Reiki Master Courses - West Sussex

Hi Delighted. I'd like to reply to the quote provided below from the other thread here because it seems to be within the topic:

I actually learned my reiki 1 in 2006 and 2 in 2008. It has taken me a long time to even consider becoming a master/teacher and I am still not sure that I am capable of it..

What does being a Reiki Master mean to you, or how does the thought of being one make you feel?

Oh help..

Right, I have 'issues' with reiki and how it is taught. Well, I think I do. I just might have issues generally! :rolleyes:

There does seem to be an awful lot of 'masters' out there and I do wonder how good they all are. I think that I am worried I won't be as good as I think a master should be.

When I first learned about reiki I thought that being a master was a relatively rare thing but it soon became apparent that people were becoming masters and teachers within days - i.e. going from reiki 1 to master in a weekend.

I was taught that sufficient time should elapse with lots of practice, self healing etc done in the meantime.

What does it mean to me?

I think that the master should be a font of knowledge for their students and the questions that are likely to be asked. (This is where I doubt myself, I am currently re-reading Walter Lubreck's (sp?) book on Reiki and about to restudy my manuals for the umpteenth time).

I think that the reasons for teaching shouldn't primarily be about making money but a desire to pass the attunements on to other people so that they may have the ability to heal and self heal. (This is true but I can't deny that there isn't a mercenary aspect to my wanting to teach it - as I do feel that this will add another dimension to building up my practice - and it is probably this that worries me the most about my own intentions and others too as it doesn't feel pure. BUT in a similar vein I then think about Buddhism and the three month retreat my own mother has just gone on which has cost thousands - admittedly it is in New Zealand but my point is though, that even to learn to meditate or learn Buddhist teachings or see the Dalai Lama when he visits, costs money).

Right, that is my honesty in a nutshell.. May I live through the criticism which is about to ensue :eeeK:... (retreat! retreat! loud footsteps thunder away)

When I first learned about reiki I thought that being a master was a relatively rare thing but it soon became apparent that people were becoming masters and teachers within days - i.e. going from reiki 1 to master in a weekend.

That lack of training and experience has given Reiki people a very bad reputation outside of its own community.

I was taught that sufficient time should elapse with lots of practice, self healing etc done in the meantime.

I was given the same when I received my first Level 1 & 2 back in the days when each was taught over the course of a weekend (2 1/2 days, Friday evening, all day Saturday, all day Sunday -- and L1 cost $150 & L2 cost $500).

I think that the master should be a font of knowledge for their students and the questions that are likely to be asked. (This is where I doubt myself, I am currently re-reading Walter Lubreck's (sp?) book on Reiki and about to restudy my manuals for the umpteenth time).

OMG, 😮 you're not living in a world of illusion, you're living in a world of delusion!!! :rollaugh:

Answering student questions from a book never worked for me... and good God if I had, I don't think my students would have ever let me hear the end of it. I had that approach in the beginning as I was well read in many books about spirituality (very few were available about Reiki back then compared to what's available today) and boy did I learn something the hard way: students read those same books, too.

I feel that if you start to teach Reiki, then the students that are drawn to your practice will be looking for answers beyond what they themselves can find in a book.

I think that the reasons for teaching shouldn't primarily be about making money but a desire to pass the attunements on to other people so that they may have the ability to heal and self heal. (This is true but I can't deny that there isn't a mercenary aspect to my wanting to teach it - as I do feel that this will add another dimension to building up my practice - and it is probably this that worries me the most about my own intentions and others too as it doesn't feel pure. BUT in a similar vein I then think about Buddhism and the three month retreat my own mother has just gone on which has cost thousands - admittedly it is in New Zealand but my point is though, that even to learn to meditate or learn Buddhist teachings or see the Dalai Lama when he visits, costs money).

Ooooo. Money Issues. Big Time.

Personally, I think that a lot of people were originally attracted to Reiki because of the $10,000 fee... I think that many thought they could get the attunements through someone who offered one of the new "weekend Reiki master" attunement mills for $800 or so and then turn around and make money selling attunements just like what they paid for... it didn't work for most, and since the turn of the century most of them have moved on to explore other aspects of their lives.

