Reiki and the Catholic faith
Several people have recently called to ask about the practice of Reiki and whether it is compatible with the Catholic faith. Although some will object to such a classification, Reiki is basically a New Age spiritual practice. The Church offered a fairly extensive commentary on New Age stuff in "Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life," which can be found here.
Q: Is the practice of reiki morally wrong? A relative is starting to become involved and I am concerned for her.
A: Reiki is not a Christian religious practice. It is from Japanese Buddhism and involves non-Christian religious principles (e.g., moving around one's life energy or ki-the ki in reiki). The practice of reiki is not consonant with Catholic spirituality.
A quick summary of the problem as stated by Catholic Answers:
Christian anthropology holds that man is a union of body and soul such that the soul is the essential form of the body (a point infallibly defined by the Council of Vienna). The soul is a substantial form, not a type of energy. The Catechism points out that "it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body" (CCC 365). From a spiritual perspective, it is the soul that is the life-principle of the body, not something else.
Consequently, there is no spiritual "life energy" animating the body. Any energy used as part of the body’s operations—such as the electricity in our nervous systems—is material in nature, not spiritual. The various forms of Hinduism and Buddhism that posit the existence of a life energy (ki or kundalini) interpret that energy as spiritual. Since this is contrary to Christian theology, it is inappropriate for Christians to participate in activities based on this belief.
Some interesting links related to a Catholic view of Reiki:
- A good place to start -- a fairly in-depth article about Reiki. Click here.
- An interesting view of first-hand experiences from the Diocese of Johannesberg
in South Africa. Click here.
- An article titled "The Occult Nature of Reiki." Click here.