Sometimes something happens that’s much bigger than any one person. A hurricane. A war. A frightening stretch of news. A community grieving together.
When that happens, many Reiki practitioners send Reiki to the situation itself. I do too. Here’s what that means to me, and the lines I keep around it.
What does it mean to send Reiki to a situation?
In distance Reiki, you can send Reiki to more than a single person. Practitioners send it to relationships, to moments in the past, to places, and to situations.
Sending Reiki to a situation means holding the whole of it in care for a while: the storm, the fear, the grief, the place where it’s happening. It isn’t aimed at any one person.
My teacher put it simply when we talked about this in class. When you send Reiki to a war zone, or a country after a tsunami, you aren’t working on any individual’s body. You’re sending to a situation.
Don’t you need permission?
For people, yes. I only send Reiki to people who asked for it. Read why.
A situation is different. When I send Reiki to a situation, I’m not sending it into anyone in particular. I think of it as offering it to the situation, so it’s there for anyone who wants it. No one has to take it, and nothing is being done to anyone.
That’s also why I’m careful about how I describe it. I’ll say “for everyone affected by the storm,” not “for” a named person or family who didn’t ask.
What situations do you send Reiki to?
Anything that’s weighing on a lot of people. For example:
- a natural disaster, like a hurricane, a flood, or a wildfire;
- a war or a crisis somewhere in the world;
- fear moving through a community;
- a hard anniversary, or a time of shared grief;
- something in the news that’s hard to look at.
I sometimes share a candle on Instagram when I do this. Those candles are lit for my own practice or for a situation, never for a client.
Does sending Reiki change what happens?
I can’t promise that it does, and I won’t claim it.
Reiki won’t stop a storm, end a war, or fix what’s broken. What it can be is a way of not looking away. A way of holding something hard with care, instead of scrolling past it or going numb.
For me, it’s a little like a prayer or a moment of silence. It doesn’t replace doing something. But it can be part of how I stay present to what’s happening, and part of what moves me to help.
What about something coming up in your own life?
Distance Reiki can be sent forward in time, as well as back. So alongside big situations in the world, Reiki can also be sent ahead to something in your own life that hasn’t happened yet, like:
- a job interview;
- a hard conversation;
- a medical appointment;
- a move, a wedding, a funeral, or a first day somewhere new.
In my training, my teacher had us practice by sending Reiki ahead to our own class the next morning.
This is something you can bring to a session. When you book, choose “Something coming up” and add a few words, like “my interview on Tuesday.” Reiki goes to you, and to how you’ll meet it. It isn’t sent to change what other people decide, or to fix how things turn out.
What lines do you keep?
These are the commitments I keep whenever I send Reiki to a situation, and whenever I share about it.
I send to the situation, not to specific people. It’s offered to anyone who wants it.
I don’t use real people’s stories, names, or images. People in the news didn’t ask to be part of my practice. I won’t use their photos, their names, or the details of what happened to them.
I don’t sell anything alongside suffering. When I post about a hard situation, there’s no booking link, no promotion, and no “sessions available.” It isn’t the moment for that.
I point to real help. Reiki is never a substitute for food, shelter, medical care, safety, or justice. When I can, I share people and organizations doing concrete work, so anyone who wants to help can.
What can I do if a situation is weighing on me?
A few gentle ideas.
Take care of yourself first. Hard news can sit in the body. It’s okay to step away, rest, and limit how much you take in.
Do one concrete thing. Give to a trusted organization, volunteer, check on a neighbor, or show up for people near you. Small things count.
Hold it in care, in your own way. You don’t need Reiki training for this. Prayer, a moment of silence, lighting a candle, or simply thinking of the people affected with kindness are all ways of not looking away.
Reach out if it’s too much. If the news is overwhelming you, talk to someone you trust. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988, or text HOME to 741741.
Common questions
Can I ask you to send Reiki to a situation? You’re welcome to tell me what’s on your heart. I can’t promise to send to every request, and I won’t post about anything that uses real people’s names or stories.
Is sending Reiki to a situation the same as sending it to the people in it? No. I send to the situation as a whole. I don’t direct Reiki into anyone who didn’t ask for it.
Can I join in? If you practice Reiki, you’re welcome to send at the same time, in your own way. If you don’t, you can hold the situation in care however feels right to you.
What if a situation is affecting me directly? If something big is landing on you personally, like a storm headed toward your home or a hard day coming up, you can bring that to a session as your focus. In that case, Reiki goes to you, your home, or how you’ll meet what’s coming. It isn’t sent into the wider situation or the other people in it.
Do you charge for this? No. Sending Reiki to a situation is part of my own practice. It’s never something I sell.