Frequently asked questions

We are listing answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. Please email any other questions that you might have to reiki.global@gmail.com

1. How should a layman know that a particular healer/Master is good for her/him?

When Reiki was young, and we were not yet born, teachers were made teachers because they could heal. Dr. Usui did not allow all of his students to have students of their own. For me, this is the first qualification for a teacher: Can they heal? If they do, then I look to see what it is they want in order to teach me. A good teacher will look for dedication and commitment before accepting a student. A good teacher will also decide who they are willing to teach. If a teacher wants dedication and commitment more than money, I will seek out that teacher. There is nothing wrong with money in exchange for teaching, or even if I do the teacher's laundry and clean their toilet, then this exchange is good, too. In this exchange, I am saying: "This is what your teachings mean to me." Only a rich man can afford to spend all day teaching without receiving something in return. Rich men and monks. Monks will want devotion and commitment, that is to say a dedicated student, before giving the student their "gold". And so the monk is a good teacher, if they know what it is I wish to learn. Most importantly, I listen to my inner voice, trusting Spirit. I know what teachers are good ones for me when I meet them, but I didn't always hear the inner voice as loudly as I do today. So maybe for others, the first two conditions might be good ones. All teachers teach us something. Whether or not it is what we intended to learn is another matter.

2. How can a Master ascertain that the person coming for a second degree course has been attuned in the first degree ?

Ask the student to do a self treatment prior to the class to see if they have been practicing their Reiki. Also I would ask if their teacher had taught them the self treatment. If not, I would give them the hand positions and ask them to practice them for a month prior to the second level attunement. I would also inquire about how many treatments they've given to family and friends. Have the student give me a treatment prior to the day of the class. Ask to see a copy of their first level certification. If they don't have one, ask for a way to contact their previous teacher to verify their attunement.

3. Can Reiki I, II & III degrees be given simultaneously or should there be a gap between them?

They can be given at the same time. However, this can be a dangerous thing to do. Too much energy too fast can cause problems. I would not teach all three at the same time for that reason and for a practical reason, too: being a teacher of Reiki means much more than just being able to do the attunements. It means that one has learned to heal themselves and others. At that time, one should become a Reiki Master. One can not teach what one does not know.

For me, I like to see a student working with the first degree for at least 90 days. If good results come from this (if they have been working hard on themselves and with Reiki), then I will teach the second degree. After a year at the second degree, if they have developed their ability to heal themselves and others and are ready for the Keys of Reiki, then I will pass on those Keys. I did not always teach in this way.

4. Who is entitled to receive the Master's degree?

Anyone who wishes and has shown themselves to be ready for the Keys of Reiki. Also, before I give them a certificate, they must co-teach a first and second level class with me and then a first level class on their own with at least five students. They must also know everything from first level and second level and be able to show that they can heal.

5. Some Reiki groups profess the secrecy of the symbols, while others openly publish them in a book. Which is correct?

Since those that can use the information all ready have it, what possible reason is there to make them public?

6. There is a great variation in the charges for Reiki attunement, by different Masters. Can it not be standardized?

Who could say to one master "This is what you must charge for these teachings." There is one group who does this, says that you must charge this for that. Okay for them. If I owned Reiki, then I could dictate to others. I do not own Reiki, therefore I have no authority to speak for another in this matter.

7. Can there be a system wherein a Reiki Master must get registered to get a license to practice it?

Reiki is a spiritual matter. Is there room for politics in such matters? If Masters insist that there students actually heal themselves and others, is there a need for such a system? There are groups in the United States who are trying to do this very thing, but they are attempting to control Reiki for reasons other than that of healing themselves and others. This is the danger of such systems.

8. A large number of Masters call themselves a Grandmaster? Who is a grandmaster?

The only real Grandmasters of Reiki, in my thinking, are those that are called Grandmaster by those that have been taught by the person and by those that have been healed by that person. I doubt I would ever hear a true grandmaster say they were one. It is something other people say about them.

9. Whether lineage of a person automatically makes him/her grandmaster?

No. Grandmasters are those that have shown they can heal like Usui did and those that have been able to pass this ability on to others. This is just my opinion of a grandmaster. There are other definitions which I do not agree with. The main thing for me is that other people refer to someone as a grandmaster for the reason I stated. This is how one becomes a grandmaster.

10. Can anybody narrate as to what action/reaction takes place in the body, when the Master attunes a person?

My understanding of this process is this: if we imagine that the human body is like a radio, in that a radio can be tuned to a particular station, a Reiki attunement tunes our "radio" to receive the Reiki energy. The natural channels of the human bio-energy system are cleared and tuned to this energy.

11. In India, there was an advertisement in the newspaper, saying that his condition had worsened after receiving an attunement in Reiki and that he wanted the attunements to be removed. Is it possible?

I have never known anyone to reverse a Reiki attunement. I have known people who have not exercised their Reiki energy channels to the point of the channels closing down. When we receive an attunement, we go through a 21 day period of cleansing and of clearing. In this period of time, we may notice an increase in the agitation of ailments or of conditions. If we are diligent in our meditation, we will cure these conditions.

12. If a sick Master does the attunement, are there chances of his/her passing on his/her problem to the student?

Not that I am aware of. Certainly those that have received attunements from me have not started going bald, nor have they started using hot peppers in their food. I do not believe that energy from the Master goes into the student, rather that the energy coming from the Source of Reiki, flowing through the Master then flows into the student. As Reiki Masters and as Healers we must learn to move aside those things that would block our being a "hollow bone" through which Reiki can heal. This is the preparation we must do prior to a healing or an attunement if we are to be successful in our healings and teachings.

13. If one has severe skin problem or any infectious diseases, is the healer prone to catching that disease, if s/he heals by touch method?

Touching isn't necessary in the healing ways of Reiki. One can heal with the eyes, with the breath, with the hands above the body. In many ways for many reasons touching is not necessary when healing with Reiki. Even so, if I were to participate in the healing of another, I would not get sick from doing so.

14. Is it not possible for wise people in Reiki to make efforts to get recognition as it is in the case of Homeopathy or Ayurveda etc systems?

Recognition will come in time. It is up to those that we help heal to get that recognition for us. This is my view about that.

15. Is Karuna Reiki more powerful than Reiki, as some say?

Without a foundation, how strong are the walls of a home? Can the walls be stronger than the foundation? Karuna is built on top of Usui Reiki. This is the way that I see Karuna Reiki.