Sylva resident Mercedes Fernandez will present an introductory Reiki workshop at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library.

Reiki is a form of hands-on healing that was originally popularized in Japan in the late-18th and early-19th centuries. The practice was brought to America in the 1940s and has since spread worldwide. It is most probably based on ancient Oriental ideas about human energy systems. In Reiki treatment, the healer guides the Reiki energy to where the person receiving it needs it and allows the excess energy to be released.

Fernandez is a Master Reiki teacher who has been helping people sharpen their spiritual skills and healing abilities for nearly 40 years. During the program, Fernandez will discuss the history, practice and techniques of Reiki and will take questions from the audience.

For more information, call 828.586.2016.