Attunement must be in person?

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.