It's obvious to me that you have a tremendous amount of common sense... and I don't hear you complaining about the cost of your massage certification training -- which is definitely something to complain about, but unlike Reiki, you can earn that cost back and then begin making a profit. I'm getting a feeling that a part of the confusion you are experiencing about whether or not to complete RM training comes from your common sense... will the investment in the class amount to money thrown away??? Seriously. You have kids, don't you? "Kids ain't cheap." Sure, they get to live for free... but at the expense of their parents.

I struggled with the money-thing until early 2000 when there was a significant change in my life. At that time, I decided to let the spiritual powers that be in my life guide me to where I needed to go, and they did (and it wasn't where I expected to go, at all). For a time that involved working full time as a massage therapist, then for a year I worked as a web developer, and after that I taught Reiki full time -- all the while putting every extra cent towards investing in stocks. In 2007 I left the job as a web developer and essentially stopped looking for work, and around 2009 or 2010 stopped teaching Reiki -- and I'm still not looking for work. Today I am the sole provider in my home, I attend college full time seeking two degrees (one in journalism and another in medical science), and support my husband as he completes the degree he wants in Western Medicine.

Reiki Masters are also only respected within the Reiki community. Outside of the Reiki community, they hold a relatively negative reputation when people speak freely about them. I've been in groups where I have not advertised the fact that I've done the RM thing or even taught it, and boy the stories I heard about the way some Reiki people have treated others is absolutely horrifying. One story in particular stands out because I experienced it -- a Reiki practitioner was at the bedside of someone in hospice. The hospice patients family was present. The Reiki practitioner said that the patient was dying this way because of the Law of Attraction, and explained that the Law of Attraction gives you what you want and that the patient wanted to die this way. After the Reiki practitioner left, everyone expressed complete disbelief about what the practitioner said, and assured the patient that they absolutely did not want him to be dying in this way. I was there as a friend and had not revealed my involvement in Reiki, but I know that Reiki practitioners are forever on the top of that family's **** list. And, I now only socialize online in Reiki communities using a pen-name because of the reputation Reiki practitioners have earned outside of the Reiki community.

(please pardon my rant... now back to the topic...)

Money is just energy, and it's a complicated energy because it is something that's now just imaginary but also exists in the real physical world. Money used to be a real solid object (such as salt or gold), but in our world today, it's an arbitrary value assigned to the worth of goods or services. The arbitrary value makes it "imagination", but all of us use it here in the real world, so that makes it a very real piece of reality.

But regardless of its dual existence, it's still energy, and it's an energy intimately tied in with our socio-economic structures.

Now, you're thinking about going through the RM training and teaching Reiki, and seem to be very concerned about "playing by the rules", which is one way to say teaching students information that is correct about Reiki -- and that information is gotten from books and the like, but you've also got that inner conflict with money.

Money is just energy in both of its forms, and like teaching Reiki, it has rules. If someone doesn't teach Reiki in the way the books say, then the repercussions are that others may say "that's not Reiki". But if one doesn't play by the rules of money, then the consequences are potentially worse -- the best case is that one has less than others, the worst case is that one had it and lost it all (that's actually worse than never having had a lot of it).

Once I was able to heal my conflicts with money, everything fell into place. I will be 46 in November. I'm not employed, and I'm not looking for work. I attend college full time seeking two degrees because I want to, and I'm supporting my husband as he completes the degrees he wants to earn.

Teaching Reiki didn't propel me into the situation I'm in today, but it did help me create the boundaries I needed to be where I am.

My intuition is just "screaming" at me right now, and it's telling me that you are over-qualified to teach Reiki. My intuition tells me that you already have all of the skills that you think you might get from a Reiki Master certification class -- and that you possess a tremendous amount of excellent common sense... so please consider this suggestion:

Create a boundary, create a rule that says you will only complete a Reiki Master course if your existing Reiki practice pays for it. If you do this, follow the rules of money, and put a little aside from each treatment until you have enough to complete a course (and get into the Reiki Federation or other respected organization).

I learned that there was a difference -- a really big difference -- between what I thought I was going to do with my life and what the universe really wanted me to do with it. As a result of this, I'm able to help infinitely more people now than I ever could by just teaching Reiki. Reiki is still an intimate and important part of my life, but not in the way I expected when I came into it.

