| Reiki and charging money - a highly charged subject | | | | Reiki is gaining popularity in the UK as a healing |
| indeed! | | | | modality. Many clients come to me for healing |
| If you are not of the Reiki community, you could be | | | | anxiety, depression, joint pain, arthritis, and many |
| forgiven for thinking that anyone working for free or | | | | other conditions with Reiki. At the same time, many |
| almost free is totally mad. | | | | healers have been received their Reiki |
| So what is it about Reiki that is contradictory to | | | | professional-level training in a very short workshop or |
| charging for one's time? Nothing. As a matter of fact, | | | | even in half an hour over the internet! They do not |
| Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, advocated an | | | | have the necessary training for client care, clinical |
| exchange for the healing in order to empower the | | | | practice, the law, tax, conditions requiring urgent |
| healee to take an active part in their healing process. | | | | medical attention, and health and safety. Quite rightly, |
| And how did the Reiki healing community get to this | | | | these Reiki healers, although on paper possessing the |
| point? | | | | Reiki healer certificate, know that they are in no |
| History has a part to play. When Reiki first came to | | | | position to charge. Unfortunately, many of these |
| the West, people were charged obscene amounts of | | | | healers are simply unaware that Reiki is more than a |
| money to become a Reiki healer. This was not a true | | | | quick initiation and nice warm feeling. No-one has told |
| reflection of the value of the initiation and teaching to | | | | them! They have been taught by a Reiki Master |
| the healer, and healers rebelled against this at the | | | | teacher after a quick buck or (and this is more |
| first opportunity. | | | | usually the case) just as ignorant themselves. |
| Then again, there is the way in which Reiki at a | | | | Add to the above the proliferation of Reiki healers in |
| professional level spread through the world. From a | | | | the UK today, where competition drives prices down. |
| purely financial point of view, it was largely, and for | | | | If one has little or no business training, it is easy to |
| many still is, a cottage industry for housewives, the | | | | make the assumption that if you charge less, you will |
| disabled, retirees, and people already in work looking | | | | get the work. The fact is that if you charge less, you |
| for a second income. It is very easy for anyone in | | | | starve. Hence many Reiki practitioners give up the |
| this situation to miscalculate their true overheads. It is | | | | idea of doing Reiki full-time, as they need to make a |
| even easier not to need to make a living with Reiki if | | | | living and cannot survive on what they charge. This |
| there is already a source of income, be it a loving | | | | leads to many Reiki healers competing for even less |
| husband, disability benefits, a pension, or a secure job. | | | | money, as they can afford to offer it for less |
| There is also the driver which leads us to Reiki in the | | | | part-time. |
| first Place. Most of us come to Reiki because of a | | | | There is also an element of self-esteem. Many Reiki |
| need for physical or emotional healing. This may be | | | | healers have been drawn to Reiki in order to heal low |
| our own need or that of a loved one whom we | | | | self-esteem. Somehow along the line, they take |
| know is suffering. Immediately after the initiation, a | | | | professional training but do not complete their |
| Reiki healer starts self-healing each day, and soon | | | | self-healing. I do not blame them, as often self-healing |
| progresses onto healing loved ones in need. The | | | | can be painful! But if one doesn't value oneself, one |
| emphasis is on self-development and helping loved | | | | simply does not charge for services given or charges |
| ones. The Reiki healer then spends months or years | | | | very little. |
| in this relationship with Reiki, and it is very hard to | | | | Then there is the weirdness of the Reiki session as a |
| suddenly switch to having a financial relationship with | | | | process. To many, this feels like just laying the hands |
| Reiki too. | | | | on the healee and "doing nothing". With time and |
| Then again for many, Reiki is a spiritual discipline, and | | | | experience, a Reiki healer becomes an active |
| for many, spirituality is misunderstood as being | | | | participant in the healing process, and even if this |
| divorced from monetary gain. I feel that Reiki is | | | | never happens, the results that clients report back |
| about unconditional love, and that spirituality is about | | | | are too astounding to be ignored! Somewhere along |
| abundance for the highest good. Let me illustrate. | | | | the line with many healers though, they begin to |
| Sandra goes to work on a chicken battery farm, | | | | doubt that the are "doing anything" and of course if |
| where chickens are bred to have chests that are so | | | | one is "doing nothing" then one has to charge nothing! |
| heavy, these birds have been proven scientifically to | | | | And then there are those erstwhile healers that give |
| be in constant pain. Sandra has also learned Reiki to | | | | Reiki sessions as part of their job, albeit unofficially. |
| professional level but since Reiki is spiritual, she will | | | | Since it is unofficial, they do not view the Reiki as |
| not charge for her Reiki sessions. If she does charge, | | | | paid employment, even though they are being paid |
| it is not a sufficient amount to enable her to give up | | | | and are working as Reiki healers. |
| her job at the chicken battery farm. But Mikao Usui | | | | My hope is that as Reiki becomes more accepted, |
| told us to be gracious to every living thing, and | | | | this will lead to the support of the Reiki healers that |
| Sandra tortures chickens for a living! Society's | | | | do want to work professionally. This way, more Reiki |
| standards about spirituality, handed down over the | | | | healers will be able to work full-time. The result? |
| ages for the rich to control the poor, are to blame. | | | | Freedom for chickens would be nice! |