of engaging with this challenging, humbling and life-long work of decolonization?
To untangle what has been added to the system of Reiki so that you can understand Reiki better and share it more confidently with the world.
To increase the diversity and inclusivity of the practice of Reiki to marginalized communities and those that have been negatively impacted by colonization.
To engage in compassionate stewardship of the practice of Reiki, ensuring that the original teachings of Reiki are not lost. Doing so allows us to maintain the cultural & spiritual integrity of Reiki for future generations of Reiki practitioners.
To amplify an awareness of the Japanese spiritual and cultural traditions that informed Reiki.
To align ourselves more fully with the universal teachings of Reiki.
Before we begin this discussion of cultural & spiritual appropriation in Reiki, I invite you to be kind to yourself in this process. There is no need to judge or condemn yourself for what you do not know. This work ultimately is about how powerful it is to seek to understand, apologize when we got it wrong, change and grow.
What is cultural and spiritual appropriation?
Maisha Johnson, award-winning writer, and digital strategist, defines cultural and spiritual appropriation to be “a particular power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group.”
Cultural appropriation is about ignorance, where members of a dominant culture may unknowingly be commodifying or exploiting aspects of marginalized cultures without fully understanding their historical, social or spiritual significance. This commodification can perpetuate stereotypes, trivialize sacred practices and erode the cultural heritage of oppressed groups.
Cultural appropriation becomes problematic when it involves erasure of the history and cultural significance of spiritual objects and rituals. It disregards the struggles faced by the marginalized communities to maintain and preserve their identity, especially in the face of cultural assimilation and erasure.
Cultural appropriation is a form of cultural theft that further marginalizes and diminishes the cultural voice of oppressed communities undermining their identity, dignity, and autonomy.
It is important to distinguish cultural appropriation from cultural exchange, which encourages respectful engagement, appreciation, and understanding between different cultures on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Cultural exchange involves learning, sharing, and celebrating diverse traditions in a way that respects the original context and perspectives of that tradition’s culture of origin.
What is decolonization?
Decolonization as movement both in society, academia and spiritual traditions involves dismantling oppressive structures, reclaiming cultural identity, and restoring autonomy to marginalized communities. It encourages us to remember the history of colonialism & racism and how that has left an enduring impact on both society and the trajectories of people’s lives. It promotes a reclamation of traditional knowledge, languages, and practices, and nurturing a resurgence of cultural pride and self-determination. (Dalal: A Contemplative Approach to Dismantling Cultural Appropriation)
Decolonization of Reiki at the Reiki Healing Society refers to recentering the history, method and understanding of Reiki back to a Japanese worldview.
How is this relevant to Reiki?
The topic of appropriation is very relevant to how Reiki is practiced and taught outside of Japan. Reiki was introduced to the western world during the era of World War II, when the United States and Japan were at war with one another. During this time, Japanese-descended US citizens were rounded up into prison camps, their finances and properties seized, and Japanese nationals were confined to internment camps. These occurrences exacerbated a power imbalance between white Americans and Asian-Americans, and mistreatment of Asian- Americans that persists today.
The historical context of the early years of Reiki’s development and globalization put tremendous pressure on Hawayo Takata, who first taught Reiki in Hawai'i, to change the nature of Reiki to better fit into a western mindset.
In one of twenty audio tapes that John Harvey Gray made during Takata Sensei’s classes, she explained that when she traveled to Japan she spoke with other Japanese Reiki practitioners. What they taught was was highly complex, required years of training and was closely intertwined with Japanese religious practices. She felt their approach was inappropriate for the West (International House of Reiki: Shoden Manual).
Within Reiki, spiritual and cultural appropriation can involve taking and/or modifying significant cultural symbols, practices, or traditions out of their original context without understanding or honoring their historical, social or cultural significance.
Examples of cultural and spiritual appropriation in Reiki:
The combination of Reiki with the Indian chakra system without awareness of an entirely different worldview of how the subtle body is understood & represented in Japanese culture.
