Reiki - Usui Shiki Ryoho (the Usui System of Natural Healing) - is not learned as such, although the traditions and practices and symbols are passed on. Reiki is transmitted through an Initation from a Reiki Master who has been Initiated by another Reiki Lineage holder. The Reiki Practitioner is merely a channel for the transmission of the Reiki energy.

The Usui System of Reiki is taught by Reiki Masters who are trained in the traditions of Reiki as passed through the spiritual lineage, and whose personal and professional lives are committed to this healing art and the lifestyle it engenders.

There are three levels of Reiki Initiation:

1. Level I
2. Level II
3. Master

Reiki Level I

A Reiki I class is usually taught in four, three-hour sessions. Each student is:

• attuned to the energy while also learning the history of Reiki
• the basic hand positions for self-treatment and the treatment of others, and
• ways to use Reiki in their own lives.

 

Reiki Level II

Reiki II is offered to students who have taken Reiki I, have had several months to one or more years of committed practice, and feel drawn to take this next step with Reiki. Instruction includes:

• The use of sacred symbols in order to more easily facilitate healing;
• How to summon energy for specific healing uses
• How to summon energy in order to create safe, sacred space for healing
• How to reduce mental and emotional trauma
• How to facilitate mental clarity and promote mental acuity
• How to send healing to someone at a distance

Reiki Master

According to Reiki Master Bernie Morin:

Reiki Mastery is a life's calling that can be very demanding of your personal growth. It can also be the most extraordinary time of your life. Individuals who feel this calling deep within them, need to declare their recognition of their calling to the Master they choose as their Teacher and Initiator.

According to the standards of the Reiki Alliance, there must be a period of three years between Second Degree Initiation and Master Initiation. The training period takes place over a minimum of a year. In the course of the training period, the candidate must receive twenty-six treatments from the Master. It is the Initiating Master who acknowledges when the student is ready for Master Initiation. After Initiation, it is expected that the relationship between the new Master and the Initiating Master will continue for life, as peers.