The Reiki Cafe 

What do you think about the
Global Reiki Masters Association ?

Probably meny of you who practice only traditional
Reiki will not believe the stuff on their webpage,
but if you look into the mailinglist it seems that many
people report only good things about their work.

So any comments ?

Thanks,

Nenad

Nenad,

Namaste.

In the age of the ATM many feel there is a place for GMRA and the distance attunements without training, etc.

For the most part, I am not one of those.

Reiki all around,

All BLessings,

Firekeeper

Hi Nenad,

Namaste.

I can see that they are trying to make Reiki accessible to more people and I have no problem with distant attunements, level by level and with ongoing support. I received both my I and II attunemrnts distantly, due to personal circumstances....however, I still have on line support from my RM, if I need it.

However, I am not so sure that it is wise to just distantly attune people to Master level without any training or dare I say, follow up. That is a lot of energy for the body to open up to all of a sudden. By going up through the levels, the body gets used to the energy levels slowly.

I also believe that being an RM carries a certain responsibility to it, perhaps to teach and attune others to Reiki. That must surely take a lot of training, to be ready to teach others?

Just my personal thoughts.

Love,Light and Blessings
Helen.

Hello

I have "met" various people who have been attuned by the GRMA in chat and the reactions to the experience seem to vary. It seems to be those who have had "in class" attunements previously and had some experience of reiki work followed by the GRMA have(on the whole) said positive things about the experience. However others (who have not experienced reiki before) and had the attunement have literally said they don't know what hit them...All 3 levels at once - a tripple whammy :o)) - they ask questions in chat which a teacher would have answered in class and really don't know where to start finding information and support - all this on top of dealing with what has happened to them. Soooo the reports seem to be varied and mixed :o))

I can not speak from personal experience and I am not a huge fan of distance attunements. I did have one recently from a friend and enjoyed it greatly but it couldn't compare to my classes. Also I enjoyed each reiki level for what it is, I wouldn't have missed any of them and would not have wanted them all at once...:o)) this is of course my personal opinions - each to their own :o)))

L&L

Snow

Well, it is my understanding, the way the GRMA explains it, once attuned anyone can perform distance, attunements, etc. It is the info that is witheld, not the energy level, which would say you don't get a "triple whammy" of energy. And from what I have read on the board there, so far I have not heard of anyone being overwhelmed. It is also said to be a "gentle" attunement. One person even said she went through a tremendous roller coaster of emotion with her in person Reiki I and nothing with her distant Master. I agree a "student" needs guidance and teaching if they want to teach others. I would assume they would then read books and visit internet sites. I, myself have learned much, much more from books, internet, message boards etc, than my Master taught in Reiki I and II.
I think the work of the GRMA is generous and genuine.
Just my two cents...maybe four...
Bonnie

Namaste ji, Nenad.

I would suggest you join their e-list to get a better feel for what they're about.

I get pretty good vibes from them myself, appreciate their philosophy, and really like the fact that they provide regular free distant attunements for all who sign up.

Personally, though, I would be uncomfortable with receiving an all in one shot, master level attunement, for fear of it being too much for me to handle.

But I can't help but wonder if that is simply due to fear instilled in me through the more traditional teaching?
After all, many people go through hands-on weekend courses without problem. Others go through levels with great difficulty. It's such an individual thing.

In my case, I wanted to experience the levels and to not take any chances with possible severe cleansing reactions. I'm also glad to have found the teacher I did, and to have received (several, actually; lucky me!) hands-on attunements from her.

I've also long wanted to experience the distant attunement thing through them as well, but not until actually ready to move on to level three. (Although I've been lucky enough to have been gifted with more than "my fair share" of attunements, these have not gone beyond the second level as of yet.)

Again, a bit of concern over the cleansing issue--just wanted to wait until the time felt right. Well, it felt right to me just recently, so I decided to sign up for the next free attunement in October!

It will be interesting to see how a distant attunement compares, experientially speaking, with my previous, hands-on. I'm looking forward to it.

Am not expecting it to make me a "master" in ANY sense of the word. That's never been my objective in Reiki anyway. Not that it might not be, some day, but for the time being this is strictly a personal growth endeavor. My main reason for signing up is because I feel I'm now ready to experiencee this next attunement, or empowerment, if you will.

Anyway, as I said, I get good vibes from this group (or I'd never have signed up); just think that whether or not one cares to jump straight into a level three attunement is an issue each has to decide on for his or herself. Not the road I wanted to take, but I think it's absolutely fine for those who do.

Hope this helps in some little way.
Continued Blessings...
Kosh

Bonnie,

Namaste.

Yes, it does not speak well of Teachers who do not Teach - especially since many new students unfamiliar with Reiki (or any healing tradition) may 'believe' that by getting an attunement and a handout they have been taught something.

