The spiritual practice Mikao Usui founded brings balance to mind/body/spirit of all life forms  and surrounds with harmony.  
It naturally increases health and happiness by maintaining mental and physical homeostasis, which improves the quality of the lives of those receiving and allowing to flow. 

Peace on Earth will be more then  wishful thinking when every corner of the Earth is in Balance and surrounded with Harmony.  Styles of Usui Reiki Ryoho coming from Japan without alterations are like nature, beautiful in simplicity yet profound.  Usui Reiki is not the wind, but the wind is a perfect symbol in that while it cannot always be seen its strength and gentleness can be felt.

The method Mikao Usui founded, like nature, nourishes mind, body, and spirt of al llife forms.  It also integrates mind/body/spirit, which helps all life forms to heal faster and better in the way that is best for that life form at that moment in time.   

 

 

Reiki has become the comonly accepeted nickname for the awesome spiritual practice founded by Mikao Usui.  It is a spiritual practice that recognized the importance of integrating mind, body, and spirit and thus helping the whole person, or other life form, to heal in the best way for him or her at that junction in time. 

With all styles honoring Usui Reiki Ryoho all atoms are balanced and surrounded by harmony (change the field around the atom, change the atom).  It does not matter if the atoms are person, animal, bird, reptile, fish or other life form.  Usui Reiki Ryho is for all life forms.

Mikao Usui said in his humble way that his method was,"The key to Happiness and Health" (Doi)   He was an extremely intelligent and insightful man who spend many years searching for deep truths in life.  Then in very deep disciplined meditation, following 3 years of Zen Buddhism, he connected to the universal vibrations of unconditional love and harmony.   

Many  people think of Usui Reiki Ryoho, which since 1926 has been taught in different ways, when that one word Reiki is said or writtten. On the other hand, "rei" appears in books, DVDs, and practices that have little to no connection with the spiritual practice Mikao Usui founded in 1922.  

 The universe is endless/timeless and so there are infinite cosmic energies.  When you think of radio waves you think of different frequencies, and you can think of universal energy in that way. You can also think of all the endless cords when all of music is combined. The form of universal energy that Mikao Usui connected with, and developed his method around, was/is a unique frequency.

Usui Mikao's (name as written in Japan) method was an original even though other forms of hands-on heading at that time were called Reiki Ryoho. Other people have used other cosmic energies in various manners, that were/are not Mikao Usui's original method.

Mikao Usui's original purpose was for the personal and spiritual growth that would be experienced through the system: to know one’s true purpose in life and be content, to heal oneself and find one’s spiritual path, and ultimately achieve satori.

  Many pages have been written, books published, and DVDs produced by different Reiki teachers, sometimes called masters, expressing their views on how they perceive Mikao Usui's method.  The universe allows free-will and each person's reality is unique to him or her. 

What you read here is only a summary. Roberta's manuals for each level that she teaches includes many pages of factual history, along with exercises, etc.

"Everyone is born with the right to be healthy and live with happiness, and the path of Usui Reiki helps us to fulfill that right.” © Roberta R. Barnes, 2002  

  

The five short lines of the simple yet profound Usui Reiki Gokai (sometimes called five principles, etc.) have become well known. The actual meaning behind those short simple five lines is the backbone of a spiritual practice you are introduced to once a qualified Reiki Shihan (master teacher) extendan invitation so that your pathway to universal unconditional love and harmony can be formed and opened. What is known today as a Reiki attunement is only the beginning.

In Japanese styles of Usui Reiki Ryoho you do not memorize the Gokai ((sometimes called five principles, etc.) you weave them into your life.  Gendai Reiki Ho and Komyo Reiki Kai are ways to improve the quality of your life.

The relaxation in mind, body and spirit created with universal balance and harmony, and the relieving affect Usui Reiki Ryoho, which has not been altered, has on chronic pain are also well known. 

What is not well known are things such as Hiroshi Doi explains in one of his books, " He (Mikao Usui) taught regular members healing for themselves and other, like joy of life and enhancement of happiness." © Hiroshi Doi 2000 

 In Japan between 1921 and 1922 Mikao Usui created his method as “the way to make mind and body healthy on the basis of Universal Energy/Reiki”.  In Mikao Usui’s words through translation of Richard Rivard © universal 1999 “My method is to help body and spirit with intuitive power, which I’ve received after long and hard training".  

