Recommended Reiki Master?

[Peto]

What I did see (which is just my experience) was a predatory activity, which puts red flags up for me.

Some of the these things that I saw was
1) Big classes (100+) for Reiki 1 which limits personal contact to the teacher
2) Students, who came to my partner and I to redo Reiki 2
3) Students who came to us for review and who were amazed at how little they had actually learnt.
4) A strong emphasis from B. McGregor that she was the only true Reiki Teacher and that everyone else were fakes.
5) A bagging of the Reiki Alliance and their teachers.
6) Telling organizers and students not to go to other teachers and not to organize workshops with other teachers.
7) Telling us that Hong Kong was her turf and that we shouldn't dare to go there or else.

My comments to the above.
1) The attendance of the class I went to was about 50.
3) Both my wife and I learned Reiki I there and we thought that there were enough materials.
4, 5, 6) Because many are really fakes. And I read (in the Wave series if I remember correctly) that going to the wrong teacher will jeorpadize the Reiki power you already have.
2, 7) No comment since I don't have personal experience.

The issue at hand from dant is:

I would like a referral for a trusted and good Reiki Master, Recommendations please?

In regard to B. Mcgregor I can not give a positive recommendation based on my experience, which at the end of the day is only my experience.

Fair enough. My recommendation is also only based my experience, which is positive. The only thing I wasn't happy about was the expense (about 600 USD).

Hoang

 

[Ruth]

I also never heard Beth Gray being described as a saint before, except from you.

Me neither. I think Barbara said that she was living in a nursing home in California (I did Barbara's course in May). I work in nursing homes and here residents are more likely to be treated as 'family' than 'saints'! - although, I must admit that some of them would try a saints patience... (and then some)

One of our more 'stary eyed' group members in our class asked Barbara how he should address her, and whether 'Master' was appropriate (I don't know where he got some of his ideas from - they were quite hilarious). Her quick response was "No, Barbara will do. I'm a teacher, and that's it". She then went on to describe the teachers role. It's funny, but this 'Master' business tends to be a rather 'eastern' idea and I do believe that Barbara was rather uncomfortable with it and emphatically refused to take on this thing. She said that she was still learning and that she often learned from students and that learning was an exchange and was what life was about. She had taken on the role of Reiki "Master", only after completeing a 7 year 'apprenticeship' with Beth. I think she seemed to think that this 7 year apprenticeship was a test of commitment. And, so it may have been.

I also found Barbara's lectures interesting because she has a background in natropathy. I believe she used to edit the magazine "Living Now". She may have trained as a natropath at some stage, I'm not sure. Incidentally (and rather amusingly), the group I went through with, she described as the inhibited group she had ever taught. They were mostly 'professionals' of some sort or another, and (surprisingly) had some sort of 'connection' to the health care industry....!

I agree that Barbara's seminars is big business. Her point is that charging a large sum will make people appreciate the Reiki they learn and use it. While I don't agree with that, I had no problem paying the seminar fee, which I think is worth it.

Funnily enough, I felt that many people in my group 'baulked' at the fee (as they would for any fee provided for a service where there wasn't a 'concrete return')...

Your last comment seems to be an attempt to associate Barbara with psychopathy and ponerology. This is manipulative to the extreme. Is the reason because you are also teaching Reiki but not as successful as her?

Well, I don't think things are as 'black and white' as that, things tend to 'ebb and flow' (according to karma?), but then, I'm no expert. Anders may have his 'Day in the Sun' (soon perhaps? - I hope so). These things can be complicated, so I wouldn't be too quick to judge, if a person can help it? There is sometimes a lot going on behind the scenes. From what I've heard, Barbara has a 'pupil' working in the same area Anders was teaching in, so, that may account for some things that were happening.... ah, yes, there may be far more going on than a person thinks....

For a prospective Reiki student, the only dealing with Barbara would be paying the required fee and attending a 3-day seminar. After that, there is zero, none, nil, zip, nada contact whatsoever. So I don't see why a study of psychology is relevant here.

All things are relevant!!!! It is necessary for people to be aware if all things, to be honest. I cannot high-light this enough. One must always be careful and question. This is vey important.

 

[dant]

Ok, I am following up on Laura's recommendations to send
an email message to the site referred to and see what the
site owner has to say. Here is my email message:

Hello,

I am a member of an Internet forum, and I had asked if there was any
qualified and trusted Reiki Master who offers professional services and
one who is available close to our home. I was referred to your site by
the forum master who herself is a Reiki Master, who I believe is not
offering professional services. She says that your site appears to have
"accurate representations of the Usui symbols."

