About Attunements
Looking at the Reiki community and browsing websites you will find that as in all walks of life there is some difference of opinion .. in this instance with regards to 'Distant Attunements'.
Originally attunements were carried out by a Reiki Master with the students or recipients present (for simplicity I will use the word student in this article). Students were attuned one at a time using a standard attunement procedure although this could vary with different masters according to how they had received their attunement and how they were taught to pass attunements on to others.
However as time progressed and particularly since the growth of the internet you will now find masters carrying out 'distant attunements' As you would expect there is a certain amount of controversy over this with some master adament that attunements can only be carried out with the student present and others maintaining that attunements can be done without the student present i.e. 'Distant Attunements'.
In my mind there are several points we should look at and consider here.
1. We are told that Reiki is an intelligent energy and goes to wherever it is needed during a treatment.
2. Reiki knows no boundaries of time or distance.
3. Distant healing is a normal part of Reiki and can be performed after reaching level 2
4. We are also taught hand positions to use during a treatment.
5 We are taught the symbols to enhance our Reiki energy.
6. Some master teach that you do not need 'hands on' and can work slightly above the persons body without touching.
7. Some believe the symbols should be used in every treatment whilst others don't use symbols after a while.
If we keep an open mind and consider the above then maybe we should be asking ourselves some questions. If Reiki is an intelligent energy and goes wherever it is needed during a treatment (which is my belief) why do we need hand positions.
If we can work above the body without touching then again why do we need hand positions.
If we can do 'distant healing' then why can't we do 'distant attunements' Surely it is the same energy we are using and as it knows no boundaries of time or distance then perhaps it is possible to carry out distance attunements.
With regards to symbols they have no power in their own right and are simply a way of concentrating the mind, consequently some will use symbols all the time, some will use symbols when they feel it necessary and others may not use symbols at all.
It is my opinion that every individual will or should (while remembering the basics of Reiki) develop their own method of carrying out a reiki treatment or attunement which will be the way they feel most comfortable with and the way that works for them.
There are now many Reiki students and practitioners who have received Distant Attunements and are successful Reiki practitioners. With the world and technology moving at a fast pace maybe some of our ideas and beliefs are becoming outdated. At the end of the day it all comes down to our own beliefs ... and this is the same no matter how attunement was received.
Our mind is the best asset we will ever have and if we ask to be a channel for Reiki energy and firmly believe that we are a channel then Reiki will flow no matter how we received our attunements.
Please note this article was not written to give approval for one method or the other but merely to suggest that we should at least ask the question and maybe give distant attunements the benefit of the doubt. And for those who are curious about my attunement I have received both.
Author: Ken Bradshaw
http://morereiki.co.uk
Reiki practitioner, Tai Chi instructor,
member of the General Natural Practitiners Guild (GNPG)
