Reiki Meaning

Reiki is an energy healing modality in which the practitioner channels universal life force energy from Source and sends it into the recipient’s whole being through the use of hand positions upon the body and their intent. 

The word reiki directly translates to universal life energy. Anyone can learn reiki!

The practical definition of reiki is important to understand, which is why this is the third installment of our reiki healing series. But reiki is so much more than simple words translating into other words. 

Reiki is a whole way of life, along with being a powerful technique for spiritual growth and physical rehabilitation. 

So far in this series we’ve talked about the history of reiki, the reiki precepts, some reiki symbols and hand positions, how reiki works and why, and what reiki healing is good for from a holistic perspective. There’s even been a bit of quantum physics thrown in, for fun! 

Have you had the pleasure of receiving a reiki healing yet? Maybe you have, and now you’re feeling called to learn the art of reiki healing yourself. Anyone can learn! It’s never been more accessible and easy to learn this beautiful modality. 

But first, I want to bust some reiki myths before we begin talking about how you can begin your own reiki learning journey. 

Reiki Myths 

I’ve seen these myths or questions come up in reiki circles I participate in, from practitioners, students and clients alike. My intention is not to judge others for having these concerns, but rather to shed light on these things:

You can attune yourself to reiki

Unfortunately, you cannot attune yourself to reiki unless you’ve already been attuned by another practitioner. 

The thought process behind this one is that because reiki is universal life force energy, and we are reiki, we should be able to attune ourselves to reiki. 

I wish this were true. In order to channel reiki you must be energetically dialed into the frequency of reiki. This can only happen after an attunement is performed on you by someone else. More on reiki attunements later in this post. 

Be cautious when working with Reiki Guides

It’s always good to be energetically aware of the entities you are surrounded by, even if you aren’t practicing reiki. But reiki is only love and light energy. Reiki is never anything but light. 

This concern came from a fellow student of reiki who felt as though they were being surrounded by negative, harmful entities when calling upon Reiki Guides for assistance in their sessions. 

They claimed that those particular “reiki guides” had harmful intentions, therefore not all “reiki guides” are meant to be trusted.

But because reiki is only positive, those particular entities were not Reiki Guides. They were more likely Spirits existing at a lower level of vibration being drawn to the reiki that was being performed. They themselves were not attuned to reiki. 

You can send reiki to anyone, whenever you want

This is a discussion of ethics. The ethical, responsible thing is to only send reiki to people who have asked for it, and are willing to receive it. 

But there are lots of gray areas. What if someone is in a coma? Or unable to speak for themselves? Or you don’t have direct contact with them? Or any variation of these questions. 

There are ways to send reiki to people you don’t have direct consent from safely and ethically. What’s important to remember is this: you do not have all the answers, and there is no possible way you could ever be certain about what’s best for someone else. 

With that in mind, you can always ask the person’s Higher Self permission to send reiki to them. This goes for animals and babies as well. Once you’ve been attuned to reiki, it will be easier for you to tap into these higher Spirit frequencies. Use this connection to ask a person’s soul if receiving reiki will be for their highest good. 

Another option is to set your reiki intention in such a way that if it’s unwanted, it will simply fall to the Earth. You cannot force someone to receive reiki, or any kind of medical/energy treatment for that matter, and we must respect their free will. 

Reiki is sacred and not everyone should learn it

This is a myth that always seems to creep into any sort of metaphysical conversation. A lot of people carry this “holier than thou” syndrome that prevents them from seeing the value of these modalities being mastered by more people. 

It seems decidedly unspiritual to think that only a select few are special enough to discover esoteric concepts and modalities. 

As mentioned in part one of this reiki series, many of the people taught by Usui Sensei believed reiki was too precious for just anyone to learn. But how does this mentality make the world a better place for the collective?

While it is true that you must be attuned to reiki in order to channel it, it is untrue that only certain people can become attuned. If you have a desire to learn and a reputable Reiki Master to learn from, you can become attuned. 

Do not let anyone try to tell you that only a certain kind of person can practice reiki, or any spiritual practice. If you are feeling drawn to it, it is meant for you! 

Reiki Classes Online

No matter where you are in the world, you can learn reiki online! And if you live in or near a big city, you can just as easily find live reiki classes near you. 

My first reiki classes were taken online through Udemy with an excellent teacher named Melissa Crowhurst. Even though she lives on the opposite side of the globe from me, she attuned me to all three levels of reiki. And I’ve never looked back!

I’ve also recently enrolled in ReikiCafe University because I simply cannot get enough reiki! I absolutely adore Christine, her wealth of knowledge and compassion. Her courses are an excellent option for learning high quality reiki and how to build a reiki business. 

I highly advise that you use your own intuition and discernment when deciding on a reiki course. A live class doesn’t automatically make it better than its online counterparts.

And an online class doesn’t automatically mean it’s trustworthy, either. The two options I’ve listed for you I personally endorse, and I hope you’ll give them a fair chance. 

Let’s next talk about what a reiki attunement is and why it’s necessary for channeling reiki. Then, we’ll talk a bit more about what is taught in the three levels of reiki and what you can expect when you become a reiki student. 

What is Reiki Attunement? 

A reiki attunement permanently changes your energetic “fingerprint” so you can channel reiki energy directly from Source for yourself or for others. Once attuned, you do not need to be attuned again, but it never does any harm to get re-attuned. 

