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The Reiki principles, also known as the Reiki precepts or Reiki Gokai principles, are the spiritual foundation of the Usui Reiki system. They are not simply affirmations or positive thoughts. They are a living philosophy. They offer a daily spiritual practice that helps you purify your consciousness, align with Reiki, and embody healing from within.
Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, described the Reiki principles as:
Shōfuku no hihō. Manbyō no reiyaku.
“The secret method for inviting good fortune. The spiritual medicine for all illness.”
This teaching reveals something profound. Reiki is not only something we do with our hands. Reiki is something we become through the way we think, feel, and move through the world.
As a Reiki Master Teacher and Intuitive Energy Healer, I’ve seen how deeply the Reiki principles transform practitioners. They calm the mind, strengthen intuition, deepen spiritual awareness, and allow Reiki to flow more freely.
The Reiki principles, also called the Reiki precepts, are five spiritual teachings shared by Mikao Usui in 1922. In Japanese, they are known as the Reiki Gokai, meaning “five guiding principles” or “five admonitions.”
They are:
Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will not be angry.
Just for today, I will be grateful.
Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.
These five Reiki principles form one of the core pillars of the Reiki system, alongside hands-on healing, meditation, symbols and mantras, and attunements.
While Reiki is often understood as energy healing through the hands, the Reiki principles remind us that healing begins in the mind and heart.
They offer a spiritual framework for living in alignment with Reiki energy, not only during healing sessions, but in every moment of life.
Mikao Usui shared the Reiki principles to help practitioners embody Reiki, not just practice Reiki.
We cannot always place our hands on ourselves or meditate. We cannot always chant or perform healing techniques, especially when we are in public or living the rest of our life. But we can always observe our thoughts and emotions.
We can always return to presence.
The Reiki principles offer a spiritual philosophy for health, wellbeing, and inner peace. They help purify the mental and emotional body so Reiki can flow naturally.
When the mind is filled with anger, worry, or resentment, it creates tension in the nervous system and disrupts energetic flow. When the mind is calm, grateful, and compassionate, Reiki flows effortlessly.
This is why Dr. Usui described the Reiki principles as spiritual medicine.
They heal the root of imbalance which is consciousness itself.
The original Reiki principles Japanese translation is:
Kyo dakewa — Just for today
Ikaruna — Do not anger
Shinpai suna — Do not worry
Kansha shite — Be grateful
Gyo o hageme — Practice diligently / Work honestly
Hito ni shinsetsu ni — Be compassionate to yourself and others
These words are considered kotodama, meaning “word spirit.” In Japanese spiritual traditions, words carry energetic vibration that can influence the mind and body.
Chanting or reciting the Reiki principles allows you to experience their vibration directly.
Even if you do not intellectually analyze each phrase, their energetic quality supports emotional balance and spiritual alignment.
The phrase “Just for today” is the heart of the Reiki principles meaning. It brings your awareness into the present moment.
Rather than asking you to eliminate anger or worry forever, it invites you to release them now. Just for today.
This makes the practice compassionate and realistic. It recognizes that you are human. Emotions will arise and that is normal.
The Reiki principles do not ask you to suppress emotions. They help you avoid becoming trapped in them.
They remind you that each moment offers an opportunity to begin again. This simple shift creates space for healing.
The Reiki principles are spiritual teachings, not affirmations.
Affirmations attempt to override thoughts. The Reiki principles cultivate awareness of thoughts.
They are guiding principles that help you observe your emotional state without judgment.
Many practitioners also use a present-tense variation:
Just for today
I am free of anger
I am free of worry
I am grateful
I am honest
I am kind to all beings
This version reminds you that peace is available in the present moment. You have the ability to release emotional tension and return to balance.
The spiritual meaning of the Reiki principles is transformation.
They help you shift from lower vibrational emotional states such as fear, anger, and worry into higher vibrational states such as gratitude, compassion, and peace.
These emotional states directly influence your nervous system, immune system, and energetic field.
When the mind is calm and present, Reiki flows naturally.
When practiced consistently, the Reiki principles strengthen emotional balance, mental clarity, spiritual awareness, intuition, and inner peace.
They help you return to your natural state of harmony.
