Intention Setting in Reiki Sessions

Christian Stone | Standing Stones Healing Co.

What do you think about "setting intentions" at the beginning of a Reiki session for a client? The intention being set by Reiki practitioners is not "standardized," and practitioners can be very elaborate by calling in symbols, guides, power animals, angels. Others just ask for Reiki to flow to the person's highest good. Does that have an impact on the session?

Thanks for this question, and when we start a session by calling on guides or angels or etc., I would call this an invocation rather than an intention. An invocation is a call for support, and we can invoke the assistance of friends and family members, for instance, by asking for their help. An invocation is very common in spiritual practices, such as by calling out through prayer or ritual to an external being or energy, like God or angels or guides.

There is no requirement to do an invocation at the start of a Reiki session. There is no one or nothing we need to call on to assist with the session, and it does not make the session stronger or better. But I personally do an invocation at the beginning of my sessions. I drum and call in the 4 directions, guides, and etc. When I am with a client, I do this with their permission. You can do any kind of invocation you might feel called to...or none at all, but it's important to note that any invocation we might do is not for Reiki, but for us. It's also important to note that this is not part of the system of Reiki. The system of Reiki does not include calling in angels, guides, ascended masters, or even Usui himself. It's ok to include these practices, but it's important to do so with awareness and know that they are not part of the system of Reiki.

Reiki the energy does not need or care about invocations. It will do what it does with or without an invocation. So an invocation is not for Reiki. But here's the thing: an invocation can indeed sometimes make the session stronger or better from a purely human standpoint. It can be a way for a practitioner to set sacred space and to help the client recognize that a change is happening. Through an invocation, a client might sense that they are now in a special space different from the time/space before the session started. When we can create a ritualistic "bubble" with our clients for the time that we're together, it can facilitate their healing. In this way, an invocation can be a powerful practice and a ritualistic way to start a session, but always this should be done with client permission and understanding. ​

Just like an invocation at the beginning of a session doesn't have an impact in terms of the energy Reiki, the intentions that we set in a session aren't for Reiki, either. Our intentions are what we would like to dedicate the session to, perhaps an outcome that we seek, a desire, or something we plan to bring about. Because Reiki always works for the highest good of all, intention setting for a session is frankly useless from the standpoint of the energy Reiki. Reiki doesn't care what our intentions are, since it's doing its thing for the highest good no matter what our intentions and what we want. And what is for the highest good of all may even be counter to our wishes or desires.

It's important to note that intention setting is also not part of the system of Reiki. But even though it makes no difference to the energy Reiki and is not part of the system itself, I always invite clients to set an intention at the beginning of the session, and I do this during the invocation. Because, like with an invocation, the intention-setting is not for Reiki...it's for us.

Intention setting and invocations are powerful practices. They are energetic and psychological triggers, and especially out of these two practices, intentions matter. Always the intentions we set in a session are for us and not for Reiki, since Reiki is doing what it does no matter what. Reiki doesn't care about our intentions. But intention setting and even offering an invocation is still helpful and powerful because it's powerful for us personally. I invite all of my Reiki clients to set an intention at the beginning of the session and also let them know that they don't need to. I also share with them that my intention for the session is for their intention.

So I do advocate using invocations and intentions when they feel right and appropriate and when it resonates with the client. But it's important that we use them with the awareness that what we do or what we want makes no difference to Reiki and that these practices are effective strictly for the impact they have on us as humans.

For more encouragement on starting a session, including the things that are way more important than invocations and intention setting, tune into this episode of the Build Your Reiki Business podcast on How to Start a Session. Please also feel free to grab the free Reiki Biz Kit with more Reiki business information. Blessings to the intentions!