Reiki Master Training
There is great diversity of opinion regarding all Reiki training, but particularly at the master level. Many students seek the master initiation for their own purposes, without any intention to teach, motivated by the misunderstanding that an advanced initiation is a fast path to higher attainment. It may be clarifying to liken the process of Reiki training to that of gardening. Initiations break ground within our being, sowing seed vibrations whose germination is shaped by both the qualities of the inner landscape at the time of initiation (rocky, sandy, acidic, hard, etc.) and by the loving effort by which the seed is tended. In Reiki, that effort is daily self-treatment, which is in turn supported by contemplation and mindfulness of the Precepts.

Becoming a Reiki master is a choice to commit oneself to being a custodian of this conscious vibration. The Reiki master's calling is specifically to initiate others into Reiki practice and to support their development. Therefore Reiki master training is best given through an apprenticeship, an extended relationship between the initiating Reiki master and the candidate, rather than a class.

Reiki masters who initiate master students with only a few hours of training clearly have a different understanding of mastership than those who train apprentices. Reiki master candidates, and indeed Reiki students at all levels, must decide for themselves which approach reflects their values and goals. The accessibility of First degree practice was designed to encourage self-treatment. It was never intended as a foundation for instant mastership.

Professional Practice
All three levels of Reiki training provide instruction in Reiki only; they do not prepare students for professional clinical practice. The clinical skills of creating and honoring a therapeutic relationship with a client must be acquired outside the parameters of traditional Reiki training. Those who wish to collaborate with medical caregivers will also need a basic understanding of the scientific paradigm and medical procedures and protocols, including writing case notes.

At all levels of practice, Reiki develops through self-treatment. As we continue our practice, our Reiki hands continue to teach us. This does not preclude the need for treatment from another. Many practitioners have Reiki buddies with whom they share treatments, or return for treatment from their Reiki master as desired.