For those who aren't interested in the details, or are in a rush, here are the important Reiki links:

My Reiki Training to date

Reiki certificates I have received

I've taught quite a few students to teacher level and you can find lists of them at these pages:

I was born in 1949 (July 5, 2:30 am EST) in Windsor, Ontario. For those interested in Astrology that makes me a Cancer with Gemini rising, which is probably why I tend to type such long web pages and emails.  :-)   I was the second oldest of 5 children.   At the University of Windsor I studied Mathematics and Computer Science and this might explain my analytical slant to things.  I suppose in a way I also studied the art of interacting with others from around the world - the local pub and my fraternity (TKE) seemed to help a lot with this.  It was an interesting time to be in school.  All through my secondary and university education I held part time jobs, mostly as a "jack-of-all-trades" in a downtown grocery store. This brought me face-to-face with the public consumer and the experience of trying to understand their needs ("Coffee is in isle 7, Mam.")  After a year of post graduate work, I moved to Toronto in 1972 and worked as a computer programmer for seven years - an analytical's dream.  Now I was beginning to experience daily office life - quite a change for me at the time - but it was an interesting social atmosphere. And the pubs were still there.

In 1979 I moved to Vancouver, and life took a different focus for me.  Over the next eleven years I was a manager of computer departments and software design teams for three different companies. As I moved up in the corporations I found there was more and more responsibility over my head - it felt like I was moving downwards in an inverted pyramid.  And unexpectedly I was often acting as a mediator between the various department heads who wanted the services of my staff. I supposed I had missed this in the job description.  (-: Now I needed conflict resolution skills and knowledge of different social styles in individuals - people seemed to have several different ways of approaching the same corporate challenge. As well, I began to understand the responsibility of managing the lives of others in a working environment, and how their home experience could have a dramatic impact on their day-to-day work..  By the end of 1990 I had moved into consulting but I now felt I had plateaued in my computer and management profession and was ready for a new career.  Looking back, it seems my "research" in the work place was now completed.

During this time, I met my "twin flame" or "soul mate" in a wonderful and inspiring being named Nadya.  This is the most powerful moment in my life thus far.  We seemed to slowly drift closer together and in 1981 began to share our lives intimately.  In the mid 80's Nadya gave birth to our 3 beautiful daughters and in the early 90's she returned to full time work while I remained home as care giver - "Mr. Mom", as the movie goes.  Family life now added to what I would call my "Life Resume" - giving me a greater feel for the challenges and joys a parent often faces outside the work place.  No wonder my staff who had children were always so emotionally challenged (and tired) at work.  All those diapers and playgrounds! But, all those uninhibited hugs! :-) 

On the "Life Work" scene, at this time I was attracted to the concept of "Do what you love and the money will follow" and began to think about what kind of things I enjoyed doing. However, it was to be a couple years before a true solution presented itself.  And it did indeed come from the area I had thought of as my hobby - my metaphysical and new age interests.

Back in my university days, I had become interested in martial arts and eastern philosophies. I studied Japanese Judo and taught it for a while (our "sensei" was not available to us very often). Surprisingly enough, in 2002 I learned that Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki was a student and friend of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.  In Toronto I learned Korean Karate and Tai Chi. Then I became immersed in Hatha Yoga and Meditation techniques. Yoga helped me grasp the concept of the mind and body working in harmony. This is something required by all martial arts, but the understanding of it had previously eluded me.  There seemed to be a deeper aspect to all the oriental disciplines - one I later learned was called "mindfulness".  I also learned that Yoga offered useful techniques for relaxation.

Philosophically, it was in 1975 that a friend gave me a copy of Jane Roberts' book, "Seth Speaks; The Eternal Validity of the Soul".  This greatly challenged my analytical way of viewing the world, but in a fashion that wouldn't let me just ignore the book.  It launched me into a life-long quest to study metaphysics and dramatically altered my concept of life and the nature of our reality. Over the next decade, in the process of reading all of Roberts'  books,  I began to unwind my analytical self and slowly allow the creative side to emerge. At the same time I felt like I was back in school, something like a metaphysical university.  Now, after nearly 30 years I have learned much about the process of creating our own reality, and the many techniques we employ to do so.  What is now surprising to me is that many of these concepts - available in print for over 100 years - are now being presented to the Western public by such notably teachers as Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, James Redfield and many, many others.  Even more surprising has been my discovery that the heart of these old teachings also exist within the original Usui-Do teachings of Mikao Usui. 

