Holy Fire Reiki--A Powerful Evolution of the Usui Lineage...

🔥If you’re familiar with Usui Reiki, you might be wondering how Holy Fire Reiki fits into the picture. Holy Fire is actually part of the Usui lineage—it’s a more refined, high-vibrational evolution of the original Usui Reiki energy. Many people experience it as stronger, more effective, and deeply nurturing. It often brings about profound feelings of peace, joy, gratitude, and clarity.

✨Reiki was always meant to evolve. Even Dr. Mikao Usui, who rediscovered and taught Reiki in the early 20th century, continued to refine it throughout his life. His students went on to adapt and develop the practice further. In 2014, William Lee Rand, founder of the International Center for Reiki Training, channeled in the energy of Holy Fire Reiki through a spiritual experience guided by his higher guidance team. The feedback from his students—and his own experience—was clear: this new energy felt incredibly pure, powerful, and transformative.

🪷One of the key distinctions with Holy Fire is where the energy comes from. While all Reiki taps into universal life force energy, the Holy Fire is said to come directly from Source—God, Spirit, the Divine, or however you relate to that loving, high-frequency presence. In traditional Western Usui Reiki, the energy flows through the practitioner and can sometimes be influenced or limited by their personal vibration or even by the teacher they originally learned from. In contrast, Holy Fire energy is not filtered through the practitioner in the same way—it comes directly from Source to the recipient. This makes the energy itself more consistent, pure, and unlimited. This is a bit of a complex conversation because one would need to understand how the Usui Reiki classes are facilitated vs the Holy Fire class to understand how something like this could even be possible but if you think of the Holy Fire Reiki Practitioner as more of a space holder than a channel, then this may help it make more sense. 

✨That said, this isn’t to suggest that Usui Reiki is somehow “less than.” There are deeply gifted and heart-centered practitioners in both lineages, and what matters most is your connection with the person you choose to work with. Energy healing is intimate work, and it’s essential that you feel safe and aligned with your practitioner—regardless of their lineage. Just because someone is trained in Reiki doesn’t automatically mean they’re a trustworthy or ethical healer. Always listen to your intuition.

🪷What’s also beautiful about Holy Fire is that it actively works on healing the practitioner as well. The energy continues to grow in strength and vibration as the practitioner deepens their own healing and spiritual path. The more they work with it—not just with clients but in their own personal practice—the more powerful and transformative it becomes. So while you may experience a pleasant session with one Holy Fire practitioner, another may offer a profoundly life-changing experience simply because they’ve done deeper inner work and allowed the energy to evolve within them, essentially turning it into a whole spiritual practice.

✨ Personally, I absolutely love the Holy Fire. It has transformed my life and my Reiki practice in ways I couldn’t have imagined. For the first two years of my Reiki journey, I was trained in Usui Reiki. I received Levels 1 and 2 back-to-back and stayed with that lineage for a while. Then my teacher transitioned into Holy Fire, and because I wanted to stay with her as my Master, I decided to give it a try—despite my initial hesitation.

I’m so glad I did. From the moment I began my Holy Fire training, I felt a powerful shift. The energy felt completely different—stronger, more direct, and deeply healing. For me, the difference between the two lineages was immediate and profound. But again, everyone’s experience is unique. What resonates deeply with one person might not for another. That’s why it’s so important to choose your practitioner and your teacher with care.

🔥I hope this article gave you a better understanding of what Holy Fire Reiki is and how it might support your journey. Whether you’re a seasoned energy worker or just starting to explore, trust your inner guidance—it will always lead you to where you need to be.

Written by Selenia Rodriguez

Selenia is a certified Sound Healer and Holy Fire III Karuna Reiki Master. She enjoys helping others to regulate their nervous system by working through anxiety, stress, and trauma, and bringing people back to wholeness and connection with self & spirit.

Upcoming Holy Fire Reiki Level 1 Certification Classes.

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