Moon & Moss

Pocket guide

🙌 Reiki

The five principles, the three levels, and simple self-Reiki.

Reiki is a Japanese energy practice developed by Mikao Usui in the early 1920s. The word joins rei (universal, spiritual) and ki (life energy). A practitioner rests their hands lightly on or just above the body, and the idea is that life energy flows through them to where it's needed.

It came to the West largely through Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American woman who trained in Japan in the 1930s and taught for decades in the United States and Canada. At its heart are five short principles meant to be lived one day at a time.

The principles, the levels, and the practice

Just for today, I will not be angryThe first Reiki principleThe first of the five Reiki principles isn't a rule against ever feeling anger. It's an intention to not let anger run the day, just for today.Read more →Just for today, I will not worryThe second Reiki principleWorry lives in a future that hasn't happened. The second Reiki principle invites you back to today, the only day you can actually do anything with.Read more →Just for today, I will be gratefulThe third Reiki principleThe third Reiki principle turns your attention toward what's already good. Small, specific gratitude counts the most.Read more →Just for today, I will do my work honestlyThe fourth Reiki principleThe fourth Reiki principle is about integrity: doing today's work, whatever it is, with honesty and real effort.Read more →Just for today, I will be kind to every living thingThe fifth Reiki principleThe fifth Reiki principle asks for kindness toward every living thing, which includes the person in the mirror.Read more →Reiki Level I (Shoden)The first degree: self-healing and hands-on practiceLevel I is where Reiki begins: an attunement from a Reiki Master, self-treatment, and hands-on practice with others. It's complete on its own.Read more →Reiki Level II (Okuden)The second degree: symbols and distance ReikiLevel II deepens the practice with three sacred symbols and teaches distance Reiki: sending Reiki to someone who isn't in the room.Read more →Reiki Master Level (Shinpiden)The master degree: mastery and teachingThe Master level brings the master symbol, deeper personal practice, and the ability to attune and teach others.Read more →Self-ReikiTen hand positions, head to feetA full self-Reiki session moves your hands through ten positions from head to feet, a few minutes each. Even five minutes a day counts.Read more →Distance ReikiReiki that travelsLevel II practitioners send Reiki to people, pets or situations far away, often using a photo or a pillow as a stand-in.Read more →

The five Reiki principles

Just for today, I will not be angry. Just for today, I will not worry. Just for today, I will be grateful. Just for today, I will do my work honestly. Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

They're intentions renewed each day, not commandments. Many people say them aloud every morning and night.

A five-minute daily practice

  • Morning: hands on your heart and upper belly for two or three minutes. Set one intention for the day.
  • Evening: hands on your heart. Let go of anything from the day you don't need to carry, then recite the five principles.

Reiki is a complementary energy practice, not a diagnosis or medical treatment, and it isn't a substitute for professional healthcare. It's lovely alongside medical care, never instead of it.

Want to talk it through?

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