Some Reiki Basics and a few FAQ's

I get a lot of questions from people regarding their own capabilities, and the most often asked is "Can I benefit from Reiki, and how do I know it will work for me?"

My answer to this is relatively simple. If you are capable of feeling pain or joy, you can feel or experience the benefits of Reiki.

Let's look at three words.
Awareness. Balance. Intention.
Awareness... once we become aware of a few things they start to make themselves evident in one way or another, to the point where you just can't ignore them.
I have noticed that once people become aware of their energetic self, something that is generally "ignored" or "overlooked" in most educational systems regarding health, they start to notice more about themselves and the energetic world around them. And more often than not, synchronicity starts to kick in, and information about questions that come to one's mind start getting answered, leading one to wonder, "Did that just happen?", or perhaps "How did that person know that I needed to know that?".

Balance... the ability to find a sense of balance in one's life is a necessity when it comes to Reiki.
If you're in an unbalanced state of mind, you're not going to be able to focus your intent (there's that word) to do the best work you can, and after all, that too is part of being a Reiki facilitator, and as many will know, the fourth Reiki precept.

Intention... Here's another key to making this "magick" work.
I could send you to a few different webpages regarding the whys and wherefors about how Reiki works on a clinical level, (or you could just go to the links page after perusing the rest of this website!), however, I prefer to try to break it down to a more basic level, something a little easier to "digest" as it were.
What I can tell you is this.
Thought is energy. Energy is capable of travelling a long way, and we are all capable of sending a thought. Sending a thought is intention. Whether standing right beside another person or being many miles away, sending that thought, putting out that intention is exactly the same strength of energy, the same intensity.
It's all in the intention.

"Can I do this too, or is it something that takes years and years of study?"
Think back to your childhood, or if you're a parent, think about your little ones for a moment.
At some point, most little kids will be having too much fun and perhaps bump their head on a table/chair/tree and often end up wailing in pain. What's the first thing that Mom or Dad or whomever generally does?
Rub the boo-boo to make it better. Now, exactly what medicinal property does the palm of Mom/Dad's hand have?
If you really think about it... none. Often if you bump a knee or an elbow, the first reaction is to rub it and make it feel better. And what exactly are you doing? Passing the heat (or energy) to the afflicted area. Why does one hold their jaw when they have a toothache? Because the energy from their hand is soothing the discomfort.
That's the basic and principle of Reiki.

"What's an attunement, and why do I need one to be a Reiki practitioner?"
An attunement is the act of bringing a person to a certain level of vibration, which lets that person draw on energies that are specific to Reiki methods, practitioners and therapists.
Let's look at it like this. First, the word... attunement. Break it down to the root word, tune.
The Universal energies we all have access to, simply by breathing, can be tapped into at any time.
Now, imagine these Universal Energies being a symphony orchestra. If you have ever experienced a live symphony, you'll likely be familiar with the tune up session at the beginning of the evening. All the musicians are playing away quietly, tuning their respective instruments, and it sounds, well, not too pleasant, rather discordant. And perhaps enough to make a person fidgety or uncomfortable, perhaps because their vibration is being "disrupted" by the discordant sounds. After a few minutes, everything starts to "smooth out", as in all the sounds start to sound much more pleasant, much easier to listen to. The instruments are all attuning to each other. The vibration in the room is smooth and flowing.
And finally, back to why does one need an attunement. To become a Reiki practitioner with access to the Reiki specific energies, an attunement is necessary for the reason that the symbol(s) that go with the attunement are passed on to the student/practitioner by a recognized Reiki Master/Teacher. If you wanna join the club...