Ten Best Reiki Books

Why are there so many books?

You can find hundreds of books about Reiki on the market. Some are very good but most just don’t give you the information that you need or are filled with unsubstantiated “facts”. And way too many are just plain horrid.

When I first learned Reiki back in the early 1990s it was still relatively unknown and hadn’t become as talked about as it is today. You also didn’t have such easy ways of self-publishing with ebooks, a primary source for some of the worst books on this subject sadly.

Knowledge of Reiki has become more widely available over the past 10 years, and so have the number of books written about it.

The varieties of Reiki have increased too as people combine healing systems, create new traditions/systems, and branch away from Reiki as it was taught by Mikao Usui. This is not to say that such methods are not as good, they are merely different, and everyone has a book about their method.

My training and teaching has been in the Usui Shiki Ryoho method as developed by Mrs Takata when she brought Reiki to Hawaii and from there to the mainland USA. As I continue my training my focus has been on the original system as taught by Usui himself and I have developed my own intuitive ways of using Reiki.

These are the books that I consider to be among the best that are available today. I have owned each of them and I would recommend them to anyone wishing to study more about Reiki and Energy Healing.

In no particular order:

Essential Reiki

by Diane Stein
Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art

This book raised a lot of eyebrows and caused quite a bit of controversy when it was first published, because it had actual copies of the Reiki symbols within its pages.

It provides a good basic background on Reiki, and contrary to prevailing thought at the time the power of Reiki has not been diluted or damaged due to its publication.

What this particular book taught me was that the Symbols are not quite so unchanged as I was taught. While similar, the Symbols shown within this book were slightly different from the ones I was taught. And both are slightly different from symbols you can now find online.

Reiki, The Healing Touch

by William Rand is a referenced history of Reiki.
Reiki: The Healing Touch

It contains the most detailed and verified information that I have found on Reiki and its history.

The Original Reiki Handbook

by Mikao Usui and Frank Arjava Petter
The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui

This book provides a look at Reiki as it was taught by Sensei Usui in Japan.

The focus here is more on using your intuition and less on specific hand positions which were first taught not by Sensei Usui, but by Sensei Hayashi. However, hand positions used by Sensei Usui to treat different ailments are illustrated.

The Spirit of Reiki

by Walter Lubeck, Frank Arjava Petter, and William Lee Rand
The Spirit of Reiki

This major work looks at all of the major aspects of Reiki in a concentrated and extensive manner, including the latest information, developments and traditional knowledge. Beginning with definitions of Reiki associations, traditions, and representatives like Usui, Hayashi, Takata, and many others, and teaching methods, application techniques, and symbols like the Reiki Kanji, it covers a large variety of themes – even the latest rediscovery of Japanese healing techniques.

Inner Reiki

by Tanmaya Honervogt

Inner Reiki: A Practical Guide for Healing and Meditation

I thought that this book was a superb introduction to Reiki for those already interested in healing and related therapies. The book covers all aspects of the practice, including theories on how Reiki symbols work and how to use them for healing; spiritual growth and meditation.

Reiki – The Legacy of Dr Usui.

by Frank Arjava Petter
Reiki–The Legacy of Dr. Usui
A great deal has been written and said to date about the history of Reiki and its founder. The author here has come across documents that quote Mikao Usui’s original words. In a number of essays, he discusses topics related to Reiki and the viewpoints of an independent Reiki teacher. Questions that his students asked and the answers Sensei Usui gave throw light upon Usui’s very personal view of the teachings. Materials meant as the basis for his students’ studies round off the entire work. A family tree of the Reiki successors is also included.

Empowerment through Reiki

by Paula Horan
Empowerment Through Reiki: The Path to Personal and Global Transformation
I thought that this book did a very good job in describing exactly how Reiki energy works, the ways it can be used and the effects that can be achieved with its help. I found many personal meditations here which I use in my own self-healing work.

The Reiki Techniques Card Deck

by Bronwen and Frans Steine

Reiki Techniques Card Deck: Heal Yourself Intuitively

Not a book, but a set of 45 cards, selected from the most effective traditional and non-traditional Reiki techniques found around the globe, These cards will help you to consciously tap into your own healing ability, supporting you on your natural path. I use these cards regularly when looking at where I need to focus my self-healing and meditative work.

The Complete Reiki Handbook

by Walter Lubeck
The Complete Reiki Handbook

I felt that this book described comprehensively the secrets and possible uses of this subtle healing force called Reiki. It is an introductory text for the beginner as well as being a precise and detailed textbook for the initiated Reiki practitioner.

The Magick of Reiki

by Christopher Penczak
Magick of Reiki

What is Reiki? How has this Japanese healing tradition evolved over the years? How are modern magick practitioners using Reiki energy in their spells and rituals?

The author answers these questions and more in his groundbreaking examination of Reiki from a magickal perspective. The history, mythos, variations, and three degrees of Reiki are discussed in depth. Penczak also suggests way to integrate Reiki and magickal practice, such as using Reiki energy for psychic development and with candle magick, crystals, herbs, charms, and talismans.

Which books on Reiki would you recommend?