Yes, it is simply because they do not understand what they are dealing with, an attunement is created within and transfered within consciousness (non physical), now since all is one within consciousness, the concept of a distant attunement or healing is a contradiction in terms.

Non of the attunements that I give people are hands on, even if they come to us, we release the attunement before they arrive, and later on they sit or lay down quietly with a guided attunement CD and call it in then, as we are not giving them anything physical, then contact is not required.

The NOS were developed to define the standard required for professional practice for Reiki. One aspect of the process was to actually define 'Reiki' as a system so that there is a clear line between what is and is not 'Reiki' for the purpose of VSR. The two criteria that we felt were essential for a system to be classed as 'Reiki' are:

1. The lineage has to start with Mikao Usui.

2. In-person attunements must be used.

This was pretty much a unanimous decision amongst the NOS group. Of course there are other systems of energy healing that will have their own methods and techniques, there are some 'Reiki' systems that will have different ways of connecting students, that is not an issue. This is simply the definition of Reiki for NOS to ensure that the Reiki NOS is only applied to forms of Reiki that are based on the system founded by Mikao Usui, and this system was developed with in-person teaching and attunements.

Lovely, thank you both.

So its simply due to tradition, I got myself into a right muddle but over-complicating things.

I'd imagine it's because there were/are people involved with the NOS reiki decisions who had the thought and fear:

"What if people are buying long distance attunements from the internet, but it's just a scam, and they're not getting anything?"

So an in-person attunement assures that the person is, at least, receiving an attunement (instead of a PDF reiki manual, and a PDF reiki certificate)

It may also be for credibility: it sounds more ridiculous to non-believers that this sort of thing can be done at a distance..! So removing the long distance stuff might be damage control :p

So an in-person attunement assures that the person is, at least, receiving an attunement (instead of a PDF reiki manual, and a PDF reiki certificate)

Well, it increases the chances... but it doesn't determine that the person giving the attunement is themselves qualified to do so.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Well, it increases the chances... but it doesn't determine that the person giving the attunement is themselves qualified to do so.

Lol! That made me giggle. Quite so

"What if people are buying long distance attunements from the internet, but it's just a scam, and they're not getting anything?"

Funnily enough, I was at the NOS meeting when we decided to narrow the definition of Reiki to in-person attunements. It was quite a few years ago and I am trying to remember exactly how the discussion went. I do remember that one of the points made was about dodgy internet attuenments and an other factor was that Reiki was traditionally passed on from a Reiki teacher to a student in person and I think it was also to ensure students had sufficient support during and after the attunements. I know from experience that some students can get upset, some can burst into tears during the attunements and having a teacher there with them to reassure them and help deal with the emotional release is incredibly helpful. Students can have various experiences and reactions as a result of the attunements and having the teacher physically with them is necessary in my opinion.

My original Reiki classes and attunements were in-person and all took at least two days to complete, and several years later when the internet became somewhat affordable to the public I became active online and "traded" numerous distance treatments and distance attunements with many Reiki practitioners. I have taught in-person classes (private and large groups 2+ times per month), and have also taught distance classes. I would like to offer the following comments based on that experience:

Yes, it is simply because they do not understand what they are dealing with, an attunement is created within and transfered within consciousness (non physical), now since all is one within consciousness, the concept of a distant attunement or healing is a contradiction in terms.

While I feel that Paul expresses a basic concept of the attunement process at a technical level, that expression lacks an important spiritual dynamic (call it a "relationship") that is created during an in-person session. I believe Paul is correct, but then there's an element of compassion and support not present in distance work that is present in in-person sessions that I feel should be considered.

...Students can have various experiences and reactions as a result of the attunements and having the teacher physically with them is necessary....

I must strongly support Omega1 and his opinion in this matter. While I believe Paul is accurate in his description of the attunement process, attunements subject the recipient to a tremendous amount of spiritual healing energies, and the attuner never really knows how the recipient will react to those energies. I've experienced many who don't feel a darn thing at all and wonder whether or not they've been taken in by a charlatan, many who have become alive and feel vitalized with a new sense of energy(ies), and quite a few who have not been able to suppress the pain they have experienced in this life any longer and have needed to completely let themselves go and fall into the arms of another to cry on a shoulder.

Distance attunements simply don't offer that level of compassionate support.

Distance attunements also are unable to teach a person how to communicate in a professional therapeutic manner. Even if a person reads about the techniques of professional communication, a distance attunement will not enable those skills -- only in-person practice will do so.

In live classes and workshops, participants are able to witness first-hand how different people react to the attunements, and that builds experience that can later be drawn upon when teaching live or distance classes.

I believe that distance attunements work and are effective, but personally I hold much greater respect for individuals who have attended a series of in-person classes.

Distance attunements also are unable to teach a person how to communicate in a professional therapeutic manner. Even if a person reads about the techniques of professional communication, a distance attunement will not enable those skills -- only in-person practice will do so.

Very good point, considering we are talking about professional practice.

