“Distance Attunements” Are Not Reiki
It’s time somebody said it in public.
Clearly. Unequivocally. No negotiation.
No tiptoeing around anyone’s feelings.
“Distance attunements” are not Reiki. They might be something – but that “something” isn’t Reiki.
“Distance attunements” do not take place with the Master/Teacher in the same place as the student. There is no opportunity for practice and feedback. The student has no opportunity to become confident that what they are doing “works” or that someone in the same class, taught by the same Master/Teacher at the same time, is also doing Reiki and that it works.
There is rarely any teaching of the 5 Precepts or of the history and spread of Reiki throughout the world.
There is no sense of community, of connection with others in the same class. No connection with other students of the same Master/Teacher. No sharing. No support through the process. Nothing.
One of the major features of a Reiki class is that as the weekend progresses, the space in which it takes place fills and overflows with Reiki. The change is palpable. It is part of the class.
In that total immersion in Reiki something is imparted and absorbed that is not just the attunement but also something indefinable, ineffable and totally necessary to the development and process of Reiki students.
“Oh, but all you really need is the attunement”
Is that right.
No it isn’t.
The attunement is integral, certainly. However, to bring Reiki into the real world, what is absolutely necessary is practice.
Without practice, Reiki remains energy without substance. A spiritual practice, certainly. However without the “practice” bit, it remains insubstantial.
“However many […] words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?” Buddha
The attunement is the thought, the intention and the action of the Master/Teacher. In order for the student to fully become the Reiki practitioner they are meant to be, they too need to take action to bring their thought and intention into the world.
Reiki is more than a lovely spiritual experience. It is the loving action of the Divine in the real world.
“We arranged a time – I sat and meditated. All of a sudden I felt this great wave of energy”
I hear this all the time from people who have been “distance attuned”.
Ok. So how do you know it wasn’t you? Meditation tends to have some interesting results from time to time, especially if you’re determined to have some kind of experience.
How do you know it wasn’t your imagination?
How do you know that the Master/Teacher didn’t forget?
Or send the attunement early – or late? Or at all?
Another thing I hear all the time is : “well, I intended to send it, so it wasn’t necessary to actually do it. The only thing necessary is the intention.”
In that case no action is taken at all. By anyone.
Intention is important. But so is action.
Have you ever tried intending to pay a bill, but not actually doing it? Intending to cook a meal but not actually doing it? Intending to take the kids to school, but not actually doing it?
Intending to say a prayer or meditate, but not actually doing it?
” Between saying and doing many a pair of shoes is worn out.” Italian Proverb
“We did it over skype – we were in the same virtual space.”
Truth be told, when Reiki people get together in the same virtual space, the results indicate there’s a lot of Reiki going on.
As a member of the (now defunct) alt.healing.reiki newsgroup, I can tell you that we had some interesting Reiki related times there.
However, when the Master/Teacher is on the other end of Skype and the student is in their own home, the Master/Teacher could still be doing anything. Waving their arms around? Ok.
Meditating. Quite possibly.
“Distance attunement”? Who really knows?
Before a class – an in person class – Master/Teachers prepare the room and fill it with Reiki in order to create and hold the space for the class, the Master/Teachers themselves, the students and the process.
When the “distance attunement” is done over skype, who creates and holds the space everyone is in? Virtual or otherwise?
No one. Someone is always outside that Reiki space. Usually the student.
“But I got a manual – and a certificate!”
Yes, I’m sure you did. For which you quite possibly paid – although, in this situation, often the “attunement” is free. The student “only” pays for the manual and the certificate.
Weirdly, people are far more willing to pay for a manual and a certificate than for the time of a Master/Teacher with a free manual and certificate included. Strange.
Further, people are far more willing to charge for a certificate and manual than for their time.
Quite often, I come across Reiki Master/Teachers who wouldn’t dream of charging for their time in a face to face class, but do charge for the manual and certificate.
It’s the oddest thing.
Still, I digress. Click here for more thoughts on Reiki and money.
To get back to the point. When you are paying for a manual and certificate, you are paying only for the physical objects, not the spiritual experience or the Reiki Master/Teacher’s time. Which means you have no come back if you don’t think you’ve got anything from the attunement.
“The nearest Reiki Master/Teacher is miles away – I haven’t got the time/money/transport to get there.”
There are very few places these days that are totally cut off from the rest of civilization. There is always some way of getting to where you need to be.
But only if you’re committed.
“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold – but so does a hard-boiled egg.” – Author Unknown
Those who make excuses and refuse to travel are those who are not committed. If they’re not committed even to taking the class, how do they plan to bring Reiki into their physical world?
One of the things about a Reiki class is that people – when they’re committed – tend to get what they need in order to be there. The process starts with the commitment.
In refusing to make the commitment, students are short changing themselves.
And in letting them get away with it, the Reiki Master/Teachers who go in for “distance attunements” are colluding with that lack of commitment. And lacking in commitment themselves.
“Oh, but I’m housebound/disabled – I can’t possibly travel”
This is probably the only acceptable reason for not traveling to an in person class.
The answer for the housebound is to find a Reiki Master/Teacher who will travel and expect to make a contribution to their expenses.
An invitation to a couple of friends to share the class will also reduce overall costs and help other people who “can’t travel” to access Reiki.
And if you think that I’m lacking in sympathy, watch the para olympics. Those people are disabled too, but there’s no lack of commitment there.
“Reiki people are open to all forms of Reiki”
Yes, we are. To all forms of Reiki.
“Distance attunements” are not Reiki.
The Most Important Reason Why “Distance Attunements” Are Not Reiki
I lose count of the number of times a student has said in various places and on various forums over a whole lot of years something along the lines of “I got a distance attunement but I don’t feel it took”
Yes. That’s right. In the experience of the student what they got is lacking something.
That would be Reiki. “Distance attunements” are not Reiki.
Have you had a “distance attunement” and then take a class later? Share your experience in the comments below.
What’s your opinion? Leave a comment below and let’s have an honest conversation about this.