Striping Reiki of Japanese culture, spirituality, words & practice.
Combining Reiki with other spiritual or religious traditions as if they are one and the same when they are not.
Application of the word "Reiki" to a wide range of energy healing practices that are not related to the specific practices and worldview of Reiki's origins.
Use of the word “Reiki Master” as Western Reiki adaptation to describe Japanese traditions with regards to teacher/apprentice relationships. Use of this term can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and set up unhealthy power dynamics between students and teachers.
Connecting Reiki symbols to spiritual entities, angels or ideas that come from Christianity or other religions not associated with Japanese spiritual traditions. This neglects the deep cultural ties that each of the Reiki symbols have to revered Buddhist and Shinto icons.
Making inaccurate assertions about Reiki based on an individual’s subjective experience.
Falsely claiming that Reiki originated from another place outside of Japan.
How can we do better as Reiki practitioners today?
Respectful engagement on the path of Reiki calls for learning the history, traditions, and meaning behind Reiki practices and recognizing the voices of those to whom they belong. It involves supporting and uplifting the Japanese culture and benefiting from the wisdom it contains through a deeper awareness of Japanese spiritual traditions that informed the practice of Reiki.
It also involves creating more mutually beneficial relationships.
The antidote of cultural and and spiritual appropriation is a very similar word, appreciation. At the heart of cultural appreciation lies empathy, humility, and open-mindedness. It requires us to listen, reflect, and engage in conversations about cultural appropriation so that we can begin to foster meaningful relationships based on mutual respect and recognition.
Here are some wonderful resources & strategies from the Reiki Healing Society that provide actionable steps to address spiritual appropriation in Reiki:
Undo Appropriation in your Reiki Practice & Life: Strategies to Build Cultural Integrity
In this self reflection and journaling worksheet, you will receive examples of cultural and spiritual appropriation in Reiki as well as six strategies to address spiritual appropriation in your Reiki practice and life.
At the Reiki Healing Society, we offer a decolonized and trauma informed approach to learning and practicing Reiki. Our Reiki courses focus on Reiki as it was taught by Usui Sensei, his initial students and provide a deep understanding of the Japanese spiritual and cultural traditions that shaped the practice of Reiki.
You can also listen to these podcast episodes which provide a robust discussion of the complexities of cultural & spiritual appropriation:
Reiki Business Collective: Interview on Spiritual & Cultural Appropriation
I was recently interviewed on the Reiki Business Collective to discuss the ins and outs of spiritual and cultural appropriation in Reiki. This was a great discussion and we landed on some ideas on how to create better standards for Reiki courses…something I believe would truly support the next gen of Reiki pros.
Be True to Your Way: Navigating Integrity for Reiki Practitioners (Integrity for Culture)
This video is part three of a series where we discuss the role of integrity for Reiki practitioners.
Spiritual Appropriation in the System of Reiki
Episode 90 of the Reiki Women Podcast
You might also enjoy this article on the topic that is wonderfully written by Bronwen Logan:
Finding Reiki in the Richness of Japanese Spiritual Traditions
If you identify (as I do) as a Western practitioner of a Japanese healing art, the work of cultural and spiritual appropriation encourages us to be respectful of spiritual and cultural traditions are not our own but have nevertheless enriched our lives.
As we take these practices back to their roots, we clear away the misconceptions and inaccuracies so that we can more clearly understand the universal truths that shine through the system of Reiki. By preserving the practices of Reiki without modification from our own subjective experiences and religious/spiritual worldview, we become better stewards of this practice for the benefit of our clients, students and the larger Reiki community.
As we engage in an open and compassionate dialogue about spiritual and cultural appropriation in Reiki, we also create more space for diversity, inclusivity, respect and understanding marginalized, oppressed and colonized communities.
Thank you for reading this blog!
With love and respect,
Carrie Varela
