| Just what does it mean to call oneself a Reiki Master? | | | | finished hundreds of hours of Reiki sessions in order to |
| It depends, like all things, on who you ask. In my own | | | | become a Reiki Master, I have not found their students |
| definition, becoming a Reiki Master means someone | | | | any more or less prepared than people who choose |
| has committed to his or her own personal growth and | | | | to move faster through the levels. Sometimes such |
| to embodying as much as possible in daily life the Five | | | | requirements or perfectionism offer people an excuse |
| Reiki Principles. ("Just for today, do not anger. Do not | | | | not to move forward when, in fact, they really do need |
| worry. Be filled with gratitude. Devote yourself to your | | | | to accept more responsibility. Ideally, one wants to feel |
| work, and be kind to every living thing.") | | | | challenged but not pressured to move forward. It's a |
| It does not mean perfection, but rather an opening of | | | | personal decision, and I only offer the class to people |
| oneself to a life of service, allowing Spirit to act | | | | when I believe they could be ready for it-were they |
| through our bodies and words (the "Rei" and the "ki" | | | | inclined to commit on a deeper level to their own and |
| together). The term "Master" is itself a bit misleading, | | | | others' healing and service. |
| particularly when applied to Reiki, because one does | | | | Even though Level 3 students receive in class the |
| not ever "Master" universal life force energy. That's | | | | attunement and the knowledge to teach their own |
| totally not the point! It's more a sense that one is | | | | certification classes, whenever I teach a Reiki Master |
| working towards mastering one's experiences of | | | | Teacher class, I always offer students the chance to |
| anger, worry, gratitude, devotion (expressing one's | | | | audit additional workshops. As they feel ready, they |
| gifts) and kindness to all living things. | | | | can then apprentice or assist me in my Reiki classes. I |
| Should students wait a set length of time before | | | | consider this an important but informal process, similar |
| becoming a Reiki Master or Reiki Master Teacher? | | | | to how Usui's students followed him around his clinic. |
| Once trained to Reiki Master Teacher level, it | | | | Students of the Reiki Master Teacher level receive |
| sometimes takes years before students decide to | | | | the Level 3 attunement in class, and this enables them |
| venture fully into teaching Reiki. You really have to "live | | | | to pass along Reiki to future students. Having received |
| it" in order to teach it well. I have coached various | | | | the necessary instruction and attunement, they could |
| people who received training as Reiki Master | | | | technically skip the auditing process and just start |
| Teachers (from someone else) many years ago but | | | | teaching, assuming they feel ready to do so. They |
| who just now feel called to teach. Our coaching | | | | could also read a lot of Reiki books and practice |
| sessions support ways of integrating Reiki into their | | | | inviting Reiki into their lives, and then teach from their |
| lives as well as strategizing how to teach each level | | | | own perspective rather than following their teacher's |
| and deal with student questions. These clients actually | | | | beliefs or method. |
| had all the necessary knowledge and attunements to | | | | Can I take Reiki Master Teacher training even if I'm not |
| do this work earlier, but they are just now embracing it | | | | sure I ever want to teach? |
| in a more profound way. | | | | Yes. Again, it's a very personal process, and many |
| Some Reiki Master Teachers would argue that this | | | | people never decide to teach but take the classes just |
| "proves" the students took Reiki Master training before | | | | for personal development. That's fine; the attunement |
| they were "ready." I disagree. The Reiki Master and | | | | and the lessons learned continue to inform their lives. I |
| Reiki Master Teacher attunement is very powerful | | | | will say from my own experience that I have learned |
| (same Level 3 attunement; only the class content | | | | so much about Reiki through teaching. As the old |
| varies), and I have seen it work in very deep ways in | | | | saying goes, "If you really want to learn something, |
| people's lives. It may take six months to five years fully | | | | teach it!" I have found this to be accurate in my case, |
| to integrate that attunement, but the process of | | | | as I've had so much more opportunity to observe how |
| integration at least begins with the attunement. | | | | Reiki works in students' lives. It's truly an amazing |
| When Reiki Master Teachers expect students to | | | | process, and the more classes I teach, the more |
| have completed all their internal work and have | | | | excited I become about Reiki. |