By Alfredo Aguilera Saldaña

Within many Reiki schools and lineages, initiation is understood as a process that takes place in person.

From this perspective, the encounter between teacher and student is part of the very meaning of transmission. The ritual, presence, guidance, and relationship built throughout the learning process are considered important elements of training.

Spiritual initiation has its roots in the origin of initiatory schools, also known as mystery schools, and is supported by a philosophical and spiritual foundation developed through numerous texts and traditions.

The document brings together different references to traditional initiatory schools and presents initiation as a rite of passage or transformation, associated with a new condition of knowledge, authority, or spirituality.

In the case of Reiki, the document relates initiation to knowledge of Japanese origin and to a succession of masters connected through what has been called the sacred touch.

Initiation is presented as a transmission of energy given through spiritual influence, integrated into a sacred rite and transmitted in different schools from teacher to student and from teacher to future teacher.

For some of these perspectives, presence is not merely a matter of physical proximity.

It is part of the initiatory experience itself.

From the perspective presented by Alfredo, initiation involves a face-to-face interaction between teacher and student and an exchange of energetic bodies.

The document brings together different positions that defend the importance of the in-person ritual, contact, and the bond between teacher and student. Among them is the idea that initiation constitutes a moment of in-person communion with Reiki energy.

This view is related to the importance attributed to:

• continuity of tradition;
• direct experience;
• the relationship between teacher and student;
• guidance throughout the training process;
• and the teacher’s responsibility within the initiatory process.

Attunement and New Possibilities of Transmission

At the same time, the development of communication technologies and the expansion of digital networks have opened new possibilities for teaching and transmitting Reiki.

Courses, meetings, studies, and communities have also begun to occupy the virtual space.

It is within this context that a conceptual distinction emerges, one that Alfredo considers fundamental:

Tradition is initiation; modernity is attunement.

According to the author, the difference is not simply a matter of physical distance.

Initiation is in person, involving interaction between teacher and student and an exchange of energetic bodies.

Attunement is personal and guided by a teacher, but without this in-person energetic interaction between teacher and student.

This distinction leads to a reconsideration of the very concept of initiation.

The document records, however, that within the modern development of Reiki, teachers and systems emerged that consider it possible to carry out initiatory processes at a distance. This issue constitutes precisely one of the objects of investigation in the study.

The research also indicates that these modern positions are based, among other arguments, on concepts related to quantum physics and new ways of understanding distance transmission. At the same time, the document observes that there were no conclusive studies providing scientific support for these positions.

According to the author’s later explanation, attunement corresponds to a conception that emerged approximately three decades ago and, from his perspective, still lacks a deep theoretical, spiritual, and/or scientific foundation. The concepts of theoretical physics used to support it, he argues, have not been sufficiently explained or explored in depth.

A Debate Between Different Perspectives

Alfredo Aguilera Saldaña’s study does not present the issue simply as a dispute between the old and the new.

On the contrary, the document seeks to show that different foundations, experiences, and philosophies exist behind each position.

On one side are the schools that defend in-person initiation as an essential part of tradition and of transmission between teacher and student.

On the other, there are teachers and systems that consider new forms of distance transmission possible, within their own systems and procedures.

The document itself proposes that the differences between these groups should be examined according to their philosophy and procedures. It also points out that a distance initiation cannot necessarily be carried out using the same techniques employed in an in-person initiation.

This observation shifts the debate from an apparently simple question:

In person or at a distance?

To a broader question:

What are the principles, foundations, and procedures that support each form of transmission?

Lineage, Philosophy, and Procedures

In the considerations presented by the study, Alfredo proposes that the differences between the various positions cannot be analyzed solely on the basis of the physical distance between teacher and student.

For the author, it is also necessary to observe:

• the philosophy;
• the procedures;
• the form of teaching;
• the principles that support each system;
• the relationship with lineage;
• and the way each approach understands the process of transmission.

The document states that, from the perspective of the study, the groups that carry out distance initiations and those who perform them in person should be examined according to their respective philosophies and procedures.

This position does not eliminate the differences that exist.

On the contrary.

It recognizes that the procedures used by different schools may not be the same and that each system should be understood according to its own foundations.

Tradition and Modernity Do Not Have to Mean Absolute Opposition

One of the most interesting aspects of the debate presented by the research is the possibility of understanding that different systems can construct different responses to the same question.

Tradition seeks to preserve certain procedures, rituals, and forms of transmission.

New perspectives, in turn, seek to respond to technological, social, and cultural transformations that have also influenced the way knowledge is shared.

This does not necessarily mean that all practices are the same.

Nor does it mean that a single perspective can represent the entire diversity that exists within Reiki.

The study proposes that each position should be examined according to its own foundations.

In other words, before discussing whether one form is superior to another, it may be necessary to understand:

• what philosophy supports a particular system;
• how the practitioner’s training takes place;
• which procedures are used;
• what the relationship with lineage is;
• how the teacher understands their responsibility;
• and which principles guide the process of transmission.

It is within this broader context that the discussion gains greater depth.

A Question That Remains Open

Alfredo Aguilera Saldaña’s research does not intend to close the debate.

On the contrary, it begins precisely from the existence of this divergence in order to develop an exploratory investigation into different forms of transmission and the energetic manifestations observed during the processes studied.

The document presents observations of in-person and distance processes through a biofeedback system and makes it clear that its results are not conclusive.

For this reason, the question remains open.

Tradition has its foundations.

New forms of transmission present their own proposals.

And between these different perspectives, there is a field of investigation that can still be observed, discussed, and explored in greater depth.

The question does not appear to be merely whether distance is possible or impossible.

It is also necessary to understand what we are calling initiation, what we are calling attunement, and what foundations support each process.

About the Author

Alfredo Aguilera Saldaña is an administrator and retired academic from the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. He currently works as a seeker, writer, and teacher in systems of personal evolution and energy healing.

Over the past decades, he has dedicated his work to the creation of healing methodologies and to the development of a literary narrative with philosophical and existential themes. His experience brings together education, Reiki, energy practices, research, and literature in a continuous search for a deeper understanding of the human being.

Learn more about Alfredo Aguilera Saldaña and his work at Mundo Reiki:

Alfredo Aguilera Saldaña — Author Page

Read also:

Reiki Initiation: Between Tradition and New Paths of Teaching

First article in the series

What Comes Next

After presenting the context of the research and exploring the differences between traditional initiation and new forms of transmission, the next part of this series focuses on another fundamental question:

How was this research conducted?

The next article will present the procedures used in the study, the role of biofeedback, and the way observations of in-person and distance processes were carried out.