When I became a Reiki Master in the fall of 1994, one of the class components was the concept of distant re-attunements.   Having practiced distant Reiki treatments for some time, I found this an interesting possibility. 

One of my first experiences with distant attunements was in March 1995 when I received the 3 Tera-Mai attunements over the phone from the founder of that system.  While I concede I was not very sensitive to energy at that time, I was still overwhelmed by the energy I experienced.  At the second attunement I found I could not even move my feet for a while, which I later discovered was due to the grounding properties involved. 

As Spirit would have it, some of the early Reiki Masters I taught were also life long clairvoyants.   Their ability to see and sense all kinds of energy was a fascinating experience for me to be a part of.  When I first received Tera-Mai I had promised 2 of these students to share this energy with them, but they both lived out of town.  So these 2 ladies became my first distant attunement recipients.  I tried one attunement over the phone and one using a chair as a focus - simply imagining the person sitting there.  Both clairvoyants had very clear reception of the attunements and could immediately notice an increase in their own Reiki energy.  This was a very motivating experience for me.

Years later in September 1998 I gave distant transmissions of  the 3 Tera-Mai Reiki attunements to Japanese Reiki Master HIroshi Doi-sensei and his friend Tanaka-san, a very experienced energy worker.  Both gave me feedback on the attunement, and in Doi-sensei's case he said he was quite tired from a trip to Tokyo that day, but upon receiving the attunements at midnight his time, not only did he notice their sensations but he found that with little sleep he awoke early the next morning feeling very refreshed, something he felt was very unusual.  Before going to bed he reciprocated and sent me his Gendai Reiju as well as the 4th symbol empowerment.  His friend also reciprocated and I could sense each of these attunements.  In 2000 I finally was able to meet Tanaka-san while in Kyoto, and we talked of our experiences.  He works with over 30 different energies.
 

When I signed onto the internet in January of 1996, I began to meet many interesting Reiki Masters from around the world and we would often share distant attunements with each other.  Some of these people again were extremely sensitive to energy.  I began to get a lot of experience with distant attunements and receive a lot of good feedback.  Some of the masters worked in other types of healing energies and as we shared distant attunements we discovered we were indeed getting the same results from the new energies as if we were in a live class.

I had never intended to offer distant Reiki training but 2 events in 1997 led me to be open to this possibility.  One lady really wanted to learn master level with me, but she lived too far away.  Another lady wanted to take live training but ran into a setback on her journey here.  Both ladies not only completed my distant training (with distant attunements) but were able to successfully help others open up to Reiki when they began to teach.  I felt this was a true test of how well their distant attunements were received.

Eventually I began to acquire more distant students.  This encouraged me to improve my class material to allow for as close to a class experience as possible, providing video and detailed photos.  While I was hesitant to teach Reiki 1 this way, there were eventually situations where I felt I had to give in and allow the class.  Some students were living in remote areas with no access to teachers.  I feel that every Reiki 1 student should be able to feel what a live treatment is like so I offered free attunements to one of the student's family members or friends so my remote student could receive a hands-on treatment and have a partner to share Reiki with. 

Some of these beginners went all the way through my training and again tested my theory - that if they could successfully teach and pass on Reiki access to their own students, the distant attunement process could be verified as being successful.  These new Reiki Masters found that they could indeed successfully give Reiki attunements and in some case were also giving verifiable distant attunements as well.  I introduced one of these students (R. B.)  at the URRI seminar to my own Japanese teachers, Hiroshi Doi-sensei and Hyakuten Inamoto-sensei.
 

Here are a couple interesting photos I received from one of my distant students in Russia in August, 2000 - Natasha Balanovskaya.   She had students in another city and after taking my Threshold Reiki Master distant training decided to explore the distant attunements with the students.  One student had access to a Kirlian device and took photos of her fingers before and after the distant Threshold Reiki attunement.   Below are the results

Before Photo

After Photo

I have noticed however, that just as in a live class, there are sometimes students who do not notice Reiki energy right away.  It may take them a while to realise what the sensations feel like, even though I can sense their energy immediately.  In a live class, if the teacher allows practice on others students then the recipients can tell the giver their experience and the sensations they feel.  So I always encourage distant students to practice, practice, practice on themselves, and especially on family and friends.  This helps them to get feedback right away as to how their hands are now running the Reiki energy.  And I notice their recipients always notice the same affects as if in a live class.

