Twenty Years Since My First Reiki Attunement

Twenty years ago, I received my first Reiki attunement, and although I could not fully understand it at the time, it became one of the most important turning points of my life. I did not suddenly become a different person overnight, nor did I gain mystical powers or instant wisdom. What I received was far more meaningful: an opening, a blessing, and an invitation to begin the deeper work within myself. I am truly grateful to my teacher for this moment.

The experience of the attunement was subtle yet deeply moving. There was no dramatic spectacle, only a quiet sense that something inside me had shifted. In the months and years that followed, I became increasingly aware of my emotions, habits, fears, and unconscious patterns. Reiki slowly brought me face to face with myself. It encouraged honesty, humility, and inner responsibility.

This is something that is often misunderstood about Reiki today. Many people approach Reiki as if its primary purpose is to heal other people. While Reiki can certainly support healing and bring comfort to others, the true essence of Reiki is not about becoming a healer for the outside world. The true essence of Reiki is self-cultivation, self-purification, and spiritual growth. Reiki invites us to heal the separation within ourselves,  the tension between mind and body, ego and spirit, fear and love.

The real work of Reiki is internal. The story of Usui teaches us about this.

An attunement itself does not “do” anything magical to a person. It does not automatically heal trauma, erase suffering, or elevate someone spiritually. An attunement is better understood as a blessing or sacred empowerment that helps open the practitioner to the flow and awareness of Reiki. It creates the conditions for inner work, but the transformation only happens through practice, self-reflection, discipline, and daily living.

In many ways, Reiki becomes a mirror. It reveals what we carry inside ourselves and gently guides us toward greater balance and awareness. Over the last twenty years, I have learned that Reiki is less about performing healing on others, or learning the latest Reiki methods or upgrades and more about continuously returning to oneself with sincerity and presence.

This understanding also brings clarity to the story of Mikao Usui and Mount Kurama. Mikao Usui did not receive an attunement from another teacher while on Mount Kurama. What he experienced was enlightenment often described in Japanese as Anshin Ritsumei or Ajunrumei, a profound state of spiritual realization, inner peace, and awakening.

This distinction is important because it reminds us that Reiki was originally rooted in spiritual practice and personal awakening, not merely in techniques for treating others. Usui’s experience was one of deep realization and union, and from that understanding he developed a method to help others cultivate the same inner harmony.

Looking back after two decades, I can say that my first Reiki attunement changed my life not because it granted me something external, but because it began a lifelong process of transformation from within. Reiki taught me that true healing is not about fixing others or escaping suffering. It is about becoming more present, more conscious, and more aligned with the deepest truth of who we are.

That journey continues every day and very slowly guided by the Reiki Gokai and self practice. The more I practice, the more I realise that I have a lot of work to do to soften my mind.

In Gassho 合掌 🤍