With Nadya as my catalyst we have also explored the teachings of Jach Pursel and Lazaris, Sanaya Roman and Duane packer (and Orin and DaBen), The St. Germain press material, Esther and Jerry Hicks (Abraham), and a host of other metaphysical and "new age" material.  This is by no means the only reading we do, and I also enjoy collecting hard cover versions of the books of my favourite fantasy and science fiction authors. 

One particular area that had intrigued me even in the late 70's was psychic healing. Several times I had come across people who had taught themselves (after much time and effort) how to heal themselves and others, and I studied some of these techniques. 

And so it was that In 1992, at a Vancouver psychic fair, my life path once again took a dramatic turn.  I met a Reiki practitioner named Sterling Sexton who was in the process of taking her Reiki Master's level from Harue Kanemitsu (a Reiki 1 and 2 student of Hawayo Takata, and master student of Wanja Twan and Barbara Brown).  Intrigued by the concepts of Reiki, and tired of just being an informed spectator on the metaphysical sidelines, I enrolled in her first class. I then began practicing Reiki on my family and friends. I became anxious to learn more so I began reading different books on Reiki.

A year later I was drawn to Reiki Master and channeler, Dr. Anne McMurtry, to take my Level II.  (Anne was a student of Carrel Farmer, who was taught by Phyllis Furumoto). I was intrigued at the increase in energy that the attunement and symbols gave me and started to look for books that discussed them. I was beginning to think that perhaps Reiki might be something I would enjoy practicing full time, so I tried to find out how to attain the Master's Level. I was very dismayed to learn that it would cost me up to ten thousand dollars to do so. However, my inner voice was telling me that there was a less expensive and more informative way for me to progress. 

On September 18, 1994, I received my Master's Level and set out to teach my wife and children Reiki, thus establishing myself as a Reiki Master/Teacher.  It was my children who now taught me the simplicity of Reiki, as the only way they would sit still and give Nadya a treatment was if their favourite video was playing.  After laying their hands on their mother they then turned to the TV and completely ignored her for the next hour.  I actually had to move their hands to a new position as Nadya found one or the other's hands getting a bit too hot or too strong for her liking.  It was as though the girls had turned on an electric device and just assumed it would stay plugged in and so turned their attention elsewhere.. 

By year-end I began hearing about another school of Reiki run by K. Milner.  Her name seemed to come up continually and when a Detroit teacher named Glenn Derrick shared some additional concepts from that school with me one day, I decided to phone Ms. Milner.  So it was in March, 1995, I found myself in her Reiki training (later called Tera-Mai Reiki.) Her energy had been shifted by her spirit guides, but also had a surprising electric-like quality to it, one that I later learned was possibly the imbedded energy of Seichim (Milner had received a form of this training at one time). Seichim was originated by Patrick Ziegler  and does not feel like Reiki, yet is equally effective.

January 1996 turned out to be another important time in my Reiki experiences as I signed onto the Internet and met a group of Reiki practitioners from around the world on the alt.healing.reiki email list. I posed the question as to whether anyone had heard of original Reiki still being taught in Japan.  I received an answer from Dave King who had visited there often and worked with teachers of old and newer Japanese schools. In July 1996 I took master level instruction in Traditional Japanese Reiki from  him. Dave, and his colleague Melissa Riggall, had recently spent time in Japan with Dr. Hayashi's 12th senior level (shichidan) student, Mr. Tatsumi (his training was from 1927 to 1931). This latter training served to shed new light as to how Reiki Ryoho was originally presented and used by the students of Usui-Sensei.

Since that time, I have learned Dave also trained in 1971 with a student of Toshihiro Eguchi named Yuji Onuki (1926-1930), and was now working with a still living student of Mikao Usui called Tenon-in (born in 1897).  A Buddhist nun, Tenon-in and 4 other nuns had worked daily with Usui Sensei from 1920 until his passing in 1926, and she explained that Eguchi had been the senior student of Usui (1921-1926). I have continued training with Dave in older forms of Usui teachings called Usui-Do and Usui Teàte, thus getting a better understanding of Usui's original ideas.

