Attunements

Initiatory Attunements:

Reiju (pronounced Ray Joo) is the Japanese term for what is now referred to as an initiatory attunement. for Usui, the idea for including attunements in Reiki seems to originate from Tendai Buddhism. He was a Tendai practitioner throughout his life, and it appears that attunement reflects a Tendai practice for purification. In the East, spiritual empowerments are a well-known and accepted way of requiring energy, knowledge, wisdom or insight. Attunements, combined with Reiki training allow practitioners to Learn to access Reiki more powerfully. I believe every human has healing hands, whether they have been attuned/trained in Reiki or not. However, the attunement and training allow individuals to become aware of this amazing energy and how to harness, amplify and channel it. The energy itself has always existed. All of us have had access to it before being attuned. We just didn't know how best to access it. Attunements help clear recipients' meridians to allow more energy to be conducted. The specific methodology for passing attunements varies from school to school and teacher to teacher. In most every school of Reiki, however, the initiatory attunement is seen as activating A practitioner's ability to use Reiki more effectively. The analogy I often hear people relate an attunement to is like tuning a radio. We could see Reiki energy as a radio signal, our bodies as radios, and our radio antenna as our energy bodies. When Reiki practitioners pass attunements, they adjust the receivers' antennas, and the recipients then pick up on the Reiki station without static. Attunements, like Reiki itself, clear the meridians to help us conduct and channel more energy into our bodies.

The attunement is a ritual in and of itself. That being said, some people do choose to add another element such as smudging music, guided meditations, anointment of hands, etcetera, to beautify and enhance the ritual and help the recipient open to the energy more fully integrate the experience. Is Reiki just about the attunement? Although the attunement itself can be an incredibly awakening experience, exponential growth also happens through studying Reiki, learning, and practicing.

In modern Reiki, there are both healing attunements and initiatory attunements. A healing attunement is similar to an initiatory attunement but is focused on amplifying the recipient's ability to heal herself and increase the energy available for healing, rather than on the ability to share Reiki with others. Healing attunements can be received by anyone. It is another tool in your toolbox whenever you want to help facilitate healing for someone and help them open up to receiving Reiki. It can be especially wonderful at the beginning of a session to increase the effectiveness of the session, or at the end to magnify client's ability to integrate and continue the healing that occurred. The healing attunement was first developed by the International Center for Reiki Training to help recipients and clients open to receiving Reiki energy and to boost their Life force. The receiver of the attunement generally is seated, their eyes are closed, and they are in Gassho. Depending on the practitioner, the attunement process can last anywhere from 30 seconds on up. There is no limit to the number of healing attunements someone may receive, and Japan attunements are often repeated on a weekly or monthly basis and do not imply certification.

Reiki: The Power to Heal is Within includes the Attunement process for Reiki Level I., Level II. and Master level III.