To this extent, then, I cannot disagree with distance attuements.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Reiki all around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Kosh,

Namaste.

It is 'bad' enough :-}}} that those with training, practice, apprenticing, and all the attunements, hands-on call themselves (ourselves) :-}}}} Reiki Masters.

What is it when someone with a distance attunement or three and 'maybe' a handout is referring to themselves as a Reiki Master?? or believing they are a Reiki Master?

Who does this serve?

I am on a phrik leung in the stew kick I guess. :-}}

Reiki all around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Kosh,
I, too would just read and study the "feel" of the GRMA site for a while. I went back and forth with the decision to "join in" on the September 3rd attunement then finally did. It was a nice experience. Actually a little similar to my experience with my hands-on Reiki I attunement. To be honest I was never sure if I believed in distant attunements, but thought "if you believe it distant healing and have experienced it, why not?" It wasn't until a friend who had been attuned by the GRMA attuned my sister to Reiki II that I saw first hand it was just as real. My sisters experience was much more then her hands-on Reiki I. That was the deciding factor for me. Did yo see on the e-list where a few women have said they have attuned their 4, 5, and 7 year old children with the single attunement? They spoke of no ill feelings or traumatic experiences. They did not attune to make their children "Masters." They just shared the gift of Reiki and will teach them very slowly. (one woman had a son on a soccer team who now when he got hurt, put his hands on his own injury.) That is what I plan on doing. I am going to attune one of my clients Friday (my first time doing this). He has Aids and we have been working together for a year and a half and his health has improved tremendously. In a month he will be moving 4 hours away. Now he will be able to work on himself until he finds someone else who does Reiki (for those times letting someone else is needed) and also on his mother who has liver cancer. I admit, I am a little nervous since this will be my first, but no more nervous then when I gave my first treatments. I also plan on teaching him in "level" fashion, no to withhold, but so that he won't be overwhelmed with info. We will keep in touch since we have become good friends.
I will let you know how it goes.
Bonnie

Namasté ji, Firekeeper.

As I said, my reason for signing up for the October 22nd attunement is not so that I can call myself a "master"; I have no intention of doing so. If I will HAVE to refer to myself as anything, I guess it would be as a "level 2 Reiki practitioner," POSSIBLY adding as further explanation, depending upon the circumstance, "who has been distantly attuned to level 3 without any formal training at that level"... whew--let me catch my breath before I continue...

As for others who would receive an attunement of any sort and consider that simple act reason enough to call themselves "Reiki Masters", that is another story.

I doubt that many who receive these free distant attunements from the GRMA are interested in doing so. In the vast majority of cases, the main reason for receiving these attunements seems to be a simple quest for self-empowerment; individuals wishing to be attuned to Reiki so that they can begin to use the energy to help heal themselves, their families, their friends, and associates.

And I also do believe it is possible for an individual to attain as high a level of so-called *mastership* through his or her own pursuit of such as it is for those who attend formal classes and receive formal training.

I would not condone anyone simply receiving an attunement (whether free and distant, OR expensive and hands-on), then hanging out a shingle professing themselves to be "Reiki Masters", or worse yet, "Master/Teachers". And neither would anyone connected with the GRMA condone such an act.

For those relatively few out there who WOULD do such a thing, that, as far as I am concerned, is "on them". I still believe (I realize that in this, too, our opinions differ) it is up to the seeker/student to find the right (and reputable) teacher, up to the one wishing to be healed to find the right (and reputable) healer, for him or her self. It seems to me that now, more than ever, that is what we are moving toward... an age of SELF empowerment, with all the personal responsibility that entails.

That does not mean I condone the actions of disreputable teachers or healers. I am just not going to unduly concern myself with them. I've come to believe that one of my life missions this time around is to take in what has truth and meaning for me, and to disregard the rest (all the while trying to keep in mind that "the rest" may have a validity that is simply apart from my own). And maybe to help inspire others to do the same, or at least, to help them realize they have permission to do so.

There are many wonderful healers out there who have had no formal training at all, just as there are, I am sure, many not-so-wonderful healers out there who HAVE been extensively *trained*. Training does not necessarily make one a healer, just as a lack of such does not necessarily make one any less a healer.

I was led to Reiki not so much, I believe, to become a *healer* (except maybe of myself), as to establish a closer, more discernible and constant sense of my own personal connection to Spirit. That is the greatest Gift that I have received form Reiki. And for that, I believe, all that is really necessary are the attunements, and very little else.

In my opinion, the GRMA is providing a most valuable and noble service.