But because you are questioning all of this, consider the suggestion. Set a boundary. If you play by the rules of money and it be the will of Reiki, then go for the Reiki Master class! And if that's not the will of the universe or whatever powers that be, trust that you will be guided to a position that is better suited to your skills.

Please consider everything I've shared as food for thought. I hope that it helps you progress one step closer to your goals.

Love & Light,
Kiyoshi

Hi D for Delighted 😀

You are perfectly right in questioning Reiki. Reiki should and needs to be questioned!

I've been involved with Reiki since 1996 and seen the scene change and grow. From Mrs Takata saying she was the only Reiki Master in the world to the discovery and reintroduction of Japanese Reiki, which had meant of have disappeared since WWII. I've seen the very high prices drop and the introduction of eBay Reiki masters with so-called distant attunements 😮

During this period many books on Reiki have turned up to be made up contrivences, like transmissions from "Tibetan Lamas" in spirit land. There was even a mistake in one of Frank Ajava Petter's first books, which was repeated by several other authors. In a later book by FAP he corrected his mistake, and those other authors got egg on their faces 😀

One of the worse Reiki books due to it's popularity was by Diane Steine, a man-hating feminist. Her research was incredibility factually wrong. Many got away with this for a few years as so little was known about Reiki. It was taught erronously as an oral tradition and there was many missing pieces. Luckily many of the missing pieces have been found and thank goodness for FAP and other researchers/authors who spent the time and energy in discovering the roots of Reiki.

As for Buddhism, there is a tradition of "Dana" where contributions are given to teachers. High prices shouldn't be charged for the teachings. As i understand, this is going against the Buddha's teachings. But with venue, accomendation and transport costs etc, prices are going to be charged as someone has to pay either by a sponsor or by the attendees.

As for Reiki as a spiritual teaching, yes it would be nice not to charge or keep prices affordable. If this can be achieved all well and good. But if a teacher wishes to be professional, then they need to charge what they feel they need to live on. Just like a teacher of any other subject.

I hope you find an affordable teacher. I would offer my own services if I wasn't so far away in the goddesses own country 😉 Don't apologise about questioning Reiki. It's a sign of your inner self-mastery coming out. There is so much crap spoken about Reiki, both by Reiki and non-Reiki people, a few pokes at it is a good thing.

Best wishes

RP

One of the worse Reiki books due to it's popularity was by Diane Steine, a man-hating feminist. Her research was incredibility factually wrong.

In fairness, at the time she wrote the book, it was probablly about all the information she could get her hands on... of course things progressed quickly and her book soon became dated, yet it's popularity carried it forward... unfortunately.

Many got away with this for a few years as so little was known about Reiki. It was taught erronously as an oral tradition and there was many missing pieces. Luckily many of the missing pieces have been found and thank goodness for FAP and other researchers/authors who spent the time and energy in discovering the roots of Reiki.

hear hear!

As for Buddhism, there is a tradition of "Dana" where contributions are given to teachers. High prices shouldn't be charged for the teachings. As i understand, this is going against the Buddha's teachings. But with venue, accomendation and transport costs etc, prices are going to be charged as someone has to pay either by a sponsor or by the attendees.

Absolutely, it's about respect for the teaching whether that is shown by token money or by returning something in kind. Though a teacher should be happy to give Reiki and expect nothing in return.

As for Reiki as a spiritual teaching, yes it would be nice not to charge or keep prices affordable. If this can be achieved all well and good. But if a teacher wishes to be professional, then they need to charge what they feel they need to live on. Just like a teacher of any other subject.

Indeed, everyone has to live.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

There does seem to be an awful lot of 'masters' out there and I do wonder how good they all are. I think that I am worried I won't be as good as I think a master should be.

Well there are an awful lot of people with a certificate out there, whether you can call them masters is another matter.

It doesn't matter if there's many masters or just one other master, what matters is that you feel ready to progress yourself... and your own teacher will be a guide for you but your real learning will come from yourself and your own practice and research.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

OMG, 😮 you're not living in a world of illusion, you're living in a world of delusion!!! :rollaugh:

Answering student questions from a book never worked for me... and good God if I had, I don't think my students would have ever let me hear the end of it. I had that approach in the beginning as I was well read in many books about spirituality (very few were available about Reiki back then compared to what's available today) and boy did I learn something the hard way: students read those same books, too.

