Is it Possible to Do Reiki Without Any Training?
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Am I Doing Reiki?
I hear this question from time to time from folks who have not had any training but believe they are naturally channeling Reiki.
My reply? Maybe.
I can’t really say. Dr. Usui, the founder of the healing system that we call Reiki, had a spiritual awakening after fasting and meditating on a mountain for 21 days. Reiki was the bonus side effect. He had no training. But he did spend a lifetime preparing for such an event. And fasted. And meditated. On a mountain. For 21 days!
We call this a spontaneous attunement.
Fortunately, the rest of us don’t need to go through this arduous process and can simply receive an initiatory attunement from a Reiki Master Teacher.
It’s likely that ancient shamans, healers, witches, and medicine people across the globe had access to this natural energy. Who knows, perhaps it was widely used at a time when folks were aligned with nature’s energies.
For those of us who grew up in houses with climate control and artificial lighting, it seems unlikely.
Sure, some people are gifted at moving energy without being taught.
But not all “moving energy” is Reiki. Reiki can do no harm because it is spiritually guided. Poking around in someone’s chakra system without spiritual guidance could very well be harmful despite the best of intentions.
I’m sure some people are naturally gifted surgeons, pilots, and architects. Still… I feel a whole lot more comfortable when they have a certificate to back it up. Don’t you?
If you really want to practice Reiki, get an attunement from a Master Teacher. It’s the only way to be certain that your efforts are protected by the forces of nature (vs led by the ego-mind). This is the reason I require people to have at least a level one attunement to attend Reiki shares.
It’s a gift to be allowed to exchange healing with others. A deep level of trust is required to receive energy from someone. I want to be certain that we all have the required training to keep everybody safe.
I’ll add, since it’s often a common followup question that, no, I don’t believe you can receive an attunement by watching a pre-recorded video. While remote attunements are very real and quite powerful, they are individually applied to each recipient. I don’t believe it’s possible to “can” this transmission for mass distribution.
I might be wrong about all of this. I’m certainly not the judge of who is and who is not accessing Reiki. But I’m quite sure that the people I want working on/with me have the proper, basic training.
I welcome any respectful conversation about this. Disagreement, when done with kindness, is a necessary part of learning. Do share your thoughts, even if they differ from mine! Subscribers are welcome to submit Reiki questions for future posts in the comments below.