Usui Reiki, the system of energy work taught at Rising Lotus, is built around three degrees. Each one is a complete training on its own, but they form a path for people who want to continue deeper. Here is what each degree is, how they fit together, and which one suits where you are now.
What an attunement is
Before we walk through the degrees, it helps to understand what "attunement" means in plain words. In Reiki, an attunement is a ritual in which a teacher places their hands on a student's head and hands and performs a formal sequence. The purpose is to open the student's ability to work with the energy the system teaches. It is not a transfer of energy, and it is not something the student has to believe in for it to work. The attunement is a real, simple act, and much of what makes the degree useful is the teaching and practice that comes after.
Many people find that receiving an attunement is a straightforward experience. It usually lasts a few minutes. Some students report feeling warmth or tingling; others notice nothing at all during the ritual, but discover over the following weeks that their hands respond differently when they work. All of that is normal.
The First Degree: Shoden
Shoden, the first degree, is about learning to work with Reiki on yourself. The course is usually two days, and you learn the four main hand positions for self-treatment, how to handle the energy when it feels strong, and how to build a daily practice.
For most people, the first two days are enough to start. You will be attuned, you will know the positions, and you will have enough understanding to sit with the energy on your own. This is a complete practice. Many people do exactly this and stop here, and that is a valid path. Others find that after a few weeks or months of self-treatment, they want to learn how to work with other people, and that leads to the second degree.
Shoden suits anyone curious about energy work and wanting a gentle introduction. You do not have to have previous experience with meditation, yoga or any other practice. You do not need to believe anything in advance. The course works as an introduction, and the attunement means you can keep practising afterwards without needing a teacher.
The Second Degree: Okuden
Okuden, the second degree, teaches you to work with Reiki on other people. The course is residential, usually four or five days, and you learn to give treatments, how to work with the energy at a distance, and how to begin to sense what someone needs. It is a richer training than Shoden because you are learning not just to receive, but to channel and to listen.
This is where the path becomes less about self-care and more about service. After Okuden, you can begin to offer treatments professionally, or simply to family and friends. Many people stop here and build a small practice, or they combine Reiki with another healing modality like sound healing. Others discover they want to learn the master path.