In 1998,  thanks to several internet friends (mainly Yukio Miura, Tom Rigler, Andy Bowling), I connected with a member of the original Usui Reiki society in Japan, Hiroshi Doi-sensei, and some of his students.  Through his teaching I discovered more of the origins of Reiki and how this old society continued to practice Reiki after Usui Sensei's passing.
 
 

Meanwhile, in order to expand my abilities with energy, in 1995 I took an “Awakening Your Light Body Course” (Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer) and since then (with the help of friends) I have completed most of their graduate programs. I also learned their "Opening to Channel" technique to consciously channel higher guides from the "Light" to increase my spiritual knowledge and growth. I now offer courses in these techniques, since they are as easy to learn as Reiki, and I optionally include some of this in my master level Reiki classes.

Over the past decade, many Reiki friends from around the world have shared knowledge and training with me including several Seichim Reiki and SSR styles, Karuna Reiki, Tera-Mai Seichem Reiki, RAI Reiki, Ascension Reiki and most important, original forms of Japanese Reiki and Usui teachings.  I have also experimented with other healing energies including Magnified Healing and StarLight. All of these techniques have succeeded in expanding my abilities with energy work, but more important, have helped me understand the diversity of Western Reiki and alternative energy healing. I now know that there is no limit to our ability to increase our healing skills, as well as our own personal growth. 

I also participated as the administrator of a large internet based group of over 700 volunteer healers from around the world.  Formed in 1996,  the Distant Healing Network receives over 200 requests each week for healing energy via its internet web page, and I continue to assist with this sharing project. 

In 1997 I was thinking of forming a Reiki organisation in my province when I discovered the Canadian Reiki Association (CRA). Since they had already created a good template for a Reiki group and had obtained a federal charter, I decided to join them instead.  Later I was to learn the CRA was very new and that I was only the 20th member. However, the CRA began to grow and was intended to be a voice for Reiki in Canada.  In 2001 as the original board of directors neared the end of their term, the CRA president, Linda Caplan, asked if I would be interested in taking over.  I found some volunteers in my student base from across Canada and we formed the second board.  I preferred someone else be in charge as I was more interested in helping things run, and as some board members left, I took over their duties like newsletter and membership.  After a couple years I found that some of my students wanted to remake the CRA into a more professional group, in spite of the fact that over 95% of the members (and the Reiki world) practiced Reiki as an avocation (i.e. not their main source of income.)  Since I already had a large student base, a growing information oriented web site and Reiki contacts around the world, I realised that I was already performing a much larger service to the Reiki world outside the CRA, and the CRA didn't really have anything to offer me.  So I left the group in 2003 in good hands and went on to other Reiki interests.

Currently I am involved in an on-going project to explore the roots of Reiki and the life of Mikao Usui.  As the information continues to drop into my lap, I try to share some of this with the world-wide Reiki community on my web pages or my own student base.  My connection with several like-minded friends in the UK, USA and Japan led to the interaction with Mr. Hiroshi Doi-sensei and his work to discover the origins of Reiki. I have participated in 4 of his international URRI workshops (hosting 2 of them) and in November, 2000 I received master level training in his Gendai Reiki-ho school, as well as membership in his Gendai Reikiho Healing Society. 

Doi-sensei has received Reiki training from Western sources, but more intimately from 2 non-Western schools of Reiki in Japan (through  Kimiko Koyama and Hiroshi Ohta). In November 2000 when I visited Japan, I climbed the holy mountain of Kuramayama, where Usui-senseireportedly fasted, I walked the streets of Usui-sensei's home village of Taniai, and I meditated at Sensei's grave site at the Saihoji temple in Tokyo. I was also fortunate to teach Reiki in the beautiful city of Kyoto (and Osaka.)  These experiences, as well as the wonderful people I met there, helped me to gain a better understanding of Japanese culture and the roots of Reiki.