The NOS were developed to define the standard required for professional practice for Reiki. One aspect of the process was to actually define 'Reiki' as a system so that there is a clear line between what is and is not 'Reiki' for the purpose of VSR. The two criteria that we felt were essential for a system to be classed as 'Reiki' are:

1. The lineage has to start with Mikao Usui.

2. In-person attunements must be used.

This was pretty much a unanimous decision amongst the NOS group. Of course there are other systems of energy healing that will have their own methods and techniques, there are some 'Reiki' systems that will have different ways of connecting students, that is not an issue. This is simply the definition of Reiki for NOS to ensure that the Reiki NOS is only applied to forms of Reiki that are based on the system founded by Mikao Usui, and this system was developed with in-person teaching and attunements.

Having been on that board with Omega1, I can relate that we both heard so much feedback from other Reiki Masters too. From my experience with Reiki healers through my work, I have found that sometimes, through a distant attunement, the newly-attuned healer has a healing crisis, needs support then and there, and it is not available. However, an in-person attunement also ensures that the student is there under the RM's supervision to practice self-healing and healing others. Usually with distant attunements, there is no such supervision (above example excepted :))

This is simply the definition of Reiki for NOS to ensure that the Reiki NOS is only applied to forms of Reiki that are based on the system founded by Mikao Usui, and this system was developed with in-person teaching and attunements.

So Mikao Usui attuned people himself in person?

I was under the impression he never attuned any of his students but used empowerments?:)

So Mikao Usui attuned people himself in person?

I was under the impression he never attuned any of his students but used empowerments?:)

Surely thats what happens during a reiki attainment. The student is empowered to channel reiki

Attunements and Empowerments are different things, whilst both 'empowering' the person with Reiki

Empowerments were how Usui traditionally gave Reiki to his students for their spiritual growth and self healing etc. Attunements were developed, I believe, by Hayashi (sp?) sensei, one of Usui's students, in order to give a permanent connection to Reiki to those students who couldn't attend daily/weekly for empowerments. I'd have to dig out all my notes and history and books, but if I recall correctly, Usui was also involved in the development of attunements, so we could say that he did both attunements and empowerments, though empowerments were his main way of giving Reiki to his students.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Attunements and Empowerments are different things, whilst both 'empowering' the person with Reiki

According to what I have found and what we have been told by a Reiki Master that has been living and training in Reiki in Japan since the 1960's, Reiju is a 'blessing' and not an empowerment and is used as such and not for initiating students into Usui Reiki Ryoho. That is one of the reasons that Reiju is not accepted by the Reiki council as a valid connection/initiation method.

So Mikao Usui attuned people himself in person?

Yes, Usui-sensei initiated students into his Reiki Ryoho by a process of attunement.

Isn't Usui Reiki Ryoho what was formed by the imperial officers that Usui taught?
They didn't train with Usui long enough to be taught how to empower others so they set up the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai after his death. The imperial officers then put together a ritual which was to give the same experience that they had when being empowered by Usui?
They were also taught symbols because they didn't have time to spend years developing their connection with the energies.
It was Hayashi who passed on an attunement ritual to Takata who then taught her master students a version of that in the 1970s.

If it is known he used both attunements and empowerments then why aren't both methods accepted?
In my training I have done both and I know which I prefer, but at the end of the day it all works the same there is no difference between attunements and empowerments they both connect you to the energy, but people may prefer one or the other.

To my understanding, the Reiki attunements and empowerments are completely different things, but they can both work towards the same end in different ways, the attunement system empowers someone to create a healing flow without them having to personally develop themselves first, the empowerment system helps someone to personally develop themselves and then over time as a result of the personal development they have undertaken, they will be able to create a healing flow.

Both of Usui's systems work in their own unique way, people do not need them both to learn to become a healer, for they work in completely different ways with the people who utilise them.

The empowerment system heals and empowers someone to personally develop themselves so that they can become whole, healing does not need to be emphasised with this system as it is a natural function of becoming whole.

The attunement system which has become known as the Reiki healing modality, was created at the request of the Emperor to teach the officers to heal, so he cleverly created a way of empowering them to create a healing flow without them having to go through the lengthy process of personally developing themselves first.

If you think about the way of being that is required to create a healer and a way of being that would enable you to create war, then you will see that they are two opposite ways of being, the attunement process allowed someone to function both ways at the same time, pure genius.

He also found a way of encouraging the people that he gave the attunements to, to personally develop themselves if they should choose to do so, by adapting a part of one of the Emperors poems into the Reiki precepts, he was a very clever man.

Isn't Usui Reiki Ryoho what was formed by the imperial officers that Usui taught?

As far as I am aware, no, that is not the case. Usui Reiki Ryoho is the name of the method of healing developed by Usui-sensei.

To my understanding, the Reiki attunements and empowerments are completely different things, but they can both work towards the same end in different ways, the attunement system empowers someone to create a healing flow without them having to personally develop themselves first, the empowerment system helps someone to personally develop themselves and then over time as a result of the personal development they have undertaken, they will be able to create a healing flow.

Yes that is pretty much it.