They also remind us that the most spiritual act is not meditation itself, but how we think, feel, and act between meditations.
Are we living in resentment, fear, and worry? Or are we cultivating gratitude, honesty, and compassion?
The Reiki principles help us return to alignment and our True Selves.
The Reiki principles transform your life gradually and naturally.
You may begin to notice that you react differently to stress. Situations that once triggered anxiety or anger no longer affect you as deeply.
Your mind becomes quieter. You feel more grounded and present.
Your intuition becomes clearer. You begin to trust yourself more deeply.
You experience greater compassion for yourself and others.
These changes occur because the Reiki principles help regulate your nervous system and shift your consciousness.
They help you release emotional patterns that create tension and imbalance.
Over time, they help you embody Reiki.
You begin to experience peace not because your external circumstances have changed, but because your inner state has transformed.
You do not need a Reiki attunement to practice the Reiki principles. Anyone can use them as a mindfulness and spiritual practice.
You can recite them in the morning. This sets the tone for your day and aligns your mind with peace.
You can chant them during meditation. Chanting deepens their energetic impact and allows you to feel their vibration in your body.
You can reflect on them throughout the day. When worry or anger arises, gently return to the principles.
You can journal about them. Reflecting on gratitude and compassion strengthens emotional alignment.
You can contemplate one principle at a time. Explore your relationship with worry, anger, honesty, gratitude, and kindness.
This daily practice gradually shifts your emotional patterns and strengthens your connection to Reiki.
Chanting the Reiki principles has been practiced since Mikao Usui’s time.
Chanting regulates breathing, calms the nervous system, and increases energetic awareness.
Many practitioners report feeling grounded, peaceful, and centered after chanting the Reiki Gokai.
Chanting allows you to experience Reiki through sound vibration. The words themselves carry energy.
As you chant, your nervous system relaxes and your consciousness becomes more present.
You begin to embody the qualities of gratitude, compassion, and peace.
No. Anyone can practice the Reiki principles.
They are accessible to everyone.
You do not need certification, attunements, or formal training to recite or meditate on them.
They are a universal spiritual practice that supports emotional healing and mindfulness.
For those who are attuned to Reiki, the principles deepen your ability to channel Reiki energy.
For those who are not attuned, they still provide powerful emotional and spiritual benefits.
They help regulate your nervous system, strengthen emotional balance, and cultivate inner peace.
The Reiki principles remind us that Reiki is not limited to healing sessions.
Reiki is expressed through your thoughts, emotions, and actions.
They help you live with compassion, gratitude, honesty, and presence.
They help you embody healing.
They help you become Reiki.
Over time, the principles stop feeling like something you practice.
They become part of your natural way of being.
The Reiki principles are the heart of Reiki. They are the spiritual medicine for all illness because they heal the mind and emotional body.
They remind you that peace is available in this moment.
When practiced consistently, they transform your consciousness, strengthen your intuition, and deepen your connection to Reiki.
They guide you back to your natural state of balance. They guide you back to yourself. Give it a try. Just for today.
Parita sought energy healing while recovering from an autoimmune illness and countless related symptoms. Energy healing helped her listen to her body’s innate wisdom, cope with chronic illness, and pursue her soul’s calling - helping others heal through the mind and body connection. With energy healing sessions, courses, a community and a blog, she shares tools for transformation and self-healing.
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Parita intuitively connects with clients around the world to share reiki and chakra balancing. In a 60 minute call, you can discuss and clear energetic blocks that may be holding you back from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Allow her to support you in awakening to your true light.
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I like to recite the precepts in Japanese, and hopefully I am pronouncing them accurately! For me, simplicity is paramount, and I think the precepts are concise enough to use and keep in mind daily. I also like how Zoroastrianism has a concise type of principles that is easy to remember: 1. Good thoughts. 2. Good words. 3. Good deeds. But, the reiki precepts are more specific. For me, it’s easier than reading theology books or philosophy books, and just having a general idea of how to go about living.
Hi Phillip, thanks for your input! I agree – reciting the precepts in Japanese is a favorite practice of mine. It’s quick, easy and soothing. It also gets me to contemplate how I can be more mindful.