I feel that if you start to teach Reiki, then the students that are drawn to your practice will be looking for answers beyond what they themselves can find in a book.

😀 Hah! Don't get me wrong, I realise Reiki is much more than just reading from a book, but at least by reading it I am refreshing my memory about the so-called 'facts' of reiki!! Also by reading about reiki, I am thinking about it, I am questioning what I read, I am forming an opinion and therefore being part of it. If that makes sense.

Thank you for your remarkable post Lightbody, I find it complimentary and enthusing.

As for Buddhism, there is a tradition of "Dana" where contributions are given to teachers. High prices shouldn't be charged for the teachings. As i understand, this is going against the Buddha's teachings. But with venue, accomendation and transport costs etc, prices are going to be charged as someone has to pay either by a sponsor or by the attendees

Hi RP, yes you are right about the amount being nominal. Obviously the high price my mother has had to pay is because it is a three (and a whole half :p) month retreat where food and lodgings are provided.. and it's in NZ.

Originally Posted by Reiki Pixie [url][/url]
One of the worse Reiki books due to it's popularity was by Diane Steine, a man-hating feminist. Her research was incredibility factually wrong.

In fairness, at the time she wrote the book, it was probablly about all the information she could get her hands on... of course things progressed quickly and her book soon became dated, yet it's popularity carried it forward... unfortunately.

Oh dear, the chap I have just spoken to mentioned this book for reading. Is it really that bad? I managed to find someone locally who will teach me for an incredibly respectable price. Less than the amount I was about to pay for my maternity reflexology course which has just been cancelled (paving the way for the master course?) which means it is the only financially viable option I have found. He trained in Thailand on a 21 day retreat because he wanted to get as close to the Buddhist side of reiki as possible. I am paraphrasing obviously, it was late, the children were being children 😮 and I may well have missed snippets of what he said due to their never-ending childrenish bloody noise!! ! :offtopic:. However, I had a really good feeling after talking with him about our feelings towards reiki and maybe because he is a practicing buddhist too (and I miss my Mum..:012:) I felt drawn towards learning with him..He has a website which I had looked through first and upon speaking to him it became obvious that we shared a similar way of thinking and he was aware that funds were an issue for me to be able to do the course but also that I found the whole money thing difficult. We spoke about energy exchange and what it meant for the person learning and teaching it. How it wasn't just about the books but about intuition etc etc.. So.. I am happily booking it with him.

I hope you find an affordable teacher. I would offer my own services if I wasn't so far away in the goddesses own country 😉 Don't apologise about questioning Reiki. It's a sign of your inner self-mastery coming out. There is so much crap spoken about Reiki, both by Reiki and non-Reiki people, a few pokes at it is a good thing.

Ah thank you RP - I did look at your website and think of you too (and EnergyIz)!

I love the sound of having an inner self-mastery - oh s**t must watch me ego :D, damn that sneaky little ego..

I managed to find someone locally who will teach me for an incredibly respectable price. Less than the amount I was about to pay for my maternity reflexology course which has just been cancelled (paving the way for the master course?)

Oh and when I say less, I mean literally by a few pounds. The amount I am about to pay is actually the most I CAN pay as the money returned by the other course has been eaten up by pesky bills already.. I have also offered the teacher a couple of treatments of reflexology or massage by means of paying him a bit more but he declined saying he was more than happy with his price. I find this integrity reassuring.

Hi Delighted

I agree that you need to question everything within self and if you are contemplating teaching people to heal using the Reiki modality or any other healing modality, then you have to assess it through your own experiences of the application of Reiki within your own life experience.

Please ask yourself if the tuition that you have already received concerning healing utilising the Reiki modality gave you the insight, personal understanding and skill set that you were looking for when you undertook you training?

If you have applied healing using the Reiki modality to self and it has helped you to resolve your problems and heal yourself, then you have a solid foundation with the healing experiences that you can use to teach others how to heal self and others using the Reiki healing modality.

If not, then you have a problem, for to attempt to teach someone else to do something which you have not personally managed to experience or achieve for your self, then every time you tell them that they can do that which you could not achieved, then you will not be being true to self.

