There are three Reiki levels that teach different things
Reiki 3 builds on Reiki 1 and 2
It is tradition to wait at least 21 days between levels. So if you finish Reiki 1, you need to wait at least 21 days before starting Reiki 2. You can do the minimum time if you practice Reiki yourself every day. If you don’t practice every day, you should wait longer before the next level
While waiting isn’t required, it is wise to take your time to learn the concepts and get really good before moving on to the next set of skills
If you want to set yourself up for the best Reiki practice, wait 6 months between levels and practice every day
That gives you a chance to learn the skills and master them before moving on to new skills
You also get practice being open to the less obvious parts of Reiki
During this time, you can practice on yourself or others
Doing both is the best option
The biggest challenge is to get in the habit of continuing to practice even when you have already learned the concepts
What are the Reiki levels?
There are three Reiki levels:
- Reiki 1
- Reiki 2
- Reiki 3 (or master)
Pretty simple to remember!
Reiki 1 is the most basic concepts
This is when you learn about Reiki and how it works
You start learning how to access the energy around you, infuse the energy with intentions, and give that energy to your chosen recipient
Most of the time, that recipient will be yourself while you are learning
Reiki 2 is learning distance healing and symbols
There is more meat to memorize here, and the connection between you and the recipient gets harder since you are not next to each other
Reiki 2 will take longer to learn and master
The last level is master or Reiki 3
Reiki 1 and 2 need to be completed and mastered before you start Reiki 3
There should be at least three months of practice before starting Reiki 3 if you want to set yourself up for success
This is when you become a master that can teach and attune other people
This is the largest level so expect to be stretched when you join a class
Is there a time requirement for each level?
There isn’t a strict time requirement for each level, but it is important to give yourself time to practice and add Reiki into your daily life
You don’t want to get into the habit of practicing until you learn and then stopping
Once you learn Reiki, you want to practice every day unless you decide to quit
The best way to add Reiki into your daily life is to start in the beginning and take your time when you need to practice
Don’t rush
Usually, it takes about 10-12 hours to learn Reiki 1
If you take longer, that’s ok!
You are encouraged to have 40 hours of Reiki healing practice and 3 months of practice with the Reiki symbols for Reiki 2
Reiki 3 takes a different amount of time for everyone, but expect it to take more time than Reiki 1 and 2
Can you do Reiki 1 and 2 together?
Reiki 1 and 2 are often taught as separate classes in the West, but they can be learned together
Keep in mind that you will have to commit more time if you do it this way
But since they don’t really build on each other, you can take them together
If you complete both at the same time, you are more prepared for practicing Reiki professionally than you would if you only did Reiki 1
Even though you will need to commit more time daily, you will get certified sooner since you are condensing the time you need to spend into a smaller time period
What should I do while I wait to start the next Reiki level?
If you wait at least 21 days between levels like tradition says, there is one important thing you need to do
You need to practice
The more you practice, the sooner you can start the next class
If you practice every day, you are fine waiting the minimum recommended time of 21 days between levels
If you practice less, then I encourage you to wait longer and practice your current skills more
If you are not in a hurry to start the next class, then it is better to take longer between classes to practice more
6 months is the best period of time to practice once you complete a level
One of the most challenging parts of Reiki, when you finish learning, is to keep practicing even when you aren’t learning anymore
By waiting and practicing, you are getting in the habit of practicing even when you already know and understand what you have already learned
People tend to use practice only as a way to get better
Once they are happy with the progress, that progress starts to fall away
But if you do that, you will start to forget and lose the skills you worked so hard for
Have you heard the phrase “Use it or lose it?”
It’s true!
If you take a good amount of time between levels to practice and add Reiki to your daily life even when you don’t feel like you need improvement anymore, you are less likely to fall away and start losing your ability
Your ability to do the Reiki skills isn’t lost forever, but you will need to practice to remind yourself how to do it
Reiki is just like every other skill
You will learn it better the second time around, but you won’t need to relearn it if you take a few minutes every day to do Reiki healing on yourself or someone else
You worked so hard to reach the end of every Reiki level
Don’t let that work fade away