Reiki Level 1: The First Degree (Shoden)

Level 1 is a practitioner's initiation into reiki and is open to anyone. Level 1 is opening the energy channels on a physical level, allowing the practitioner to connect to the universal life force energy.

Reiki I emphasize self-reiki,  encouraging students to focus on practicing reiki on themselves, thereby working through their own obstacles. Level 1 course also includes an overview of the history of reiki.

Reiki Level 2: The Second Degree (Okuden)

Level 2 gives students the skills to practice reiki on others and open energy channels more deeply. Students also receive their symbols during this level. 

Students are expected to use these symbols to bring the universal energy of reiki into their everyday lives in more practical ways. The symbols can also help people provide reiki over long distances or send healing energy wherever it may be needed in the world. 

Attunement: Ceremony of Empowerment

Attunement is what makes reiki unique from other forms of healing touch and energy work. This ceremony, called Reiju (Ray-joo) in Japanese, is performed by the reiki master during each level to open and expand the main energy channels of the student's body, allowing universal energy, also known as Qi/Chi/Ki, to flow more freely and deeply through them. It tends to clear blockages in the body and can lead to significant energy changes within the individual. Many will undergo an intense period of self-growth following their attunements. You can think of the attunement process like a transfer of energy: The master is passing energy off to the student, who will then possess it for life.