Rating: 
Summary: A very complete Reiki Reference
Review: I read Essential Reiki before receiving my attunements. I found this book to be packed with Reiki knowledge, drawings and procedures, I applaud Diane Stein's courage in defying the Reiki Traditionalists that would make Reiki exclsive only to those that can afford to pay. After receiving my 2 distance attunements (for free), over the internet, my kundalini energy activated during Reiki channeling. This book provided crucial information on how to use my kundalini energy during Reiki channeling and passing distance attunements. After receiving only 2 distance attunements, I was able to pass powerful distance attunements for all levels, using this book's attunement procedures and kundalini usage information. Thanks in part to Diane's work, I have performed 50 distance attunements, in one month, for free, at all levels. I found with kundalini activation, that holding my breath wasn't necessary while passing attunements. I always refer attunees to Essential Reiki as it is a complete source of information. I wasn't put off by Diane's constant she/her usage, as I recognize that she is going through past-life healing in this lifetime.
Thanks again Diane for your wonderful openness and sharing.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Reiki is truly essential for Reiki practitioners
Review: Okay, so I'm not going to say that this is the only book you should buy. After all, there are a lot of good Reiki books out there. But this is one of the best ones. It presents Reiki with a simple and clear approach, truly a reflection of what Reiki is...simple and easy to do. So maybe Diane Stein was a bit overenthusiastic with her feminist and Wicca views, it's not really that distracting. Any intelligent reader can simply replace the "she's" and "her's" with "he's" and "him's" should one prefer to do so. And as far as Wicca, one can easily integrate Reiki into one's spiritual beliefs. Diane Stein is merely presenting one way of doing this and it just so happens that her beliefs are Wiccan. It's not distracting at all. One can learn a lot about all three levels of Reiki through this book. Diane Stein is a courageous woman and true Reiki teacher. Just like Usui Mikao (the founder of Reiki), she endeavors to bring Reiki to everyone. After all, Reiki does not only belong to the exclusive few whose primary end is monetary gain. Reiki belongs to all of us. We are all Reiki. It is our divine heritage. Diane Stein's book brings us one step closer to claiming that lost birthright.
Rating: 
Summary: Irresponsible, Disrespectful and Useless
Review: Revealing the secret symbols of Reiki in this book is disrespectful to all sacred esoteric traditions. These symbols are also useless unless a practitioner is attuned or initiated via a transmission from an authentic teacher. Attuning a large group of people (150!) at one time is irresponsible, greedy and uncaring to students. Attunements need to be accompanied by thorough instruction. This author especially needs to resolve her hatred of males. Reiki is a wonderful energy for love, healing and forgiveness. If the author was working with true Reiki energy her hatred and resentments wouuld have dissolved. Reiki is universal love energy, which consists of yin and yang, male and female. You can't have one without the other. True Reiki will open your heart to all.
Rating: 
Summary: read with an open hart and critical mind
Review: Ms. Stein broke with tradition by publishing the five healing symbols of Reiki. Prior to the publication of this book the symbols were passed only from teacher to student. This breaking of silence caused no small amount of controversy in the Reiki community. I understand and agree with Ms. Stein's reasoning for publishing the symbols, the modern world is in such need of healing that positive energy, no matter what it's source, is a welcome reliefPlease understand that the process Ms. Stein discusses has very little to do with the traditional teachings of Reiki. This does not make it bad in and of itself however. The process of Reiki is one of healing and growth, and growth implies changes. Would Mikao Usui have approved of the publishing of the Reiki symbols? Of course not. Remember however Usui was equally opposed to teaching Reiki to non-Japanise and insisted that money exchange hands to provide the gift of healing. We are fortunate that these aspect of his teaching fell by the wayside and I believe there will come a day when we will all be happy that the secrecy element of Reiki has ended as well. The book provides a strange but complete history of Reiki as well as instructions for passing attunements, a system of laying on of hands for healing and extensive philosophical discussion as to the origin of Reiki energy
Of particular interest in the inclusion of the attunement process itself. The process is fully explained from the view of the receiver as well as the one providing the attunement. Despite it's good points the book has serious problems. These problems relate to Ms. Stein's worldview and political outlook. Throughout this book Ms. Stein's dislike (hatred? Fear? Loathing?) of men is palatable on nearly every page. It is made clear that she does not believe most men are capable of healing in any form. Her intolerance made the book almost unreadable Part of the healing process is the healing of the self. As a therapist I understand that to help others you must have some sort of handle on your own issues and problems. To walk in balance you must resolve your personal issues. If you are unable to resolve these issues yourself than you need to seek professional help. Ms. Stein points out that love and hate cannot co-exist in the same body and not have negative consequences yet has apparently never followed her own advice. Read the book, recognize hatred when you see it and pass it over, take the lessons of universal love and healing to hart.
Rating:
Summary: A truly Essential part of your Reiki studies
Review: I read this book shortly after taking a Level One Reiki class and found it to be an amazing source of information and ideas. I have since then obtained Master/Teacher certification and highly recommend this book to my students. I do disagree with some of the things in this book but I feel it is important to read all points of view and make one's own decisions. There are many add-ins within this book that are mixed in with the Reiki information and for a newcommer, that might become confusing or misleading but that is easily remedied with further study with a Reiki Master/Teacher and through continued readings of other authors. From it's debut, this book has been controversial. Reiki elitists continue to speak out against this book in defense of their own methods as training fees are getting more affordable to the public. This book has done a great service to the public by giving detailed information about this wonderful energy and system! It can't make you a reiki practioner but it will help you learn about reiki. As far as distance attunements go, I have received them and given them as well as received and given in-person attunements and I can attest that distance attunement is quite valid and potent. Reiki has no limits, only people's minds have limits.
