This is a great book for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Christopher does not try misleading people like some other authors. When he discusses the history of Reiki he talks about several versions that he heard. When I teach a class I personally like telling my students the truth, atleast as I am aware of it, as well as other versions people may come across. There is nothing worse than skipping this and having people think you are just lying to them.
This is also a great resource for Reiki symbols. My only complaint is that the book should include stuff like shielding in order to become a complete book.

Very interesting book. It combines the usual Reiki knowledge with some magick experience. You will find new Reiki symbols as well as some new Reiki techniques.

I have read many books on Reiki, and after a while you have just about heard it all. This book in very interesting, has many different ideas that are worth giving thought to, and I am of the school that symbols are sacred but do not need to be kept secret. I found the sections on the different schools of Reiki to be very informative. This book is a must for you Reiki library.

...yet, Mr. Penczak, unlike any author of which I am familiar to date, shares non-traditional "Reiki" without mistreatment or disrespect to Traditional. Frankly, I found some of the modern idealogies to have quite fascinating inter-connective possibilities.

Traditional Reiki can remain un-changed - just as I was taught-yet why can I not add stones or scents to further stimulate the power of my patient's inner self? As a Traditional Master | Teacher I see absolutely no reason why I cannot.

This author is most fascinating; I read this book in four days! Typically, a book such as this one would have been for reference only, but instead I was locked in from the beginning by the writing style of this author, and read this work from cover-to-cover.

Christopher Penczak - you did right to decide to write, teach and see patients full time as this is your "calling". Never stop writing, my friend, as your words are ordered from something "on High".

Having broken my back and been exposed to Reiki only this year (2005) - wow what a eye-opener my year has been. Through the awesome power of reiki I returned to work (albeit at part-time)in just over 3 weeks having crushed one vertebrae and broken 4 others, within 8 weeks I was full-time again. I went from 7.5 Codalgan a day to only 1 in just 3 treatments (2 weeks). So with everything that I experienced during my healing I have been dissappointed by traditional reiki books no matter which lineage it follows because there was always something missing, those extra things that happen to you during a reiki treatment, jugs full of water dripping slowly onto your back, 5 or 6 sets of hands placed on you at once when only one physical being is in the room with you, the overwhelming urge to giggle when a certain spirit puts their hands on your body, bubbling explosions, rippling nerves and muscle tissue, "tens machine" treatments, "remobilization treatments" and treatments which last for hours after the healer has left the building, waking up in the middle of the night with someone's hands on you, being poked or proded in the night and much, much more. All these types of responses are given a good hearing in the Magick of Reiki. Christopher summarises all of the different types of lineage, the symbols that the different practioners use the stuff that happens that shifts your healing "beyond an energy experience" and gives you the key to enter the realm of "magick". Since February I have been experiencing and developing my "magick" and I didn't even realise it!!! Christopher describes how he blends the many different styles of reiki to best suit his own experience and healing style and promotes his readers to do the same. I think this would be a great book for anyone wanting to try out some modern reiki traditions - there are after all 14 of them now!! Christopher helps us to tip toe through the maze with his usual love and light...thumbs up for this one - would make a great christmas gift to anyone you know who has done reiki one, two or masters.