This page focuses on William Lee Rand’s published account of developing Karuna Reiki. It does not establish a complete history of Sai Baba Reiki, Tera Mai, or every lineage associated with related symbols.
Rand’s published chronology
William Lee Rand’s account, published by the International Center for Reiki Training, says he received additional non-Usui symbols and attunement methods from other practitioners beginning around 1989. He says that in 1993 he and students experimented with a selection and a related attunement process, and that he named the resulting system Karuna Reiki in 1995. This is Rand’s account of his own development of the system, not an independent history of every earlier symbol lineage. Read Rand’s account.
Rand also writes that some symbols were initially believed to come from Sai Baba, but that this attribution was withdrawn after contact with the Sai Baba organization; he says he did not channel the symbols himself. These details describe his stated understanding and spiritual interpretation. Claims about energy quality or attunement effects are beliefs within the practice, not historical evidence of a measurable mechanism.
The source linked above is Rand’s own account and does not independently verify other practitioners’ roles or every proposed link to Sai Baba Reiki or Tera Mai. This page therefore does not compare competing lineages or repeat claims about litigation, ownership, licensing, or registration as established fact.
Karuna Reiki and practices called Karuna Ki or Karuna Ki Do should not be treated as interchangeable based on their names. Teachers describe their own systems and lineages; compare their own materials if you want to understand how they differ. This page does not decide which school is more authentic or effective.
The useful historical distinction is between what Rand says about developing and naming Karuna Reiki and what remains outside the scope of that account. A source can document what its author says without proving every claim in the story.
The chronology at a glance
Rand's account gives a sequence of events rather than a single founding moment:
| Period | What Rand describes |
|---|---|
| From around 1989 | Receives additional non-Usui symbols and attunement methods from other practitioners |
| 1993 | He and students experiment with a selection of symbols and a related attunement process |
| 1995 | He names the resulting system Karuna Reiki |
The dates are his recollection and should be read as such. They do not establish when any particular symbol first appeared, who else used it, or how it travelled between teachers. For a student, the practical point is that Karuna Reiki is a modern system with a traceable authorial account, not an ancient lineage whose origins are lost.
Why the Sai Baba attribution changed
Rand writes that some symbols were initially believed to come from Sai Baba, and that this attribution was withdrawn after contact with the Sai Baba organisation. He also says that he did not channel the symbols himself. Those statements matter because they show a teacher revising a lineage story when new information arrives.
Revision is not necessarily dishonest. Spiritual traditions often acquire origin stories that later turn out to be uncertain, and a teacher can correct the record without discarding the practice. What matters is whether the correction is disclosed and whether students are encouraged to treat the story as a belief rather than an established historical fact.
What this means for students
If you are choosing a Karuna course, you do not need to settle the historical question before you begin. You do need to know what the teacher claims. Ask whether they present Karuna Reiki as Rand's system, as a channeled tradition, as a family of related practices, or as something else. Ask how they describe the symbols' origins and whether they distinguish their own beliefs from established history.
A teacher who can say "this is the account I was given" is easier to trust than one who insists that every detail is documented. The historical Sai Baba sequence and the Karuna Reiki attunement guide show how the same family of symbols appears in different ritual contexts without proving a single line of descent.
Related topic: Karuna Ki, Chanting and toning, Karuna Ki scanning, Four Karuna Ki Do meditations, Level one attunement.