Rating:
Summary: An encyclopedia of Reiki!
Review: This is the most comprehensive book on Reiki that I have ever come across. I was so fascinated that I stayed up and read the whole book in one night--and I have read it, or even single chapters, again and again. Diane Stein's experiences in trying to find a way to learn Reiki (since her financial means were limited) were especially intriguing to me. I was convinced by her view that all people are meant to know Reiki, and as a Reiki Master, I have attuned everyone free. I do not have the time to teach extensively, so I explain the basics and see that the student has William Rand's Reiki, The Healing Touch for a basic introductory text. (I use a book in Japanese for those who don't read English.) For people who want more information, I always recommend Essential Reiki. I think taking classes with good teachers and classmates on whom to practice is probably the optimum way to learn Reiki, but as Ms. Stein says, that's not always an option. Like the writer of another Amazon.com review, I do distant attunements, and the idea for doing so, and the instructions, I got from this book, although it seems that Ms. Stein does not herself do distant attunements intended to replace in-person ones. Another piece of information I first encountered in Essential Reiki is the fact that doing too many attunements at once can exhaust a person. Her account of her own experiences was most helpful to me. It explained some odd experiences I had seen or heard of from others. I don't always see eye to eye with Ms. Stein, as when she says one needs to put both hands on the body to do Reiki. I give myself Reiki on the train going to and from work, with only one hand on my body and the other hand holding the book I'm reading. She also says, or suggests, that one needs to actually touch to do Reiki, whereas I have felt Reiki from both myself and others when the hands are not touching the body. I also think she has an overly idealistic view of Buddhism. Living in Japan presents the religion and its effects a trifle differently than they are described by people who are acquainted with them mainly in theory. These differences aside, I find Ms. Stein's book extremely valuable, and I have the utmost respect for her. I also admire her for her values and for all the good she is doing in the world. I know that her publishing the Reiki symbols is deplored by some, but I considered her reasons completely valid. In contrast to what is said in another review, I consider Ms. Stein's method of attunement excellent. I have only managed one in her style because I can't yet hold my breath long enough, but another (more experienced) American Reiki Master here says he has switched to her method of attunement because he finds it definitely stronger. For anyone who wants to know about Reiki in depth, this book is truly ESSENTIAL.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully presented, informative, and nutty too
Review: I've looked at a lot of Reiki books recently, and remain impressed by the excellent prose, page design, and typography of Diane Stein's book. Unlike most others, which seem to have been hastily composed in Microsoft Word and sent to the printer without so much as a spell-check, Essential Reiki is a well-balanced, inviting, and lucidly-composed treatise on the art. The illustrations too are clean and useful. The content of the book, with regard to Reiki technique, seems impressive to me. Where Ms. Stein diverges from more standard practices, she seems to be good about saying so explicitly and then describing what the more standard practice is, if only briefly. There's a whole lot of information beyond the technique itself, on energy and chakra work for example, the value of which I haven't judged yet. ...And then there's the stuff that's off the deep end. On the one hand, she presents the traditional history of Reiki's origins that has apparently been shown to be false by several researchers. On the other, she presents "channeled" wisdom about Reiki's ancient origins and use by such figures as Jesus and Buddha and colonizers from a distant planet. It's a real shame to see such absurd material in a work that otherwise seems so good. The polemic also gets to be a bit much. Ms. Stein goes on (and on) about the Reiki establishment and its practices of secrecy (with regard to the symbols) and high fees. I happen to agree with her somewhat that it's more important more people learn to heal, but let's just do it and not point fingers. In contrast to other readers, however, I found her turnabout treatment of gender interesting and stimulating. All she did was write with feminine as the default instead of the usual masculine. It really jumps out at you and points out how implicit sexism is in our everyday language. I'm still looking for a teacher I feel a good connection with, and am still looking at books, but I must say I recommend this title for readers willing to work around some of the silliness.
Rating:
Summary: This book offers some inaccurate information...
Review: I am a Level II Reiki practioner. During Level I, our class was specifically cautioned about this book because it contains some inaccurate information regarding the symbols and their use. Out of curosity, I sought out this book, and indeed it does contain some information that is completely the opposite of what we were taught. I confirmed the inaccuracy of the information with a different Reiki Master. Additionally, I too sensed the anger of the author when I handled the book.
Rating:
Summary: A must for your Reiki Library!
Review: I insist that all my students who enter Reiki 1 training purchase Diane's book. It is a constant source of solid reiki information that fits with the growth of Reiki as a source of healing for ourselves and our planet. Diane is one of the best Reiki Masters practicing and teaching in the U. S.
Rating:
Summary: What a Divine Coincidence!
Review: This is what I've been needing all this time! Diane's book is a clear and comprehensive guide to understanding Reiki. It helped me to learn where Reiki originated and how it is used today. She informs readers of the do's and don't's of using Reiki, ethical situations, and the need to be compassionate with ourselves and others. Diane uses the referent pronouns "she" and 'her" reather than "he" and "his" when refering to the healer and the receiver. This is not sexist. It's a balance, especially since the referent pronouns most commonly used is other books are "he" and "his". She helps female readers become empowered and confident conduits of God/ess's love and healing energy. Diane bearly makes mention of any Wiccan believe system. She makes it clear that Reiki is not a religion, therefore, poeple of any faith are welcome to learn about and use Reiki. It's wonderful how Reiki is not exclusive any longer. It's clear that we are being called to heal ourselves and help others in their healing journeys. The planet and it's inhabitants are in dire need of healing. Diane encourages you to take responsibility for your birth right to become a vessel of love, compassion, and healing energy. I've been inspired to take steps in finding a local practioner to work with me on my healing. I will continue to learn more and seek attunment. Blessed be! Love and Light!
| 
