|  A bit about Roberta R. Barnes
I have completed the highest level, Usui Reiki Ryoho Shihan (Teacher often referred to as Master), in various Japanese and Western styles of Usui Reiki Ryoho. I First experienced Reiki in the 1980s, and began my Usui Reiki Ryoho studies in the late 1990s. My focus is teaching and practicing Gendai Reiki-ho and Komyo Reiki not altered from the way I learned from my Usui Reiki Ryoho Shihans (teachers), each with a close lineage to Mikao Usui, the founder of Usui Reiki Ryoho. The style I most commonly teach is Gendai Reiki-ho; I first studied Gendai Reiki-ho with Richard Rivard, and then Hiroshi Doi. I also teach Komyo Reiki, which I studied with Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto.
I have enjoyed living in two countries. I have studied other healing practices, and have seen such things as auras all her life. When reviewing my notes and the books from other healing practices I find myself constantly saying, “Reiki does that, but without any props, fuss, or odd rituals”. I continue to find many things in herbology that like Usui Reiki Ryoho focus on the importance of bringing the whole person into balance and creating harmony in his or her life. When each person is living in balance and surrounded by harmony, health and happiness will easily be found in this world.
Besides the universe allowing me to connect with the three Reiki Shihans (teachers) perfect for my journey, I have had other learning experiences. Empathy for any person experiencing what he or she perceives as a struggle is automatic. My experiences however have allowed me an understanding for others in countless situations. Like many young people, at the age of four I began studying ballet, which flowed into Tap dancing, Spanish dancing, mountain climbing, cheerleading and more. When I was blessed with two young children an accident left me in a situation requiring crisis professional medical care including emergency and major surgeries -- then my healing began. Professional medical care can only treat, and then Usui Reiki Ryoho, herbs and meditation take center stage. I learned how to get up each time I fall. I say fall as opposed to fell, because some cells do not heal by Webster’s definition. The unique form of universal energy named Usui Reiki Ryoho goes further then promoting and speeding healing; Reiki helps a person to accept what is and then move forward.
I cannot know what someone else is going through. However, the worst or best that has happened to you or me is equal to the worst or best that has happened to anyone else, regardless of what that is. I have experienced both the delight in hearing an audience clap for what I have done, and the bewilderment of my own feet/legs feeling as if they belonged to someone else because they refused to move without the use of my hands. I have learned that as unique as each person is, time is required for both learning and healing, and the truth of the Zen saying, “Now, it’s all you have”. Miracles happen daily, but often go unseen. The wonderment in life can easily be overlooked in the rush to get to the next event. Reiki, meditation, and connecting with nature can help a person to learn how to work the awareness of life’s wonderments into his or her life.
I have come to know the practice of Usui Reiki Ryoho well enough so that I do not teach by the book; I cover everything in the manual I give to each student, but in the order that is right for each student. I do not alter the Japanese styles of Usui Reiki Ryoho that I learned; the content of the manuals I write is a combination of the manuals I received from my Shihans and the notes I took in the respective classes. My others studies allow me to verbally answer most questions any student might have. I am honored when anyone chooses me as his or her Shihan (teacher), schedules for a personalized herb report, or Reiki healing session. I enjoy teaching the various levels of both Gendai Reiki-ho and Komyo Reiki, which allow each to blend into their life what is right for him or her. I give the description of the various levels on my Reiki Training page; all levels are honorable and as with any journey, how far one travels varies with each person.
All of my three primary Reiki Shihans (teachers/masters) not only have a close lineage to Mikao Usui, but also have retained the core beliefs that Mikao Usui formed his teachings around.
My energy and technique lineage through Hiroshi Doi as is follows.
Mikao Usui -- Founder of the Usui Reiki Ryoho system and First President of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Reiki Japanese Association founded in 1922/23).
Kan'ichi Taketomi -- Third President of the URR Gakkai, initiated by Mikao Usui.
Kimiko Koyama -- Sixth President of the URR Gakkai, initiated by Kan’ichi Taketomi.
Hiroshi Doi -- President of the Gendai Reiki Healing Association,
present member of Usui's Gakkai. Initiated by Kimiko Koyama and others.
Roberta Barnes
Mr. Hiroshi Doi (Doi-Sensei) is president of the Gendai Reiki Healing Association. He completed studies in more than 30 healing methods and began practicing a style of Usui Reiki Ryoho that had bounced back to Japan from the Western part of this world. Then he received initiations (attunements) from members of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, such as prior president Ms. Kimiko Koyama, and became a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai society. At that time the URR Gakkai was not widely known.
Doi-Sensei developed Gendai Reiki-ho as a way of blending the Western style of Reiki that he refers to as “sophisticated” and the traditional Reiki "which emphasizes the way of consciousness for raising spirituality”. His theory and effectiveness has won worldwide recognition. There are now Gendai Reiki-ho Shihans (master/teachers) in 31 countries around the world.
My energy and technique lineage through Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto is as follows.
Mikao Usui (Founder of the Usui Reiki Ryoho system) -- Chujiro Hayashi -- Chiyoko Yamaguchi -- Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto -- Roberta Barnes
Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto, also a Reiki Shihan in Japan, is the founder of Komyo Reiki Kai. This style of Usui Reiki Ryoho places emphasis on spiritual enfoldment, the goal being for “satori” or enlightment. Hyakuten-Sensei’s Reiki Shihan (teacher) was Mrs. Chiyoko Yamaguchi who from 1938 to 1940 studied under Dr. Chujiro Hayashi. Chujiro Hayashi was a medical doctor, and one the three students Mikao Usui’s raised to the level allowing him to teach Usui Reiki Ryoho.
Hyakuten-Sensei spent over a year studying with Yamaguchi-Sensei each week. Komyo Reiki focuses on personal transformation through Reiki. Hyakuten-sensei, like my other two Reiki Shihans, helped me to learn that teaching from the heart/soul rather then the book allows the student to assimilate the essence of the unique from of universal energy called Usui Reiki Ryoho, rather then memorizing symbols and techniques. He is an independent Buddhist monk who officially belongs to the Jodo-Shu (Pure Land) sect of Japanese Buddhism.
Learning to do things, which sometimes are taken for granted, with spinal cord injuries, (no mater how incomplete they might be) is a challenge that requires tapping into resources of the whole person and beyond. I receive assistance in every day activities by tapping into energy from the universe, earth, and other areas. Tapping into various types of music has been done for centuries. In the spring and summer especially, if a person learns to listen, the songs of the birds can connect and help him or her to move with the earth’s rhythm. I help people to raise their awareness in all areas of life with the workshops I call connecting with nature. I learned to walk again, but my damaged central nervous system continues to require that I walk slowly and rest often. This pace is perfect for those I am introducing to nature’s energies. In the fast lane of life those small yet powerful rays of sunshine, are often overlooked. Once a person knows how, any area where plants grow can be an astonishing yet peaceful experience.
The meditation I teach is a free style that a person can blend into his or her life style. A person can then go on to study a structured form of meditation if he or she chooses. In all that I do I enjoy helping each person not only holistically feel better, but to realize how special he or she is and to cherish their uniqueness.
The best way to know which Reiki Shihan (teacher) and style is best for you, is to review the teacher’s certificate(s) and lineage connected to each. All Reiki practitioners will have at least one certificate as well. Below are some of my certificates for Reiki Shihan (master/teacher) and Herbalist.
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