Rating: 
Summary: Very valuable to learn another's personal insights.
Review: Yes, Ms. Stein is Wiccan... a Dianic one. Yes, she's very strong in her female-preference for Reiki. Yes, she made symbols public that traditionally have been kept secret. Her book throws people at odds. Maybe that's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.Although Essential Reiki is an instructional book, it never loses sight of the fact that it is, in fact, one practitioner's view of Reiki-at-large. During my Reiki I class, the connection between Reiki and Christian philosophy was heavily discussed because several of my classmates were Catholic. I am Wiccan, and so felt a bit out of touch because my questions seemed so strange to them. Although I found it helpful and interesting to listen to their perspectives on Christian connections, I also wanted to have someone of my own faith to talk with, too. Although I strongly disagree with Stein's treatment of men in her book, I also have found some of the answers to the Wiccan-connection questions I'd been pondering. Stein's book opens doors to people who have been left out of Reiki due to financial reasons. I applaud her--Reiki should not be an exclusive club to only those who can pay for it. We were taught in class that money should not be demanded as payment, so why the huge amounts of money to become practitioners of something in Nature? Although not a substitution for learning with others, Stein's book approaches teaching and practice honestly so that an inquirer can learn before approaching an expensive class.
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Summary: DIANE STEIN AWONDERFUL AND RARE GRAND REIKIMATER.
Review: THE BOOKS GIVES THE BASIC IDEAS LIKE DISTANCE HEALING . PEOPLE WHO DOESNOT KNOW ABOUT TECHNIQUES FOR ATTUNMETS IT IS REFERENCR GUIDE. IF PERMISSION GRANTED I WOULD LIKE TO GET IT TRANSLATED TO MY MOTHER TONGUE TELUGU . SUCH RARE BOOKS SHOULD GET TRANSLATED INTO TELUGU AS THE ESSENCE OF ROOTS OF THE MINDS OF TELUGU PEOPLE AND IT CAUSES VERY GOOD UNDERSTANDING AND PROPAGATION FOR TELUGU SPEAKING PEOPLE. PUBLISHING PART IS TO BE SEEN. WITHH BEST REGARDS AND LOVE AND LIGHT OF REIKI TO DIANE STEIN . THANK YOU, M.NARAYANA RAO 15.9.99 MY MAILING ADRESS ; M.NARAYANA RAO, T1,SAIAPARTMENTS, 59-1-15/1, RAMACHNADRANAGAR, VIJAYAWADA - 520008. INDIA.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have book!
Review: This book provides a detailed, complete and clear-cut description of Reiki techniques and practices. It includes attunements and - to the horror of the "traditionalists" - all the known symbols previously kept secret. In my opinion, these are the days when information hoarding serves no good purpose whatsoever, so I applaud Ms. Stein's courage to reveal what she did. She also shares much of her experience, and I personally find it very helpful, as it alerts me to what I might be facing myself in my practice. Overall, if I had to own only one book on Reiki - this one would be it! Bravo, Diane Stein!
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Summary: The book is spellbinding, energetic, & it hasa spiritual msg
Review: Though there are many pros and cons about Ms. Diane Stein's "Essential Reiki" book the messages are only reader opinions. Every reader is intitle to his opinions. This book is one of the most candidly and unselfishly written books I have ever read. Reading it gave me the knowledge I needed in order to become more acquianted with the true meaning of Reiki. After reading the first chapter, immediatly I started to perform Reiki on myself. I was also convinced that we all possess the power of healing. That is why, I would like to make contact with Ms. Stein because her frankness convinced me of her generosity. Our world is so full of selfish people that when someone like Ms. Stein comes along people will try to discredit and backmouth them. Our society lives in constant psychic illness. Jesus healed the sick freely and he gave the power to heal without charging anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was sorely disappointed in Essential Reiki by Diane Stein. While the book does contain a substantial and interesting body of information about Ms. Stein's variation of the practice of this wonderful healing process, the reader is forced to wade through a sea of feminist ideology and Wiccan philosophy to get to it. So much is this the case, that I was often unsure where Reiki started and her other views ended. She explains how she developed a modern form of Reiki out of her extensive study of the subject melded with her personal experiences and experimentation. She admits that certified teachers refused to certify her as a qualified practitioner for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was her decision to pass along the information in an altered form and, often, free of charge. She justifies her actions by saying that knowledge of the subject of Reiki without the "attunements" received at each level, will not enable a person to use Reiki. Furthermore, Ms. Stein states that, "...any cost which puts the information out of reach is immoral." Perhaps so, but Misao Usui, the founder of Reiki, found early in his practice that such a gift, freely given, is perceived as being of little value. Moreover, Reiki is taught with the understanding that students will restrict the teaching of the system to those who are willing to demonstrate a commitment - especially through a financial investment in their education. There is, however, no requirement to charge high fees for a healing session, and it is this point that brings Ms. Stein's position into question. One can practice Reiki, i.e. enable healing, to her/his heart's content for minimal fees. It is in the area of teaching Reiki for free, or at minimal cost, that Ms. Stein runs afoul of tradition practitioners. While some of her students view her decision to reveal private matters as "courageous," I do not, but I do understand why so many of her teachers refused to certify her. Nonetheless, even without certification, she is, by her own claim, a Reiki Master/Teacher, who now certifies others. I found Ms. Stein's almost exclusive and labored use of the female idiom to be not only awkward but tiresome. Rarely have I felt as if I were reading something not intended for me, but Ms. Stein's exclusionary wording left me with just that feeling. If her choice of words is a reaction to "male" dominated language, as some believe, I would suggest that she has adopted a ponderous way of expressing her dissatisfaction. For example, in describing the meaning of a Japanese word, she says, It was defined for me as "God and man coming together," which somewhat offends my feminism. Why not "Goddess and woman coming together" or "Divinity and people"? Another