Training in reiki level 1 and level 2
In July and August 2024, I had the opportunity to take Usui Reiki training with Reiki 4 Life. It was not something that I ever expected to be doing, but it was an incredible experience and I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings about it here.
For most everything, I consider myself to be a “flexible skeptic.” That is to say, I respect other people’s beliefs but when it comes to the spiritual, supernatural, or metaphysical, I may not believe something myself. I’m kind of a Fox Mulder (X-files) in that “I want to believe” but I won’t believe just anything. Reiki was one of those things where I thought, “Sure maybe that’s a real thing but I haven’t experienced it so I can’t know for sure for myself.” That was the case until 2021 anyway.
In 2021, I purchased a Maligano jasper tower from a shop called One With Gems. I can’t remember what exactly caused me to search for it. Maligano jasper is a beautiful stone, formed in ancient volcanic areas of Indonesia. I had read that it was great for balancing and grounding. It’s a stone of transformation; The Crystal Council says, “Maligano Jasper transforms our spirit from within and provides an aura that can closely resemble a “rebirth” effect.”
My first experience with reiki energy
When I ordered the Maligano jasper tower from One With Gems, it barely registered for me that the listing said something along the lines of: “This is the EXACT crystal you will receive, infused with love and Reiki for your highest good.” She has this on many of her listings.
When my order arrived, I unwrapped the jasper and it was even more beautiful in person than it was in the photos! When I held it in my hand, I was shocked because I could feel a tingling vibration from the stone. It was almost as if it had a very low electrical current running through it. I had never experienced anything like that before, and I have loved rocks and gems since I was a child. I had my husband hold it and he of course did not feel anything. He is as non-sensitive as I am sensitive, but that provides a much needed balance.
A word of caution on maligano jasper
I am going to be making some posts about my favorite crystals, but until I do please note that if you are looking for Maligano jasper, Bumblebee jasper (which is not even jasper) is often mislabeled as Maligano. Bumblebee jasper is toxic and can cause skin reactions, so please be mindful to buy it from shops that you know are knowledgeable and trustworthy. I have seen Bumblebee labeled as Maligano many times on Etsy. One way that I use to tell them apart is that, as you would expect from a name like “bumblebee”, it is much more yellow whereas Maligano is more of an orange shade. (See the photo of my Maligano tower to compare.)
When I ordered the Maligano jasper tower from One With Gems, it barely registered for me that the listing said something along the lines of: ” This is the EXACT crystal you will receive, infused with love and Reiki for your highest good.” She has this on many of her listings.
When my order arrived, it was the tower and a few other things, I unwrapped the jasper and it was even more beautiful in person than it was in the photos! When I held it in my hand, I was shocked because I could feel a tingling vibration from the stone. It was almost as if it had a very low electrical current running through it. I had never experienced anything like that before, and I have loved rocks and gems since I was a child. I had my husband hold it and he of course did not feel anything. He is as non-sensitive as I am sensitive, but that provides a much needed balance.
I re-read the listing and saw what I had a vague recollection of, that the owner of One With Gems infuses reiki into the gems and stones that she sells. It was undeniable that this stone felt very different than any stone I had ever held, so that day I began to believe in reiki. When you experience something like that for yourself, it is undeniable.
To this day, when I hold the Maligano jasper tower, it still has a very distinct tingling vibration. It feels very much alive to me. It’s also a different feeling than what I experience when practicing reiki.
Why I decided to take a reiki training
When I broke my leg in January 2024, I promised myself that I would get out more and do more things when it healed. I had also started working on removing the walls and blocks within myself. I knew that much of my cynicism was learned. It was protection from disappointment, embarrassment, and rejection. If I never believed in anything or opened up to anyone, a part of me believed that I would not be hurt. This is, of course, not true. I had built my walls over decades, making them higher and thicker every time that I took them down a little bit and later regretted it.
I knew that at this point in my life, these walls were not protecting me. They were only separating me from people and experiences. They were keeping me from feeling connected and they were the reason that I was lonely. I was not exactly sure how to begin disassembling them but I knew that part of what I needed to do was step outside of my comfort zone.
I was reading over the Metaphysical Mississippi newsletter when I saw that a Reiki Level 1 training was going to be happening in a week. The newsletter said that spots were remaining, so I impulsively decided that I would sign up for it. I had never been to Holistic Health and Healing, the place where the training was held, before so I was very nervous beforehand. Had I not pre-paid for it, I am sure that I would have talked myself out of going.
I am very glad I did not talk myself out of it!
Krista, the co-owner of Holistic Health and Healing and one of the Reiki4Life teachers has made the space so inviting and comfortable. Jina, the other Reiki4Life teacher, and Krista were both so friendly, I instantly felt at ease in spite of being the first person there. Even though I try to never arrive anyplace more than 5 minutes early, I am usually still the first person there somehow.
