In this introductory lesson, we’ll discover Reiki as a practice, explore its origins and current iterations, and you’ll receive an attunement to connect or realign you to the Reiki (Universal Life Force) energy.

Hello and welcome to this 21 Day Reiki Realisation course. I’m Keziah Gibbons, I’m a Reiki Master and Teacher, and I’m really excited to share this course with you.

This course is mainly practical exercises with the Reiki energy, and is suitable for anybody at any stage in their Reiki journey - from complete beginner to seasoned master. It does not pretend to be a full instructional course in Reiki, but is designed as both a beginners’ introduction and a practice support or refresher for existing Reiki practitioners.

The course is 21 days long because of the direction passed down in some Reiki lineages, that you should practice with Reiki for 21 days after being attuned. In my lineage, which is Reiki Evolution, I was taught that you should practice Reiki every day, not just for 21 days. However 21 is a nice number to get you into the habit and share with you a selection of different energy exercises.

Each day is different, and my suggestion for how to use this course is to go through it sequentially the first time, and then to come back to your favourites for your daily practice after that. The course includes an attunement and an empowerment - these are connections with the Reiki energy, a number of exercises in directing energy and different types of energy, some self healing, three Reiki Drum Journeys, some distant healing, and ends with you receiving a distant energy healing treatment from me.

Today’s energy work is an attunement, but before we dive into that I’d like to share a little bit about what Reiki is, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the healing modality, and for those who are familiar but are always open to hearing things in a different way.

So what is Reiki? Rei - Ki literally means Universal Life Force Energy, and we usually conceive of Reiki as being a healing energy that is always present in the universe. Although Reiki is accessible to anyone, it is much more noticeable and accessible after an attunement or empowerment from a Reiki Master, which is what we’ll be starting with today. Attunements and empowerments are simply rituals which connect you to the Reiki energy, making it more available to you, and I’ll explain why there are two different types in just a moment.

Reiki is a healing energy and works along the same lines as other healing energies, such as Chi and Prana. The big difference with Reiki is that you’re not using your own energy, but calling it in from an external source.

Reiki is probably best known as a complementary therapy, a relaxing modality in which the Reiki practitioner places their hands on the client and channels healing energy to support their system. Reiki treatments are very lovely, and research is starting to show that Reiki as a treatment is better than a placebo. I choose the language complementary therapy rather than alternative therapy to describe what Reiki is, because I believe, and have observed in my own experience, that it works excellently in parallel with appropriate medical or specialist treatments. You don’t have to be ill to have Reiki, and many people simple use it as a stress reliever, just like you might with a massage - something nice that you can do for yourself that helps to keep your body, mind, and heart in balance.

However therapeutic treatments are not the whole of Reiki. We now understand that Reiki originated as a self healing and personal development system, and the ability to give therapeutic treatments is merely a product of following this system. For me, this makes Reiki even more empowering - we don’t just hand our agency over to a healer, but we take it for ourselves. There is great joy and great growth in practicing Reiki, and it is my wish and belief that you will experience both over the coming days.

So where does Reiki come from? Reiki was founded in Japan in the early twentieth century, by a man named Mikao Usui, who I will refer to as Usui Sensei. Usui Sensei taught Reiki as a method of self healing and personal development to a number of students. This method of teaching took time and was incremental, much like Martial Arts training - the idea is to learn a little, every day, and to practice regularly.

Then the Japanese Imperial Navy asked Usui Sensei to teach a ‘quick fix’ form of Reiki to some of its officers to use as a form of first aid. It is this form which eventually made its way to the West, entering the United States through a teacher called Mrs. Takata in the 194os, and being understood mainly as a complementary therapy. For many years this was the only form of Reiki known in the West, and it morphed and evolved as the number of people practicing and teaching Reiki expanded. We call this Western Reiki.

Meanwhile in Japan, practitioners of the simpler, more personal development and self healing form of Reiki continued to practice, and of course with different influences and in a different context this evolved slightly differently. We call this Japanese Reiki.

The lineage of Reiki to which I belong, which I learned and teach, is Shin Reiki or Reiki Evolution, a lineage founded by a Reiki Master named Taggart King who studied with many Masters of both Western and Japanese Reiki. We will be using techniques from both in this course. 

So for the purposes of this course, all you need to know is that Reiki is Universal Life Force Energy, that we channel it in from an external source, and that we can use it in self healing and to give healing to others.

Different people experience Reiki differently. Some people experience a feeling of heat, magnetism, tingling, softness or some other sensation. Others may see colours or images. On one occasion, I have even experienced Reiki, whilst receiving a treatment, as a kind of high pitched sound just on the edge of hearing. More usually, my personal experience when working with the energy is one of feeling it, and I rarely but occasionally see colours or images. So everyone experiences Reiki differently. For some people, the experience is very powerful; for others, so subtle that it seems like nothing. I used to receive treatments from someone who couldn’t see or feel the Reiki at all. Yet he knew his Reiki was effective from his clients’ feedback, and he persisted with his energy exercises out of a wish to be the very best Reiki healer he could be.

In terms of your own experience, your experience of Reiki might manifest in any of the ways mentioned, and it may change over time. I do know that your own ability with the energy will increase with every day you practice, and so it stands to reason that your experience with it will also. 

I will just mention here that Reiki energy does clear out blockages, and so if you have been stuck in some way, in some aspect of your life, don’t be surprised if you start to free that stuckness and release aspects of your life, beliefs, or behaviours that are no longer serving you. For most people this is a welcome relief, and occasionally it can feel sudden. My advice to you is to stick with it, and prioritise really good self care as you work with the Reiki energy. Sleep well, hydrate often, eat nutritionally, move your body, be kind to yourself, all apply.

So, without further ado, let’s move into your first attunement to Reiki. Make yourself comfortable in a seated position. I’m going to invite you to place your hands together in the Gassho or prayer position, palms touching, in front of your chest. Allow yourself to be open to receiving and to connecting with the Reiki energy.

Be aware of any energy building in the space around you

Bring your attention to your energy system from your crown to the base of your spine, and accept balance

Bring your attention to the crown of your head, open to receiving

Bring your joined hands above your head if that movement is available to you

Open to receiving

Bring your hands back down into Gassho position

Bring your awareness to your third eye, in the middle of your forehead

Bring your awareness to the palms of your hands

Expand your awareness now to your whole body, sensing into it as an energy system and noticing what you notice

And focus in now to your heart space, allowing your energy to build and flow there

Now imagine that you are completely surrounded by a bright, healing energy

Your attunement is complete. Allow the energy to settle within you as you open your eyes, shift in your seat, and become aware once again of the sounds in the room.

You are now connected to Reiki. Welcome. Remember to take good care of yourself today, and I will meet you tomorrow for our first directed energy exercise, Joshin Kokyu Ho. Blessings on your day.