As you read down you will see more factual history translated by those whose second language is English.  As with any language, translation depends upon the reality of the interpreter.

Sometimes the wrod Reiki is broken down into two parts.  When this happens it is ‘Rei” meaning divine spirit, and ‘Ki’ meaning the energy of life or mystery. 

On the other hand, the true meaning of Ki (Qi in Chinese) goes beyond any word or phrase; a bit like meridians that transport blood and Ki, but are not visible in anatomical research.  Hyakuten Sensei shared that Reiki in Japan is simply another noun.  The Japanese kanji for Reiki can be translated in at least twleve ways that are comonly known.

 Roberta Barnes decided to brush the Japanese kanji for Reiki on the shirts she wears for teaching and practicing Gendai Reiki-Ho and Komyo Reiki Kai.  A woman whose second language is English, translated the kanji as 'ancestors of universal greatness'© 2004. To know the actual meaning Mikao Usui gave to the word Reiki you would have to be Japanese, living in the same area of Japan as he did in the early 1920s, and know his reality.  

 In the analytical translation of Reiki, the true meaning is lost; is best to look at the whole word and connect it with the experience of having universal unconditional love and harmony flow through you. 

A good example of how words may not describe what they represent is the Chinese herb Dang-gui.   The English name for this herb is Chinese Angelica.  English translations of Dang- gui include “should come back”, “missing the husband”, and “proper order”, yet the properties of this herb revolve around enriching and circulating blood.

 

  Roberta R. Barnes was lucky to be blessed to have studied under the Reiki Shihans that she did.  She completed her update teacher's level in 2 Japanese styles of Usui Reiki under two Japanese Reiki Shihans, each of who has only two teachers between himself and Mikao Usui, the founder.  Another of her Reiki Shihans, who like her has a close lineage to Mikao Usui, put extreme efford in learning the simple true facts about Mikao Usui and the spiritual practice he founded.  Roberta has also  interacted with other Reiki Shihans around the world, and her daily practice allows her usui Reiki journey to never end.  On her bio page, you will find links to other factual informative websites.

As you may note from this site Roberta enjoys nature.  One day while taking a photograph of a moth often called a fake humming bird she heard a buzz to her left.  Looking over she saw an actual hummingbird hovering and looking directly at her.  It seemed to be nature's way of reminding her that there is a difference between the actual and the mako (created from what is wanted not what actually is) -- even if they are both cute.

Hiorshi Doi, a member of the Usui Reiki Gakkai (the origianl society in Japan) shares openly the 10 most common myths about Usui Reiki.  If you Contact Roberta Barnes  she will forward a copy to you. The spiritual practice Mikao Usui founded cannot be learned from a book or a DVD, but today there are many qualified Usui Reiki Ryoho Shihans (master teacher) in the world.  

 In 2002 Roberta listened to one of her Reiki Shihans (teacher),  Hiroshi Doi  say,  “Usui Reiki Ryoho is worldwide healing method born in Japan”©.  He also referred to Reiki as awave of love.  Styles such as he created, Gendai Reiki-Ho, help you to reconnect with that authentic positive part of  you that came into this life with you.  As you learn to feel the rhythm of universal love and harmony, you uncover the true or authentic universal you.  

 

Reiki is most commonly thought of as hands-on healing, but the spiritual practice Usui-Sensei founded is much more.  Usui Reiki Ryoho remains unique from any other healing modality, even though it reflects many of the teachings in this century about the law of attraction, etc.  When Hayashi Sensei combined Usui Reiki Ryoho with his medical practice the custom of a client lying on a table to receive was initiated. However, receiving Reiki on a massage table is not a necessity.

On the pages Reiki Healing Sessions, Reiki Training, and Advanced Reiki you will see many of the benefits in the spiritual practice of Gendai Reiki-Ho or Komyo Reiki, commonly rferred to Japanese Usui Reiki Ryoho.

With an abundance of canards about Reiki sometimes the simple yet profound natural healing that results from balance and harmony     is overlooked. 

Any life form receiving Reiki experiences incredible relaxation of mind, body, and spirit as molecules/atoms/cells are brought back into balance and surrounded with harmony. Have you ever noticed that those with a harmonious nature are those that are most often free of illnesses, and those who recover with amazing speed from accidental injuries.

