Whilst attending a complementary event in Tunbridge Wells back in early 2005, I was approached by a massage practitioner who asked me the following question. “I would like to do my Reiki Masters to complement my massage practice, can you teach me?”
In response to this request, I enquired as to her current Reiki level, if she was practicing and how much experience she had. It turned out that this woman had just completed her Reiki level 2 but still had to gain the essential practical experience necessary for the Reiki level 3/master level.
I then asked her the following: ”What will you do once you attain the level of master/teacher?” (the answer being “chop wood and fetch water”) Her answer to me was that she wanted to add onto her massage skills and become a Reiki master.
Let us define what exactly a Reiki master is. A Reiki master is essentially a teacher, someone who has worked at each Reiki level and through their own apprenticeship, gained sufficient knowledge in the theory and actual application to be able to hand down and teach the gift of Reiki with confidence and enthusiasm to the next generation of students. This requires that the teacher does not compromise or take any short cuts in communicating the subject matter. It should be passed down in it’s purity with integrity.
To become an effective Reiki master/teacher requires total dedication, integrity, and the ability to hold trust and set a good example to students. This is not always easy. It can be a lonely path and yet one of the most challenging and rewarding. This is where selecting your teacher with care is so important.
The key to teaching Reiki effectively is for a teacher to teach it with unconditional love, understanding, compassion and without being judgemental. The ego of the teacher should never stand in the way of either empowering students to reach a higher level or omitting important material helpful training tips.
Equally, the student needs to be prepared to disengage from their ego before embarking on their Reiki journey. Every student that takes their Reiki level one training has the posibility of becoming a Reiki master/teacher themselves.
As a Reiki master, you will be expected to offer continued support and mentoring for your students along with possible initiation upgrades. Reiki shares or Reiki gatherings for students attend is another way for students to connect with other Reiki practitioners providing practical and spiritual growth for anyone commited to their Reiki journey.
For any potential student to be able to select their Reiki teacher they will need to do some research. It is really important for a student to meet their teacher before commencing with their training and advisable to receive a treatment from this teacher. This tells the student that the teacher has a “hands-on” approach and is not sitting in an ivory tower just churning out students.
It saddens and frustrates me to see how many prospective students (who had already done level one with another teacher) were poorly taught. It is my recommendation that all potential Reiki students do their homework first, ask pertinent questions and not make the mistake of going just on price and a quick weekend course.
Don’t suffer unnecessary regret. Invest in yourself and select your Reiki teacher with care. Remember, it’s the journey, not the destination.
Victoria Gosher (originally published 2006 – Kent & East Sussex Connexions)