The mention of Reiki Attunement can sound pretty mystical and the use of symbols might seem strange to people unfamiliar with Reiki. Receiving attunements can feel pretty magical as you become very relaxed and peaceful like there isn't a care in the world. 

At each level the Reiki practitioner is attuned to different frequencies. Each frequency is represented by a symbol that has a name. This is very much like a musical note. When you practice listening for the sound frequency of the note A and you practice making the sound on an instrument and reading the symbolic notation for the A, you become better and better able to recognize it and transmit it when it is appropriate. 
When a tuning fork, let's stick with the note A,  is struck and begins to vibrate with sound, if there is another tuning fork,  in A, the room, the sound waves will vibrate and create resonance with the other fork and it will start to vibrate as well. This is basic a physics concept of resonance. 
In an attunement the Reiki master holds a certain frequency (Like a state of mind, relaxation, well being, etc.) The Master Teacher will hold that frequency for the student for a length of time and with a level of strength and intensity that they begin to resonate with that feeling in a way that they can recognize the feeling after learning its name and symbol just like a musical note. Then the student can access that energy as desired. The more they practice, the more finely tuned instrument of healing they become. 
Why the symbols? Why the names? It gives us a way to communicate about them and more importantly, it gives us something to do with our mind. When we become distracted, as all humans do, we can set our minds on the task of drawing the symbol and thinking of the name of the energy we are using. 

The Sun - In this case The Sun represents the divine masculine element, that which is in charge and that which we see in the light of day. 

The Moon - The Moon represents the divine feminine and what lives in the mystery. As the moon eclipses the sun it brings to the light what has been hidden but perhaps what our intuition has known all along. Once the eclipse passes things return to their normal appearance but what has been seen cannot be unseen. 

​1. Death - Empty yourself. Go deep, release and let go of anything that is holding you back or that you know you need to bring to an end. From a place of emptiness and and clarity, you can rise up from the ashes and begin fresh and new. Replenish your depleted energy and generate a sense of optimism and new beginnings. 

2. The Tower - Represents a we're not in Kansas anymore Toto moment. Things feel like they're falling apart but truly what is collapsing are the false walls that have held you captive. It may be a bumpy ride but hang on and breathe. Sink into your core where the part of you who knows all of your answers lives. Find your own truth. The beliefs and structures that have been imposed on you no longer serve you. You can create something new. 

3. Eight of Swords - You are not as stuck as you feel. You are given the gift of stillness for a period of time to gain clarity. Time to make some adjustments in order to make your life fit your vision and align with your highest values. Revisit the life you have imagined for yourself. Does is ignite joy? Have you put yourself in the picture? When you imagine yourself living in that picture that is your dream life, what do you need to adjust in order to be happier and more comfortable? What do you need to care for yourself and your well being within your dream life.