Do We Pick Up Karma When We Heal Others?

What sort of karmic baggage are you picking up?

What sort of karmic baggage are you picking up?

Somehow, I never heard this question until a couple of years ago, a popular Indian ascetic published a video where he announced that healing others through Reiki was dangerous. When I first heard of this video, I was irritated, but when I saw it I realised that most of what was said was true. It was only the partial truth, which was what was misleading, but it did raise an important question.

Karma is Overrated

Let’s understand karma first, before we investigate whether Reiki brings us additional bad karma. Karma is intention. Imagine, for example, if someone was to slap you in front of a dozen people. Wouldn’t you want to retaliate? Whether you do or not doesn’t matter, just that desire to retaliate will stick on to your energy, creating circumstances in the future where you finally get even. And that of course, might create a desire in the other, to retaliate, and so the cycle goes on.

On the other hand, if you were in a bus, and this person lost balance and accidentally slapped you as he fell – would there be a desire to hit back? Quite unlikely. So the same slap creates karma in one situation, and doesn’t, in another. This is a simplified way of looking at it of course, there’s much more to it, but this understanding is enough in this context. You don’t gather karma if the intent isn’t there.

Understanding Reiki Healing

Now, most people, including many Reiki teachers, don’t understand how Reiki works. When you heal through Reiki, if you are practicing the pure form of it, Reiki does the healing. All the healer does, is bring the client in touch with a greater amount of energy, so that the body-mind can do what needs to be done. The healer really doesn’t ‘do’ anything. Unfortunately, most people don’t just practice Reiki.

Where We Go Wrong

Strong desire for a particular result

One of the most important aspects in Reiki healing is detachment. When we get attached to the results, we subconsciously invest energy into the situation, thereby creating karmic links. This obviously works whether or not you are practicing Reiki. Yes, chances are, if you are a Reiki healer, you will have more people turning to you for help, and if you are sympathetic, you will end up creating more karmic links than you would have if you weren’t a ‘healer’. But it isn’t Reiki that creates karmic links, it is sympathy and involvement with the results of the healing. Of course, trying to ‘fix’ other people, whether with or without their consent, creates even more serious problems.

Manipulating the energy of the person

Also, authentic Reiki doesn’t place much control in your hands. Indeed, when it is the divine will manifesting, why would the personality interfere anyway? But the ego wants to participate, it wants credit, and wants to do something. In a bid to hasten healing, or force desired results, many healers eventually turn to modalities that do offer them some degree of control. Psychic surgery, crystals, and working with angels are just a few of such methods; there are many more. These methods of healing directly interfere with and alter energetic patterns. They are perfect when they are used as a result of intuitive guidance. But more often than not, they are used for ‘better results’, which is really another way of telling the universe that its plan isn’t good enough. Enter karma.

The Bottom line…

You’re gathering bad karma all the time, anyway

If you really are worried about gathering bad karma, look at all the bad thoughts you are thinking. Even the good thoughts, for that matter, or the desire to help. Anything you feel with intensity will create karma. For example, if you wish repeatedly that a particular criminal should be killed, you are creating karmic links with this person. When you get overly attached to a celebrity, same thing. Or that nasty neighbour, your boss, or your best friend. When you interfere in another person’s life, you create karma.

Let go, dance with life!

I remember we used to sing hymns in our school, that said ‘let me be an instrument of your peace’. An instrument gathers no karma. When we work with Reiki in complete surrender to the system, gathering karma is impossible. That is why we begin with the attitude of gratitude – it is to remind ourselves, that no matter what, life is worth being grateful for. And if that attitude isn’t a healing already, what is?