The facets of Ki – From Denki to Reiki

The Facets of Ki

There is a Japanese tradition that says everything is created from a Universal Life Force know as Ki. Ki is the force that originates and sustains life in all its abundant varieties. The concept of Ki has a great affinity with the Chinese belief of an all-encompassing life energy known as Chi, and we can also create analogies between Ki and Prana from the Asian sub-continent.

Ki exists in a dynamic and ever-changing balance, which means that different aspects of Ki have specific tasks to perform in this amazing creation of life. Thus, we can divide Ki in many different layers, or “facets” and by understanding the unique qualities of each facet, gain a greater understanding of the whole.

We begin with Shinki, which is “Divine Ki”, or the Ki of God. Shinki is pure thought; it has absolute awareness, and the intelligence of Shinki is so extensive, that it knows all things that can be known. The only thing that Shinki does not comprehend is that, which cannot be known: what it is, not to be Shinki. In a quest to understand disconnection from itself, Shinki developed a reason for creating physical life and the separateness this entails. When this “life-purpose” came about, Shinki started to transform part of itself into another facet of Ki. For, whilst Shinki is intelligent beyond all things, it has no physical form, so cannot affect physical matter.

Shinki created the Ki of Blood; Kekki, which is the strongest and most physically powerful of all Ki. Kekki is the ability to nourish and grow; it is the raw material from which all physical matter developed. If we imagine a huge city, fashioned from buildings made of brick, Kekki is the clay that creates that brick. Wherever there is group interaction, bonding between people, and social connection, we find Kekki, as these are the elements of life that create it. Yet, Kekki, despite its physical potency, cannot exist without something to nourish and a place to be, so other facets of Ki are formed to continue the processes of life.

Shioke is the Ki of Salt and behaves as a receptacle for Kekki, merging with it, but preserving the individual characteristics of both. If Kekki is seen as the clay, Shioke can be perceived as the bricks, derived from it; the building blocks integral to all life. It is said that the physical body is actually formed from these two aspects of Ki, moulded from their synthesis in order to fulfil the life-purpose of Shinki. Indeed, Shioke mirrors this life-purpose, for it is created whenever we discover an objective, or reason for living. Whilst we are striving and moving towards our goals, Shioke is with us, enabling our reflection of the Divine. Shioke is credited with the life span of our cells and our physical bodies, for we only need live as long as we choose to accomplish our dreams; once we have done what we came to do, we no longer need to be here and so Shioke enables our departure from life, as well as our appearance into it.

Mizuke, the Ki of Water, is the catalyst for communication and enables the combination of Kekki and Shioke to form complex structures. Mizuke is expansion, reproduction and growth, as in this trinity of Ki facets, it continually strives to further itself and produce a greater scale of life and physical being. The tenacity of Mizuke is echoed in life, forming the basis of our emotions, sexuality, and body awareness. We create Mizuke through communication with each other and in the development of intimate relationships.

Wherever there is expansion, there must also be restraint, for if these three aspects of Ki could endlessly grow, there would be merely a huge mass of physical matter, without boundary or division. So in limitation we discover the diversity of Kuki, the Ki of Air.

Kuki is the initiator of boundaries that regulate the growth of Kekki, Shioke, and Mizuke. It is these borders, which facilitate the concepts of individuality and separateness, as they mask our connection to each other and with all things. Kuki is the facet of Ki that offers the illusion of you, and me, and them, and the table, and the chair, and so on. Kuki provides us with our awareness and basic perception; it is consciousness and how we perceive the world around us.

In separation, however, Kuki also binds us, by instilling within each of us a mutual rhythm, a common goal. It is this, which drives and motivates us, making us individuals, yet causing us to seek connection with others through our relationships, families, cultural groups, communities, and so on. It is with our interactions, our self-recognition, and the shaping of our lives that Kuki is created.

As we find connection with each other and escape our isolation, we discover love, the embodiment of the Ki of Thunder, Denki. Denki is at the root of all human experience, it nurtures acceptance, although it also has associations with cleansing, as it teaches us through fear of loss and heartache. The Ki of Thunder is like the storm that cuts through stagnation and stillness, provoking movement and a purging of the things we no longer require. It is through the lessons of Denki and the love it makes possible that we strive for our life-purpose and discover the origins of our being here. By following our path and discovering both love and loss on our way, we learn how to experience empathy and compassion: qualities that create Denki.

As each individual becomes aware of their uniqueness and meaning, they meet others and form loving connections; they develop social groups, cultural communities, large populations, and so forth. With people experiencing their own, private motivations and priorities we observe the formation of complex dynamics, which need to be supported, directed, and to a certain extent governed. It is in this function that Jiki is created and the Ki of Magnetism guides us both individually and at the level of group consciousness.

Jiki is charismatic, symbolising beauty and harmony in all things. Whenever groups work together to produce, or uncover something good, it is Jiki that channels their effort and brings it to fruition. Jiki oversees our awareness on the larger scale, in relation to our society, faith, race, and species; leading us onwards, we are drawn together by its magnetism, in order to find our unique, cultural routes to truth and beauty.

It is Jiki that offers awareness to the other facets of Ki discussed so far, thus presenting them with the ability to act together for the unified good of all thing. This particular layer of Ki creates a magnetic attraction amongst the other layers, bringing them closer and managing the overall progression.

This leads us to the final facet of Ki and perhaps the best known: Reiki, or the Ki of the Soul. Reiki is a bridge between the pure wisdom of Shinki and the material nature of the other facets of Ki. Reiki is the organiser and equalising force of life that accomplishes its aim by balancing all facets of ‘physically orientated’ Ki. In creating equilibrium, Reiki heals and offers enlightenment. With a highly intelligent nature, Reiki understands the physical being in a way that Shinki cannot and hence, acts as representative of the Divine in our physical world.

It is believed that, when in balance, the facets of Ki create perfection of all things, yet if these different layers of Ki fall out of alignment, we soon see the development of dis-ease, which filters down through each aspect of Ki, from Jiki to Kekki. A lack of spiritual fulfilment, leads to mental and emotional unrest, social and cultural issues arise from this discordance, we feel cut off, abandoned, and alone. When this happens we try to readdress the imbalance by focussing on physical solutions, relying on addiction and co-dependence to compensate; this in turn, leads to physical dis-ease.

Reiki rebalances all the aspects of Ki by bridging the gap between physical and spiritual, using the knowledge of Shinki to bring the physical aspects of Ki back into alignment. By re-establishing balance, Reiki heals us on all levels and creates a path for us to find our personal connect with the Divine Ki; our own relationship with a higher source of wisdom.

Post Author: Martyn Pentecost

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