“I am only Reiki One.” It’s a comment I hear quite often and quite apologetically. It befuddles, confuses and saddens me each time.

On one hand, I understand that the practitioner is simply sharing with another that they have trained at the first level of Reiki. And that is fine.

But it is more the tone than the statement that concerns me when I hear it.

For a Reiki Level One practitioner to indicate that they have begun their re-acquaintance with Reiki and are presently at the first level of study is awesome! But when a practitioner shares apologetically that “I am only Reiki One”, like they’re sorry they only have the basics, that they know they don’t have the “magic” tools to “really” make people heal, I am puzzled.

The word “Reiki” literally translates as “spiritual energy”. There is only one spiritual energy. It is called by many names but it is one essence. A student is taught this (hopefully) during their first level of Reiki training. If they walk away from their Reiki One studies understanding anything, it should be that they are Reiki, that there is only one spiritual essence and that it is “information” that has different levels.

If we were to equate Reiki training to college degrees we could say that Reiki One could be the Bachelor’s degree, Reiki Two could be the Master’s Degree and Reiki Three could be the Doctorate. And think about that for a moment. If you were to study to those levels or degrees of a college major, by the time you received your doctorate degree you would have amassed a mammoth amount of information. But if you had not practiced what you were learning as you were moving along your college journey then that is all you would have at the end of your studies, is a lot of information. Once you volunteer, intern and get hands-on experience in your field of study, it is at that point that you begin to understand the “information” you’ve been taught.

If we used that college scenario, would that mean that if you were studying to be a teacher that you wouldn’t have the “real” skills to go out and teach after receiving your Bachelor’s degree? And conversely, does it mean that because you have studied to a doctorate degree that you are then “equipped” to move forward and teach?

Try thinking of Reiki training in that same way. Once you begin your first level of training, you have enough information to go out and put your training to use. And it is in doing so that you will come to understand the information that you have “learned” more deeply than any “certificate” or “degree” could ever give you.

So to all Reiki students, practitioners and those looking to begin their Reiki journey, please remember, upon completion of your first level of Reiki studies you should realize that you are Reiki, that everything on the universe is Reiki, that there is no separation of Reiki, there is only one spiritual essence (Reiki). You can “study” until the day you die but your studies will not “empower” you. What will “empower” and enlighten you is taking your newfound level of knowledge and going out and practicing it. Practice hands-on healing on yourself, with other people, with animals, plants, foods, anything and everything you feel the desire to reacquaint with. It is through that practice that your understanding of spiritual energy (Reiki) will get stronger.

If you have left your Reiki One studies feeling like “I am only Reiki One” and that you need to continue studying Reiki Two and Reiki Three in order to be empowered with more healing ability and magic words and symbols in order to heal at different levels, then you were not taught correctly. Everything you need to know to understand what Reiki is and that you are Reiki should have been taught to you in your Reiki One studies. And it should have been explained to you that Reiki Two and Reiki Three studies will provide you with more “information” in order to “understand” spiritual energy at deeper levels in order to be knowledgeable in and confident enough to go out and teach if you so desire.

So if you have embarked on the wonderful journey of reacquainting yourself with your true essence, Reiki, spiritual energy, raise your hands and your energy level, stand atop the mountain and shout:

“I AM Reiki, I always was and I always will be”

Then go share with others to remind and assist them in benefiting from the spiritual energy that they are.

If you understand what Reiki is – and you should when you complete your first level of Reiki training – then you should understand that you could never be “only Reiki One”.
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What do you think about the statement, “I am only Reiki One”?