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For people wishing to learn to work with Reiki, training is commonly structured in a series of three Levels or Degrees.

The ability to 'do' Reiki is not something that is learned in the normal sense or from a book. Rather it is something which is activated or awakened within the individual through a process of Initiation (also referred to as an 'Attunement').

This Initiation or Attunement - the central focus of each Level or Degree - involves a special energetic transfer technique whereby the Reiki Teacher ('Master') essentially 're-patterns' or 'recalibrates' the student's etheric field and subtle energy centres.

Reiki level 1

At Level 1, the Initiation / Attunement opens the student to the flow of Reiki (some would say: opens them to the awareness of the flow of Reiki).

Traditionally, in Usui Reiki Ryoho, the outer focus of Level 1 Reiki is on hands-on therapy at a purely physical level (both for self-treatment and for treating others).

However, the inner focus of Level 1 is about learning to become 'a clear channel' for Reiki.
Level 1 is about learning to 'let go and let the energy flow' - about learning to 'step out of the way' - learning to override the desire of ones conscious mind to interfere in the therapeutic process, and instead, simply let the Reiki phenomenon 'happen'.

The attitude should be one of almost Zen-like, compassionate, detachment:
"Sitting quietly, 'not doing', not seeking after outcomes, Reiki Flows. If healing happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't - either way it's no concern of mine." Developing this attitude early on will greatly enhance the quality of ones journey with Reiki.

Reiki level 2

Where Level 1 opens the student to the (awareness of the) flow of Reiki, the Level 2 Initiation / Attunement deepens the quality of that flow.

It is recommended to have a gap of at least three months between 1st and 2nd Levels, so your body has a chance to get used to the higher vibrations inaugurated by your initial attunement to this healing energy.

Second Level is all about reinforcing or enhancing your connection to the energy, learning some symbols which you can use routinely when working on yourself or treating others, it is about enhancing your self-healing, learning how to effect a strong distant connection (distant healing), and ideally it is also about opening yourself up to your intuitive side so that you throw away the basic Reiki ‘rule book’ and go freestyle, gearing any treatments towards the individual needs of the recipient.

Having developed the attitude of 'compassionate detachment from outcomes' at level 1, the Level 2 student is provided with a number of symbolic tools enabling them to 'set' intentions - and broaden the scope of their therapeutic interventions.

With Level 2 training, the student is introduced to three sacred symbols, and is instructed in their use as a means of :

• enhancing the effectiveness of physical level treatment (both hands-on and non-contact - i.e. in the clients aura)

• carrying out treatment at deeper psycho-emotional levels
  and

• performing 'distant' or 'remote' treatments - i.e. for people not physically present.

Reiki level 3

The practitioner is introduced to a fourth sacred symbol - the Master symbol, and is instructed in its uses, including its significance in the Initiation / Attunement process.

While many people will choose to progress to Level 2 ( with its deeper energy connection and expanded healing techniques ) and eventually to Level 3 (the 'Master' /Teaching Level), Reiki Level 1 training will provide all the basic awareness required to practice this special therapeutic art, primarily for self-healing and also for treating others (family, friends, pets, plants, etc).

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