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Exploring the Reiki Precept: Just for Today I Will Not Be Angry
By Jess Smith, Elevated Vibrations Collective LLC, Owner
August 18, 2023 Updated November 5,2024
Just for Today I will not be Angry
Buckle up buttercup because here we go! We're delving into the first Reiki Precept and it's a doozy: "Just for Today I will not be Angry.” Actually, I don't know if there is an order, or if the order is important, because I have seen them written in different orders, and slightly differing variations, but the gist is always the same. So, let me back up for a minute. What in the heck is a Reiki Precept, you ask? Well, generally speaking, a precept is a "rule of conduct," and there are many of these in Buddhism. Mikao Usui, founder of the Usui System of Reiki, took a component from this well-established form and created his own precepts in a non-religious form to support his students on their spiritual path of self-healing (Bronwen, Frans Stiene). There are five Reiki Precepts. This blog dives head-first into the principle of "Just for Today, I Will Not Anger." It emphasizes the importance of first recognizing anger and then finding a way to let it go.
"If one were to practice the precepts alone, the spiritual journey would be swift and triumphant. Their deceiving simplicity undercuts the struggle that is relentlessly experienced when working with them," (Bronwen, Frans Stiene). Yes! It seems so simple; Just for Today I will not be angry. As I have been working with the precepts and more recently preparing to write this blog, I have come to find that, holy crap, they are challenging. I will write about how complicated we can make achieving this precept, and then come back to how simple it can be.
Identifying Your Anger
The complicated part is answering this question: "How can you begin releasing your anger when they don't know it exists?" It can be difficult for many people to identify their anger because they are so busy trying to please others that they have become detached from our own feelings. This is compounded with how we as an American culture view and teach emotions, specifically anger. I feel, that identifying that we are angry in the first place, is the first step. For me it was, anyway. I got to the point where I was seeking something to help me unearth all of the anger buried deep within me. I just didn't know what to do or how to do it because even though I felt the anger, I did not identify it as anger. My epiphany occurred while listening to the "Why Anger is Okay and How to use it for Good," episode of the Love Over Addiction Podcast. I really related to what Michelle Anderson was saying in the episode and it felt like a light was shining over me and the angels were singing, "aaaahhhhh! Michelle talked about how women especially are not taught how to express their anger and are actually expected not to be or act angry. As a woman, this was eye-opening for me, and something I had never thought about yet could completely relate to. At that moment, I realized and accepted that, I was indeed angry. Once I acknowledged my anger, I was able to accept it and eventually I was able to release it. Without identifying anger, and accepting that it exits, you cannot do anything with it. It just stews inside of you, and eventually erupts in unhealthy ways, creates blocked energy and can begin to make you ill. After I identified my anger, it was so simple. I said, "hell yeah I'm angry!" Then I identified what it was that was making me so angry in order to be able to let it go.
Anger in American Culture
So, a little more on anger in American culture, and specifically for women. There is a fabulous book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger, that I have not read in its entirety, one because I have ADHD, and two because I got out of it what I needed for the purpose of this blog, and three because I have ADHD. This book is mind-blowing, just in the first chapter on how gendered anger really is. The author explains that over the years girls were taught and talked to about emotions far more than boys, but girls are rarely talked to or taught about anger. Another mind-blowing fact was how anger in men is expected and often revered, while anger in women is unacceptable and creates a negative image. The third thing that was especially interesting to me is, that for non-binary people, anger is neutral, as they don't identify with either gender, anger does not manifest in a gendered way for them (Chemaly). As I scroll through social media and read books and articles, I have been seeing women owning this reality and taking back their anger. In the Artists Way, which, surprise, I have also yet to complete (in my defense, I would like to mention that I work a 40-hour plus job, have two children, own my own company, and I do actually read entire books, lol), the author writes that instead of stifling our anger, we can use our anger to ignite our creativity (Cameron). I have seen this similarly on social media posts, stating that we, as women, can use our anger to pursue change. I just have to mention America Ferrara's monologue from the Barbie movie somewhere in here, because when she started her monologue goose bumps flittered up my spine (I saw the movie shortly after it opened in theaters and I knew nothing about the premises of the movie), and I thought, "this just-got-interesting," and "preach, America, preach!" I add this because, my gosh, as women we are bottling up all of this anger, we have over the expectations our society has for us, we have for ourselves and for each other.
