“This book has a very traditional view on Reiki. For those of you that are considering being attuned via the internet, you may be somewhat disheartened by this book. I say, “buy it anyway”. It is a very informative book and is written well. I personally believe that all people are capable of bringing energy into themselves, whether it be through Reiki, healing touch, qi gong and a host of other healing practices. I was attuned via the internet and I was extremely satisfied. I have experienced amazing results with Reiki with myself and many others. This book did an excellent job teaching me some of the important things I may have missed in a one-on-one experience. I appreciate this author’s expertise and thoughts on Reiki and would recommend this book to all people seeking to learn energy healing.” Terri Ward, children’s author of One Starry Night and Aunt Tami’s Strawberry Farm.

Regarding your kundalini experience, I would refer you to a true meditation master for guidance. In my experience (45 years as a student of meditation and yoga, practicing Reiki since 1986), kundalini is not to be taken lightly. It’s one thing to get it moving, quite another to guide it and protect the student. Daily self-Reiki and receiving treatment from trusted practitioners is of course a good idea.

I practice and teach Kundalini Reiki, which is a modality that has been very helpful to those with premature or difficult Kundalini awakening experiences that have led to ongoing effects. I have some experience working with people who have suffered from related difficulties. If you’d like to talk more about this with me, I would be happy to share more information with you. My email can be found here: http://reikiawakening.com . Blessings and light, Alice

I want to clarify that after I was certified for Reiki 1, I did do the self-treatment and contemplation for 3 months before I was certified for Reiki 2. I also didn’t practice on paying clientelle for 2 years after getting my certification. And my Master certification was after practicing on clients for 2 years. I just wanted you to understand that I haven’t necessarily been rushing my practice. I do wish to take classes in the future, but for me, it was a matter of a free certification vs. something that I just couldn’t afford. At some point, I will be going back and taking classes. I do respect my 2 different Reiki masters and have a continuing relationship with the both of them. However, I think that they both operate on a level that is less than traditional.

I respect both traditional methods of teaching, and less structured ways (obviously). I am not a purist and it has served me well in most situations in my life.

In regards to the kundalini energy – is there something that I need to do for myself since mine was unknowingly released?

Thank you for your time, Amelia

It seems to me that you are suffering from not having the foundation of formal training and not being supported by your Reiki master as you grow in your relationship with Reiki.

I frankly don’t understand how one can be “certified” in Reiki 1, 2, and Master without having adequate training. Practitioners who pass the practice in this way clearly have a very different understanding of Reiki than I do. My First degree classes are usually about 10 hours over at least 2 days, and longer for large classes. And this is just to learn to practice hands-on. My students are taught that daily self-treatment is the foundation of this practice, and there is a delay of at least several months before taking Second degree (if at all). In my lineage, Reiki master training is an intensive apprenticeship rather than a class.

Would you consider taking some time to focus on yourself and daily self-treatment, and maybe taking First degree training in-person with a Reiki master you feel drawn to, someone who is available for a continuing relationship? Then you would have a basis from which to decide for yourself what is credible and respected.

There is not much I can say regarding the book you mentioned other than that traditionally, the symbols are not published on the open market; they are available to anyone who wants to train to the Second degree, and the discussion of the symbols remains among Reiki practitioners who are at the Second degree or Master level. Westerners sometimes do not appreciate the value of traditions, or that it takes time to develop, and decide that traditional ways are no longer meaningful in today’s world. I don’t agree. Traditions offer support and guidance and protection. They will naturally morph over time, but throwing them out the window doesn’t seem wise to me.

Reiki practice at any level is balancing and does not cause harm. That said, people who practice without understanding often add other things, such as their own intention, or use the symbols in ways that they were not intended, and I cannot speak for what is happening then. People can impose their will in the name of Reiki, even though that is not the practice. They can also do this with the best of intentions and without awareness. This is why I encourage daily self-practice and contemplation, and continuing mentoring with a credible, experienced, trustworthy teacher.

If Reiki students were content to simply practice self-treatment, and practice consistently, the understand would arise from within–although more slowly than suits many Westerners. But it seems that most students are not content to simply practice and let it unfold; they are in a hurry to make it bigger, better, more powerful, more noticeable–whatever they find gratifying. And that’s where the problems come in.