Experiencing a Reiki healing session (that has not had other practices added into it) is like feeling the symmetry in life.

  Daiji is a Japanese word that describes Reiki-ho (Reiki method) in the English translation of great compassion. 

Japanese styles of Usui Reiki are not limited to healing the obvious physical illnesses. They do not focus on the illness or search for a diagnosis, but instead focus on the intent to bring the life form back to the state of well-being that is best for that life, at that junction in time.

What you focus on you give energy to.  You will  not find Usui Reiki Ryoho practitioners or teachers trying to analyze hibiki or byosen. Instead they focus on the well-being of mind, body, and spirit.

 In the hours spent in of classes learning Usui Reiki Ryoho, you are guided to feel different energies and are introduced to dozens of self-purification and self-growth exercises.  Even when you have mastered all the techniques, your journey continues toward the enlightment, or satori 

 It is good to remember that even though Mikao Usui  was said to be a furnace of energy he humbly rated himself a 2 on the 1 - 6 scale he created within the Gakkai.  (this, as other information about Mikao Usui, was passed to me from a number of reliable sources, each with a close lineage to Mikao Usui, which you will find referenced at the bottom of this page)  

The simple yet profound beauty of the spiritual practice Mikao Usui founded can be seen when you open up and look beyond diagnoses, symbols, hand positions and other training wheels.

 

All styles honoring Usui Reiki Ryoho are complementary healing, and enhance allopathic medical care and all other healing modalities. This unique form of energy we most commonly call Reiki flows to the center of each cell in need, and then like a flashlight shines from the inside out balancing and surrounding with harmony as the rays move outward. What is in balance and surrounded with harmony heals.  

   The person/animal/bird/or other life form receiving Reiki can feel the positive energy within for 2 to 3 days following a full Reiki healing session.

Reiki is not only a wonderful “healing technique”, but also “an effective way to raise spirituality and to create a positive life. Homeostasis is a requirement for health and happiness, andthe balance and harmony of Reiki create homeostasis.

 

When you take the time to study Reiki as a spiritual practice, and not a technique to satisfy an egotistic purpose of being better then someone else, you learn what cannot be symbolized in any language.  In the hours of study and practice you learn of the meeting place from which true knowledge flows, as well as the wisdom in quieting the mind.

Richard Rivard in his extensive research uncovered that Mikao Usui, the founder of Usui Reiki Ryoho, was such a “furnace” of energy" that others received blessings simply by being in his presence. 

Reiki is no worry about whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, but instead is accepting what is within and moving forward in the best positive light. It is also no worry about which symbol or hand plaement to use for what illness, but rather placing trust in the universal wisdom of Usui Reiki. 

We all learned in science 101 that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but only changes form.  So you know Reiki is not the same form as your own life force energy or the energy that is making these words appear. Reiki is a unique form of energy that each person experiences in his or her own way. 

Learning the practice of Reiki requires a qualififed Usui Reiki Shihan (teacher)  time and lots of practice.  Usui Reiki is not somthing you can teach yourself or learn from a book or DVD.  Roberta R. Barnes first completed the highest, or master/teacher, level in several styles of Western Reiki, and then went on to complete the highest levels in 2 Japanese styles of Usui Reiki. 

You will note that Roberta Barnes calls herself Reiki Shihan (teacher) because she believes that no one can master universal energy.  She feels blessed to be lucky enough to have studied with the Reiki Shihans that she has, and not to have to feel she must have the title of master.  

Your dog, cat or other pet may not verbally tell you how great a Reiki healing session feels, but the sparkle in his or her eyes tells all.  Most animals and birds very much enjoy the relaxing balancing energy, and you do not have to study a speical style of Reiki to allow Reiki to flow to them.  Any life form that might cause you harm if you get close, will enjoy receiving a distant Reiki healing session.  

The documented healing that can be connected to Reiki is nothing less then astonishing. In spite of this, Reiki is not a substitute for any professional medical care, and medical care should never be stopped without consulting the attending medical care professional.  

On the other hand, Reiki complements all medical care and can give unexpected speed and ease to healing. 

