When are you ready to be a Reiki Master?

Hi Moongirl

If you are having to ask the question then I would suggest you are not yet ready to do this - FOR YOU

What would you hope to get out of Doing Reiki 3? If you are not looking to teach then will you gain what you are looking for?

If you do decide to do Reiki 3 at a later date then I am sure if it is right for you, your Master will ask again at that time. Dont rush into something if you do not feel ready.

For now, I personally am very happy being R2. If I went for R3 it would be for all the wrong reasons. When it comes to actual healing ~ I cannot think of one thing I could do as R3 that I cannot do as R2

You will make the right decision 🙂

Hi Dedwydd

Thanks for your reply!
That's what I thought... When my Reiki master asked if I would like to do Reiki 3 I didn't think YES, I thought - oh dear, I don't think I can afford it. 😉

I would like to teach at some point, but not now... If my healing techniques improve by doing R3, then I would consider it. But I'm really happy doing R2 as I noticed a huge difference from R1.
I will do some serious thinking over the next few weeks. I'm going to Glastonbury with a friend, so was hoping to come to a decision then 🙂

I agree. If you are asking when then now is not the time. You will know if and when you are ready.

Remember that master training is not for everyone as it changes your relationship with Reiki in that Reiki becomes so much more what you are (don't know if this makes sense). Think of it as being there all the time like the air you breathe. You have to want to live and breathe it.

I always tell my students that if they are thinking of doing the master training they should do it for them, as a path to learning about and healing themselves and not just think about it in terms of whether they want to teach. It is not just another qualification.

Hi Moongirl - I concur with the other posts - you do not appear to be ready for it yet. It will change you again when you do it and you have to be sure that is what you want. I know of many people whom are happy to continue to practice as a Reiki 2. I do not teach Reiki nor have I the inclination to do so. I rarely refer to myself as a Reiki Master as I do not think that it is something that one can be the Master of!

Hope that all makes sense!

I rarely refer to myself as a Reiki Master as I do not think that it is something that one can be the Master of!

Indeedy. Although the title suggests a mastery and thus an ending, it really is just the beginning.

Hi Moongirl,

I absolutely agree with all that's been said ..... there's nothing a Reiki III can do that a practiced, dedicated Reiki I can't do ...... It's not the 'posh impressive title' that matters, it's the relationship with Reiki and dedication in using and living it !! Its simply not true that doing Reiki III improves your healing ability .... it's the natural growth that occurs because the person has been using it ..... someone on here once described it as "the funnel getting wider" I like that description !!!

I'd only ever encourage someone to Reiki III if they wanted to teach !! In fact i'd never ask a student, but wait to be asked !!

Hang off for now till the urge takes you !!

meridianmoon xx

Hi Moongirl

For now, I personally am very happy being R2. If I went for R3 it would be for all the wrong reasons. When it comes to actual healing ~ I cannot think of one thing I could do as R3 that I cannot do as R2

You will make the right decision 🙂

Hi all
The problem is that you can't say when you are still at Reiki 2 what you could or couldn't do by doing Reiki 3 because you don't know! It's not until you get to Reiki 3 that you know what the differences are. That's no reflection on Reiki, that's the way it is with any staged qualification or treatment.

I knew it was time for me to do Level 3. I just knew. I felt there was something more calling me, that I could do so much more with this next level. And so it proved to be. The symbols meant so much more when viewed with the Usui Master symbol. In fact, if I had to give the key difference between the levels, it would be that symbol. It seemed to illuminate all that had gone before.

The title of "master" is a bit misleading, as is "teacher": I don't teach my students Reiki in the same way as I teach my other students how to do a cash flow statement. I don't think we have a word for it in English, though. If "Sensei" is the Japanese word we are trying to translate, that has connotations of "guru". It's certainly more akin to passing your driving test than getting a PhD!

I note that Diane Stein gives attunements at all 3 levels in the same weekend.

Hi all
The problem is that you can't say when you are still at Reiki 2 what you could or couldn't do by doing Reiki 3 because you don't know! It's not until you get to Reiki 3 that you know what the differences are. That's no reflection on Reiki, that's the way it is with any staged qualification or treatment.

I knew it was time for me to do Level 3. I just knew. I felt there was something more calling me, that I could do so much more with this next level. And so it proved to be. The symbols meant so much more when viewed with the Usui Master symbol. In fact, if I had to give the key difference between the levels, it would be that symbol. It seemed to illuminate all that had gone before.

The title of "master" is a bit misleading, as is "teacher": I don't teach my students Reiki in the same way as I teach my other students how to do a cash flow statement. I don't think we have a word for it in English, though. If "Sensei" is the Japanese word we are trying to translate, that has connotations of "guru". It's certainly more akin to passing your driving test than getting a PhD!

I note that Diane Stein gives attunements at all 3 levels in the same weekend.

I agree with you 100%. To say that there is nothing you can do at level 3 that you cant do at level 2 is very much untrue in my honest opinion. At level three you are given a much more powerful attunement and also the Usui Master Symbol which enhances any treatment, it like gives all the rest of the symbols a boost. I found that my Master when teaching me level 3 (master/teacher) gave me so many other tools to work with and you can feel the difference. It is life changing in every sense of the word. Chris is right, how do you know what you are missing when you havent given Reiki with the Master symbol?

Hi all,

I agree with both Chris & Reiki_Yorks, but think it's important to distingish that it's the wish and natural development of the practitioner that makes the difference .... not the attunement itself !! Without the dedication of the practitioner to the energy, the attunement means nothing !!

