Reiki is a beautiful process of connecting to everything around you and healing
You can heal yourself and you can heal others
You can either go to a Reiki practitioner or you can learn it yourself
You can get started training with Reiki by setting your intention and finding a master to learn from. Reiki skills can be learned from books and online, but you need to learn from a master to be attuned and fully open to performing Reiki.
There are pros and cons to learning online and offline
To learn more about that, check out this article
I chose to learn online because there were no masters near me and I don’t have childcare for classes
Whatever way you choose, be careful who you choose as your teacher because there are fake masters out there
What qualifications do you need to start training in Reiki?
Reiki is learning to use the energy that we all have and are all connected to
This means anyone can learn if they are willing to put the time and effort in
Some people will learn faster than others
But everyone can learn with practice
The only qualification you need is to be open to the process and willing to practice even when you don’t notice anything happening
What should you expect from Reiki 1?
Reiki 1 is the beginning stage of Reiki
And just like stage 1 of anything, this is when you learn the basics
When I took Reiki 1, I learned:
- What Reiki is
- Who can perform Reiki
- How Reiki started
- The 5 Reiki Principles
- Attunements vs Healings
- What an attunement is
- Three pillars of Reiki
- Other forms of Reiki
- Guided meditations
- How to feel Reiki
- Hand energy exercises
- Visualization
- Determining your power hand
- Letting go
- Intentions
- Protection
- Physical cues for energetic cleansing
- Restoring your energy
- Spiritual detox
I went through everything I needed to know to get started with Reiki for myself and people close to me
There is a lot of practice throughout because these are skills
Magick may seem like something that should be instant, but it isn’t
It is called a practice or a craft for a reason
There will never be a time when you have learned everything
But you can definitely learn and become very skilled if you are willing to start as a beginner and practice
Can I teach myself or do I need to find a teacher?
The energy work skills themselves can be self-taught
There are books and videos everywhere!
But you need to find a teacher to ensure that you are learning it correctly and to get the attunement at the end
I know we live in a world where all the information about everything is at our fingertips
That reality makes it easy to become a Do It Yourself person
I know because I am one!
I am a perfectionist
A recovering perfectionist that is
I get very anxious with the idea of failing and people knowing that I have failed
Sadly, this keeps me from learning a lot from people who are willing to teach me because I am scared of failing
If I failed in private, it’s not really a big deal, is it?
I know that it’s my anxiety talking and controlling my life
And I am taking steps toward overcoming that
But for now, it is still a struggle
As someone who likes to do it all herself, I highly recommend finding a teacher
If you are like me and you don’t have any energy healing experience, a teacher is very helpful
I also have a lot of anxiety, so meditation has been challenging
Isn’t it funny how to thing that helps you with a challenge is often close to impossible with that challenge?
But having someone to guide me through has been very helpful
I just need to listen and let my teacher help me until I can do it on my own
Can Reiki be done without an attunement?
An attunement is like graduation with a Reiki master
They use their skills to change the way your system interacts with the energy you are connected to and fully open you to Reiki
If you just want to learn the basics of Reiki or even just some energy work, then attunements are now required
But they are an energetic symbol that you have done the work, learned from a master, and have been accepted into the lineage of that master
Once you are attuned, you never need one for that level again
You get attuned between all three Reiki levels:
- Level 1
- Level 2
- Master
When you are attuned to level 1, you are able to do the basics and use Reiki in-person
When you are attuned to level 2, you are getting into Reiki symbols and other more complicated skills
You also learn to perform Reiki over a distance
Lastly, masters have learned everything their teacher has to offer and are able to train others to practice Reiki too
If you don’t want to go through a master and you don’t want attunement, I would likely recommend choosing a different form of energy work
If you are going to put the time and effort into learning something, it would be a shame to be unable to go all the way
But there are many kinds of energy practices!
Reiki is just one!
My recommendation is, to begin with visualization
Visualization is seeing something in your mind
There are a few people that cannot visualize, but most people can
Start with something small and simple
Think about a happy time in your life and play that memory in your mind like a movie
I want to see the memory and hear what you heard
Don’t worry it isn’t exact
This is an excellent tool for you if you work somewhere stressful
If you are having a terrible day, stop for a couple of minutes and play that happy movie in your mind
The parts of your brain that lit up back then will light up again
This makes your day a little better