How many levels of Reiki are there?
There are 3 levels of Reiki training - Reiki Level I, Reiki Level II and Reiki Level III also known as Reiki Master Level.
When people ask what is reiki & how do I get certified? please note that working with Reiki is a calling. It’s a soul conscious pull that draws you towards a purpose here on Earth to aid and help heal, support and give light, share love and some understanding to mans’ ever difficult journey that is life.
Reiki can help a person to begin to know and live from his/her own true self.
Those who come to learn what reiki is, learn to be humble, to be grateful, to be in ever awe of the creative loving life force that extends an all-encompassing hand of compassion to living beings who are travelling the path. Those who come to learn and live reiki satisfy their need to make a difference in the life of another. It’s a satisfaction of service that resonates at a deep level. It is not an egotistical feed or an over inflated sense of self- importance.
Always be humble.
You are a channel… not the source.
Reiki Courses
From a practitioners’ viewpoint the journey begins with the study of Reiki 1, the first course.
In terms of asking how long does it take to learn Reiki? It really depends on the student and how far they want to go. Progressing from Reiki Level I to Reiki Level III or Master Level as it’s also known can happen over an 18-24 month period if the student is willing to put the work in.
The Reiki Level I course provides a person with the knowledge of how to move forward, firstly with self -treatments and then treatment for others.
An attunement process enables the budding practitioner to open themselves to be a channel for the Reiki energy. This begins an upward raise in conscious awareness, it accelerates spiritual development and opens the life path seemingly wider or perhaps deeper is more explanatory.
As the person opens to allow more of the life force through them more understanding and appreciation for life occurs, more awe of life itself ensues and more gratitude is felt. Becoming a channel for Reiki opens the practitioner to the subtle awareness of source energy and allows a flow of loving healing vibrations to emanate from them to help oneself and others.
We walk the same human path as our fellows remember.
We are not angels! Far from it!
We are human and share the same problems, anxieties and challenges yet we raise ourselves, we begin to address our own problems and tasks and we ask in the name of goodness that we may be small beacons of light amongst a world that is sometimes harsh.
We ask that we hold a healing space to help fellow beings, animals and humans. This brings a broader perspective to our own personal problems and to the problems we face collectively. It brings with it compassion and empathy and promotes a non-judgemental attitude.
Those who search out help from reiki healing are asking to have their healing capacity enhanced and to help lift themselves out of the fog of a situation. They are consciously or unconsciously asking for light to be shed on their situation.
Being a practitioner of Reiki is humbling and many personal lessons can be learned.
Our perspective grows and life becomes a deeper experience.
We may come to reiki training with a desire to help others initially and this sounds like a selfless call for good BUT you will learn that very importantly self comes first.
We can only give when we are of a high vitality, so you will learn self -care. You will learn how to create space for self, to honour self and to love self.
Reiki can be used for self only. It can be a path for self-advancement and can be regarded as a path to self -knowledge. Being true to yourself and living from this heartfelt space gives you the best chance of happiness and making this life worthwhile.
We also teach by example so it is important to address our own lifestyle and ask ourselves are we being the best we can be. We begin to understand our life lessons and accept that some lessons are hard and some are sweet. Try and treat them both the same with equal gratitude for the learning we attain from them. Reiki can help you to become who you are at the highest level you can develop if you are willing to do the work.
You may have begun this journey with an inquisitive curiosity. You may not know why you are drawn, but drawn you are and on you come and follow you must.
Let the light guide you, enrich you and give you purpose and understanding.
Through working with Reiki we learn and see and feel that life is not just a solid lump of dense existence. Life has a subtle source of energy underlying it and upon which physical existence depends. We live in a sea of vibration that acts as a web upon which all physical existence rests.
As a metaphor, imagine that you walk through the forest observing the spider weaving his web. As he does so, you can much more easily perceive that web when the dew rests upon the form. So it is that physicality itself is perceived by our senses as it is resting on the energetic patterns that underlie the form.
The energy itself is lost behind the solid perception.
This is the space we work within with reiki.
We work with the energy underlying the form.
Reiki strengthens the web, rebuilds it so the form can perfect itself.
Emotions and thoughts that negate us can block the flow of life -giving energy.
Stress, worries and a feeling of disconnection with our life purpose all stem the flow of universal life energy that comes to us from source.
Lack of connection to the creative life force weakens the web so to speak. Yes, we must eat well, drink fresh water, breathe efficiently, feel appropriately and respond effectively but all this depends on the flow of life energy through us.
This is how reiki therapy helps. It increases the flow of life force through us.
Reiki is Universal life force/energy.
We are all connected to this energy.
Reiki Level I
The first reiki course attunes the practitioners’ own personal energy field to the life force more directly. The healing capacity is already innately part of our existence, we know how to heal ourselves if we can listen, we know how to soothe others with love and care. It is this healing ray that we attune much more clearly to, much more closely to through the ancient initiation handed down from Dr Usui, the lineage from where this Reiki practice originates.
This initiation we call attunement.
It is powerful and should not be underestimated. Its capacity is magnified by intention and the initiation process can only be fully understood by experience.
The force that creates life has many aspects….it has cycles of growth as well as decay, it is a force that utilises all and every possibility of form and manifestation.
The life force has its own healing intelligence. Reiki is the healing loving essence of this huge symphony that creates life. Again, metaphorically speaking, if you understand that all life is a vibration of energetic rays, each manifestation of life singing its own melody, we can understand that the healing ray or vibration can be accessed by attuning our physicality akin to a radio attuning itself to play a certain wavelength or channel/station.
