Reiki Master, what does it mean? Some say it is a level of achievement in Reiki, whilst others say it is an acceptance that Reiki has mastered the healer. And there are many definitions in-between. To me, being a Reiki Master carries a great deal of responsibility which I must humbly accept. This breaks down into three main responsibilities. The first responsibility is to oneself, to nurture and develop from within, and to release any negativity from within. Often in today's world, we come across conflict that we can choose to either take on board or calmly resolve. We may get disease that we are to heal from holistically. We are challenged with negative emotional reactions which we must let go of. We are challenged with residual negative emotions from our past, feelings such as worry, anger, low self-steem, we are not to allow these feelings to fester and grow but to let them go and heal. Above all, we have to take care of ourselves, living by the Reiki Principles as given by Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, and allowing ourselves Reiki healing every day. After all, we are not of much use to anyone else if we are ourselves a mess! I find that for myself and for other Reiki Masters, this first responsibility is the hardest to carry out. It is an ongoing effort which gets easier with years of practice. The key is to keep going back to the teachings of Usui with an open mind and humble spirit. The second responsibility is to people who come to us for Reiki. There are members of the public who come for treatment and students who come for initiation and teaching. When someone comes for a treatment with Reiki, my teaching was to explain to the client that Reiki is a holistic energy, going to where it is most needed, and to encourage the client to holistically take care of their health.. Reiki works very differently from allopathic medicine. Whilst allopathic medicine fixes the symptom, Reiki healing is directed at the whole person. For instance, if a client came complaining of knee pain, it may be that the knee is stressed because the hip is out of alignment. The hip may have become that way in order to compensate for a shoulder being out of alignment. This may have happened due to stress in the person's life. If this stress is still ongoing, the Reiki is likely to heal the stress first. This makes sense, as leaving the stress there may lead to further shoulder-hip-knee misalignment and further knee damage! Part of the responsibility of the Reiki Master is to make the client aware of this holistic process and the need for several sessions. This gives the Reiki the chance to heal the symptoms as well as the underlying causes. When a student comes for initiation and teaching, this is the beginning of a spiritual, emotional, mental and physical journey. The Reiki Master has to take into account the road traveled before this point and most importantly, support the student on their exciting new journey with Reiki. Many of us have come into Reiki from a background of physical or emotional pain. For some, there was a spiritual void to fill. A good Reiki Master will be sensitive to the needs of their students. This means avoiding environmental irritants in the class to care for students with chemical sensitivities. It means letting go of abusive remarks given by angry souls. It means being firm but gentle with students from an emotionally unhappy life. Above all, in the class the Reiki Master should ensure the student feels wanted, respected, accepted and loved. After the initiation and teaching, the Reiki Master can support their student by making available and stressing the need for regular contact and supervision. The rest is up to the student and what feels right for their development with Reiki. The third responsibility is towards loved ones and all other creatures; in short, our environment. Our healing includes caring for this environment. This does not mean allowing an abusive family member to abuse us or contributing to social wrongs because everyone else seems to! It means being responsible, loving unconditionally, and allowing healing to flow wherever it is needed and with permission of the healee. For instance, a Reiki Master can start each day by asking that they are a channel, or conduit, for Reiki energy and allowing it to flow wherever they walk in nature. A Reiki Master can choose to purchase environmentally-friendly products. A Reiki Master can be available for family members for healing as feels appropriate and be a force for good. A Reiki Master living by the Reiki Principles will earn their living honestly, honour their teachers and elders, and be gracious to every living thing. I am indeed very glad that I took the step to become a Reiki Master. It can be difficult to live the Reiki way of life sometimes, and I get the odd reminder every now and then. But the love and acceptance that Reiki teaches us for others and ourselves means that we always open to receiving love. When we channel or receive love, love goes through us, and we feel love. |
