Until recently, Reiki attunements were only obtainable in classes held by existing Reiki masters. Some Reiki masters believe that this was unfortunate, since it meant that lots of everyone was unable to obtain a Reiki attunement.
In certain areas, no classes are available. Many people cannot go sometimes distant locations to receive a Reiki attunement. And, some individuals just cannot spend the money for fairly high fees that are charged for the classes.
It's our belief (and the belief of added Reiki masters) that anyone can benefit from Reiki attunements and that the more people who are attuned to Reiki energy, the greater off the planet will be. Because of this, some Masters are using the internet and offering inexpensive e-books that nearly anyone can afford.
Being "attuned" to Reiki energy, simply means becoming aware that the power exists. Eventually, those who find themselves attuned can use Reiki to heal themselves and others. No specific talents are needed, except the ability to read, write and draw some symbols. All of this may be learned in the privacy of your respective own home, without expensive classes or go far off locations.
Those who follow the teachings of Hawayo Takata are likely to scoff at the notion of learning Reiki attunements from the book. As the very first person to offer Reiki attunements in the United States, she described herself as a "Grandmaster ".She claimed that the title was passed down to her by Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, students of Master Usui. She also stated that only a Grandmaster could train or initiate another Reiki master.
Some say that when she died, the title died with her. Others declare that she passed the title along to them. Controversy surrounding Reiki abounds. Suffice to state that Master Usui never used the title of Grandmaster (or an identical title) in Japan, although there is (and still is) a president of the Usui Reiki society which he founded.
In the 1970's, Takata's fee for training a Reiki master was $10,000, although she offered a regular Reiki attunement for less and taught others to rehearse the healing art, she only offered "third level" or "master training" to people who could pay the high fee and go Hawaii, where her practice was located. It's not surprising that just about 20 people could train with Takata.
Today you can find still Masters who offer classes and charge high fees for Reiki attunements. On another end of the spectrum are those who offer Reiki healing for free. I can tell you from firsthand experience that Reiki healing works to produce pain go away and reduce inflammation.
Following a Reiki attunement, I was able to sleep better, was more stimulating throughout the day, was better able to target and was immediately able to use the energy to relieve a family group member's headache and knee pain. I don't believe that Reiki healing is simply a placebo effect. The power exists; we can just learn how to use it.