We are, remember mere channels for the healing vibration/ray so that others can utilise as they wish to and as is needed for the greatest possible good.
Reiki is not a panacea for all ills and if death is ready to come reiki can aid the person to accept and let go.
Again if physical healing cannot occur, healing on other levels, emotionally and spiritually still can.
Attunement to Reiki has a profound effect on the person’s life path if that person continues to work with its energy.
Firstly, the students’ energetic field of vibration is heightened. This makes him/her more sensitive to the energetic frequency of others.
He/she becomes more sensitive to negative vibration and becomes more aware of what is needed for their own personal happiness and wellbeing as well as spiritual growth. It is important to have support from friends, family, other reiki fellows and your reiki master on your journey.
Sharing is growing.
The Reiki 1 course is a start on self-growth, self-healing and a push forward through your own enfoldment spiritually. This is an individual experience which varies from person to person depending on natural progress and desire for personal growth.
21 days of self- healing is paramount following Reiki 1 to allow these changes to settle and embed within the person.
Reiki Level II
This 2nd level course deepens your growth and understanding of the matrix of energy we live and move within and have our being.
The reiki attunement that is given in this course attune you even further and more closely to the healing ray and also attune you more closely to the fundamental discord that is inherent within the person that you are helping.
Your awareness grows.
Your insight may sharpen and the energy you channel becomes stronger.
It is very important to wait 6 months between each course before you progress to allow the first and subsequent energetic changes to settle within you.
This allows you to clear yourself of “debris” that you may have accumulated, in other words, clearing your channel as much as possible and of course gaining the experience of practice!
The ability to send healing to a person from a distance is taught in Reiki II.
Various psychic enhancements may occur following this second attunement depending on personal growth and level of spirituality/ psychic abilities.
The ability to visualise mentally is enhanced greatly. It is not mental energy we use in our healing work but the mind is focused on the greatest possible good.
Further and more detailed information is discussed during the course and on an individual basis following the course if needed. The efficacy of the treatment is not dependent on the psychic ability of the practitioner however.
A person who has some clairvoyant or clairsentient abilities may find their gift enhanced following reiki attunement but this ability is not necessary for channelling Reiki.
This 2nd course also gives you access to the reiki symbols that are then used during treatments.
This strengthens the work. These symbols are advisedly meditated upon and become part of your practice as tools to enhance the flow of healing vibrations. The symbols have much to impart and the more you work with them the more you learn and connect with the energy. Using these symbols enhance and deepen the healing capacity that can be drawn on as well as encourage the development of the healers’ spiritual development.
As this 2nd level of reiki training enables the practitioner to send healing at a distance - time and space become understood as concepts of the human mind and reiki helps us transcend the limitations of the constructs we create.
Much learning and questioning of reality as we understand it is explored at his level. Understanding deepens and the mind opens to a different perspective. We begin to realise that we are all connected, that we are one with each other and the creator however you see or understand that creator or creative force to be.
More spiritual development occurs.
Reiki Master Level III
Master level, the 3rd course enables the practitioner to teach.
6 months is advised again at least between Reiki 2 and 3 but of course the more experience the better!
When you are ready to teach you will be drawn, as I was and it may come as a surprise to you if you do not consider yourself a natural teacher.
Teaching Reiki and passing the energy on is a great privilege and brings a lot of joy. It is very rewarding. The world has a lot of suffering within it and many people are being called now to help in many different capacities.
Reiki training can advance your personal growth and development greatly. It can open your mind beyond the usual limited capacity we normally live within and it can help you live more from a soul rather than a personality driven basis.
During the 3rd course, Master/Teacher level more attunements again are given and these attunements are powerful indeed.
A lot of personal work may follow.
We may need to face what if anything is holding us back. We may need to let go of personal baggage and our own healing may be facilitated particularly emotionally and mentally.
You may have done the work already and are ready to progress!
We are individuals and we need to acknowledge this without comparison to others.
Be who you are, no one else can be you! So, enjoy being you!
There is no end to learning so go at your own pace. The journey is fruitful, the destination is always ahead of us.
There is always more to learn.
We are also given at this level the Master symbol and this opens up a further dimension and depth to our practice. Study of the symbol, meditation and contemplation is advised so that you get the most benefit from the study. Time should be given for this before you start to teach. A great deal of change may also occur within you and honouring these changes is important for your own growth and for your development and ability as a teacher.
We are obviously taught, at level 3 how to give attunements and practicing the process must follow to ensure the sequence is embedded. I found that whilst practicing attunements on willing guinea pigs (friends and family) that no actual attunement took place!
Obvious to me now of course that an open and willing heart and soul is needed from BOTH parties concerned.
So…each attunement we give - attunes us also.
While we as Masters attune our students’, our vibration is lifted again more closely to the healing ray.
This experience is to be felt rather than described and I will leave this subject here for those of you who wish to proceed. I wisely let you enjoy the discovery of the journey for yourselves!
Personally, I found this level 3 particularly life changing.
Of course, the experience of Reiki is subjective.
We are individual and Reiki does what is needed on an individual basis.
Experiencing Reiki whether as a recipient of a healing session or as a student practitioner far exceeds anything I can write or tell you.
I hope that this account inspires you to follow your interest in Reiki or if it hasn’t to at least have given you some inspiration to find the path that does resonate with you.
As it is said, there are many paths that lead to the top of the mountain, find yours and tread it ardently.
May the Light shine on your path.