Are you able to help us in our search for a trusted and qualified Reiki master?

Kind regards,
Dan Thurman

I will provide the response, if I get one.

 

[doublea1535]

[ comment deleted ]

 

[dant]

ok, I got a response in two messages:

Subject: Re: Searching for a qualified Reiki Master.
Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:27:05 PST

Hi Daniel

I do not give personal recommendations for Reiki
Masters I have not had in-person contact with.

Depending on your location (you neglected to say),
I would advise you contact one of the major Reiki
organisations (Reiki Alliance, Reiki Association, etc)
who will be able to provide you with a list of masters
in your area.


regards

James

Ok, so I sent a message seeking a master in my area, Portland, OR
and got the following response...

Subject: RE: Searching for a qualified Reiki Master.
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 03:27:44 PST

Daniel, hi

I am UK based, and have never visited the US
and as I explained:

> >I do not give personal recommendations for Reiki
> >Masters I have not had in-person contact with.


regards

James

So for those of you in "UK area", contact this site for your
specific location needs, I guess.

The rest of us is without a clue... sigh....

 

[dant]

The link referred to by Laura has since been updated to a
new website and what is nice is a set of free e-Books.

http://www.aetw.org/

 

[Kel]

FWIW, I am a III degree Reiki master. My lineage is with the Aliiance (1st degree is with Takata, Furomoto, Ken Bower, and Sheron Green; 2nd & 3rd degree is with Takata, Furomoto, Barbara Ray, Glenda Rye, and Sheron Green). I live in NW Montana give 1st and 2nd degree initiations.

 

[EdgeofDawn]

Hi, I was wondering if someone could tell me about their experiences with the Reiki I attunement. What did you notice during and after the attunement physically, spiritually etc.

 

[EdgeofDawn]

It's also useful to check out their "lineage." Avoid anyone whose lineage comes through Diane Stein.

What about anyone whose lineage comes through William Lee Rand? Should they be avoided too?

 

[EdgeofDawn]

I'm not sure that being a member of the "Reiki Alliance" is any guarantee of anything either. From what I hear, the members of this group charge pretty high fees for attunements. I know it is possible to find a teacher/Reiki Master who DOES have the proper lineage and who doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

What IS a proper lineage? Are there any other lineages to be avoided besides those with Diane Stein? Also, what constitutes a proper attunement? The woman that did mine did one attunement but some do four attunements. Does this matter?

 

[JonnyRadar]

i'm a total newbie in this area but have been reading some about reiki and am trying to learn... from my perspective at this point in time, it seems like the effective force of reiki is kind of like... mechanics? for lack of a better word...

so i'm curious about this business of attunement... it seems logical that reiki would be much more complicated on an esoteric level than, say, a university course (to use an example) --- however if i learned a language in university through four different professors, it doesn't seem "who they are" necessarily would affect the outcome or my proficiency with the language. throughout the courses students are encouraged to learn and expand their knowledge of the subject on their own, which results in a broader base of knowledge than simply what comes across from the prof in the classroom...

couldn't it be the same way with reiki? so that if someone has a certain master in their "lineage", that wouldn't matter so much as the learning and process of acquiring knowledge they participated in on their own. it also seems like ascribing titles and proper names is kind of a needless categorization.

isn't reiki sort of like what lynn mctaggart writes about in "the field?" or at least an aspect of it? if that's the case and it's a "mechanical" situation - that is to say that there are certain ways that things just work - that one would be able to learn that through study and exploration and it wouldn't matter who was in their "lineage"

but as a caveat, who am i to say i have ANY understanding of how the complexities of this kind of stuff works. for all i know the energy and intent left in the kitchen table by the carpenter who made it fifty years ago could be affecting what's going on in the present moment. if you run with that then i suppose the intent of the previous masters in one's "lineage" would affect the way they practice?

 

[EdgeofDawn]

Q: (L) I have here two sets of Reiki symbols; which set is the correct or most powerful set: the first set or the second?
[Holds up two sets of symbols]
A: The second set.
Q: (L) Are these the original Reiki symbols as given to Dr. Usui?
A: Close.
Q: (L) Are the Reiki symbols in the possession of C*** H*** the correct symbols?
A: No.
Q: (L) Are the symbols that A*** B*** is using correct?
A: No.
Q: (L) Is A*** B*** able to transmit the initiation in a full and powerful way?
A: No.
Q: (L) Is she just wasting her time thinking she is doing the transmitting?
A: Yours.
Q: (L) Is there someone I could go to for the correct initiation?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Do I know that person?
A: No.

