This page refers to other healing systems taught by the Kether School of Reiki.
Karuna Ki
Seichim
Sekhem Heka
Reiki has now become easy and cheap to acquire, and in the wake of this, many 'new improved' systems have developed, incorporating additional symbols and practices. There are literally dozens of these new systems, and the Masters of the Kether School of Reiki have looked into and trained in several of them.
The fact is that all of these new systems have, in one way or another, grown from Reiki. You cannot practice any of these systems without Reiki, and we have yet to come across a system that does not utilise the Reiki symbols (at initial level) and attunement process (although there are dozens of different attunement sets).
I learned some of the systems from my Reiki Master, Paul Weston, who had trained in them. And I also learned much from the work of Vincent Amador who opened my eyes to a lot of so-called 'truths' about Reiki and its associated systems. Paul passed on one version of Karuna, which having studied the different versions, I believe to be a form of Tera Mai, as developed by Kathleen Milner. Paul also taught me a form of Seichim.
I do not want to replicate discussions that have appeared in length elsewhere, and suggest any visitors interested in knowing the full history of Tera Mai, Karuna, etc, visit Vincent's site for details.
Some Words for Reiki Masters
One thing that Vincent Amador states on his web site, and in the light of experience I can only agree with, is that once you are a Reiki Master, you really already 'have it all', and there is nothing to stop you experimenting with and using the symbols or energy of other systems. There is nothing 'higher' than Reiki Master, just 'different flavours'. After all, these systems were devised by people who had not been attuned into them themselves and the symbols, at the most rational level, were 'made up' - even if their creators say they were channelled from spirits, or whatever. Many Masters of Seichim and so on will no doubt disagree with this, for their own reasons, but it's really up to you to come to your own conclusions about it.
Despite this, I have found that being attuned to these different systems does help you 'lock on' to the various symbols, and attunement ceremonies do lend a kind of formal authentification to the procedure. This is why we offer modified Master attunements in Karuna Ki and Seichim to Reiki Masters, without them having to take all the different levels. If you're already a Master, you don't need them, although if someone did feel more comfortable taking the whole course, we'd be happy to give it to them. (We might be doing ourselves out of business here, but really any Reiki Master can download the information from Vincent's site and begin working with Karuna Ki. Ethics can be a nuisance, but we do feel we have to be honest!)
The Pros and Cons of New Systems
In our opinion - and experience - none of these systems are 'better' or 'higher', than Reiki, or 'more in touch with the universe', as has been claimed. But they are an interesting complement to Reiki practice, for those who want to learn them. This is why we make them available at a reasonable cost.
We have seen these courses being offered at prices that mirror the original cost of Reiki, before its popularity inevitably forced prices down. One cannot help feeling that the expense of these new modalities is an attempt to make Reiki exclusive and costly again. The Teachers of the school do not feel comfortable with this. We can remember when we were curious and eager to learn new systems, and the prohibitive high price prevented it - until the universe was kind enough to point us in the right direction! We do not want cost to prevent people from extending their Reiki studies if they want to. All you are paying for in each degree is the Reiki Master's time. Each degree takes no more than an afternoon or evening session and costs £50. As with the Reiki degrees, we offer full back up and support by telephone or email, post-attunement.
So, if they're 'no better' than Reiki, what's the point of learning these systems?
Well, you certainly don't need them in order to be an expert Reiki practitioner. It is merely a matter of choice. But having practiced these systems, we found they do have their own individual 'feel' and qualities. Why is this so? We can only guess. Perhaps it's because they tap into, or isolate, specific frequencies of the Reiki ray.
Karuna Ki
Karuna Ki typifies the 'loving heart of the universe', and all those we have trained in it report a deep, warm emotional feeling during attunement. There are three degrees to Karuna Ki, and the first two can be taken by Second Degree Reiki practitioners. Master level is available only to Reiki Masters, as it involves teaching, and you can't pass on any form of Reiki until you have the training to do so. All levels of Karuna Ki involve learning new symbols, some of which have very specific uses.
We have used the term Karuna Ki, rather than simple 'Karuna' for reasons of copyright, which are discussed in detail on Vincent Amador's site. Vincent has been kind enough to make his research and practices freely available to anyone, and we can say without reservation that his site gives the best information on Reiki and associated practices that we have seen.
Seichim
Seichim is geared more towards self-evolution, and is useful for those taking their Reiki studies beyond traditional healing. It is said to 'awaken' the individual to the universe. Seichim (also known as Sekhem and Seichem), has Egyptian roots, given that its founder, Patrick Zeigler, underwent spontaneous attunement in the Great Pyramid of Giza in the early '80s, but since that time, many Reiki Masters have added to Zeigler's original system, bringing it more in line with Reiki practice.
