Has the WBTS published any articles about Reiki? Would be grateful for any references as don't have the library on disk. No doubt is regarded as highly dodgy and spiritistic, similar to hypnotism or something.
Reiki
by Noumenon 1 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Odrade
I've never seen anything specifically on Reiki. The closest named energy work I've seen in the magazines was an article a number of years back on muscle energy testing, (or "kinesiology" as the uninformed call it.) It never comes out and condemns muscle testing, but goes on quite extensively about Satan, demons, shamanism and the like.
Reiki, being more esoteric, and using symbols and "flow" would probably be enough to induce heart attack in a loyal dub. In fact, my childhood doctor's wife became a Reiki practitioner some years ago. When I happened to mention her to my JW mother a couple of months ago, she said with that horrified "demonzzzz" whisper, "Yes, she got into all sorts of spiritistic practices..." whoooooooo! be afraid. haha
I also find no mention of polarity, on the WT library CD 2001ed. Crystals and laying on of stones, aura analysis, and astrology came up in the March 94 Awake on New Age movement. They refer to it as "sanitized occultism." Mostly they seemed fixated with crystals in that article. That must have been the one my mom carried around the kingdumb hall to make my friends' moms throw out all their jewelry and trinkets...
Let's see, a 2000 Watchtower mentions how it is witchcraft and occultism to cleanse a home of negative energy...
By and large, I think the old men in Brooklyn remain nearly entirely ignorant to either fringe or more accepted alternative therapies. In recent years WTS has become favorable to homeopathy, accupuncture, massage and chiropractic adjustment. I guess that's to the good. Although I have to say, in looking for the answer to your Reiki question I ran across some truly appalling articles about when to seek treatment from a mental-health therapist. But that's a subject for another thread.
Sorry to get so longwinded, so here's the short version. No they've never specifically named Reiki, but if you get a Reiki treatment, don't tell the elders. If you buy a Reiki CD, don't play it out in Field Service. Ha.
Odrade