About the Author

Margaret Jang is a Reiki Master Teacher & Practitioner, Numerologist, Intuitive, and a Spiritual/Inspirational Poet & Writer. She currently resides in Vancouver, BC and can be contacted at margjang@gmail.com or through her website www.margaretjang.com.

Determine Your True Motive Before Advancing to Reiki Level 2

Most likely, if you are reading this article, you have completed Reiki Level 1, the Self-healing Level - wonderful, well done - congratulations!....and now you are contemplating about whether to take Reiki Level 2, the Practitioner's Level.

Some students ask how long they should wait before advancing to the next level. This remains an open forum for intense scrutiny and debate; after-all, there are no established time constraints within the Reiki establishment; therefore, it is usually left to the discretion of each individual Reiki Master/Teacher. In our modern culture, Reiki students no longer follow a Reiki Master/Teacher, as they once did in Usui sensei's time or even in Takata sensei's time, for what may seem as endless years of training. Now, most Reiki Master/Teachers will teach the next level anywhere from 3-weeks to 1-year in-between each level and some even teach Reiki Level 1 and 2 together in the same 'intensive' weekend workshop. Personally, I feel that the student will know and feel when it is the right time and this is perfectly acceptable as long as it is done for the right reason.

Right now, as a newly initiated student of Reiki, you are probably feeling very invigorated and excited about wanting to upgrade your present level of Reiki, and so you should be. It takes time, energy, dedication and clarity to know your direction in life; therefore, when you spend an inordinate amount of time and money to learn new concepts in order to infuse additional knowledge into your being, you should feel very proud and enthusiastic.

But wait.....have you thought deeply about why you really want to learn Reiki Level 2? What is the true motive behind your action? Do you want to advance to a higher level because you wish to gain greater knowledge and wisdom? Have you been told or do you believe that your 'healing power' will become stronger or will double in intensity? Or are you just going along for the ride because your best friend, relative or spouse wants to take the course and pleaded for your company?

Before upgrading to Reiki Level 2, you should seriously give thought to whether or not you would like to heal others for professional purposes; after-all, this is one of the primary factors for advancement - do you want to establish your own Reiki business? The other factor is your desire to do distant/absentee Reiki healing - to heal others distantly or to heal the planet, plus its inhabitants.

Many students have a deep inner urge to heal others or to heal animals and while this is a superb service to humanity or to the world, unless your aspirations lean toward running your own business or to offer distant/absentee healing or to participate in group healings, there is really no great rush to progress from Reiki Level 1 to Reiki Level 2; therefore, take your time.

Some students have expressed interest in advancing to Reiki Level 2, yet they do not wish to practice professionally, nor ever operate their own business - all they want is the additional knowledge. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this decision, but again, take your time - heal, cleanse and strengthen your own energies first by using the techniques that you learned in Reiki Level 1.

One great advantage that Reiki Level 2 does offer, is that you learn how to consciously call, use and direct the energy of three major Reiki symbols - the power symbol, the mental/emotional symbol and the distant/absentee symbol. But in order to consciously direct the energy of the Reiki symbols you need a clear and steady mind in which you can focus and concentrate, as well as eliminate mind chatter. Unless you are willing to remain open to the concept of using the symbols and practice using them on a consistent basis, this knowledge becomes futile. So before you run out and spend more money to upgrade, consider exactly how you want to implement any additional knowledge.

If you are under the misconception that your Reiki 'healing powers' will increase the minute that you receive attunement to Reiki Level 2, then you are misguided. If you think that Reiki Level 2 certification gives you the ability to be a greater healer, then your thinking is flawed, because a piece of paper only gives you official recognition for completing the course. And if you were led to believe that you receive additional 'healing power' directly from your Reiki Master/Teacher through the attunement (or Reiju) process, then shame on them for misleading you.

The healing energy of Reiki increases only through practice, practice and more practice. This is not just practicing on others or on animals; you must also be willing to make a concerted effort to practice on yourself - preferably daily. Two other very important factors are your intention and your focus. Your intention must be pure and your focus must be strong and clear - these should always remain balanced and resonate in harmony, which takes hard work, as well as dedication on your part.

It is far more important to heal yourself on all levels (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) before advancing to the next level of Reiki. When you practice Reiki on yourself daily, over time, this is what basically happens....it encourages the release of energy blockages in your chakras, plus you become more sensitive to subtle energy vibrations. Your thyroid and pituitary glands are then stimulated to open, thus energizing your heart chakra and increasing your intuitive capabilities. Once your heart chakra is open, energy from your lower chakras (root, sacral and solar plexus) can integrate with your higher chakras (throat, 3rd eye and crown). As your chakras open, it is important for them to be in balance with each other - use the heart chakra as the centre point of balance.

When you change your physical body's vibrational level, you begin to work directly (either individually or together) with the subtle vibrations of your etheric body (your physical body's double situated closest to and just above the physical body - it is a 2-way bridge between your physical and astral bodies), your astral or emotional body (above the etheric body - it transmits higher consciousness to your physical brain and nervous system) and your mental body (above the astral body - this is your mind and intellect or thoughts and visualizations). All bodies (or planes of vibration) are interlocked and one affects the other. The bodies surrounding your physical body is what is seen as the 'aura' - it can look like a whitish glow or it can be seen in various colours. Your intention is to keep all four bodies in balance, plus in harmony with each other. Once this happens, your vibration increases to a purer, higher resonance and your connection to the universal energy source heighten and strengthen - you are now able to channel greater amounts of spiritual energy (or Reiki) through you.

This article is not meant to dissuade you from advancing to Reiki Level 2, or to create unwarranted criticism regarding your reason; it is merely to help you determine what your underlying motive is. Hopefully, no matter what choices you make in life - you will do so with right intentions and for the most appropriate purpose. Your choice to advance in Reiki should be based on sound reasoning and without interference from others - the choice should be yours and yours alone.

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4. The Finale! - Completing Reiki Master/Teacher Level
5. Once You Complete Reiki Level 1
6. Reiki Healing Sessions