I'M ALREADY DOING THAT, WHY DO I NEED AN ATTUNMENT?

Some people have said "I've been putting my hands on people or animals since I was a kid (or for years)
and my hands heat up and I heal them, so I don't need an attunement, I'm already doing "Reiki".  

How does a Reiki Master Teacher respond to a comment like that?  Number one, that may be so, but you are not channeling Reiki, no how, no way! Unless you have been connected to the energy via a ceremony called an "attunement" by a Reiki Master Teacher, you cannot channel Reiki pure and simple.

Number two, more than likely you are using your own personal energy to "heal" others and THAT IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA! Using your own personal energy to heal can cause serious illness and possible death. Here is how it woks, when you are born you come in with X amount of "natal chi", the energy you need to fully function in your body for as long as you are alive in that body, which is stored in your kidneys (according to Chinese Medicine). Think of it as a pie.  When you have difficulties in your life like major illnesses, loss, major stress, etc., visualize slices of your "pie" being used up.  When all your slices have been used up, you leave the body and transition. 

You can replace some of the pie slices (cultivate more chi, Prana) by doing things like T'ai Chi or QiQong, and some yoga breathing exercises, all of which are designed to bring more "chi" (life force energy) into your body, also getting adequate and deep restorative sleep nightly, eating a good healthy diet, drinking plenty of clean, fresh water and getting out in a nature regularly help to increase your chi. So using your personal energy to heal others uses up your pie slices faster!

You might subscribe to a belief system or practice that teaches you how to connect to and channel the energy of the earth, heaven, fire, air,etc. and are using this when you put your hands on people for the purpose of healing.  Again, this is not Reiki, and you may run the risk of tapping into your own personal energy again along with these other energies.

Other people claim to have sat in meditation and "pulled down" a Reiki attunement.  I have a say as a Reiki Master Teacher and just as a skeptical human being in general, I don't think so!   A Reiki attunement optimally is performed by a certified and trained Reiki Master Teacher in person, one-on-one with another human being.  It is not something you can pull out of the air, just doesn't work that way, sorry.

I don't pretend to have all the answers. I am just telling my truth as it was taught to me by my teachers, my personally experience and feelings, and what I have read and understood in a slew of Reiki books and articles I have read in over a decade.

What is an attunement and why do you need one.

In order for someone to be able to "channel" Reiki (connect to and use the energy that is Reiki) they must have an attunement - a sacred and secret ceremony performed only by a qualified Reiki Master Teacher, in whatever modality of Reiki you choose be it Karuna Reiki®, Seichim Reiki, Usui Tibetan Reiki, or in the original form of Reiki - Usui Reiki, etc. Worknik definition of an attunement:  n. The quality of being in tune with something In many Reiki traditions, there are a minimum of  three levels (four in mine) of training that one has to take in order to became a Reiki Master/ Reiki Master Teacher.  Each new level of training requires that you have another attunement.  Each attunement imitates a 21 day detox (possible 30 day) or cleanse in the 7 major chakras of the body. Each persons response to each detox/cleanse is different and individual, and each level of attunementss detox or cleanse is different and individual. I recently read a blog post where someone said that an attunement initiates a "healing crisis" not a 21 day cleanse. In all the books I've read on Reiki (over 60) and as taught by both of my Reiki teachers, that is not the case.  One person out of thousands might have a more intense cleanse if they do something stupid like I did and take all three levels of training in one weekend (I didn't know what I was doing and had "drive through" Reiki as I like to call it).  There is always an exception to every rule! The attunement connects the individual to the source of the Reiki energy so that they can channel it for themselves and others. Without it, you cannot connect to Reiki period.   There are many people and websites offering "free" or low cost Reiki attunements on the internet.  My take on that is if you are living out in the "boonies" and you and there are no Reiki Master Teachers available to you for hundreds if not thousands of miles away, or you have such limited finances that there is just no way you can afford the training, and you have a very strong desire to be become Reiki, then this maybe your only alternative, albeit a poor one. The advantages of having your attunement performed live and having access to that person for continued education, possible treatment (some people require a Reiki session or two after an attunement to help them get through the cleanse easier), and providing community through Reiki Shares, far outweighs the benefits of distant attuning.  How do you really know that the person claiming to attune you is actually doing anything at all besides taking your money? I recommend that you interview several Reiki Teachers and have sessions with each one to see who you resonate with.  Each teacher has unique qualities that they bring to their practice and someone might not "feel" like they are the person you want to attune you and mentor you on your Reiki journey, and someone else might feel "just right."  I believe the Universe or Spirit will guide you to the perfect teacher for you.