Teaching someone else to heal is not just giving them an attunement and reading out or giving them a manual, you are sharing your self with them and your knowing which comes from the sum total of your healing experiences to date, taking a Reiki master course or any other healing course will not give you the insight and knowing that comes from experiencing healing both within your own life experience and that of helping others to become whole. 🙂

Hi Delighted

I agree that you need to question everything within self and if you are contemplating teaching people to heal using the Reiki modality or any other healing modality, then you have to assess it through your own experiences of the application of Reiki within your own life experience.

Please ask yourself if the tuition that you have already received concerning healing utilising the Reiki modality gave you the insight, personal understanding and skill set that you were looking for when you undertook you training?

If you have applied healing using the Reiki modality to self and it has helped you to resolve your problems and heal yourself, then you have a solid foundation with the healing experiences that you can use to teach others how to heal self and others using the Reiki healing modality.

If not, then you have a problem, for to attempt to teach someone else to do something which you have not personally managed to experience or achieve for your self, then every time you tell them that they can do that which you could not achieved, then you will not be being true to self.

Teaching someone else to heal is not just giving them an attunement and reading out or giving them a manual, you are sharing your self with them and your knowing which comes from the sum total of your healing experiences to date, taking a Reiki master course or any other healing course will not give you the insight and knowing that comes from experiencing healing both within your own life experience and that of helping others to become whole. 🙂

Good morning Paul!! I like to see there are other early birds in the realms of HP!

Funnily enough I feel that my personal development and insight has increased markedly over the past few weeks. I appear to have opened a door to my behaviour and thought processes. I was always aware of them but more of their consequences rather than actually being able to watch them unfold. I can now look as my thoughts and judgments take hold and understand how they became and realise the power that I now have when it comes to how they manifest. I realise I am very much at the foot of the ladder but climbing it has become more pleasurable. Although still painful at times. Its as though the more aware I become the more I have to deal with what it reveals.

Interestingly the entire time I have had the most evil, vicelike grip around my neck and head. My jaw is clenched and I constantly feel like I have to click my neck to get any release and my shoulder blades are very tight.

Hi Delighted.

Yes we are our own worst enemies at times. 🙂

Personal responsibility can appear to be a big deal, but the reality is that it is not, it is personal freedom within the assured knowledge that we are doing what we choose to do in each moment of existence. 🙂

Can I suggest that in stead of perceiving a ladder or the equivalent big hill to climb in order to acchive your goal, that in stead of gritting your teeth and forcing yourself to climb over this obstacle, you dispense with the ladder all together and simply embrace that which will make you happy, that way you do not have to fight self, you just embrace self and allow yourself to be. 😉

Actually that is probably exactly where I finding difficulty.. I am noticing the issues, I am accepting them but there is still questioning of them. However, I take what you say on board and I shall do away with the ladder. Never liked heights anyway.

🙂

Oh dear, the chap I have just spoken to mentioned this book for reading. Is it really that bad?

To the best of my knowledge, Diane Stein was the second person in the U.S. to print the Reiki Symbols in her book (that was quite taboo at that time). And I agree with Giles, Stein presented the best information that was available at the time... in 1995, little information was available in print other than through word of your Reiki Master's mouth -- and in that time before the internet and the newsgroup alt.healing.reiki, there was still an expectation for a student to remain dedicated and loyal to their Reiki Master and seek attunements from no other.

One of the worse Reiki books due to it's popularity was by Diane Steine, a man-hating feminist. Her research was incredibility factually wrong. Many got away with this for a few years as so little was known about Reiki. It was taught erronously as an oral tradition and there was many missing pieces.

The "man-hating feminist" is a popular phrase that accompanies Stein's book when it's discussed in the forums. Based on what I've read, she will only teach women Reiki... a boundary not unlike some female massage therapists have with men 😉

Stein's book is not bad at all, and the techniques in it will work and be very effective for some. Essential Reiki is a wonderful blend of what little was known of Reiki by 1995, Tibetan Mysticism (inspired by the Reiki teachings of Arthur Robertson and Iris Ishikuru), and advanced Qigong meditations.

I feel that the cost of Essential Reiki, and even the Essential Reiki Teaching Guide are worthwhile investments for a number of reasons, but the two most significant that come to mind are that it has made a significant impact in the Reiki community and it serves as an important historical reference in the evolution of Reiki to what it is today.