question for teachers...

here goes...
Someone who is already attuned to level 1 by another teacher(in person training) approaches you about doing their level 2 training with you..

The thing is they are trained in Usui Tibetan, you teach Usui Shiki Ryoho..do you
1..ask them to do complete level 1 with you before they can go on to level 2(as they are different systems-albeit somehow connected back to usui)? and you have no idea about the quality of that training and what it encompassed..
2..simply give them the level 1 attunements without training, assuming that their first teacher handled that competently enough? Then go ahead with their level 2 training?
3..Go directly into level 2 training because they have already done level 1(even though it was the Rand style 1 attunement as opposed to 4 that you do) rationalising it as they have already had their initial exposure to level 1?
4..something else?

This is the first time I have been exposed to this kind of situation and would like to hear how other teachers handle this...

hmmmm...maybe should have posed this as a poll kind of question

I have had students who have been attuned
under a different Reiki style. I just
continue with my style knowing that they
have been given the basic knowledge of the
Reiki system.

Hasn't Rand modified his style of teaching?

Hi Kevin
I think in the specific case you have, i.e. a Rand style Reiki 1 there shouldn't be too much of a problem because his current Reiki 1 material is pretty good and he seems to have embraced a lot of the latest information about the origin and practice of Reiki. The main differences at level 1 will probably some extra non-traditional Reiki teachings on chakras and Reiki guides rather than a lack of basic information. I think most of the differences come at level 2 in ideas of the way Reiki can be used and even more at Reiki 3 and above where there are extra symbols taught as well as crystal grid and Reiki Psychic Surgery and other non-traditional Reiki techniques.

If someone wants to do Reiki level 2 with me and they have done Reiki 1 with someone else, I always ask them to bring their Reiki 1 manual along with them, so I can have a quick look at what they have already been taught and get an idea of the style.

Many people at level 1 are completely unaware of the variation in the Reiki teachings and styles etc. so are sometimes unable to answer questions such as "Which style of Reiki are you attuned to?" Their usual answer is "Usui Reiki" or "just Reiki!". If they have a lineage they can share before the course that can also be useful. For example, some who say they they have been attune to "Usui Reiki" turn out to be attuned to Tera Mai Reiki and may already be using various non-traditional symbols.

I have also had students (even trained to Master level by another teacher) who have requested to go through all 3 levels again with me. But when it comes down to it, I think that if a person has been properly attuned by a Reiki teacher according to their particular system, there is no need for a re-attunement to level 1 - just maybe some revision of some Reiki basics in your own particular style.

Hope that made sense!

Ai to Hikari
Colin

Yes, i second what Bridget & Colin have said.

This is one of the reasons also why lineage is so important. Although, personally, i'd prefer if the student started level 1 again, this is cause i'd have a different slant on things than Wille Rand.

Of course, to re-take level 1 the student might think they'll then be financially out of pocket, so that's something to maybe come to an arrangement with.

take care
Wayne

thanks a lot for the replies...
Bridget, I have to profess my ignorance on the matter.. I haven't got a clue what Mr Rand has been doing with his teachings..though I know he has a few styles under his belt..
Colin..the manual idea is a good one..I do intend to meet for a lunch to sound out what they did in level 1 and have a general reiki chat..
Even if Rand has stripped back a bit on what he teaches nowadays, that doesn't mean that this person's teacher has/does...you make good points Colin...and offer food for thought..
Wayne, you make a valid point about the financial issue..(though when I learned different styles I fully expected to start from the beginning , and paid full price, never expected otherwise)..and I too differ somewhat on Rand's philosophy and practices...so would prefer to start afresh...( and as another person put it it is an issue of "quality control")..
I think I am just going to have to meet and take it from there..

Kevin, I used Reiki long before I knew it had a name. I also used it during my healing journey. It was a year after my healing journey that I got involved in seeking formal classes. It turned out to be Usui Ryoho Reiki at that time I did not know of other styles. It was during my self exploration of learning beyond what my Reiki Teacher taught me that I learned of the many new Reiki styles and adjustment/additions happening to the Japanese Usui Reiki. Many Reiki forums out there have had folks express their differences/disputes that broke the balance/harmony/Reiki precepts down to IMO who's really practicing Reiki.

I see all attunments and symbols valuable in creating the Reiki environment. I have as an academic teacher taught different ways to tap into a students learning style
so I see the different Reiki styles as such.Taking a student back to learn Reiki 1 in the Usui Ryoho style that I teach would not make sense to me if the student already knows the basics of self treatments, Reiki history, hand positions,Reiki precepts japanese techniques, chakras, and sometimes Reiki 1 Students are taught symbols.Each different style IMO hold the same ULFE that works no matter what style we use.

I might sit and chat with them about what they learned in their Reiki I class. Ultimately with Reiki I, I think it is important that they have a basic understanding of the history, hand positions, ethics, and what Reiki is. Now their explanation may not be 100% in synch with yours. That's ok I believe.