In October of 2002 I expanded my Japanese Reiki training by taking the master level of Komyo Reiki from Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto-sensei.  His teacher, Mrs. Yamaguchi, studied with Dr. Hayashi from 1938 - 40.  I met her and her son at the URRI 2000 conference. Also in 2002 I took the first 7 levels of Usui-Do training (to Shodan) from Dave King and Laurie Anne King. Usui-Do is a forerunner to Reiki and was taught by Mikao Usui from 1920 until 1926.  Dave and Laurie Anne are the only known non-Japanese teachers of this and are students of the late Tenon-in.  She and several other students of Sensei were still alive in Japan in the early years of this century. 

In the Fall of 2004 I took another class with Dave King. This time he shared the first 3 levels of Usui Teàte, which according to Tenon-in had been Eguchi's 1925 style of teaching in the Usui dojo under the watchful eye of Usui Sensei.  At this level it is very similar to Usui-Do, and the repetition provided new insight and experiences for me into the original purpose of Sensei's teachings.

In the past few years I have recieved several copies of old Reiki books, some dating back to the 1930s, and one is the work of a well known URR Gakkai Shihan. With the help of my Japanese students I have been able to get translations of these and have shared some of  the resulting "new" knowledge of Reiki origins with my students and at my public Reiki pages.  It seems my Reiki adventures are not yet over.

All of the above are reflected in my style of Reiki training that I call Threshold Reiki. Like Doi-sensei's Gendai Reiki Ho (Modern Reiki Method), it is a blend of old Reiki and new Reiki, and is intended to lead the student to discover their own appropriate way of practicing the spiritual and healing ways of Mikao Usui Sensei.  In order to retain a wider focus of the practice of Reiki, I also continue to offer master level training in other styles I have been certified in such as Gendai Reiki Ho, Komyo Reiki Kai and Sekhem-Seichim-Reiki. 

While I find it most enjoyable to teach classes in person, I have found over the years I have attracted students who were unable to travel to me (or bring me to them) and who wished to receive my classes in a distant format.  While I was reluctant at first, I discovered that providing this service caused me to create a better set of training materials as well as adding in CDs and videos.  So while the classes are now very much suited to the distant student, the improved and additional material provides a welcome benefit and a great source of review for my in-person students.  I have been teaching distant classes since 1997 and I actually find that most distant students spend more time interacting with me (email, phone, etc.) and seem to stay connected much longer. Since I enjoy getting to know the individuals in my classes, this is a welcome benefit for me.  And I encourage all students to retake classes (at no charge) in a live setting with me.

In recent years, my own healing and energy work have moved beyond the boundaries of Reiki and I always involve my spirit guides in these pursuits. Over the past decade or so my explorations in energy work have led me through many amazing shifts and experiences, sometimes evolving my energy bodies, my chakras and heart centre, and often involving the creation or awakening of new energy focuses within me that I cannot find any reference to elsewhere.  If not for the ongoing support (and clairvoyant vision) of students, friends and especially my family, these experiences could b very disturbing, let alone challenging.  I've learned from my interactions with other energy worker colleagues that many of us are having these kinds of experiences, often unique to ourselves, as our spirit friends assist us to bring higher and more evolved energies to our planet in these changing times. The "future" as we used to think of it, seems to be here, now.  I can't even guess where this will all lead to, but I know it will not be a dull experience.

In conclusion, all of the above had led me to my own set of Reiki and spiritual goals and ideals:

• to continue to provide Reiki treatments and/or sources of heaing and healers to others. 
• to make Reiki courses available and affordable to adults and children, and provide a source of teachers with similar views as mine. 
• to offer ongoing information, support, and practice time to my students, and to other Reiki practitioners who request it.
• to continue to research and test methods of using Reiki and complementary healing techniques, to study the history of Reiki, and to bring this knowledge to my students.
• to encourage the use and spread of Reiki everywhere in our daily lives.
• to discover the true origins of Reiki and spiritual concepts as presented by Mikao Usui and his close students and companions.
• to try to bring the worldwide Reiki community to accept and interact with one another.
• to share the knowledge of my own spiritual and energy explorations with others.
• to continue to discover and present very simple ways to develop healing, energy and personal growth skills.
• to be a source of support, wisdom and compassion for my own family.
• to work with the earth daily in assisting it's own growth, thus affecting all of our own.
• to continue to grow myself along my life path as I gradually near my life work.
• to continually discover joy and happiness in all areas of my life.

Richard Robert Rivard