 Some Reiki practitioners who are also medical care professionals in hospitals initiate Reiki while doing conventional medical practice or therapy treatment. Cases of medical professionals blending Usui Reiki into the treatment for various ills is becoming more and more common.  Reiki speeds recovery in all types of trauma.  More and more hospitals welcome Reiki practitioners coming in to assist in the healing process of those patients that have requested it.   Reiki helps people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities to adjust to his or her new environment.

Mikao Usui, and other people that stand out in history, are wonderful examples of the value of a life spent gathering knowledge.  Mikao Usui was not searching for a hands-on healing method, but his quest for knowledge, intelligence and insightfulness allowed him to open up and connect to two of the most powerful vibrations in the universe. You can see more of the benefits of Reiki  when read down on the healing sessions page.

Mikao Usui was born August 15, 1865 in Japan.  He left home in his youth, married and had two children, traveled, and held numerous jobs.  Hiroshi Doi, a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai said Mikao Usui was called a person of free will. 

Usui-sensei passed away in his sleep after a long day of giving Reiki sessions (treatments), March 9th, 15th year of Taisho (A.D. 1926). ***   His secular name is Usui Mikao and his Buddhist posthumous name is Reizan-in Shuyo Tenshin Koji.   A Buddhist priest of the temple where the deceased use to belong customarily gives a person upon death, a Buddhist posthumous name.   His Buddhist name is typical of the Japanese Buddhism sect Jodo shu.   All those that knew him spoke of him as an extremely intelligent and sighted man. There are no records of him ever attending a university or receiving a doctorate of any kind. 

Whoever  decided “Dr.” should be placed in front of his name is unknown.  Roberta was taught Sensei means honorable teacher or is used to show respect to another, so she most often refers to him as Usui-Sensei.   Legends surrounding Reiki and created myths about Usui-Sensei are plentiful, but the natural healing wonderment of the energy Mikao Usui named Usui Reiki Ryoho overshadows all.

In March 1921, Usui-sensei went into disciplined meditation following three years of Zen studies.  After an unknown (some say 21, but others say perhaps only 3)  number of days into his meditation, he opened to the universe and connected with the universal vibrations of love and harmony . The energy was so powerful that even with his study of marital arts, etc. from an early age, he lost consciousness for a number of hours.  Not long after returning to his home, he became aware of the healing that accompanied the energy that now flowed through him. He developed a method to promote and speed healing in others.

Instead of keeping his gift to himself, he went against the social policies of the time and began teaching what he first called ‘my method’ in 1922. Later he called it Usui Reiki Ryoho. In 1923, Usui-sensei created the society Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.  

In the manauls Roberta Barnes has written for her students there is much more history of Mikao Usui and the spiritual practice he founded.

The method called Usui Reiki Ryoho did not exist anywhere in the world prior to Usui-Sensei’s second or true awakening.  The first awakening is intellectual, and the second is spiritual; his second awakening was a wonderful gift to us all. Over the centuries, there have been countless forms of hands-on-healing.  Using universal energy to heal has perhaps been happening for over 40,000 years, and there are other energy systems used today for healing.  Universal energy, which various people had connected with over the centuries, is infinite.

The Japanese styles of Usui Reiki Ryoho called Gendai Reiki-ho and Komyo Reiki are not only wonderful “healing techniques”, but also “effective ways to raise spirituality and to create a positive life”.  The spiritual practice of Usui Reiki focuses on healing yourself first, and to heal yourself is to heal all that is around you.  The law of attraction is easily understood when learning Reiki as the exercises focus on bringing balance to mind, body and spirit and living harmoniously.  Numerous exercises for clearing of the negative from your past and moving ahead on a positive path naturally attract positive to you.

Working with a Usui Reiki Shihan (Teacher) you can learn how to feel the form of universal energy new to you, how to release the negative that is holding you back, and how to allow this energy to flow through you.  Learning how to allow Reiki to flow through you is easy, but being a spiritual practice it  requires guidance and practice.  One the other hand, to experience the wonderment of Usui Reiki you only have to schedule a Reiki healing Session with a qualified Reiki teacher or practitioner.

There are no secrets in Usui Reiki, but direct contact with a qualified Reiki Shihan (teacher) honoring the practice of Usui Reiki Ryoho is important in helping you to know in your heart this unique form of universal energy. Some styles of Usui Reiki use many symbols to point a person in the right direction; Japanese styles focus on you learning to feel energy,  put intention on well-being, and trust in universal wisdom.   

