Reiki Teaching And Time

It seems nowadays that wherever I look I see life is becoming faster and faster
Yoga in only 10 minutes!
Learn meditation in 3 easy lessons!
A new language in 21 days!

And this now seems to have come to Reiki as well. You too can now go from complete beginner to Reiki Master in one weekend. Pay your fee, receive a certificate at the end of the weekend and you can call yourself a Master. But this isnÂ?t only occurring at the Master level. You too can now learn the 1st degree in a couple of hours and then you can heal the public!

And some are advocating learning the 1st and 2nd degrees combined!

When I see courses in this style, I have to ask what has happened to the spiritual nature of Reiki? And have we lost respect for this great healing power?

When Reiki was first introduced to the Western world, it was shared with only a few select individuals and at great financial cost. One of the reasons that such a high fee for the Reiki Master course was introduced was in order to ensure that the sacred energy was respected and, above all, used by those who learnt it. The Masters understood that the spiritual life held less attraction for those in the West, than it did for those in the East. Hence the high fee was to help encourage commitment and to allow spirituality to develop in the initiate.

Every initiate who takes Reiki into their lives takes a step on an inner journey which will lead them to reassess themselves. The journey can be long and challenging. Reiki is not about simply changing appearances, such a buying a new dress, but about getting to know ourselves and our needs at a deep level. It is about discovering the hidden aspects of our mind and personality.

This journey is one that lasts a lifetime. And in order to travel on this journey we need a set of skills that will equip us for the tasks ahead. And this is where Reiki is invaluable. Reiki provides us with not only the ability to help us set out on our journey, but also to lead us on the right path and to help us deal with and solve the issues that arise. Whilst the initiations can be performed in a very short time, there is much more to Reiki than just a series of attunements. The skills that accompany these initiations take time to develop, and do require the assistance and guidance of the Reiki Master. At the end of the course the student should feel confident in their abilities to use Reiki and have a solid understanding of the nature of Reiki. But mastering these skills also requires a great deal of work on the self; perhaps involving change of attitude, diet, relationship or job. All these things can be traumatic, especially if there is no-one there to help you through.

The Reiki Master should be much more than the person who initiates you, but should be someone who is there for life Â? to guide you, assist you and comfort you on your journey, no matter how long after your Reiki initiation. After all, who better to turn to for advice, than the person who has been through it all before you.

Learning each degree should not feel like a rush. A 1st degree course should really be no shorter than 2 days; and the same for the 2nd degree. Over this two day period, you can begin to understand the power and abilities of Reiki, via your Reiki Master. But the learning continues for weeks or months afterwards, as we discover all our unhealed issues.

This system of degrees, or levels, in the teaching of Reiki helps to ensure the protection of the initiate. Each level initiates a clear out Â? 1st degree physical, 2nd degree emotional and mental and Master degree spiritual. The clear out, or cleansing process, occurs on the level of the degree learnt. As many of us have experienced, a detoxifying process can be a little traumatic on the body or psyche. To cleanse the body on more than one level at a time is to place too much expectation on our selves. Hence each degree is mastered before the next can begin; to allow each cleanse to be finished before the next. The body and psyche need time to settle before we begin to move forward again. This flow of expansion and contraction, or the inner and outer world, are common to all creative processes, and Reiki is no different.

So, Reiki degree by Reiki degree, we begin to better understand ourselves and our motivations and desires. To combine the degrees is to miss out on a vital step in our quest for self understanding, as well as denying ourselves a unique, challenging and fun experience.

About the author:

I was trained as a Reiki Master by one of the most renowned and respected masters in England. I first began healing 17 years ago before choosing to specialise in Reiki. After studying Reiki for 2 1/2 years I qualified fully as a Reiki Master in 1997. As a healer I enjoy inspiring and helping people to become the empowered, optimistic, healthy and happy individuals that they wish to be.

Website: http://www.reikihealing.org.uk

Author: Christina Moore
Website:
Copyright © 2023 Christina Moore. All rights reserved

Back to articles' list