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How long should you wait between your Reiki I and Reiki II Attunements? This is a question I am frequently asked.

There is no hard and fast answer to that question. In the old days, students used to be advised to wait 2 or more years between attunements. And according to the “The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui”, many of Dr. Usui’s students stayed at the Reiki I level for their entire lives. (You can find the Original Reiki Handbook in our Recommended Reiki Resources section. You’ll have to scroll down and click on Page 2 or Next to see that particular book.)

But I don’t believe you need to wait years. Many people are ready to make the jump to Reiki II much more quickly than that. From my perspective, I like to see students wait at least a month between their Reiki I and Reiki II Attunements. I say that simply because most students like to become accustomed to working with Reiki. They need a little time to see how it feels, how the energy feels when it flows, etc. And they need some time to practice on others. This is especially true of students who have had very little exposure to any kind of energy work.

Having said that, I’ve seen some advanced students who took their Reiki Attunements in rapid succession, and they did fine. Most of those students have had experience with energy healing, such as Chi Kung or Acupuncture or other modalities. When they got their Reiki Attunements, they were quite ready to move quickly from Reiki I to Reiki II and Master.

So, as usual, the correct answer to the question, “How long should you wait between your Reiki I and Reiki II Attunements?” is: It depends! If you feel you’re ready to move on, don’t be timid or afraid. And if you feel like you need some time between Attunements while you build experience and confidence, don’t let anyone hurry you.

To read my detailed discussions of how to conduct a Reiki I, Reiki II and Reiki Master Attunement, as well as tons of other highly informative, useful, easy-to-understand Reiki topics, subscribe to my newsletter. You’ll be glad you did!

© 2006 NobleReiki.com. All rights reserved. Nothing on this website may be reproduced completely or partially without the written consent of the copyright holder.

In this blog entry I’m going to describe Reiki attunements in general terms. If you’d like specific information about the Reiki I, Reiki II, Reiki Master, Psychic or Healing Attunements, subscribe to my email newsletter. (Don’t worry; you can unsubscribe at any time through a click that’s on every newsletter.)
I know that many of my newsletter readers have already had at least one attunement, so I apologize in advance if any of this information is something you already know. As I said, I have had a number of requests for this information, so I’m assuming that at least some of my readers are seeking this particular knowledge.

So what is an attunement in the first place? I know that some Reiki practitioners make the attunement seem like something mysterious. And indeed, they can be wonderful, spiritual experiences. But there’s nothing terribly mysterious or secret about them.

In short, a Reiki attunement is a ritual. During this ritual, two main goals are accomplished:

(1) Certain of your chakras are opened and/or strengthened, so that you are connected to the source of Reiki and your ability to channel Reiki is increased; and

(2) Certain knowledge and information is passed from the Reiki teacher to the Reiki student. This knowledge and information may include passing specific Reiki symbols to the student, depending on the teacher and the level of Reiki attunement. You could think of attunements in this sense as an initiation.

Let me stop here and restate something I’m forever saying, but which is so important:

Everyone already has the ability to send and receive Reiki. An attunement simply strengthens that ability. You could think of it as a “fine tune-ment”. In other words, the attunement sharpens and focuses your abilities in the same way that any natural skill can be developed.

I say this over and over because I want you to feel empowered. You are already a healer. All you need is some information, some strengthening of your Reiki abilities, and some practice (either on yourself or others).

It’s really that simple.

The other really simple part is this: The most important part of the Reiki attunement is the INTENTION of both the teacher and the student. The teacher’s intention is for you to be a wonderful healer and for you to be able to receive and send Reiki. He or she should focus very clearly on that intention before and during the attunement.

The student’s/your intention is simple: you intend to receive the loving Universal Reiki and to use it for its highest good. It’s not necessary that you know what its highest good is at that moment. Just allow the Reiki to flow into you and through you, and it will seek its highest good. You should also focus very clearly on that intention before and after the attunement.

As I’ve said before, it’s the intention of both student and teacher that allows long-distance attunements to work as well as they do. So if you don’t have a Reiki teacher anywhere near you, don’t hesitate to take advantage of Reiki attunement DVDs:

You might be asking yourself at this moment: Do I really need to have an attunement at all? If I already have the ability to channel Reiki, do I need to have this ritual?

The answer is No, it is not absolutely necessary, in my experience and opinion.

HOWEVER, the attunement process really does fine-tune and strengthen your Reiki abilities. And it will create changes in you on a spiritual level. I guarantee that. You will be an even better, stronger healer with the attunement than without it.

And if you’re lucky enough to have a wonderful Reiki teacher attune you in person, you can learn a ton of practical information as well as intuitive skills from that person.

I am often asked how a student should prepare for an attunement. Different teachers will give you different answers. Some teachers will tell you to avoid caffeine, sugar, cigarettes and alcohol for a week before an attunement. The purpose of this is to purify your body as much as possible, and it’s not a bad idea. However, don’t stress if you are unable to do this. Remember, intention is paramount.

Some teachers also recommend a fast before an attunement, but I don’t feel that this is necessary. If you feel better fasting beforehand, go ahead. But I don’t feel that any of the Reiki attunements needs to be about deprivation.

From my perspective, the mental preparation for attunements is the most important. I ask my students to meditate or just think about why they want to be attuned, and what they hope to get out of the process. I ask them to meditate or think about the highest good that their Reiki may attain, and to be willing to accept that the Universe may be wiser in this matter than they are at this moment.

When I say “meditate”, it doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out thing, although it’s fine if you want to do that. I simply mean to stop for a short period of time and focus your thoughts on the issues. You can do it while taking your daily shower or bath, if you are pressed for time.

The other important mental preparation is to be willing to let go of anger, hurt, jealousy and any other negative emotions. You must be willing to put them aside for at least the day of the attunement. The night before your attunement, you might want to imagine putting these thoughts and emotions in a beautiful box for safekeeping, so that your mind is free of them, at least temporarily.

It follows that if something very emotionally upsetting happens to you right before your attunement, it would probably be wise to postpone the attunement until you can clear your mind. There really isn’t a hard and fast rule here — some people might say that the upsetting thing is all the more reason to have the attunement.

All I’m suggesting is that if you feel the upsetting event will distract you and leave unable to focus on your intention, save the attunement for another day.

You might want to focus on the 5 Reiki principles as you prepare for an attunement (you will see slight variations on these principles as you study other Reiki Masters’ work):

JUST FOR TODAY, I will give thanks for my many blessings.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will not worry.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will not be angry.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will do my work honestly.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will be kind to my parents, teachers, elders, neighbors and every living thing, including myself.

Not bad principles to live by, eh?

If you’d like to read more about specific Reiki attunements, be sure to subscribe to my email Reiki newsletter. It’s jam-packed with information about Reiki symbols, the chakras (including palm and sole chakras), uses for Reiki, Reiki attunements and lots more.

Namaste,

Loretta

© 2006 NobleReiki.com. All rights reserved. Nothing on this website may be reproduced completely or partially without the written consent of the copyright holder.