Usui
Shiki Ryoho: Reiki:
A Matter of Degree
by Reiki Master Diana Henderson
copyright 2004
So much of
what happens in our lives is a matter of timing. We heal when we're
ready to heal. We learn our lessons at the exact moment we are prepared
to experience the great aha!
The same is true when we embark on the path of the healer. Because the
world has accelerated and our vibrations are rising as Lightworkers,
it's ever more important to embrace our gifts by allowing ourselves to
process them fully. When learning the Usui System
of Natural Healing, more commonly known as Reiki,
we have a responsibility to honor the power of this amazing energy by
integrating each of its levels or degrees before moving on to the next
one.
Because I recognize the impact and power of each degree of Reiki, I
teach the three levels successively allowing sufficient time for the
cleansing and integration process between each class.
I remember well how eager I was to learn the second level after taking
Reiki I. As a fire sign (Sagittarius) who wants everything to happen
yesterday, I was champing at the bit. But I recall with equal
clarity that period of processing after the first incredible Reiki
class. During those first three weeks, I experienced some
detoxification or cleansing, which is relatively common. More
importantly, I truly could sense the
tremendous changes taking place as the energy became more and more at
home in all aspects of my life. It was beautiful to
experience the power of Reiki unfolding like the petals of a lotus
blossom.
When I took Reiki I many years ago, I received four
attunements—each one more potent and amazing than the last.
There are Reiki Masters who shortcut this process and teach
Reiki I in an afternoon offering only one brief attunement and little
instruction. As a Master teacher, I prefer to honor the power
of Reiki I by offering four attunements to my own students, just as I
received, because I wouldn't want them to miss out on any aspect of the
full first degree Reiki gifts. I give the attunements over a
span of time (Reiki I is a 10-hour class) along with the knowledge of
how to use the energy more effectively.
On my own path as a student of Reiki, I waited a little over a month
between Reiki I and II. My patience couldn't hold out for longer and I
sensed intuitively that the time was right. Because I had
fully processed the first degree energy, when I was attuned to the
second level, I could distinguish the difference in the vibration of
this life force energy.
To make an analogy to music, I liken Reiki I to middle C on the scales.
Reiki II raises the vibration an octave higher, and Reiki III
an octave higher still. Had I taken all the levels at once or
too close together, I would never have known that first beautiful note
that so graciously set the tone for everything that followed.
As an intuitive, I listen to my inner voice and connect with the Divine
to seek insight and guidance. For me that wisdom was clear:
To learn and to teach Reiki as a matter of degree—one class
at a time on a path to greater enlightenment.
My inner sense is that those who learn Reiki as a brief workshop or
take two or three levels at the same time miss something vital in the
awakening process. A greater concern is that taking too many
levels at once could cause an energetic overload unless the attunements
given were far less powerful than those I received when opening to this
wondrous energy.
I grew up taking piano lessons for seven years. My teacher
didn't start me out playing Bach, because I wasn't ready for that.
First I had to learn the scales. Of course,
learning Reiki is much easier than learning piano. For many,
it feels like coming home to the light of the spirit that has always
been there. The point is we need to ground ourselves in one level
before moving to the next. For some, that time is shorter
than for others, but the time required for processing, 21 days, has not
changed in the years since I began teaching.
As a Reiki Master I place great value on each level of Reiki. Each has
its unique resonance, its perfect flow of Light and Life Force.
I invite those interested in opening to the blessings of Usui
Shiki Ryoho to find a Reiki Master teacher who embraces the complete
power of each degree of Reiki and honors its mastery.
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