The awakening of the kundalini is a powerful, sacred initiation that is best done by a kundalini master who is able to guide the student’s development.

Here is the situation: I was certified in Reiki 1, 2, and Master by friends. I have not taken a class, but have been learning by experience the last 6 yrs. Recently, I took a class to learn Cranial Sacral therapy and the teacher decided to trash the symbols in Diane Stein’s book (he saw that I had it with me). He proceeded to say that anyone who uses those symbols is not practicing traditional Reiki and can cause harm – such as releasing someone’s Kundalini energy. Normally, my thought process is that this is just his opinion and I should make my own judgements based upon my experience. The thing is, in my very first Reiki experience (as a client) my Kundalini energy was released. Now I am wondering if that is harmful somehow, and how to prevent that from happening to anyone I provide Reiki for. It hasn’t happened yet, but it scared me a little. Is there somewhere to find the traditional symbols so that I can make sure to use those instead of the ones I have been using? I also want to eventually teach a class on Reiki 1 & 2, but don’t want to be teaching something that is not respected.

Any help you could give me would be much appreciated. And any books that you recommend would help as well.

Thank you very much, Amelia

I actually had my Usui training in person, after I had completed my Kundalini Reki training. I had the Usui class scheduled, but it was for the early fall and I and was ready to get going so I took the distance training first.

It ended up working out perfectly for me. I think it is important to note that I had been trained as a massage therapist with a specialty in vibrational healing massage (a form of energy work, combined with massage) in 1992. So heart based energy work was not new to me when I completed my first Reiki training.

I did not mean to equate the effectiveness of second degree with distance learning. That was not my intention at all. I agree with you that it would be comparing apples with tulips.

Blessings,
Kat

I am wondering why you included the comment about distant healing. Surely you don’t mean to equate the effectiveness of Second degree with distant learning; that would be comparing apples and tulips.

I think this is a very helpful article for people interested in Reiki. There is some great advice here for people interested in Reiki. I have a friend in the blogging world who is contemplating taking her first Reiki class and I am going to forward this article to her. Thank you!

I studied two forms of Reiki last year, both through the Master level. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and am fortunate to have access to many Reiki teachers, For my Usui Reiki Training I chose a wonderful teacher named Barbara Rose Billings, She is a former nun and has a very grounded approach to Reiki and healing. I am grateful that I took my Usui class through Barbara Rose. It was something I had wanted to do for over 10 years and the timing finally was right last summer. Shortly before I started studying Usui Reiki, I learned about Kundalini Reiki though Alice Langholt via Twitter. I found myself energetically aligned with her and studied Kundalini Reiki with Alice. All of this work was done through distance learning. It was a very powerful experience for me. I think the reason why it was so powerful and effective is because of my teacher and her availability to me throughout the process. I find both forms of Reiki to be effective tools for my healing “tool box” I do find myself more attracted to the Kundalini Reiki because of the simplicity of it. I also appreciate the ongoing support that I have received from Alice and consider her to be a very effective teacher and heart based healer.

I have found Reiki to add a very balancing quality to my life. It has been super helpful to me on a physical level; I have lost about 40 pounds since last Summer. My daily or near daily Kundalini Balance Meditation has helped me tremendously. I also feel more level headed and less sensitive to stress.

I have had the honor of doing distance Reiki with several people and a few dogs and cats over the course of the past 7 months. I am a firm believer in the power of Reiki to heal ourselves and our planet.

Thank you again for this post Pamela. I think it can be very confusing to people new to Reiki and confused about where to turn to find the right teacher. It is a very individual process and your advice and expertise is helpful.

Kind Regards,

Kat

I wrote this post to help people evaluate the options available to them and make their own choice. The title of the post is Reiki Classes: What’s Right for You? and the text brings out points prospective students might consider. In-person vs. distant training is not the topic.

There is great diversity in the Reiki community, and we all have much to gain from a respectful, thoughtful dialogue among practitioners with various perspectives. But we have to be careful about the assumptions we have regarding what other practitioners think. I, for one, do not understand Reiki to be energy, nor do I see Reiki masters as channels. Blanket statements don’t build consensus. Looking carefully to understand what others are saying, and articulating our own experience in clear neutral language are more likely to bring us together in community.