This is often amplified for women who suffer from codependency. We strive meet the expectations of others, to make things perfect for others, to be perfect and to seek the approval of others. You can only do it for so long before resentment starts to take over your being until you become a bottled-up container of anger ready to unleash your wrath on some unexpecting grocery store worker.
So, as you might have suspected, this is how we complicate the precept. All of the research I did made me ask, is the precept, "Just for Today I Will Not be Angry," still valid? Should we not be angry, or should we embrace our anger to ignite creativity and motivate change? I have decided, yes. Both. I feel that precept is valid, but in order to not be angry, we first need to identify our anger in order to transform it into art, policy change, the exchange of ideas, or just simply letting go of it and releasing it.
Owning Your Anger
I really love how Dr. Dori Beeler, medical anthropologist and Reiki master, explains this precept in her interview on Reiki Women Snapshots. In her field research within the Reiki community, she found that many people interpret the precept, as she refers to it, "do no anger," to mean to not be angry in order to remain in a state of Zen, and although she does not condemn this view, she feels it could lead to the suppression of anger. She has found that "do no anger" tells her to be aware of her anger, own it, and understand it to become emotionally intelligent around her anger so that instead of projecting anger she is dealing with it in a healthy way that allows the situation to not steal her energy. Can I just say, "Wow?"
Releasing Your Anger
Now that you have identified that you are in fact angry, it's time to release it. Yep, let that shit go! It isn't serving you. Well, that is obviously easier said than done, but it's also done easier than you think. It will take practice, so remember to let go of perfection, start the practice and keep working at it, you won't be perfect and that is okay. Give yourself grace and don't give up. Dr. Beeler compares the precepts to virtues, and she explains that we do not acquire virtues overnight, and that in a similar way the precept "do no anger" is something we have to work on over time. So, here's the simple part. The precepts are all about being in the now. When we are having thoughts of anger, we are in living in the past. When we say, "Just for today", it reminds you to take each challenge one day, or even one moment at a time. "It suggests that you release the guilt, fear, and anger around the past and future so that you can truly experience what is right in front of you," Parita Shah. Yep, you just have to let it go and focus on the right now. So much of what we hold onto that makes us angry just isn't serving us, and all we have to do is put it down. Sometimes it takes time to realize this, but when you do, letting anger go is as easy as dropping it on the floor and walking away. According to Reiki, anger doesn't come from outside events, but instead from angry energy already inside of you (Nunez). While on my path to healing, I have learned that much of my anger existed because I was choosing to hold onto my anger, even though I didn't acknowledge that I was angry in the first place. Eventually I realized that I could have more control over my anger, and I could actually choose not to be angry. That being said, I would like to say that boundaries are very important and let me tell you, this was a challenge for me to learn, but once you get it and you start setting boundaries it is very empowering. You are worthy of love, kindness, and respect. If this is not how you are being treated it is time to set boundaries. A boundary is simply something that you identify as unacceptable to you and that which you will not tolerate.
The only person you can change is yourself, and you are worth it. Start today by identifying your anger and working to release it. Use the Reiki precept "Just for today, I will not be angry." Because the brain can more easily process what to do instead of what not to do, I recommend using the phrase "Just for today I release angry thoughts," as a mantra in your daily breathing /meditation exercise. Yes, you do have time for this, even if you do it for just 30 seconds! I, of course, also recommend partaking in Reiki healing sessions, creating a self-care regimen, and practicing mindfulness daily to aid you in your healing and journey to connect with your true self.
to learn how to create a self-care regimen that sticks.
Peace & Light, Jess
References:
Anderson, M. (2019, October 27). Why Anger is Okay and How to use it for Good.
Love Over Addiction. Retrieved August 13, 2023, from https://michellelisaanderson.libsyn.com/podcast/why-anger-is-okay-and-how-to-use-it-for-good
Cameron, J. (1992). The Artist's Way. Jeremy Tarcher/Perigee.
Chemaly, S. (2019). Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger. Atria Books.
Nunez, K. (2020, August 24). How to Use Reiki Principles to Boost Well-Being. Heathline.com. Retrieved August 13, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/reiki-principles
Parita, S. (2020, May 21). "Explore the Reiki Precepts for a Flourishing Mind. Chpra.com. Retrieved August 13, 2023, from Https://chpra.com/articles/explore-the-reiki-precepts-for-a-flourishing-mind
Stiene, B., & Stiene, F. (2005). The Japanese Art of Reiki. Ayni.
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