Recovering Wholeness Together
April 24, 2026
Although some are slow
Still we will never fail
To reach our goal
If we hold within our hearts
Those thoughts of sincerity.
– Emperor Meiji
時遅きたがひはあれどつらぬかぬ ことなきものは誠なりけり
Did you know that poetry is a part of the system of Reiki? It’s true! Waka (Japanese poetry) has been practiced by Japanese Reiki practitioners since the early 1900s. These poems were a source of deep inspiration for Mikao Usui, the founder of the system of Reiki, and were used as tools for contemplation and spiritual growth.
This waka (Japanese poem) by Emperor Meiji offers a profound teaching about sincerity in the face of difference and delay: people move at different speeds, hold different views, and walk different roads. Yet this poem does not ask us to resolve those differences, it points to the one thing that remains constant beneath them all. Listen to this song and contemplate the words.
The poem reminds us:
— Sincerity is not dependent on perfect conditions
— People will differ, and that is to be expected
— What endures is not agreement, but integrity
— True makoto cannot be forced or rushed – it simply is
— The deepest constancy lives beneath all our differences
In the context of the system of Reiki and spiritual growth, this waka teaches us about 誠 (makoto): sincere, wholehearted truth. Spiritual practice asks us to return again and again to what is genuine within ourselves, regardless of how others move or what circumstances arise. Emperor Meiji’s words do not ask us to be faster, or to agree, or to have it all figured out. They simply remind us that sincerity, real, unwavering makoto, is always available to us. The question is not whether conditions are perfect. It is whether we are willing to be true.
🌸 Deepen Your Practice: 21-Day Waka Journey
This waka can be used by Reiki practitioners for daily contemplation. If you’re drawn to this wisdom, imagine spending 21 days exploring the profound spiritual teachings hidden within Japanese poetry.
Join my 21-Day Waka Course where you’ll:
Discover 21 waka poems that can be used in traditional Reiki practice
Learn how Mikao Usui and his students used poetry for spiritual development
Receive guided reflections to deepen your understanding of each poem
Explore the connection between Japanese aesthetics (mono no aware), nature, and inner cultivation
Transform your spiritual practice through the timeless wisdom of waka
Each day brings a new poem, a new teaching, a new opportunity to cultivate your practice.
👉 https://reikiwithbronwen.com/courses/waka-wisdom-21-days-of-imperial-reiki-meditations/
Check out my Japanese Reiki Poems Playlist on Youtube!
