This is ‘Reiki’ in traditional Japanese characters.
Since Mikao Usui created the system of reiki in Japan in the early 1900s, reiki spread to North America and then around the world, and different reiki practitioners have created their own schools and styles of reiki. Many different forms and styles of reiki are found around the world now.
It is also taught in many different ways. While traditionally, it was taught in three levels, shoden (level 1), okuden (level 2) and shinpiden (level 3), it is now also taught in community colleges, and even at a distance in online courses. I’ve heard of reiki teaching retreats in Bali, I believe, where teachers have found it easy to attract students by teaching level 1 and level 2 without a break in between, during the same week. I’ve heard of reiki schools that have 7 levels, or is it 9? My gut feeling is that this is a way to get students to pay a lot more for a lot more courses!
My teachers were my brother, Walter Quan, in Canada, and Frans Stiene, who taught in Sydney and the Blue Mountains, and now teaches all around the world, from his home base in the Netherlands. Frans is renowned for researching reiki to try to follow its traditional origins (the traditional form is known as Usui Reiki Ryoho) which is different than newer creations of reiki styles where teachers focus on the chakras, or combine reiki with other practices, like crystal healing, or have even created their own new symbols and levels.
I enjoy giving reiki treatments, but I’ve made the choice to not teach reiki.
If you are in Sydney, I have two recommendations. They’re both a little far away from the centre, but it can be nice to get away! So, I’d recommend that you study reiki with the International House of Reiki in the Blue Mountains. Bronwen Logan is a good teacher, and Mount Tomah is a beautiful place to learn.
A fellow student of Frans Stiene and the International House of Reiki (IHR) is Vicki Huston who teaches reiki in Avalon in the Northern Beaches at Northern Beaches Reiki. Vicki is a wonderful person so she’s my other recommendation. If you happen to be in Melbourne, look up Deborah at the Melbourne Reiki Centre and if you’re in Cairns, you should study with Julie at Rainforest Reiki.
I don’t know and won’t say that the traditional Japanese system of reiki is better than other forms, just that I personally like it and it’s what I do. So, if you are interested in learning reiki, you should do some reading about the teachers available around you and what kind of reiki they practice and how their courses are structured. Level 1 is a really good way to find out whether reiki resonates with you as a practice. The course is short and affordable and focuses on you learning how to treat yourself, rather than on other people. It’s often two days long. I don’t recommend taking Level 2 (often a day long) right away after Level 1, or Level 3 (often 2.5 or 3 days) right after that. After each course, I think it’s best to practice what you’ve learned and let the learnings settle into yourself rather than rushing to do more learning.
Finally, I recommend doing your own research. I was quite surprised lately, getting calls from people wanting to learn reiki and then have me explain as much as I could to them. Part of the joy of learning something is to start learning and to do your own research. Start now. Read about reiki on the web. There is lots of information available, including on my own website and that of IHR. Find out which teachers are available for you. Then look at their websites to see what kind of reiki they do, and whether the way they talk about reiki resonates for you. Do you like the way they present themselves on their websites? Do you like what you are reading about reiki? If you do, you can always get in contact with them and ask some questions before you decide to study with them. Also, if you are interested in studying reiki, please book yourself in for a treatment, with me or any other reiki practitioner that you find and like the sound of. If you can book in for a treatment with your possible teacher, that would be really great. Why jump into studying something if you don’t have an experience of it already?