You could also start your Reiki II class with a basic summarization of past material. Something that I'd do in any advanced class anyways.

If after having this conversation with them, you feel comfortable that they have the basic understanding, then go ahead and teach them Reiki II.

If they went through the cracker jack box Reiki attunement class (there are a couple of institutes around that will give you attunements of 1, 2, and 3 with barely a thought to any protocol, history, or teaching--namely Lillydale, NY and Sedona, AZ) then its likely you wouldn't be remiss in asking them to take level 1 with you.

After all, you are passing on your lineage, and signing their certificate. If you don't feel comfortable that they would represent you well, then you have every right to refuse to teach them.

Thaak wrote:
After all, you are passing on your lineage, and signing their certificate. If you don't feel comfortable that they would represent you well, then you have every right to refuse to teach them.

Andy offers some sound advice here.
It's always good to re-evaluate issues
such as this one.

chi_solas wrote:

Thaak wrote:
After all, you are passing on your lineage, and signing their certificate. If you don't feel comfortable that they would represent you well, then you have every right to refuse to teach them.

Andy offers some sound advice here.
It's always good to re-evaluate issues
such as this one.

I also think your decision should largely be tuned to the individual, thus circumstantial.

Spirithealer wrote:Interesting reading as I am about to do this with a friend / student
She has been taught the Western way, so I am going to sit and go through the basics in 1 and 2 with her then a few weeks *practise* and then attune

i have also been thinking of holding * update / refresher classes due to taking myself away soon to do this

We cant stop learning can we?

Namaste

refresher course is an excellent idea.
A time to reflect/review

hi Kevin.

Its my first time talking to you here

Reiki level one initiation prima facie has two independent aspects...one is to 'enable' reiki for him and second, to introduce the student with conceptual framework and provide training. I will focus on the first one though.

Its my personal feeling that each teacher 'adds' personal flavours of his own spiritual development into the initiation process even though when he is doing the steps precisely in the he was himself taught... This is something very much inevitable, so there is no conscious choice of teacher otherwise... Sometimes there is even more to it... Suppose u were handed down a specific initiation rirual by your teacher... If u change some steps, what you will hand down to your master student, will be the original flavour of reiki, yet modified in your way... So it will not be the same that may be obtained from a reiki master who was attuned alongwith you in the same session by your master....

Making a point here, that the reiki your level one student was carrying, must be slightly different (or vastly different) from the reiki you would have given him, if he was attuned to level one by you... If you try to build up level two, and then level three on the reiki he earlier had, it will have consequences different than your style for which you will give him certificate ultimately... Lets say you belong to Usui shiki ryoho, and his level one was in 'original' league, then what he will get, is 'original' reiki empowered with usui shiki ryoho style.... So his certificate might not be factually correct (please forgive me for this sentence).

I, therefore, would emphasize on re-initiating him to level one in your style



Take care

Salman

hiya folks,
Only glancing through this topic, so much on the forum to cath up on. forgive me if i'm not entirely on the point though.

It's common for a teacher to decide to train an existing, previous Reiki student in their own current practise. Lineage is important in this though, cause a look at that will give a good indication of the flavour of training the student has recieved already.

Getting initiated by another Master, has led some to claim that it has actually narrowed their perception, or weakened their connection to Reiki. For a time at least. I'm one of them. I noticed this a few years ago, thought nothing of it, then found it it was more common than i first thought.

warmest wishes
Wayne

yeah, it doesn't happen to everyone. BTW, you got no contribution point yet? I must have missed you in the welcome section!

Milarepa wrote:yeah, it doesn't happen to everyone. BTW, you got no contribution point yet? I must have missed you in the welcome section!

I just noticed that I have more
contributions points than you.

well you are the forum grandma, so you gotta have the most wisdom!

yeah, you're a major poster on here lately, i give daily contro points to members and it's a nice little way to show appreciation. it's a good little app.

I teach my own reiki style. That means there's some major differences in the practical application of handpositions and everything around. IF they haven't taken reiki 1 in my school, they're not taking reiki 2. There's to much in Okuden that builds on shoden teachings.

This is a really old topic..Didn't realise it had been that long since I was on the forum
So afer meeting with that person and having a look over their manual and a general chat about reiki we both agreed that it would be a preferable thing for them to redo the full training and they said it was so different and how glad they were that they did it and that not only their reiki connection felt better and stronger(not my words)but that it completely re-invigorated their passion for reiki...
Since then I have probably had another half dozen cases the same...Wasn't even an issue as they had all been either clients or people coming to reiki shares and asked for retraining.
I agree with Moore..Shoden is such an important level and of course different styles have different emphasises, attunement ways, philosophies, views on history, etc that it is just easier and better to begin again- that way you have no doubts about what they know or have been taught- for it was you!