definition might be "As Above, So Below." Indeed, it might, but why the apparent unwillingness to deal with gender-neutral words? For example, and speaking of no one in particular, she says, "To begin the healing, do the head positions standing or sitting behind the person receiving the session...The woman receiving the healing may be restless through it..." and, "With her hands placed on a Reiki position..." and, "The receiver of a healing takes her shoes off and her eyeglasses...." Ms. Stein, a self-proclaimed Wiccan, opens her story with a revisionist history of Christianity and the place of Jesus as a healer and supports her comments by citing some sources which offer highly unusual and often suspect views of history - Holger Kersten's book, Jesus Lived in India, being a notable example. She also demonstrates little fear in making questionable claims: one example being, "One out of three women in America has been raped and probably half to three quarters have been incested (sic) or otherwise violated." Experts will certainly agree that there is a disparity between reported and non-reported sexual assaults, but I cannot imagine where she arrived at her statistics. Even questionable statistics, however, pale in comparison to her Wiccan? view about the very valid use of Reiki in the healing of animals. Cats are particularly aware of Reiki energy, but they have an attitude about it. They feel that cats invented it, and they want to keep it. They may not be pleased to share it with a human. If they need healing, however, they will accept it and probably criticize your technique. I was uncomfortable throughout my reading of her book with examples of her willingness to discount "traditional" Reiki teaching and substitute her own forms in their place. I was equally uncomfortable with her undisciplined thought processes. For example, Reiki uses certain sign and symbols, drawn in a certain way, as part of the healing process. Ms. Stein explains that traditional Reiki teaches that a certain sign should be drawn in a counterclockwise direction, but that she and her students found that drawing it in reverse is more beneficial. She says, "In any metaphysical work, including Wicca, clockwise motion...is the direction of...increase, and counterclockwise motion is the direction of decrease. Counterclockwise (drawing) does not (cause increase)." On the following page, however, she says, "In using symbols, intent is extremely important; if your will is for increase, the symbol will give you increase, whichever direction it is drawn in." I am not opposed to Wicca, and I am certainly nor opposed to women's issues or women's rights. I am, however, opposed to sloppy thinking and self-serving writing. Ms. Stein may have exceptional healing abilities, I don't know, but if she does, I suspect that they demonstrates the strength of Reiki to survive and prosper even when shrouded in silly mysticism and "magick" (sic). In the early stages of her book, when she discussed her teachers' refusal to certify her, she said that people would probably use her lack of certification to discredit her. I disagree; I believe that they will use this book to do that.
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Summary: It's the complete manual!
Review: This book is perfect! Great for anyone who wishes to know about Reiki. And I do not find the feminist slant in it offensive! If you use he/him for everyone it is considered normal, so why not she/her? The point is, it doesn't matter what you use to address everyone -- male or female. What you are saying is important. And what she is saying is extremely valuable. It is really really courageous of Dian Stein to have written this book. I would love to contact her and get attuned by her. If anyone has any information about how to contact her, please let me know.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for Newcomers to Reiki
Review: I've tried to find out all I could about Reiki on the Internet, and through metaphysical places close to where I live. All I knew was that one could heal with her hands. All of the articles, brochures, and class descriptions I read didn't explain how it worked. I even called two Reiki Masters about their classes and still couldn't understand how it worked. What they said to me seemed so vague, I really felt stupid like I wasn't getting something. So how was I going to explain to my husband why I wanted to pursue this and just how it worked? He was already a skeptic, and thought I was "out there" when it came to things of this nature? Then I read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I wanted to jump out of my skin with excitement for I knew now what it was and how it is done. For the first time, I understood exactly what it was and how it worked and basically what is taught in all three levels. Now I'm ready to take Reiki I and II, and am not going into it so blind. Why don't all Reiki Masters just tell you that they "open up and clear your body's energy channels which enables you to receive God's power of healing"? Or something simple like that? Thank you Diane, for your honesty and simplicity. I loved this book and am looking forward to taking Reiki I & II in late June.
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Summary: Diane Stein**** is mother healer
Review: hello, i am raghavnedra from bangalore.i have read this book. you have explained the attunement process very well. there is no other book compare to attunement process. reiki excerise for men &women is very good. i practice this excerise twice a daily.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money on this awfull book.
Review: This book was not at all like I expected. Instead of an intelligent discussion of an oriental healing system- you get a book full of new-age psychic mumbo jumbo. I would like to see a book on Reiki written from an oriental perspective that doesn't deal with crap like "harmonic convergence."
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Summary: Reiki is no longer a secret system of healing.
Review: Diane Stein brings the three degrees of Reiki all together in black and white so all may see and know the Reiki system of healing. She is courageous because she takes the tradition of secrecy as inappropriate for today's needs. We all need to know and understand that we are all healers and we can relearn the lost art of self and other healing once again. As we heal ourselves we heal one another and the planet and can move forward in our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical growth and developement. However, we still need each other to pass the energy of light from one to the other. What better way to share love and light and hope for a better tomorrow.
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