Freemasonry and Reiki

For those of my readers who are not familiar with what Reiki is, a few words of explanation may be in order. Bear with me. Once I've explained what Reiki is, I will turn to discussing the unusual connection it has to Freemasonry. Reiki is what the medical profession calls a CAM. This acronym stands for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. It's a term for those forms of alternative medical treatment that in recent years the allopathic medical establishment has begun to tolerate if not completely embrace. Reiki practitioners call it a system of energetic treatment.

In most states, Reiki has not been regulated by law, and as a result there is no standard certification process for Reiki practitioners. Reiki deals with the energy body, and western medicine has no way of measuring it. While some Reiki practitioners may touch the body during treatments, others do not. Either way, they at most put hands on the body, they do not manipulate the body or muscles as massage  therapists do. Reiki is essentially "healing by the laying on of hands."

Reiki came into this world in the early years of the last century in Japan. Mikio Usui, a follower of the Buddhist and Shinto religions of Japan, developed Reiki originally as a spiritual system but also began using it as a method of energetic, or spiritual healing.  It was eventually brought to the west by Mrs. Hawayo Takata. Mrs. Takata was a Hawaiian native of Japanese heritage. She first encountered Reiki in 1935 while in Japan. She was impressed by the healing she experienced under the Reiki master Chujiro Hayashi and spent a year studying and mastering the techniques. She returned to Hawaii and practiced Reiki there for decades. Virtually all western Reiki traditions ultimately derive from the lineage established in the west by Mrs. Takata.

As recently as 20 years ago anywhere in the west, Reiki meant simply Usui Reiki as taught by Mrs. Hawayo Takata. Not only that, but for decades the number of Reiki masters was kept artificially limited to a small handful due to the way in which Mrs. Takata enforced a rigid system of  initiation with exceedingly high initiation fees of ten thousand dollars. Mrs. Takata died in 1980, and subsequently the tight control over Reiki dissolved, and in addition to a dramatic lowering of prices, information became available demonstrating that Reiki in Japan was somewhat different from what Mrs. Takata had been teaching. In the past dozen years or so, a myriad different forms of Reiki have blossomed. This blossoming has reached the scale of an avalanche, and while nobody has any accurate count, there are today scores of complex Reiki systems and thousands of special focus reiki "attunements" or energetic treatments. Reiki considers that treatments can alter the flow and vibration of the energy of the person and can thereby alter peoples health and spiritual experiences. An entire side of Reiki is more concerned with spiritual issues than with physical therapy.

Over the past year, I have become aware that there are, perhaps not surprising given the dramatic and eclectic nature of the growth of Reiki, several Reiki attunements which have a connection to Freemasonry. Now, admittedly, those who scoff at anything alternative will be quick to dismiss these as simple con artistry, attempting to garner some respect from borrowing some of the aura of Freemasonry.  Let me hasten to note that Reiki has its own following and these systems hardly represent a large share of the focus of Reiki nor do they share a large part of the Reiki market. They are in fact, a perhaps natural development when one realizes that there has been a great deal of interest in Egypt in some schools of Reiki and an entirely separate system of energetic treatment based on ancient Egyptian traditions called Sekhem has been created or rediscovered. Through this, attention was drawn to Hermeticism, and eventually to Freemasonry.

There are a number of Reiki attunements which focus on either historical figures related to Freemasonry, and even to Rosicrucianism and the Templars. Among these are a Reiki attunement associated with John Dee, who although not known to have been a mason, was involved in much the same areas of spiritual and scientific investigation that early Freemasons such as Alias Ashmole were. More concretely in the area of Freemasonry, there is an attunement dedicated to the energetic principles associated with Cagliostro. Among the energies that this attunement maintains it aids, are healing powers, vitality, resilience, purifying the heart, enlightening the mind, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and wisdom.

