Four attunements at Reiki 1 or one?

Last weekend I received the Reiki 3 Master/Teacher attunement from my new Reiki Teacher and I learned how to attune others. To my astonishment, I learned that Reiki 1 has four attunements! My original Reiki Teacher only gave one attunement. I had already read in a little booklet about the four attunements, and I thought surely this cannot be?

I wonder if the four attunements can be made to one with all four intentions inside it, and that this was how I was attuned at Reiki 1? Reiki 1 and 2 were taught to me in the "Diane Stein Essential Reiki" mode, and Reiki 3 in the Usui Shiki Ryoho (also via Takata)-style.

I would just like to know your opinion if there are four attunements in Reiki 1 or one, or if it is not important and it is the intention that counts?

I was surprized to find so many
different style of Reiki with
different symbols etc; there's
got to be over a hundred different
Reiki systems.

Hawayo Takata did 4 attunements for Reiki 1 and this is how traditional Usui Shiki Ryoho also initiate students (I also had 4 attunements from my first Reiki teacher, although that style was not very traditional!).

I think Diane Stein was one of the first major proponents of a singular attunement (but not the only one *fondly remembering Shadowolf *).

Unfortunately, although her book 'Essential Reiki' was often the first Reiki book people read - because it was one of the first really popular Reiki books - it really mixes things up as far as the traditional practice of Reiki is concerned. It not only has singular attunements but also includes many non-Reiki and alternative versions of Reiki symbols, which can be very confusing to a beginner (not to mention non-Reiki concepts mixed in as well!)

Interestingly, although Mrs Takata performed 4 attunements for Reiki 1, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, who was also a student of Chujiro Hayashi, performed 3 attunements for Shoden (equivalent of Reiki 1) but students were encouraged to receive more, at regular Reiki practice meetings called Reiju Kai. Also, although 3 attunements is considered the minimum number in Jikiden Reiki (Chiyoko Sensei's style of Reiki), students will often receive many more than that because any other teachers and assistant teachers who may be attending the seminars or Reiju Kai, give attunements directly following the main teacher.

For me, the intention of the attunement (or Reiju) is to re-awaken the awareness of the Reiki we already possess. There are obviously many ways we can do this because most (if not all) of the many different attunement methods (and there are lots and lots!) seem to work! This would indicate that intention does play a big part.

Thank you Chi and Colin for explaining more and indeed, I learned a lot in this Lounge about the many different types of Reiki. But I did not know about the attunements. So I am glad I got a touch of the more "traditional" Reiki with 4 attunements.

Hi godiva, even though myself, Colin, you, and likely Bridget got 4 attunements in level 1, it's not a given that they were traditional in the sense what takata taught. she even had slight variations in attunement actions at times. Very slight yes, but they were there.

There's a lesson in that.

Thank you Milarepa, indeed. Maybe it is what one defines as attunement or what one thinks is appropriate for bringing over this finetuned energy and love.

Colin, I do not mind the books by Diane Stein, but they should indeed be read or introduced to the person who wants to learn as one of many books and not the ultimate guide. I do not think she intended it that way, since it is also her own story of how she learned about Reiki, and she just presents the books as her own take on how to learn and teach Reiki. But the newcomer as I was not so long ago, has to look beyond this book and that is where this forum has helped me a lot too. Then one will see that there is much more and there are many different ideas on how Reiki should be taught or seen.

Yesterday I was blessed by receiving a Rejiu via distance. Although I did not feel much at all, I did like the idea. I also did not notice much during the 'live' attunements I received, so it was not much different, except for that there was no one at my side, which felt a bit odd. I thought maybe the teacher had forgotten to send it to me!
Maybe receiving such a blessing live is more for me, than at distance.