I'm sure we've all come across Reiki IIIs who know or understand very little .... (well i have :)) they've just paid to do the course !! On the other hand there are very many Reiki I & IIs who work with the energy everyday and make Reiki a part of their everyday lives, who are far more effective practitioners !!

Meridianmoon xx

Can't disagree with anything above, however the term "Master" I find a little disquieting, to me it gives the impression of being the best at something with maybe your students hanging on your every word proclaiming "master we are not worthy, gives us a sign etc"!! I do prefer teacher, then again I am not worthy, only being a lowly Reiki 2 practitioner !!!!!

It is worth remembering that reiki three (Master) is reiki three.

The teacher is a separate thing all together.

As Chris says, how do you know what you are missing when you havent given Reiki with the Master symbol?

Hi all
The problem is that you can't say when you are still at Reiki 2 what you could or couldn't do by doing Reiki 3 because you don't know! It's not until you get to Reiki 3 that you know what the differences are. That's no reflection on Reiki, that's the way it is with any staged qualification or treatment.

Well of course I dont know for sure, but I do know enough people at differing levels of Reiki and many people that do healing by other names.

I cannot honestly say from what I have seen that any method or level is better than another. I agree with meridianmoon that it is the practionner that makes the difference.

Personally, I find titles for something so pure, simple and channelled difficult to accept. It is only as humans that we feel the need to label everything.

Healing comes from the heart and soul ~ something we all have and are capable of giviing and receiving.

IMO, A master is not someone that has been attuned - A master is someone that has spent many years, if not a lifetime mastering their skills... and a geniune master would most probably not even consider themselves to be so.

Just my thoughts...

Very interesting discussion!

I agree - there are many R1 and R2's that haven't got a clue what they are doing, they just want to advance and become a Master because it sounds 'cool'.
I now realise that it's the word 'Master' that I'm a bit *scared* of. What truly makes you a master? Will people expect certain me to a Master of Reiki because I have R3?

IMO, A master is not someone that has been attuned - A master is someone that has spent many years, if not a lifetime mastering their skills... and a geniune master would most probably not even consider themselves to be so.

I don't think you can truly master ANYTHING, unless you have been living and breathing it for your entire life. And even then, will that make you a Master?
I like the word sensei that Chris mentions. Some words can't really be translated into English, like Ki.

If R3 will help me to become a better healer and therefore help more people on their path to healing, then so be it - I will do R3. But I think I will wait until it feels absolutely right to take the next step. In my opinion you can't, and shouldn't, do all Reiki levels in one weekend. You need to take your time, at least I did, between the levels.

Good decision Moongirl. Its so important to do this because it feels right not because you feel under pressure due to the timing or have been offered the training.

I do so many referesher courses and work on so many Reiki people (including masters) who don't use Reiki or want to reconnect because at the time they did the training too quickly or because it was there on offer. My Master students (and I too would prefer the term Sensai) all undergo about a year of self healing and lesrning before initiation. The exact time varies as everyone is different and my training is individual and all of my students ask me, I never suggest it to any of them.

To be honest are we not splitting hairs over this term "master". It is simply something that has been passed along the Reiki generations for someone that has been attuned to level 3 Reiki. I am sure no one professes to be a MASTER of Reiki in every sense of the word Master.

Just like when a person passes their PGCE and NQT year in teaching they are called a teacher. But can they actually teach or did they just do enough to get through their training. Like in any profession people get the title but do not live up to it in its entirity. Its just unfortunate that in this instance there really isnt other term that fits as suitable.

If you have issues with the term Master, maybe just use the terms Reiki 3 Practitioner. The whole issues was about someone maintaining that there is nothing they can do at level 3 which they cannot do at level 2 and when it is the right time to do level 3. I think just the existence of level 3 attunement and the Usui Master Symbol proves this not to be the case. In my opinion.

Your Reiki master is looking outside of you at other things. Why did they ask you if you wanted to do it? What do they think you'd gain from it? Or is it that they wanted another body to "fill" the class, or they automatically ask people two years after they've done their R2?

If you can ask your Reiki master about it then you might be less confused.

That's a good point, LavenderRose! I've just arranged to have a chat with my Reiki master over the weekend. Hopefully I'll see things more clearly after that 🙂

Hi ya MG

I am often amazed how the master word brings up such debate, not just on the outside of you (HP forum) but the inside as well.

I personally believe you can't make someone a master even with an attunement. It is about hard personal work and dedication.

We do in our society have master butchers, master builders, masters of art, master NLP practitioners etc. Doesn't make them into gurus.

Prehaps Reiki master training is more about giving you the tools to help you in your own self-mastery. Then it's up to you.

It is good for you to question the whole Reiki master thing. More people should do this rather than jump on the band wagon.

I avoid the master term as much as I can, but sometimes I have to admit to it, because it's what is expected of me as a Reiki teacher.

I also teach Tai Chi and some students call me a master, but I'm not. I tell them I'm on a Tai Chi a journey like them, but on a different parallel course. No better or no worse.

Sometimes I have found myself saying to both Reiki and Tai Chi students, "If you try and make me in your mind a guru, I will drop my trousers and expose myself!" What I am saying to them make me into sometime that I'm not for your own self-gratification. I'm human just like you and my s*** still stinks.

I have a Master Practitioner Diploma in Thai Traditional Massage & Manpulation. I worked really hard for that diploma, but I'm no master of it. It just means I have studied at an advanced level, and hopefully put some of it in practice and do the I can best for my clients. No more, no less.

Don't get too wrapped up in words. Do what's best.

Best Wishes on your Reiki journey.

Reiki Pixie