Another interesting attunement, is called Metatron's Cube Reiki, named after the angel Matatron, this energetic treatment is inspired by sacred geometry. It also claims to provide an attunement and "empowerment" of the Rose Cross. The other attunement directly claiming a connection to Masonic "energies" is one called the Templar Grade Attunement. The description afforded this Reiki energetic treatment says that it represents "a symbol of oneness and the manifestation of...concsciousness into our world." Also, they note that "the Templar Degree is a wonderfully calm and peacefull attunement that is a valuable stepping stone for any Reiki practitioner."

There are other attunements associated with Hermes, and a number of others focusing on Thoth.

While this inevitably will not thrill certain elements of the North American old guard, nor the materialists among us, it should at least afford the skeptics a moment of amusement or bemusement, and the rest may find it of some interest that those engaged in modern forms of spiritual exploration still turn to the craft for inspiration.

A few words from Julian Rees.

I don't usually simply repost a blog from elsewhere. However, a blog by as significant a figure in the contemporary English Language Freemasonry as Julian Rees cannot be overlooked, especially when it speaks so clearly and so pointedly about the major crisis which Freemasonry is struggling with at this time. Nobody can say it better, or speak more directly to North American Mainstream Masons as Julian Rees, and nobody can demonstrate more precisely as to what should be done about it and he offers his own decision as the ultimate example.

Last year we all read, and I hope more greeted the pronouncement made by the UGLE in it's PR statement on Freemasonry in the 21st Century with dismay than resignation, the one in which it declared that Freemasonry had nothing to do with spirituality. The Craft, the UGLE now insists, is nothing more than a boy's club.

Well, I am sad to say, although not surprised, that the US mainstream community made no public statements at all. A little nervous chatter followed, swiftly supplanted by the usual silence.

Thankfully someone has spoken, and someone who has not only the requisite male glands and the stature to be heard and taken seriously by the audience which needs to attend to this message. Julian Rees was initiated into Kirby Lodge No. 2818 in London, made Master in 1976 and again at the centenary of the Lodge in 1999, and and also of the German-speaking Pilgrim Lodge No. 238 in 1978. He was a regular contributor to the quarterly magazine Freemasonry Today. He is the author of several books on Freemasonry and has been the focus of several videos.

My advise to Mainstream masons is to follow his example and do as he has done. There is no time like the present.

My hat's off to Julian Rees. Read on!

Here's the link to Julian Rees' excellent post:



It's Time to Put the Record Straight - Julian Rees


Thanks to Mark Elliot.

Dreaming the Eye in the Triangle

The world of dreams is where we are most alive and come closest to realizing our true potential. If you are a complete materialist, I've already lost you. However, if you have ever been curious about what lies beyond the Gates of Horn and Ivory, then perhaps you remember some special dream which seemed more vibrant or more exciting than the waking world. Maybe you have even explored methods for remembering your dreams or gone even further, seeking techniques to explore various aspects of your dream existence. Stay with me here. Dreams are recognized not merely by visionaries and artists as being important but also by psychologists and even biologists. Without dreams we would not maintain good mental or physical health. So, even though science does not understand as much about dreams as artists, musicians, and mystics do, they know we cannot live healthy lives without plenty of them. 

My Early Experiences of the Dreamscape

I first became interested in dreams beyond the casual curiosity that children may have, when during the winter of my tenth year I came down with a severe case of flu. I must have been running a pretty good temperature because I found one night I was catapulted into an extremely vivid, colorful and dramatic dream. Not only that, but the following night, the dream picked up where it had left off. This went on for three or four days. Then my dreams returned more or less to normal. I was obsessed with finding out how to recapture this intense form of dreaming. I didn't have a great deal of immediate success, but this was when I first began committing my dreams to the page. Having already been keeping a diary, this was not perhaps such a giant leap. It was however an important one. I have kept written records of my dreams almost without interruption since, although over the years, unfortunately, a few volumes have been lost.