Yeah, I'm a newbie too. What I want to know is, what IS a correct initiation? What is the criteria for that beside using the correct symbols? If I knew that, then I could hopefully find someone who is "able to transmit the initiation in a full and powerful way."

couldn't it be the same way with reiki? so that if someone has a certain master in their "lineage", that wouldn't matter so much as the learning and process of acquiring knowledge they participated in on their own.

But it does matter if certain Masters in the lineage are using corrupted version of the symbols, changing attunement processes, etc and propagating a corrupted and less powerful(or maybe useless?) version
of Reiki.

 

[Pierre]

But it does matter if certain Masters in the lineage are using corrupted version of the symbols, changing attunement processes, etc and propagating a corrupted and less powerful(or maybe useless?) version
of Reiki.

Yes if the symbols are corrupted the effects can be less powerful, useless or perhaps even damaging.

For example we can imagine that if a fake master uses reversed symbols he might also reverse effects and instead of healing/helping his patients he would be destroying/draining them.

 

[Niall]

For example we can imagine that if a fake master uses reversed symbols he might also reverse effects and instead of healing/helping his patients he would be destroying/draining them.

i have met someone who i strongly felt was a psychopath and was later horrified to hear that he was a practitioner of Reiki. i don't know what symbols he was using. Nevertheless, a mutual friend witnessed him in action - she said there was "crazy energy in the room" and that it he saw his role as a kind of "exorcist of negative energy" - i can't imagine what untold damage a psycho-Reiki "Master" would do!

As this was first my encounter with Reiki in the world, i decided to take my time choosing where and with whom i would take an attunement and concentrate on building up my Bullshit Meter, because ultimately only the seeker can assess when he or she is ready, i guess.

i'm pleased to say that i have found a setting i'm comfortable with and look forward to receiving an attunement in May. Thanks to all for their input here!

Here's an article you might find useful. It certainly corroborates Laura's warning about Diane Stein

I have read so-called Reiki guru Diane Stein's book, and I have researched the symbols more online. It isn't until I travelled to Japan that I realized the appalling, unforgivable absurdities spouted by Western practitioners concerning Reiki in general and the Reiki symbols in particular. In their ignorance and/or search for sensationalism they have been spreading falsehoods. It is upon realizing that one of the symbols was written in Japanese characters that I decided to delve into their origins and find out the truth about them.

First, let us get one thing straight. Reiki has nothing to do with Tibet and never has. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either misinformed or a crook trying to use the mystical aura of Tibet to sell the idea to you. The Reiki system was born in Japan, invented by Dr. Usui.

 

[PepperFritz]

i have met someone who i strongly felt was a psychopath and was later horrified to hear that he was a practitioner of Reiki. i don't know what symbols he was using. Nevertheless, a mutual friend witnessed him in action - she said there was "crazy energy in the room" and that it he saw his role as a kind of "exorcist of negative energy" - i can't imagine what untold damage a psycho-Reiki "Master" would do!

As this was first my encounter with Reiki in the world, i decided to take my time choosing where and with whom i would take an attunement and concentrate on building up my Bullshit Meter, because ultimately only the seeker can assess when he or she is ready, i guess.

Wow, that story takes me back to something I experienced in the early 1980s. I decided to take an introductory course in the "Therapeutic Touch" healing method, which was being offered by an "accredited" practitioner out of his home. I was relatively naive at the time and of course did not have the benefit of Laura's work at the time. However, my "Bullshit Meter" was in good working order and I had learned to trust my intuition and "gut feelings" about things.

I went into the course with a very positive attitude; I had put down some good money for it, and was very much looking forward to the experience. But the minute I walked into that house I had a BAD FEELING that I could not shake. The "teacher" had what I can only describe as a "predatory" energy, and seemed to really get off on the awed attention of the young women and men around him, who seemed to have some kind of "inner circle" status. I was shocked by my own feelings of hostility and distrust towards him; he must have sensed it too because he kind of focussed in on me during the "class", trying hard to "win me over" to the "group think". All I knew is that I didn't want him to get anywhere near me with his "energy".

I went back for a second class, just to "give it a chance", but never went back after that. It still creeps me out to think about that guy.