Regardless of the style of Usui Reiki Ryoho, the wonderful feeling of relaxation encasing a person during a full healing session is hard to describe in words.  To introduce people to the feel of Usui Reiki, Roberta Barnes often does a focused technique called Gendai Reiju, which takes approximately one minute while the person is sitting in a chair. Reiju if done in the traditional Japanese is not the same as an attunement, but a wonderful technique that acts in various way depending upon the Reiki Shihan's intent.   This technique is used for many things depending upon the Reiki Shihan’s intent, is a very powerful form of Reiki that each person experiences in his or her own reality.  As with all Reiki techniques the universe knows how much energy the life form is ready to receive, and if the higher self says no thank you the enrgy willnot flow.

No one can force the form of universal energy called Usui Reiki on any life form; the universe allows free-will.

Reiki allows an increase of mental clarity and emotional balance. It can enhance mental clarity in the workplace, and have positive effects on personal relationships.  Allowed to flow into the workplace, workdays can be more enjoyable by obstacles melting away and productive relationships being developed. 

Reiki purifies karma and heals in all types of trauma.  It can transcend time and space. Roberta Barnes has had many students say to her, “Reiki is making such a positive difference in my life”, and “I feel very blessed to have Reiki in my life.”

Usui Reiki is a spiritual practice, but it is neither a belief system nor a religion.  The energy is multidimensional, traveling to the core of where an imbalance exists in the mind, body, or spirit.  Once at the core it moves imperceptibly outward through the tissue balancing and surrounding with harmony. 

When you reflect back on anatomy and physiology 101 you are reminded how important balance is to survival.  Balancing and surrounding with harmony includes never forcing.  No one can direct Reiki, nor force any life form or event to receive Reiki. You might be able to force your own life force energy on another, but because the universe allow free-will Reiki cannot be forced on anyone.

Reiki will flow whether or not a person believes in Reiki, but it will not flow if the healee does not wish to be healed at that time.  Once your channel has been opened, it will always remain open.  You can read more about learning on the Reiki training pages.

Those of you familiar with herbs may have read that Dr. John R. Christopher said, "Lobelia inflata knows where to go in the organism and what to do when it gets there."  That is the perfect description of Reiki.  We often notice prescription medicines working because they tend to act primarily through our nervous systems making a strong impression on at least one of the five primary senses.  Reiki sometimes acts in subtle ways such as equalizing disturbances in the harmonic vibrations and homeostasis of our life force, or as with one who is pregnant the life force within.  Usui Reiki does not mask symptoms, but goes to the core of the illness.

The Reiki Shihan’s (teacher’s) or practitioner’s body is the instrument through which universal energy flows drawn by the magnet of any imbalance in the mind, body, or spirit of the person, animal, or plant receiving.  Any attempt to direct or manipulate the flow of Reiki causes inharmonic vibrations. Consequently, when you schedule a Reiki healing session you know the practitioner will not be manipulating anything, but rather working in harmony with the beautiful vibrations from the universe. A healing session puts your mind, body, spirit in that peaceful place while universal energy is working in the way that is best for you.

Encumbrances such as those ‘should haves’, ‘could haves’ and negative taken on from others are released in the way that is best for you. Cleaning your aura is the first thing that happens in a healing session, quickly and simply.  Your aura is your private energy field, and a part of you the same as chakras, light body centers and other.  Whether you believe in these things or not, they are parts of your whole self that are balanced.  

Japanese style of Usui Reiki balances in a quiet way with no “odd rituals” or instruments of any kind. During a Reiki session, you can release any worries about how things should be and simply relax.  People with chronic pain have often reported that they are pain free for two and three days following a session. Roberta has felt pain that rates as a 10 plus and felt the pain ease as Reiki flows into the cells in need of balance.

Scheduling regular Reiki healing sessionsis a good maintenance practice for your whole self. The stresses of everyday life can rob our bodies of vital energies and Reiki replenishes those energies.  Roberta Barnes has had many clients say they felt wonderfully grounded following a session, which is excellent when going through one of life’s stressful times.  The feeling of deep relaxation is healing for all levels.  Reiki heals in the way that is best for that individual at that moment in time, and not the way others think it should.