Techniques of the Dreamer

There are many techniques which can be utilized to benefit from dreaming. Learning to value dreams is the first step. You will not remember your dreams if you do not value them. If you do not already have strong dream recall, start talking to yourself about your dreams. You might want to do this silently to avoid losing friends and alienating family and coworkers. However, setting up a desire and expectation that you will remember your dreams will aid immensely in developing recall. Biological science already assures us that the average adult human dreams about 5 times per night. So, the issue is developing recall.

There are a few simple steps to doing this.1. State or write your intention to recall your dreams
2. Act to confirm that intention. By this I mean, set out materials to write your recalled dreams down; write them out as soon as you awake whether in the middle of the night or in the morning.
3. Repeat 1 and 2 every night.

You may not recall them at first, but if you persist, you will succeed.

Then, find books and other material on dreams. There's a wealth of material out there. Look and explore as many of them as you are drawn to. Avoid formulaic books; that means dream dictionaries. Every dreamer has his or her own language of dreams; you need to learn your own. How can you do this? If you wish to achieve true dreaming,  you need to keep or recapture your pure, calm, imaginative spirit

The Dream Lodge

How does any of this relate to Freemasonry? Well, Freemasonry, whether the UGLE likes it or not, has long been associated with Hermetic science. Hermeticism is concerned with gaining a profound vision of the creative force behind existence.  What Hermeticism teaches is that the consciousness in you which sees and hears is the eye of god; your mind is god. If you can understand that, then the light will be yours.

By this, we do not mean that the conscious self is God, but rather that God dwells within us and is directly, at least potentially available to us through our minds. This is the point of Hermetic study, and indeed, even of the major Christian mystics over the centuries.

Don't freak out. We're going to step back a bit from that precipice. What can you do that is practical and doesn't deconstruct your early 21st Century materialist brain beyond repair? OK, here's something a lot more conservative. You may have been exploring Masonic symbolism. You may even have ignored your Grand Lodge's admonitions and have read such heretical tomes as those written by McNulty, in the process breaking the most important landmark of them all, "Thou shalt not read anything intelligent about Freemasonry."  So, we're going to discuss how to create a dream in which you explore the symbols of Freemasonry.

Incubating the Masonic Dream

For this exercise, imagine your lodge. Attempt to visualize all the details from the doors to the four corners, to the tiled floor. Imagine the furniture, the lights, and the entire ambiance of your lodge. If you have an ideal or preferred lodge to your actual one, you may choose to visualize that ideal lodge. If for example, you love the appearance of Kilwinning No. 0, then imagine Kilwinning. Bring to mind the symbols you wish to explore. Pick only one or two. Spend some time examining a wide range of images depicting these specific symbols. Make those images as diverse as you can find.

Sit on the side of your bed and quiet you body and mind. Next, hold your images in mind for a few moments, then lie down. As you prepare for sleep, gently ask yourself to have and clearly remember a dream that explores both the images and meanings of these symbols. As you drift off to sleep, hold your intention, confident that the dream you remember will bring your symbols to life in unexpected and wonderful ways. If other thoughts distract you, return to your incubation focus.

When you wake, whether in the morning or at any point during the night, write down any dreams or recollections that you have. Do not attempt to analyze anything, just write out  whatever you remember.  Even if you don't remember any dream at first,  persevere.  You have begun a journey and if you keep on you will begin to recall a great deal. Such an exercise can make the meaning and importance of dreams and masonic symbols far more vibrant than any other approach. Take notes and keep going. This can be the beginning of an amazing adventure; one which may last a lifetime.

Words of Wisdom from the World's Most Spiritual Spiritual Leader

The Dalai Lama stated on Wednesday:

"The world belongs to humanity, not this leader, that leader, kings or religious leaders. The world belongs to humanity. Politicians at times forget that, even in democratic countries like the United States. Sometimes they are short-sighted. They are mainly looking for the next vote."

Need we say more?