Well, my personal opinion is that it should not really matter should it? Reiki is Reiki. Is not the Reiki energy the same, wether from this or the other system. (I was quite suprised to find outh that there are quite a number of reiki systems). From what I understand, the energy is the same. We have a group of 5 reiki practitioners coming together every wednesday to share ideas and practise and I have many times also deviated from the prescribed hand positions with no ill effects, as a matter of fact do I want to claim that often I have assumed a hand position which felt right to me and it had better effect. The "deviated position" just felt right.

Personally I dont see why such an issue is made often about positions and lineage and symbols and the like. Agreeing with Andy, I would have a talk with the person to find out what the person knows about reiki, hand positions and the like, as well as experience with the reiki energy.

I think we might all practice different reiki all over the world using different hand positions and perhaps even symbols during the reiki sessions, but at the end of the day it all boils down to the same energy and how we apply it.

I was also quite shocked to discover what some organisations and private masters charge for a reiki course. Is the energy not free for all, should we not encourage as many as possible to use it or is it only for the elite few to use? I think not. To give you an example, my Reiki master (usui shiki ryoho system) charges NOTHING for a reiki course, which takes all weekend. You just have to bring your own food. A donation can be given if you can afford one (usually N$50-200, which is roughly U$ 5-20), but it is not necessary. Another Reiki master in Namibia also charges nothing for it.

My first level 1 cost me N$500 for the weekend a couple of years ago, and the Reiki master was highly upset with me when I questioned him about the "secret symbols", got even more upset when I told him one could download them from the internet. The highligh of course was the attunement process - I wanted to know what happens during it, why must I keep my eyes closed? What is the process? Nedless to say the msater was not impressed with me.

Hi Makutzi.

Reiki is much more than just receiving attunements and learning how to do them, it's also an ongoing process of self-discovery for the teacher and the student.

Technically, from a viewpoint of energy-work, it doesn't really matter whether or not a person has their eyes open during an attunement or not, but then technically, Reiki is also already inside us all--so why then bother with attunements or treatments at all???

Because we learn Reiki not through wrote but through experience, and experience--as varied as it is--gives us the tools we need to help awaken our students to greater spiritual awareness.

Being able to awaken our students can also be described as being able to communicate with our students. Communication is an essential skill to help establish and solidify a spiritual connection between teacher and student is often an unspoken and unwritten part of the Reiki experience. Without experience, a Reiki teacher just doesn't have a whole lot to offer a student other than what can readily be found by reading Reiki sites on the internet.

Our species has undergone a tremendous awakening in the last 50 years. Prior to that time, it seemed to be a select few who were spiritually aware with the abilities to perceive auras and other spiritual phenomena. During the 70's Jane Roberts material became vastly popular (and it still is, even today) and served to inspire and awaken many to teach awareness of spiritual realities, and that awareness has not only grown within the individuals who experienced the teachings but continued to expand through those they taught.

During the '70's, '80's, and '90's, Reiki was one of the many spiritual tuning-forks that vibrated with such strength that it caused most who experienced it to suddenly awaken to greater spiritual realities. What they had only read about in books suddenly became a reality they could now perceive.

Today, infinitely many more are aware of spiritual realities as a consequence of spiritual resonance. Strike a tuning fork to vibrate, place another tuning-fork next to it and what happens? The new tuning-fork begins to vibrate at the same resonance, the same frequency as the original.

Because so many around us have awakened, the technical processes of awakening really just doesn't make that much of a difference. Once any Reiki practitioner has been around a while, it becomes obvious that everyone does things slightly differently, slightly in their own way, compared to the way their predecessors did things.

Because so many around us have awakened, it's less common for a student to receive a Reiki attunement and suddenly possess the ability to perceive higher spiritual realities. That's because it's already awakened inside them, and that's a complete reversal of the way things were prior to the 1970's.

When a student insists on keeping their eyes open during their first and even subsequent attunements, they cannot, with any sense of honor or integrity, convey the value of that experience to their students. Personal experience is an integral part of Reiki, and without it, the teacher has little with which to help awaken their student.

The real secret of the attunement process is the experience. Each Reiki Master I know performs the attunements in a slightly different form than the other—even my students. I've taught my students to do things a certain way, and they don't. What they do is similar to what I do, not in the way of technique, but in the way of energy and essence.

In my opinion, if a student chooses to keep their eyes open during their first attunement, it's not a matter of my loss of a secret technique only given to my Master level students when they are ready, but rather it is a loss of the students ability to share that experience with their students.

When I have the opportunity to teach students from another lineage, like others have mentioned I like to check the manuals they have to see the common elements and the divergent ones.
Level 2's receive the key highlights in review of what Level 1 is about.
For Master students it is a whole different event as we review the whole manual.

Some of the people in my local area have only been attuned to the 4 Western symbols, (I also have William Rand's style)so just to make sure we were 'energetically' on the same page I would re-attune the person transferring to me. For instance, if they were taking the level 2 class I would also re-attune them to level 1 as per W. Rand.

Now add in Komyo Reiki style and the transferring student would get 2 attunements and a reiju.