The levels of Reiki: I, II, III and Master

Usui Reiki has four levels: Reiki I, Reiki II, Reiki III (A) and Reiki III (B) — Master / Teacher. Because the third degree is split in two, some sources say “three levels” and others say “four”; both describe the same path.

Each one builds on the last, and the order cannot be skipped, because every attunement prepares the ground for the next.

Reiki I — Starting with yourself

The first degree is where the channel is opened. What you learn here is how to pass energy to yourself and to those close to you using your hands. You learn hand positions, a daily practice routine, and how to sense the energy.

For most people this is the most transformative step, because it is the first time they make contact with their own body in this way.

When you complete the level, your certificate of attendance — issued in your name, with your lineage written on it — reaches you by email together with the manual.

Reiki II — Symbols and distance

In the second degree the symbols come in. They serve to strengthen the energy, to work on the mental and emotional level, and — most importantly — to send energy at a distance.

After this step you can work with someone who is not in the same room. Intentions directed towards the past or the future also belong to this level.

At the end of this level too, your certificate arrives with the manual.

Reiki III (A) — Master level

The first part of the third degree is where the Master symbol is received. The quality of the energy deepens noticeably. This stage does not confer the right to teach; it is a step of personal mastery.

Your certificate is again issued in your name and carries your lineage.

Reiki III (B) — Master / Teacher

At the final step you learn to attune others — that is, to teach. The details of the attunement processes, how the lineage is passed on, and the responsibilities of a teacher are all covered here.

Taking this degree carries no obligation — you may take it purely for your own depth, without ever teaching.

Your Master / Teacher certificate is the written record of the lineage you will pass on to your own students.

How long should you wait between levels?

At least 21 days. Tradition treats this as a period of clearing, and in practice it works: it is the shortest time in which the energy settles and daily practice turns into a habit.

Rushing helps no one — what changes you is working at a level, not passing it.

There is no harm at all in waiting longer. Some people continue years later; the channel does not close.

Why do you hear different numbers?

One place says three degrees, another four, a third says seven levels. None of them is wrong; they are counting different things.

The Usui tradition itself is four levels, and it ends there. Whether the third degree is written as one or split in two is a matter of convention — some write “III”, others “III A” and “III B”.

The number grows because of the GrandMaster systems. I teach them too, and they run from V to XVIII. But they are not a fifth or a sixth degree placed on top of Usui's fourth.

Think of it this way: base Reiki is a house. The GrandMaster systems are rooms added to that house later — new windows, different uses. You cannot build an extension without the house, which is why the Usui levels come first. But not building one leaves nothing missing: Usui Reiki is complete in itself. The GrandMaster series is not a requirement; it is an expansion.

And the symbols?

The Reiki symbols circulate on the internet; you will find them if you look. But seeing a symbol is not the same as being able to use it.

A symbol takes on meaning through the attunement. Without it, it stays a drawing — this is not a matter of secrecy, it is how the thing works. That is why I do not publish symbols here: each one is given in its own course manual, together with its attunement.

If you are wondering which symbol comes at which level: three symbols at Reiki II, and the Master symbol at Reiki III (A).