Continued Blessings On Our Way...
Kosh

PS Forgive my ignorance, Firekeeper, but as a long-time vegetarian, I need to know whether or not I should be spitting out the phrik leung!!

firekeeper said on 9/21/2000 11:30 AM

>Kosh,
>
>Namaste.
>
>It is 'bad' enough :-}}} that those with training, practice, apprenticing, and all the attunements, hands-on call themselves (ourselves) :-}}}} Reiki Masters.
>
>What is it when someone with a distance attunement or three and 'maybe' a handout is referring to themselves as a Reiki Master?? or believing they are a Reiki Master?
>
>Who does this serve?
>
>I am on a phrik leung in the stew kick I guess. :-}}
>
>Reiki all around,
>
>All Blessings,
>
>Firekeeper
>
>

Kosh - by gosh,

Namaste. :-}

I am all in favor of self-empowerment.

I am also in favor of the opportunity for Teachers to assess their students directly, provide feedback, etc.

I do not doubt the Intent of GRMA - that does not mean I necessarily agree with all the practices or the possible consequences of those practices.

To some extent I see the proliferation of distance attunements (and who knows how many are offered by those who were distance attuned themselves?) as a certain element of anarchy within the "reiki world" - and I feel that no species, culture or even smaller tradition has ever survived when its members feel embracing anarchy is the same as expressing personal freedom, choice, or whatever.

If you do not get along well with argueably the hottest chilis in the world, then by all means spit out the phrik leung - even before you cook with it. :-}}}

the phrik leung is a Thai super-hot.

Myself, I am an omnivore. Since my first (and only) encounter with them many years ago, now I don't get in the same room with them if I can help it. :-}}}

Reiki all around,

All Blessings,

Firekeeper

Ah, yes. I think I've been burned by a few of those myself (thought I was gonna DIE!!!) After the first time, you'd THINK one would learn a lesson, wouldn't you? I try to be more careful now, but as I DO tend to like that spicy stuff (and showing that "I can take it"), I would sometimes get a bit careless.

(Somehow I sense a lack of surprise on the part of Firekeeper! grin )

Anyway, thanks for the lesson...
Kosh

PS Actually, been steering away (SOMEwhat) from the spicy food, at least during the warmer months (now that I realize a connection between it and rosacea flare-ups);
maybe that's why I find myself jumping into the more heated discussions of late?! If I can't have it in the curry...

firekeeper said on 9/22/2000 3:38 PM

>the phrik leung is a Thai super-hot.
>
>Myself, I am an omnivore. Since my first (and only) encounter with them many years ago, now I don't get in the same room with them if I can help it. :-}}}
>

Kosh,

Namaste.

Didn't someone once suggest that "we are what we eat?" - at least temporarily? :-}}

But perhaps that was said to 'curry' favor with a good chef.

:-}}

Reiki all around,

All Blessings,

Firekeepr

Kosh and anyone interested,
Well, I did it. Friday my first attunement after being attuned by the GRMA. (I have been Reiki II for last 4 years). I told you I would be back to share the experience. I wanted to attune my client who will be moving away in a month. So, with notes in hand we began. I have to admit being the first time, I felt like I fumbled here and there, panicked at one point and got confused with symbols (even the ones I have been using forever) and felt I had rushed through it. When I was done, he said he was so relaxed and wasn't aware of "me" at all. So we continued with his regulary weekly hour long Reiki session. When I was done and he came up from my room, I told him how I would feel better if I could sent him the same attunement (distance) later that night. (We didn't set a time...I just sent.) He agreed. So I did and it went much smoother of course, no pressure. Well, checked in with him the day after and his excitement was infectious! He said when he got home he felt wonderful! He slept wonderful, something that he has not been able to do for quite some time. But the thing that most amazed him was his dog. After I attuned him I told him "practice, practice, practice" and Reik, Reiki, Reiki yourself." Then I told him how pets love it. He has a one year old boxer. He went on to tell me how he always massages the dog. On the neck, behind the ears, the back, etc. I said ok continue, do some Reiki and just see if you notice anything different. He said it was so different! The dog was just in love with him and seemed to be thanking him by licking and rubbing his head on him. Then he was just pooped out half on the couch and half and his master's lap. He said this reaction was not at all like his usual massages. So, I was glad to hear my fumbling did not stand in the way of Reiki. I as glad to hear his excitement. I LOVE when people are as excited as me about the beauty and simplicity of Reiki.
So, there you have it. I admit, I have a lot of practicing to do where attunements are concerned, but think I have just learned first hand what we all have been told..."You can't do it wrong, you can't make mistakes."
So, good luck on your October 2 attunement. Look forward to reading about your experiences in the future.
Bonnie

Namaste ji, Bonnie.

Thank you for returning to share your experience; it's always nice to hear people's stories.

I'm glad to hear everything went so well for you!

Continued Blessings On Our Way...
Kosh