Amy Rowland's Path to Reiki
Reiki is the best blessing of my life. I was privileged to study Reiki (Usui Shiki Ryoho) with Reverend Beth Gray, a dear friend and master student of Hawayo Takata. I learned the basic hands-on method and the advanced distant-healing method in the spring and autumn of 1987. Because I loved the light, joyful way the energy made me feel and because I was always full of questions, I returned at every opportunity to assist at Beth Gray's classes. Since she "dropped in" on Bucks County at roughly six month intervals, I had the chance to assimilate what I learned from her as she taught and to use that sense of clarity to deepen my practice. This informal spiritual study went on for years.
When Beth retired from teaching Reiki in 1991, I was forced to learn from experience that the Energy is not only the true healer, but also the true teacher. Using Reiki itself, I began to direct my questions to Mikao Usui and other early Reiki Masters. With a strong sense of their support, I studied under Reiki Master Frank DuGan and became certified as a Reiki Master in 1994. Since then, it has been my joy to teach Reiki to many people and to see them awaken to the flow of healing energy in their hands and to the comfort of a conscious connection to Spirit.
Reiki is at the heart of my spiritual practice and shapes my life. I believe that it is no coincidence that I received my M.A. degree in English from Temple University and learned Reiki from Beth Gray in the same year. As I learned how to teach English "on the job" in college classrooms in southeastern Pennsylvania, I also built a small client practice in Reiki. By 1994, when I received my Reiki Master certification, I had a lot of practical experience in both teaching and Reiki.
Soon I realized that I was being guided to write a book about Reiki that would serve as an introduction to this healing method for the curious and as a reference book for Reiki practitioners. In 1996 and 1997, with the encouragement and support of my family and many Reiki friends, I wrote Traditional Reiki For Our Times. In 1998, Inner Traditions published the book, which created some wonderful opportunities for me to speak about Reiki, both to the general public and to healthcare professionals.
In April 2001, I studied with Tom Rigler, a Gendai Shihan, or master student of Mr. Hiroshi Doi, and received training to teach Usui Reiki Ryoho and Gendai Reiki techniques. In September 2002, I took advantage of the opportunity to study with Mr. Doi himself at the Usui Reiki Ryoho International Conference in Toronto, Ontario. While I continue to teach in the Western tradition in which I was originally taught, I enjoy teaching the traditional Japanese techniques as well.
Over the course of 30 years of teaching Reiki, I have taught thousands of students, mostly in small classes of two or three or four or five. As my own practice deepened, I created workshops on Reiki and Intuition and on the Reiki Principles. I have shared my understanding of the importance of intuition in Intuitive Reiki For Our Times, published by Inner Traditions in July 2006, and on the centering power of gratitude in Reiki for the Heart and Soul: the Reiki Principles as Spiritual Pathwork, published by Inner Traditions in December 2008. In addition, my publisher allowed me to updateTraditional Reiki for Our Times, to make its account of the early history of Reiki current and accurate, as well as inspiring. The result is The Complete Book of Traditional Reiki, published by Inner Traditions in July 2010.
Now, after 30 years of teaching Reiki and more than half my lifetime practicing Reiki, I am focusing once again on writing about Reiki. I look forward to waking up in the morning to a routine of journaling, sending Reiki, and working on a new book manuscript, inviting caregivers to learn and apply the Reiki principles for their own mental and emotional health and for healing in their relationships with their loved one, with healthcare providers, with family, and with friends. The book includes an overview of the principles and their history, as well as chapters on each of the individual principles. Stories from personal experience as a caregiver show how I learned to use the Reiki principles to face the daily challenges and to cope with the unexpected crises that are "normal" life for caregivers.
While I focus on writing this book manuscript, I am not currently teaching Reiki Level I and Reiki II. I do expect to teach a Reiki Master class in 2026. During the pandemic, I taught two Reiki Master students over the course of two years, almost entirely via Zoom sessions. I am comfortable teaching online, but I insist on meeting students in person for attunements to the Reiki Energy.
Reiki continues to shape my life in beautiful ways, guiding my direction and my sense of purpose. What's next? I will see where the light shines on my path -- and try to keep you posted.
I am a member of the Association of Bodyworkers & Massage Professionals; a friend of the American Holistic Nurses Association; a certified hypnotherapist; and an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. For more information, please contact me at: info@traditionalreiki.com.
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