In the fall of 2002, I learned one more interesting fact about sharing distant energies.  I was told by Dave King that one of the living students of Usui Sensei  - Tenon-in (also known as Mariko-Obaasan) - had recently shared a distant transmission of energy with her students Dave King and Laurie Anne King.  Tenon-in was in Japan and her recipients were in Toronto.  Both Dave and Laurie Anne are sensitive to energy, Laurie Anne being a natural clairvoyant. 

I feel if Tenon-in can demonstrate this, then it should not only be permissible but verifiable by all Reiki Masters.

To help the new Threshold Reiki Master understand distant attunements I have a component in my class to cover this.  I share a few of my ideas on the subject and and encourage a strong focus  and intention as part of the procedure.  As I mentioned above, many of the students have tried this and had great success. 

If you still have doubts on the validity of distant attunements , why not create your own test.  Work with a clairvoyant and a person with no Reiki training.  Create your own test cases allowing the clairvoyant to observe the distant student and to check the resulting energy.  This will most likely put your doubts to rest. 

Remember, the real test is whether the distant student can exhibit Reiki energy in a treatment; and an even better test is if she can go on to master level and create her own verifiable students - whether they are in person or distant. 

If you do decide to offer distant training, I suggest you make sure your Reiki material and support mechanisms are able to provide the student with as near to a live class experience as possible.

This topic has generated a bit of concern in some Reiki schools and I can easily understand this.  Many people upon receiving a free distant attunement to a certain Reiki style may feel they have all they need to declare themselves fluent in that form of Reiki.  But of course it normally requires a complete set of education in a given style to be fully versed in that format.  This is why that although I have received distant attunements from many styles of  Reiki, I do not offer training in them unless I have received full training and certification from an authorised teacher. 

And of course the founders of some of the Reiki styles who are most concerned simply wish to ensure that their work is passed on as they themselves teach it.  In my case I try to add in more content to the material and the class than what I originally received.  I try my best to give the student a clear picture of what the original training was like.  A good example of this is the Gendai, Komyo and SSR Master level training I offer. 

Have you ever tried to determine when a Reiki treatment or a Reiki Attunement (reiju) becomes distant? It is easy to answer this if the recipient is far away, perhaps even in another country. 

But what if the person is close by?

How far away does the recipient have to be - one foot? - 3 feet? - Perhaps it is when you are not in their aura - about 5 to 7 feet?  Or is it when they are on the far side of a room?  If so, how large a room?  What if the recipient is at the far side of a large field?  You can still see them but they are not very close.

Some Reiki Masters feel you must touch the recipient for a proper attunement, but over the past few years Japanese Masters have demonstrated reiju or attunements that require no touch, as touching is less acceptable in Japan.  Yet the energy still transfers. 

And of course most Reiki practitioners know that touch is not required to give a very good Reiki treatment.
 

Let's take these thoughts a little further.

Is it a distant Reiki treatment or attunement (reiju) if there is a wall or screen between you?  If so, what if the screen is directly between the 2 of you, and you are only inches away?   Reiki travels through anything and every thing, so when is it distant Reiki? 

And if you can be close to someone - say across the room - do you really need the 3rd symbol to make it work?    The 3rd symbol energy  is a very good energy in any treatment, and I feel once you have it that it will flow automatically whenever it is needed or useful to the recipient.  But I feel that just as we can transmit prayer, and that natural healers can distant transmit Light and energy, so too can a Reiki 1 student distant transmit a Reiki treatment.

Some Reiki Masters will give attunement or reiju to a large group all at one time.   Since there is no direct contact and the master is out of the recipient's aura, then wouldn't this constitute a distant attunement or reiju?

I think that those who are so quick to dismiss distant attunements should reconsider their position, as more and more Reiki Masters around the world are easily verifying that they do indeed work.