In my training I have done both and I know which I prefer, but at the end of the day it all works the same there is no difference between attunements and empowerments they both connect you to the energy, but people may prefer one or the other.

I think one problem is the definition of what an 'empowerment' is. Some Reiki teachers give attunements (or a form of) and call them 'empowerments'. Reiju is not really an empowerment as such, it is a blessing and as Paul stated requires of the student to do Hatsu Rei-Ho everyday as a form of self-development and after a (long) period of time this will enable them work with the Reiki method. Generally Reiki is taught as short courses and therefore Reiju is not appropriate as an initiation method.

Given the number of students Usui-sensei taught, it would not have been possible for him to teach Reiki in any other form other than short courses with attunements as the initiation method.

Hi Omega1

I think one problem is the definition of what an 'empowerment' is. Some Reiki teachers give attunements (or a form of) and call them 'empowerments'. Reiju is not really an empowerment as such, it is a blessing and as Paul stated requires of the student to do Hatsu Rei-Ho everyday as a form of self-development and after a (long) period of time this will enable them work with the Reiki method. Generally Reiki is taught as short courses and therefore Reiju is not appropriate as an initiation method.

Sort of, Hatsu Rei-Ho is more in line with Tai Chi and strengthening your core power, rather than personally developing yourself, which comes through becoming mindful.

I think that we need to remember that when Usui first started to heal people, he was not interested in teaching people to heal, he wanted to heal them and improve their life experience, he did that through giving them healing and taught them to become mindful, to accelerate the process he gave them a Reiju empowerment to re-balance their life force power and empower them to move towards becoming mindful, which he would repeat whenever he saw them again, to remind them of the path that they were on.

A Reiju empowerment is both the giving and receiving of mindfulness from one being to another being, obviously until someone has developed themselves to the point that they have attained mindfulness, then they are not really in a position to pass it on in a Reiju or teach it to someone else, but then with this sort of personal development it is never a race to see who can finish first.

So although I agree that a Reiju empowerment is not a Reiki initiation, as it does not empower someone to practice Reiki (that is what the Reiki attunement is for), it is non the less an initiation to the mindfulness and personal development that Usui utilised to heal people, it backs up his mindfulness teaching and empowers the person to move towards becoming whole so that they can lead a happy and healthy life.

So although I agree that a Reiju empowerment is not a Reiki initiation, as it does not empower someone to practice Reiki (that is what the Reiki attunement is for), it is non the less an initiation to the mindfulness and personal development that Usui utilised to heal people, it backs up his mindfulness teaching and empowers the person to move towards becoming whole so that they can lead a happy and healthy life.

I think the only thing I would add is that Reiju was not and is not given on one occasion as an initiation but given at every meeting of student and master as part of an on-going process, hence it is known as a 'blessing' rather than an 'initiation'.

Hi Omega1

I think the only thing I would add is that Reiju was not and is not given on one occasion as an initiation but given at every meeting of student and master as part of an on-going process, hence it is known as a 'blessing' rather than an 'initiation'.

A Reiju is part of Usui's original healing modality which has not got a name, though it is often referred to simply as Usui's way (though the Reiju seems to have been embraced by many who practice his later Reiki healing modality), it is one of the simplest healing modalities that I have personally encountered, though the simplicity and lack of rituals and techniques often serves to conceal its true value.

The Reiju has two functions when utilised by someone who practices Usui's original way of healing.

The primary way it is utilised is to heal and empower someone into mindfulness, which can be a one off occurrence or if circumstances permit it can be an ongoing process, but that is the same with all forms of healing. It is this form of Reiju that is used with students once they have been initiated, so that they can receive healing and mindfulness each time they get together with their teachers.

Its other use is as the initiation process to connect and empower people to utilise Usui's original healing method, used this way it empowers them to become mindful and personally develop themselves so that they can learn to heal in the simplistic mindful way that Usui healed and empowered people, which is as you say an ongoing process from someone who already possesses the understanding skills to use it that way, though the Reiju only needs to be given in this way once.

The Reiju initiation does not empower someone to use the Reiki symbols and methods when healing, but neither does a Reiki attunement connect someone to the mindfulness way of healing that Usui's other system utilises, an initiation Reiju empowers someone to learn to create healing and mindfulness in someone else the way that Usui did, as I have already said they are two different healing systems or modalities, what works for one does not work for the other and visa a versa, because they both require a different mind set.

Well this is quite something! Am learning so much from all of you. When I joined this forum the on thing I knew about Reiki is just the name "Reiki". Thanks to all of you am thinking of starting lessons.

... am thinking of starting lessons

Good for you! Reiki is amazing and is a gift that you can have for life for both yourself and your loved ones.

Distance vs contact

Well, it increases the chances... but it doesn't determine that the person giving the attunement is themselves qualified to do so.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Distance is a part of what you are giving and getting you can always send it back if not satisfied at first glimpse we see that this is a form of heal thy self vs a gift of healing with thought.
Contact I see that this is a time to watch who is touching into the form of your life to know a form of the Angelic plot is to create a space that contact can be made...Again dont acept push the limit yet use the hand of reason...Gypsee