Reiki Master Teacher Training: Some Frequently Asked Questions
Just what does it mean to call oneself a Reiki Master?
It depends, like all things, on whom you ask. In my own definition, becoming a Reiki Master means someone has committed to his or her own personal growth and to embodying as much as possible in daily life the Five Reiki Principles. (“Just for today, do not anger. Do not worry. Be filled with gratitude. Devote yourself to your work, and be kind to every living thing.”) It does not mean perfection, but rather an opening of oneself to a life of service, allowing Spirit to act through our bodies and words (the “Rei” and the “ki” together). The term “Master” is itself a bit misleading, particularly when applied to Reiki, because one does not ever “Master” universal life force energy. That’s totally not the point! It’s more a sense that one is working towards mastering one’s experiences of anger, worry, gratitude, devotion (expressing one’s gifts) and kindness to all living things.
What’s the difference between a Reiki Master and a Reiki Master Teacher?
There is only one Level 3 attunement, so in that sense the Reiki Master and Reiki Master Teacher attunement is the same. Some of the class content also overlaps; however, Reiki Master Teacher training class content goes deeper into the theory and practice behind the teachings. It also prepares students to become teachers themselves. You will learn how to give Reiki Healing Attunements in both a Reiki Master and Reiki Master Teacher class, but you will only learn how to initiate other students in the Reiki Master Teacher class.
I stopped teaching the plain Reiki Master class many years ago, because I found so many other teachers’ students requesting me to train them as Reiki Master Teachers. They had spent the money on their Master class, but now that they felt ready to teach, their former teachers either weren’t teaching anymore or didn’t feel confident to train other teachers. (This attitude is, unfortunately, rather prevalent! Sometimes Reiki Master Teachers view their own students as potential competitors; other times, the teachers just get very nervous about the scope of knowledge required to teach others how to teach. In any case, I never worry that my Reiki Master Teacher students will “steal” students from me. We all have different gifts and personalities, and my feeling is that the more people able to teach Reiki, then the higher vibe, more Reiki-infused world we live in.)
Should students wait a set length of time before becoming a Reiki Master or Reiki Master Teacher?
Again, this depends on whom you ask. Because time keeps accelerating on this planet, processes that may have once taken many years have begun to happen in a matter of weeks or months. When evaluating if someone is ready to teach, I find tradition an important factor, but I also read the energy of individuals and the times we live in.
Once trained to Reiki Master Teacher level, it sometimes takes years before students decide to venture fully into teaching Reiki. You really have to “live it” in order to teach it well. I have coached various people who received training as Reiki Master Teachers (from someone else) many years ago but who just now feel called to teach. Our coaching sessions support ways of integrating Reiki into their lives as well as strategizing how to teach each level and deal with student questions. These clients actually had all the necessary knowledge and attunements to do this work earlier, but they are just now embracing it in a more profound way.
Some Reiki Master Teachers would argue that this “proves” the students took Reiki Master training before they were “ready.” I disagree. The Reiki Master and Reiki Master Teacher attunement is very powerful, and I have seen it work in very deep ways in people’s lives. It may take six months to five years fully to integrate that attunement, but the process of integration at least begins with the attunement.
When Reiki Master Teachers expect students to have completed all their internal work and have finished hundreds of hours of Reiki sessions in order to become a Reiki Master, I have not found their students any more or less prepared than people who choose to move faster through the levels. Sometimes such requirements or perfectionism offer people an excuse not to move forward when, in fact, they really do need to accept more responsibility. Ideally, one wants to feel challenged but not pressured to move forward. It’s a personal decision, and I only offer the class to people when I believe they could be ready for it — were they inclined to commit on a deeper level to their own and others’ healing and service.
Even though Level 3 students receive in class the attunement and the knowledge to teach their own certification classes, whenever I teach a Reiki Master Teacher class, I always offer students the chance to audit additional workshops. As they feel ready, they can then apprentice or assist me in my Reiki classes. I consider this an important but informal process, similar to how Usui’s students followed him around his clinic. Students of the Reiki Master Teacher level receive the Level 3 attunement in class, and this enables them to pass along Reiki to future students. Having received the necessary instruction and attunement, they could technically skip the auditing process and just start teaching, assuming they feel ready to do so. They could also read a lot of Reiki books and practice inviting Reiki into their lives, and then teach from their own perspective rather than following their teacher’s beliefs or method.
In recent years, I have trained a number of Reiki Master Teachers who began teaching immediately after taking the class. I’ve heard feedback from their students and can tell that these RMT’s are truly doing wonderful service and know their stuff!
Can I take Reiki Master Teacher training even if I’m not sure I ever want to teach?
Yes. Again, it’s a very personal process, and many people never decide to teach but take the classes just for personal development. That’s fine; the attunement and the lessons learned continue to inform their lives. I will say from my own experience that I have learned so much about Reiki through teaching. As the old saying goes, “If you really want to learn something, teach it!” I have found this to be accurate in my case, as I’ve had so much more opportunity to observe how Reiki works in students’ lives. It’s truly an amazing process, and the more classes I teach, the more excited I become about Reiki.
When is your next Reiki Master Teacher Certification Class?
Although I schedule regular Reiki 1 and Reiki 2 classes, I tend to offer in person Level 3 classes only by request or if I sense several people are ready for this next level of training and responsibility. Over the years, I have trained groups of Level 3 students, as well as individual in person classes. By far the most common method of training for the past four years has been private Level 3 training through a series of phone sessions, reading assignments, homework, and a distant Level 3 attunement. In that sense, location really doesn’t matter at all. We just schedule the phone sessions as we go along.
If you have any interest in Reiki Master Teacher training, your best bet is to contact me via email (laura at asklaurabruno dot com) and we can discuss your previous Reiki experience, my teaching style, your expectations and any additional logistics. I find that with all Reiki training, but particularly with the Level 3 Master Teacher Training, it’s really important that the student and teacher resonate. If you want to learn how to teach, as opposed to just learning information and receiving an attunement, then you’ll also want to select a teacher whose teaching style, philosophy and attitude seem compatible with your own. You can get a sense of me from my blog and testimonials, but I also require a phone conversation before committing to teach any additional Reiki Master Teachers.
What’s the best way to contact you about Reiki Master Teacher training?
Please email me at laura at asklaurabruno dot com. That email goes to my iPhone, and unless it’s a holiday, I always try to respond within 24 hours.
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