The Masters of the School teach the Seven Facet System of Seichim, which incorporates Reiki training, but we are happy to offer a modified course for those who already have any of the Reiki degrees.
Sekhem Heka
Sekhem Heka has been developed by me, Storm Constantine. A number of Seichim and Sekhem masters around the world have incorporated the symbolism of the Egyptian lioness goddess, Sekhmet, into their practice, so that Sekhmet has, in many areas, become synonymous with Seichem/Sekhem.
Long before I became a Reiki Master Teacher, I had worked, in a magical sense, with the goddess Sekhmet. And it was not until after Reiki Mastership that I discovered the existence of Seichim and Sekhem. I was naturally very curious about them, but once I learned about them, saw a way I could use them to create a system more in keeping with my own practices. Because of its esoteric nature, I would not advocate this system to people who would feel that the symbolism involved conflicts with their personal beliefs.
Sekhem Heka is not a religion, in that it does not include worship of godforms, but it does incorporate ceremonial/ritual practice. Based upon Seichim, it is designed for people with esoteric interests, who also want to practice natural healing.
Sekhem means 'power' and Heka (roughly) means 'magic'. Heka, in ancient Egyptian, was both magic itself and the name of the deity associated with it. Many goddesses were given the epithet 'weret hekau', which meant 'great of magic'.
The symbols used in this system derive from various forms of Seichim and Sekhem, but I've also incorporated authentic Egyptian symbols, which were important to healers and magic-workers in ancient times. When Eloise and I were researching our book on the Egyptian feline/leonine goddesses, 'Bast and Sekhmet: Eyes of Ra', we learned of many techniques used by Ancient Egyptian healers, which I have now incorporated into the Sekhem Heka system.
I have to point out that at no time during our research did we ever come across the suggestion that Ancient Egyptians used a form of hands-on healing. They worked with symbols, yes, but in a completely different way. In Reiki, you might send energy, along with symbols, into food or drink, perhaps for someone who is ill to consume as a kind of medicine. In Ancient Egypt, healers would draw specific symbols onto the insides of drinking bowls, in the belief that the symbol would 'charge' the water with its power, and then get a patient to drink it. Or they might inscribe symbols on a scrap of linen and get a patient to eat it. So, there are tenuous similarities.
Most of Sekhmet's priests were also healers, which is perhaps why the goddess has become so strongly associated with Sekhem (apart from similarities in the name!). Sekhmet was seen as a goddess of plagues and destruction, who could overthrow the pharaoh's enemies, but paradoxically she was also a goddess of healing. If she had the power to create disease then she must also have had the power to eradicate it.
Sekhmet, in her original form, was a fearsome and ferocious goddess, representing the consuming heat of the sun. She was known as an 'eye of Ra' (Ra being the sun god). Nowadays, she has become an immensely popular goddess among those drawn to the Egyptian belief system, but in many instances her characteristics have been 'watered down', making her more acceptable to modern sensibilities.
In Sekhem Heka, I have striven for balance. I accept Sekhmet's ferocious side, and do not try to pretend it's not there, but focus upon an aspect we refer to as 'White Sekhmet'. This is not to be confused with the 'white' of white magic.
Sekhmet represents fire, and fire takes many forms. The red fire of Sekhmet is her purging flame, which is quite capable of destroying as much as healing. We also acknowledge an aspect of the goddess, which we refer to as Black Sekhmet (again not to be confused with the magical term). Black Sekhmet, to us, is the fierce goddess of initiation, and also the personification of the aspect that the pharaohs would have called upon to smite their enemies. We do not use this aspect for smiting, though! We merely acknowledge its presence, and respect it. Black Sekhmet is also the form of the goddess we petition during initiation ceremonies into our system of Egyptian Magic. There are many reasons for this, which it is inappropriate to discuss on this site, but we'd be happy to answer any queries via email.
To us, White Sekhmet is the healing white flame (as in the white light of Reiki), which is separate from the more drastic and unpredictable red flame. This seems most appropriate for a system deriving from Reiki.
Perhaps there are potentially as many new systems as there are Masters, because I think the majority of Masters want to introduce their own personal touches and beliefs into the way they teach Reiki. Sekhem Heka certainly developed from this standpoint, and a desire to incorporate my magical work into my healing work and vice versa. I teach Reiki 'straight', i.e. without any specific spiritual emphasis, as I believe strongly it's wrong to inflict your personal beliefs on anyone! But for those who share my interests, Sekhem Heka might be for you.
