The first thing to understand with Western Reiki, is that even within the strictest systems of Reiki, there are variations from teacher to teacher. Although there is clear lineage the streams directly from Dr Usui the originator, through to the current Master Teachers or Grandmasters depending on your lineage there are still variations based on variants such as newly discovered information and the personal beliefs of the teacher. Therefore, any article written on the subject is going to be more of a generalisation than a specific representation of all Reiki training. For the purposes of a succinct, fluent article, the author will refer to the individual practitioner or teacher as the feminine gender, however, Reiki is of course available to everyone, male and female, young and old. The Reiki Levels Reiki is split into a series of steps or levels. Each level introduces new information, new uses and tools for the Reiki Practitioner. The practitioner is able to take her Reiki training to the level that suits her needs. She can stop at level one and never go any further, or can continue on through each of the levels as she sees fit. Level One The first level of Reiki involves a series of four attunements (there are some teachers that provide one attunement that encompasses the four attunements). These attunements expand the energy centres of the individual and lock them in place at this new expanded level. It is through the energy centres that the Divine Energy that is used in Reiki healing, flows. Therefore, an expanded path for the energy to flow, results in a much greater flow of this energy. Level One training is usually held over a two day course. During this training the student is taught how to work with Reiki for herself and others. She is taught to treat clients to professional standards and receives a certificate as a level one Reiki Practitioner. Level Two The second level of Reiki involves a single attunement that once again expands the energy centres and at the same time attunes the practitioner to three important symbols that significantly expand the Practitioners use of Reiki. Each of these attunements provide the practitioner with the ability to work more deeply with the energy including sending healing to people, places and things around the world or in the next room essentially it allows the Practitioner to connect and send Reiki to someone that they cant lay their hands on. They will also learn past life healing work, healing of trauma that has occurred in this lifetime, they learn to multiply the power of Reiki, they learn to focus the Reiki healing of a specific issue, organ, or pain. They learn powerful protection tools and much more. Level Three This level is the Personal Master level. During this level the student is given the final attunement which once again expands the energy centres for a greater access to the energy flow as well as being attuned to the final symbol, the Master Symbol. Only some Reiki Masters teach this level, for those that do, they believe that the final attunement is so powerful that there is time needed to adjust and work with the energy at this new level. This level provides a variety of tools that use Reiki in personal development and healing. It can even include added streams of Reiki such as Seichim an attunement based healing system discovered through a meditational experience in Egypt. Master Teacher Level This is the final level of Reiki. For those Masters that do not provide the Personal Master level, it is at this level that the final attunement is provided. At this level the focus is mostly on the structure of teaching the levels and learning how to attune others to all of the Reiki levels. This is a broad outline of the levels and content of Reiki training. During the next article, we will focus on some of the variations in teaching Reiki and how to choose a good Reiki teacher. |
