The dawn of Reiki came in the early 1920s when it was founded by Dr. Mikao Usui. As the legend goes, Dr. Usui was on a spiritual retreat at Mt. Kurama in Japan. On the last day on his 21 day fast, he received a gift from Spirit. That gift was the ability to understand and use energy for healing. He also received several healing symbols. He called this healing energy Reiki. Dr. Usui then went on to develop a healing society named Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkei, a society that is still active today. He traveled throughout Japan, offering healing energy and initiating others into the practice of Reiki.
Reiki is still alive and well in Japan, but has also spread across the entire world. Through the efforts of Dr. Chujiro Hayashi and Mrs. Hawayo Takata, Reiki was brought to the United States. Today, Reiki is practiced all across the United States and it is becoming more and more popular. It is even being practiced in the hospital setting as an adjunctive therapy. Indeed, research is being conducted about Reiki and how well it works.
Since the time of Dr. Usui, students of Reiki were attuned to progressive levels of energy healing and Reiki. Today, to become a Reiki Practitioner, a student must also still achieve different levels of attunement and skill. There are generally 4 levels, Reiki I, Reiki II, Reiki III Advanced Practitioner and Reiki III Master Teacher. Once a person receives a Reiki I attunement, they are able to give Reiki to another person. Each progressive attunement offers new skills and insights into providing Reiki for others. Once a person has achieved the Master Level, they are able to provide Reiki attunements to students of Reiki and pass on the teachings. These are general principles of being trained in Reiki, there may be slight differences between different lineages of Reiki Masters.
