Three Degrees of Reiki Training

Reiki

is a traditional ‘energy-based’ healing practice, with roots in Japan, though the practice itself has in the last 80 or so years of its existence spread to much of the world beyond Japan, particularly finding widespread appeal in the United States.

Reiki is carried out by trained practitioners (either to heal themselves or their ‘clients’) and there are three degrees of Reiki training.

In the first degree of Reiki training, potential practitioners get familiarized with the basic principles of the practice. Among the most basic things learnt at this degree are the way to hold their hands while in practice (in order to make the healing take effect), as well as the Reiki code of conduct and other such basics. It is not hard to attain the first degree of Reiki training. Indeed, the recommended training period is just four days, during which the student’s are given the first four ‘attunements’ of Reiki, which are important here as Reiki healing is based on properly ‘attuning’ one’s – or one’s patient’s energy. So the student is given one attunement a day. And with these, the new Reiki practitioner can not only heal themselves of various ailments, but also even heal others seeking their help in healing.

In the second degree of Reiki training, the potential practitioner is introduced to the often secret Reiki symbols and how to employ them in the healing practice. Here, again, the potential practitioner is given a further attunement, and with this, he cannot not only heal himself or others near him, but also heal others away from him. The attunement given here also increases the strength of the healing.

Then there is the third degree of Reiki training. This is seen as the ultimate qualification in Reiki training, an attainment of which confers to one the title of Reiki master. A Reiki master can not only heal themselves and others seeking their help, but they can also train other potential Reiki practitioners. And since training Reiki practitioners essentially involves giving attunements to them, then it follows that the practitioner who attains the third degree of Reiki training can now actually give attunements to other people seeking to become Reiki practitioners themselves. The attainment of Reiki mastery is not very easy – especially in the more conservative forms of Reiki teachings – and it might therefore be years before a student can earn this third degree of Reiki training (though it might be even possible to earn it in a day in the more ‘liberal’ Reiki practices).  The traditional name for this third degree of Reiki training was Shinpiden, and it is actually Hawayo Takata (one of the earliest practitioners of Reiki healing) who introduced the term ‘Reiki master‘ for this level of Reiki training. Hawayo, who had traveled very widely in the United States (and who is responsible for the spread of Reiki to the states and indeed to the rest of the world outside Japan) also introduced a mark-up price for training at this level, namely ten thousand US dollars.