More on Reiki and Ethics

  REIKI AND ETHICS

                                    Patricia Penner, Usui & Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher

So you are probably asking yourself, what ethics?   Well how about the fact that a Reiki practitioner AND their client are required by law to be fully clothed throughout a Reiki treatment or that is unethical for someone who is Reiki Level  One or Two to treat the public and charge for it, for starters.

Clothing – unless a Reiki Practitioner is also a licensed massage therapist and is giving someone a massage and has their permission to also “run” or “channel” Reiki during the massage, then it is illegal for the client to be in any state of undress. 

If a Reiki practitioner, who is not a licensed massage therapist, asked you to undress, get out of their office immediately and report them to the authorities.  If they aren’t fully clothed or come on to you sexually in any way, again, get out of their office and report them.   They’re a sexual predator!

Treating the public with Reiki having only the lower levels of training: Reiki Level One is all about your own self-healing.  It does not authorize or certify you  to go out and practice Reiki on the public and charge for it  in anyway.  A  Level One Practitioner is only channeling one third of the amount of Reiki energy that a Reiki Master Practitioner can channel and, unless they have been practicing non-stop on their family, friends, co-workers and neighbors for quite awhile (something you can do at Reiki One but only for free or for barter), then they are also grossly under experienced to handle giving the public Reiki sessions and charging for it.

Reiki Level Two is what as known as the “Distant Healing” level, where the Reiki practitioner is given the Reiki Distant Healing symbol (a symbol that opens a doorway for the energy to be able to be sent out to any place, person, or thing -  past, present or future) along with several other symbols that all have different focuses or healing purposes.  They are also opened up to another one third of the amount of Reiki energy they can channel, but are still not considered qualified nor certified to go out and treat the public.

At Reiki Level IIIa (Reiki Master Practitioner)  one is opened up to channel the full flow of the Reiki energy one can channel and are now certified and qualified to go out and open up a Reiki business and  treat the public.  (The lineage of Reiki that I am from (how we trace back our connection to the creator of Reiki, Dr. Makao Usui) breaks Reiki training up into four levels,  Reiki I, Reiki II, Reiki IIIa (Master Practitioner) and Reiki Level IIIb (Reiki Master Teacher).  Some lineages group the IIIa and IIIb together.)

Unfortunately, there are people working on the public at the lower levels of training and charging if not very close to , exactly what an experienced Reiki Master charges, which is, in my book, VERY unethical. 

Another unethical practice in Reiki is people claiming to be Reiki Master Teachers and giving very poor classes:  little or no manuals, and little or no “ hands on” training, still spreading the old story of the origins of Reiki (the Christian version), not giving out certificates, etc.  Many students come to me from other teachers who have done all the above and worse.  If you’re thinking of taking a Reiki class and becoming attuned to Reiki (connected to the energy) I highly advise that you interview several teachers in your area and ask them the following questions:  Do they provide an adequate manual that includes the history of Reiki (not the old Christian version, the newer version, the truth – Usui  was a Buddhist, from a Samurai background), What Reiki is and what it does, What are the health benefits of Reiki, The Reiki Precepts, How to give yourself a full Reiki self-treatment, How to give someone else a short Reiki treatment in a chair, and How to give someone else a full Reiki session and so on.

Does it have a bibliography, suggested reading list, music list, website list, and much more.   Do they hold monthly Reiki shares for their students? 

I also highly suggest that you have a Reiki session with your perspective teacher prior to signing up for a class also, to see if you feel comfortable with them.  When you’re connected to the Reiki energy, you are connected for life.  Make sure that the person who connects you is someone you feel is trustworthy and knows their stuff.  

This article is intended to educate the public on these issues.  I recommend that you ask what level  of training your Reiki practitioner is before scheduling an appointment and/or ask to see their certification.