Roberta Barnes has had several personal experiences that demonstrates how Reiki expedites the recovery process.  From surgeries to broken bones when she trusted in Usui Reiki, her body healed faster and better than medical professionals expected.

Anyone can learn to allow Reiki to flow through him or her from a qualified Shihan n a style honoring Usui Reiki Ryoho. The teacher’s level is usually the fourth or higher.  All levels of Reiki are honorable.  

Because Usui Reiki is a spiritual practice and not a skill so there are no structured schools and Reiki teachers are not licensed. AReiki Shihan (teacher) will however,  have one or more certificates and be pleased to show you her or his lineage going back to Mikao Usui. Roberta R. Barnes has been approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Body work (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider.

  Some people have said that the name Hawayo Takata must appear in every lineage.  This is not ture.  She was an amazing student of Chujiro Hayashi (Dr. Hayashi because he was a medical doctor before Usui-Sensei introduced him to Reiki) who was one of the three men that Mikao Usui raised to level allowing each to teach his method.  As amazing as she was,  she was only one student raised to the teacher’s level by Hayashi-Sensei and there are no grand masters in the spiritual practice of Usui Reiki Ryoho.. 

Usui-sensei had 2,000 known students and raised twenty-one to the level thought of as spiritual or secret which prepares a person to go into the teacher's level. But only three actually went into and completed the teacher's level. Research has shown that Usui-Sensei taught each student in the way that connected with the experience that student came to him with, and for that reason it is doubtful that any one person actually knew everything that Usui-Sensei knew.  

We are very fortunate to have such men as Hiroshi Doi, a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, who began sharing factual Reiki history and techniques with the rest of the world in Canada in 1999.  There remain many things that are currently kept sacred by Gakkai members, which may or may not be shared with the rest of the world when it is felt the time is right.

You may have been under the impression that Reiki is complicated, but it is not.  The wonderment of the universal energy Usui-Sensei connected to resonates with life energy, enhancing everything positive that you do in your life, and works in harmony with other positive energies.  Fees are asked for healing sessions (Reiki treatments) and attunements, because each person’s time is valuable. It is also good to remember that receiving something when giving nothing in return dishonors the person receiving.  

 Are there people in the world that have read a book or watched a video, and know the keywords well enough to pretend they have been imitated into Reiki?  Oh yes.

There will always be pretenders in the world, but simply asking to see Usui Reiki Ryoho certificates, and the energy and technique lineage back to Usui-Sensei relieves any need for worry. And when you know that Mikao Usui was a furnace of energy, extremely intelligent and insightful, spent years of disciplined study, and had two awakenings separated by years it is easy to see why a qualified teacher is needed for you to learn any style honoring Usui Reiki Ryoho.  

The Gokai, also called five precepts or five principles, is the backbone of Usui Reiki Ryoho.   The five short lines are five ways to invite health and happiness in your life now (today), which touches the past and future. Such few words at first glance might look like too little, but the Gokai, like all of the practice in Usui Reiki, is simple yet profound.

The next time you hear something new about Reiki, stop and remember that there is factual truth and then there is created truth.   It is not yours to judge, but it is yours to believe or not to believe.

Imaginations are a wonderful gift that can be used in wonderful ways or misused.  The way in which one views life also varies in accordance to which part(s) of the world he or she lives at what period in time.  

Regardless of what you chose to believe, the beauty of Usui Reiki Ryoho always remains the same. The path of Usui Reiki Ryoho helps each individual to develop in the positive way that is best for him or her, a wonderful way of honoring the uniqueness in each of us.

       Usui Reiki Ryoho is like the revitalizing sunlight that touches the earth with harmony promoting health and happiness the morning following a disaster.

                   Copyright (C) 2011 Natural Healing & Learning Center. All rights reserved

Resources for this article and source of quotes.
Richard Rivard Reiki Shihan of several styles of Reiki 1997 and forward.
Hiroshi Doi-sensei Gendai Reiki Ho Healing Kyokai class 2002. Hiroshi Doi is a member of
the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.
Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto-sensei Komyo Reiki Kai class 2003                                                                                                                                                     Interviews and reserch done by Dave King and Don Beckett