The First Degree of Reiki and Its Gifts

Reiki is learned through several levels, each of which opens a different depth of experience, understanding, and work with energy.

Over the last hundred years or so, Reiki has evolved and in some respects has moved away from the way Mikao Usui taught it. Even so, these changes have not diminished its essence — they have expanded the ways in which people can live and practise it today.

A brief overview of the levels of Reiki

Although the focus of this text is on the first level of Reiki, it is useful to briefly see how the Reiki path is traditionally divided.

Reiki is divided into levels:

• 1st level — Shoden — Initial teachings
• 2nd level — Okuden — Inner teachings
• 3rd level — Shinpiden — Deep / secret teachings
• Shihan — Reiki teacher

Some teachers combine master and teacher teachings into one level. Regardless of the approach, each level is completely whole and self-contained, which means that for many people an attunement into the first level is entirely sufficient.

Shoden — Initial Teachings

At the first level, the foundational guidance for using Reiki on oneself and others is learned, along with basic and additional hand positions, the Reiki principles, the human energy system, the exchange of energy, and meditations and techniques for personal development.

When I look back on my own attunement, what still delights me today are the synchronicities that accompanied it, and the refined sense of humour of the Universe. My personal sense of the first level of Reiki is that it often arrives as the gift of a small enlightenment.

The discovery of new layers of one’s own being is perhaps one of the most precious gifts Shoden can bring. The capacity for perception deepens, the meditative experience becomes richer, and a sense of joy and the ability to accept expand. New insights often arrive unexpectedly. New people and events that support our development naturally and easily enter our lives.

Treating oneself not only refreshes and relaxes the body, but above all nourishes the soul and spirit. The more we practise Reiki, the more naturally it becomes available to us. The more often we allow it to flow through us, the more easily we come into contact with our own inner reality. Accordingly, self-confidence and self-esteem grow, and our awareness expands. Practising Reiki helps us find harmony and balance.

Even so, Reiki will fully respect us, our pace, and our capacity to open to new experiences. There is therefore no need to expect large and quick results. Reiki works in its own way, in its own time, and supports what we are truly ready for in that moment. Reiki has its own intelligence and supports our development in a way that is aligned with who we are.

For those who feel ready and called to it, after some time of working with the first level of Reiki, the practitioner may be attuned into the second level.

Okuden — Inner Teachings

At the second level of Reiki, the flow of Reiki increases and work with symbols is introduced. With the support of symbols the practitioner directs Reiki more deeply, accesses the inner layers of consciousness more readily, and opens space for distance work.

Shinpiden — Deep / Secret Teachings

Shinpiden denotes a secret not in the sense of something hidden, but in the sense of that deeper level of life that cannot be fully understood by the intellect. It is the level that opens deeper understanding of the nature of life, consciousness, and universal energy.

This master level completes the learning of Reiki so that, alongside the physical level of the first degree and the mental level of the second, with the third level we also integrate the spiritual dimension.

With this level, in some schools, comes Shihan — the teacher’s path: passing on the teachings and conducting Reiki attunements. Some teachers combine the master and teacher teachings into one, while others regard them separately.

For some the first level is just the beginning, and for others an entirely sufficient path for years of practice. In both cases, its gift remains the same: to deepen the relationship with oneself and open space for more harmony, presence, and awareness in everyday life.