The class was small, just 3 students and the 2 teachers. I think it was a good size and it was easy to open up and share with Jina, Krista, and the other 2 students.
“Reiki is love, Love is wholeness,
Wholeness is balance,
Balance is well-being,
Well-being is freedom from disease.”
– Dr. Mikao Usui
5 precepts for reiki practice
Just for today:
- Do not anger
- Do not worry
- Be grateful
- Do your purpose honestly
- Be kind to all
“It is very important to understand that the Attunement does not open and does not form any energy channels, as well as it does not connect a person to any kind of energy source. The Reiki Attunement reveals the energy potential and establishes a direct connection between a person and the Primary source of Reiki.”
– Katya Ki, Reiki Master Teacher
What is a reiki training like?
A reiki training is pretty much like any other training that you would take. We learned about what reiki is and perhaps more importantly what it is not. Jina and Krista have different reiki lineages, so they taught us a little about that in level 1 training and more in-depth in level 2. We learned about Dr. Usui (Usui Sensei), how he discovered reiki, and how he went on to teach others how to practice. Of course, you don’t have to take a reiki training to learn about that, you can read more about the history of reiki on The International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) website. If you are interested, I encourage you to learn more about it!
I very much enjoyed learning about the history. Perhaps because I took Shotokan karate as a child and teen, which is also Japanese in origin, the foundation and philosophy of the Usui method felt very familiar. I also find the 5 precepts, which the ICRT calls the 5 Admonitions, to be similar to the 8 fold path in Buddhism, which I have also studied and practice. Like many teachings, the 5 precepts are deceptively simple. They are difficult to do but also easy to do when we are acting in accordance to our highest purpose.
After a long day of learning, the students received an attunement. It was an indescribable experience, which I guess is good because it would not be appropriate to describe the experience itself on a blog. Instead, I will share with you the reflections that I had in my journal before and after the level 1 attunement. Prior to the attunement, I didn’t have any particular expectations. I didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t sure I’d feel anything. That old cynicism likes to creep in whenever I have to believe anyone or trust them. Not having expectations means I won’t be disappointed by these awesome people that I have come to really like over the day of training! Right? 😉
It was honestly pretty effing cool.
For my level 1 attunement, I felt a distinct warmth that started in my middle finger and then moved to my other fingers, into the palms of my hands. It is interesting because when I practice I feel a lot of warmth from my hands and I’m someone that is typically cold with cool/cold hands. Warmth is also what those I have practice on most frequently report feeling. During the ceremony, I also had a lot of warmth around my crown chakra* and a feeling almost like a pop in my third eye. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, just unusual. After the attunment, when I opened my eyes, I felt the most awake that I have ever felt. There were other things that I felt and saw during the attunement, but they are too personal and intimate to share. I haven’t shared those with anyone outside of the training, even my closest loved ones, and that feels appropriate.
*I feel it is important to say that chakras are not part of reiki training and practice. Information/beliefs about chakras are Indian in origin, while reiki is Japanese in origin. Chakras are most associated with Hinduism, a religion. The 7 chakras that most of us are familiar with are specifically part of Hatha and Kundalini yoga. Reiki is not associated with any particular religion. While many people, particularly westerners, work with both chakras and reiki, I feel that it is very important to understand the origin and history of these practices. Many people, myself included, work with both reiki energy (ki) and chakra health/unblocking.
I have seen people say things along the lines of: “energy is energy, no one owns this. It simply is.” That is true, however when we go beyond using the word “energy” and start speaking of “chakras” or “reiki” we must give these practices and lineages the respect they deserve. If you want to learn more What Is the Difference Between Reiki and Chakra Healing is a good, quick explainer.
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Reiki level 2 and final thoughts
Reiki level 2 training was much like level 1. Some trainers do level 1 and level 2 two days in a row, but Krista and Jina do not, to give people time to digest all of the information. I appreciated that, because you get a lot of information in level 1 and much of it are things you do want to remember.
We learned more about our reiki lineages and more in-depth information about the history of reiki as well as practicing reiki. We practiced on each other and the trainers at each training. I think that experience is great because it gives you a chance to feel what is like to receive reiki as well as giving it. I had only ever received a free 15 minute reiki session at an event that I attended, so I was fairly new to reiki when I attended the level 1 class. Overall, I am very glad that I impulsively signed up for the level one class. I do plan to continue on to reiki master training, sometime in 2025. For now I am practicing on friends and family, both in person and distance reiki. I really enjoy learning and feeling how different the energy flow can be from person to person. I do find that my dogs don’t love receiving reiki, which is disappointing since animal reiki is something I am very interested in! We will keep practicing though.
If you’ve thought about taking a reiki class, and you have made it this far, this is your sign to take one! If you are near Jackson, Mississippi and able to take a class with Jina and Krista, I definitely recommend it. You can find their information on the Reiki4Life website
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