My Reiki Level 1 & 2 Experience: A Doorway Into Something Deeper

💫When I signed up for my Reiki Level 1 class ten years ago, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect—I just knew it was time. I had always sensed there was something deeper, that there was more available in this life… not just for me, but for the people around me. I’ve watched loved ones struggle for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always wanted to support others on a deeper level. So when I began learning about energy work, something inside me lit up.

✨And then, in what felt like divine timing, I found out that a Usui Reiki Level 1 & 2 certification class was going to be offered in my small town. This type of thing was kind of unheard of where I lived. It felt like everything was aligning for me. I signed up without hesitation, open to whatever was in my highest good

💫Walking into the class, I was excited—wide open and curious. And what unfolded over that weekend ended up changing my life.

✨My Reiki Teacher Julie Sotteck was so gentle and sweet. Her energy felt amazing and I just knew that I could trust her. Ten years later and she is still an important person on my spiritual journey. 

💫One of the most memorable things was how intuitive the whole process felt. I had so many experiences during the class that helped me trust myself and my own inner knowing. It was as though I was being reminded of something I had always known but had forgotten. I’ve always felt like I was meant to help people on their healing journeys. I just didn’t know what that entailed. Reiki was and still is guiding me on the journey of my soul's true purpose. 

✨During Level 1, we did a grounding meditation during the class—something I had always struggled with. I had spent so much of my life feeling ungrounded and disconnected from my body so I didn’t really know if I believed this meditation would help me. But during that meditation, I actually saw myself sink down through the floor. I was looking up at everyone else who was still sitting above, and I was in complete awe. I had never had an experience like this with meditation before. It was the first time I felt truly grounded in my body—and it was all because of Reiki.

💫We don’t receive any Reiki symbols in Level 1, but I had signed up for a back to back class so a couple weekends later I ended up taking Level 2. Before our teacher even showed us the symbols, I started seeing some of them forming in my mind’s eye. I really didn’t think anything of it but when she revealed them, I was completely shocked—they were the same ones I had already seen! That moment solidified for me that Reiki was activating something within me. Possibly something that had always been there but that I had locked away.

✨Learning and using the symbols completely changed the dynamic of this practice. I could feel a great difference between the energy of the first class and the second one. The energy felt stronger and more intentional. I was amazed by how much could change just from receiving these symbols which are like "energetic keys" that help to focus the energy of Reiki for very specific reasons.

💫After receiving the symbols, we did an exercise where we practiced sending Reiki through our eyes. At first, I thought it sounded strange, but when we partnered up and tried it, I was amazed. I could actually feel the energy my partner was sending, and she could feel mine, too. That moment completely shifted my understanding of Reiki—it wasn’t just about hands-on healing. It was about energy, intention, and connection. 

✨We also learned how to send Reiki to someone remotely! Before class, we ask a loved one for permission to send them Distant Reiki. I brought a picture of this loved one and when I sent it to them, they actually said they felt the healing energy that I was sending them. I loved this so much because it confirmed to me something I had felt all along–that we are all truly connected to one another. We don’t have to be in the same room to feel each other or to experience each other's love. It also assured me that there really are no limits to this practice.

💫After class, I decided to go through with the 21-day Reiki cleanse—a period where Reiki helps to clear and purify your energy field. It was a deep and sometimes intense experience, but incredibly healing. Over those three weeks, I released old patterns, emotional blocks, and energies I didn’t even know I was holding. I’ll share more about that journey in my next blog post, but let’s just say… It was a profound transformation.

✨These classes were my first real conscious experiences with working with energy. I had always been spiritually open minded but this opened me up to a whole new world. A world that I had an idea existed but didn’t know exactly how to access. Learning Reiki felt like stepping through a doorway I’d been standing in front of for a long time. I went there looking for something to help others with and left with such a powerful tool to help myself with as well.

💫This was the start of a beautiful spirit led journey of self discovery, deep healing, and coming back home to myself. If you’re feeling that inner pull—curious about energy healing or sensing there’s more to your spiritual path—Reiki Level 1 might be exactly the invitation you’ve been waiting for.

✨I’ll be teaching Reiki certification classes throughout the summer and early fall, and I’d love for you to join me. Whether you’re brand new to energy work or looking to deepen your connection, you’re welcome here.

Written by Selenia Rodriguez

Selenia is a certified Sound Healer and Holy Fire III Karuna Reiki Master. She enjoys helping others to regulate their nervous system by working through anxiety, stress, and trauma, and bringing people back to wholeness and connection with self & spirit.