An attunement repairs any and all damage to your aura. It increases the health of your energy field and alters your baseline frequency so that you’re naturally vibrating much higher on a cellular level. 

Repairs to the subtle body include leaks, dents, gaps, and weakened outer shells. It also clears, aligns, balances, and boosts the chakras as a whole. 

This is why attunements are great for healing purposes, especially if you’ve already been attuned and accustomed to the higher vibrational state of existence. 

Reiki attunements are necessary to channel reiki. If you try energy healing without being attuned, you’re likely passing along your own vital life force energy, rather than channeling it from Source. We do not want to be giving away our own energy, there is no need for that. 

What happens during a reiki attunement with a qualified reiki master? They will imprint the reiki symbols onto your crown chakra and palms of the hands (and perhaps other chakras too, depending on the reiki master). 

This increases the size and strength of the chakras and the hara line, which is the vertical column of energy that unites the spiritual body, the physical body, and the universal life force energy together. 

Afterwards, our connection to the universal life force energy of love is much more powerful, and we have the ability to channel it through our bodies. 

An attunement offers us an everlasting connection to reiki, so it is almost always a major turning point in our spiritual journeys! 

Reiki Levels

Reiki is taught in three different levels to students. Some students learn and are attuned to all three levels at once. Others take their time between levels. Whatever works best for your and your energy practices. 

It is important to have a basic understanding of frequency management before enrolling in a reiki course. You’ll want to know how to project your energy, refill your energy, and overall take care of your own needs before attempting to channel reiki. 

Ironically, learning reiki level one can help with all of these! Just be sure to not neglect your own spiritual self care practices, as they become even more important once you get attuned. 

Reiki Level 1

Reiki level one is intended for self healing and getting lots of practice. You could also work on close friends and family if they are receptive.

This is a great opportunity to get used to the sensation of reiki, witness its miracles, and experiment with channeling techniques. 

During your practice healing sessions (which you can and should be doing daily once you’re attuned), you might begin to recognize reiki as feeling warm in your hands. Or maybe it feels cold to you, or pulsing, or tingly, or like slight pressure. 

However reiki shows up for you, accept it and allow it to be exactly as it is. And each reiki session will be different, so the only way to become a well rounded practitioner is to continuously practice! 

Practicing reiki on yourself is really no different than practicing on someone else. You can still use the same hand positions and intentions to give yourself a marvelous healing gift. 

The most important thing to remember while learning reiki level one is to do it with immense amounts of mindfulness and awareness. Both during a session, and after. Check in with yourself frequently and take note of how reiki is helping you. 

There’s no need to rush to the next level. Go at your own pace. When you’re ready to receive the level two attunement, your intuition and Reiki Guides will gently call out to you. 

Reiki Level 2

Practicing reiki level two means you’re ready to begin seeing paid clients, or working on people outside your immediate circle. This is when a formal reiki practice begins to emerge. 

To add to this, you’ll begin learning distance healing and become attuned to the distance reiki symbol, the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen. Your practice begins expanding and the potential becomes limitless! 

We begin healing in a much deeper way at reiki two. We’re moving past the basics of energy management (for ourselves and recipients) and into emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental healing. 

This is also the part of our reiki journey where we can begin using the symbols within a session. This isn’t necessary of course, but it does elevate the intention of the reiki being sent. 

We also begin experimenting with more dynamic and specific hand positions. Instead of simply allowing the reiki to flow, we start practicing the intention of sending reiki somewhere specific in the body or in time. 

For this reason and many more, a lot of students don’t want much of a gap between reiki levels one and two. They find that they’re much more ready and capable than anticipated, especially if they already had a cultivated spiritual practice. 

After the reiki level two attunement, most people begin to embrace their intuitive abilities and use them more intentionally. 

This may also be the time that other modalities get added in with the reiki, or vice versa. Reiki blends seamlessly with all kinds of healing work, energetic or physical. It just feels natural! 

Reiki Master Level

The final level of reiki, as taught by Usui Sensei, grants you the title of “Reiki Master.” Of course there’s always more to learn. But as far as attunements go, you will receive the Dai ko myo, (die-co-me-yo) which is the highest vibrational symbol.

Once attuned to this symbol, you now have the ability to attune others to all the other symbols. And at this stage, you can begin passing on all the reiki knowledge you’ve acquired through your practices. 

This is the symbol of light and enlightenment, translating to “Great Enlightenment” or “Bright Shining Light.” It can cause spontaneous healing and reveal many spiritual truths when invoked during a session. 

Not every reiki practitioner desires to reach master level, and it is not required to practice well or professionally. It is simply the next step for those who feel called to either deepen their own healing, or pass on the teachings of reiki. 

I am an attuned and practicing Reiki Master, and I can assure you that it would not be for everyone. Especially not all attunements at once, like I did. But it was right for me and I have no regrets!

Practicing reiki on myself and others has been such a blessing. I love the way it feels in my body and how it brings so much spiritual healing to my clients. 

I practice crystal reiki, where I combine crystal healing with reiki healing. I am a Certified Crystal Healing, and an Usui Reiki Master, and I aim to use both of these gifts simultaneously to assist my clients with their healing intentions!