The Reiki Cafe 

Greetings and Amen to all,

I just thought I would bring up the issue of titles people have and throw around as an apparent status symbol.

I've traveled around the world many times in my aviation career and nationally in Reiki and I've noticed that people need to have their "titles" to be able to say they are something in this world. This also appears to be true with Reiki masters.

I've had several run-ins with different Reiki masters and when you present an idea to them that contradicts what they have been taught they become very upset and try with all their might to defend their belief. The whole idea of Reiki is to be mindful of your thoughts and "BE REIKI". Attaching oneself to a title only makes a person biased and self-centered and cannot "Be Reiki". "Being Reiki" allows a person to be open to any possibility that can come up during a session and during meditation/prayer. "Being Reiki" also allows us to admit that we could be wrong and that there could be a possibility that another answer might exist. This attachment to titles also exist in some Reiki practitioners. A good suggestion would be to let go of the titles and just say that we practice Reiki. For the Reiki masters, they can say they are just teachers of Reiki. Reiki masters are just guides for the students.

There might be alot of you who do not agree with me but just imagine how the world would be if we had no titles and we just saw each other for the people we are. We just might see the soul of the person instead of only the exterior.

Mikao Usui once said that Reiki is the highest form of energy a human can perform. Anything above that is God's work. Let's be mindful of our thoughts, acknowledge that nothing will be accomplished without the will of God (all religions), and let's "Be Reiki".

God Bless and Amen to all,

Archangel

Well said Archangel
Being Reiki is to me the most importent thing.
I am a Reiki teacher. I know I've not mastered it, So why call myself a Master. The day I have mastered it, I stop learning.I never want to stop learning.

Namaste

Rob

Amen to that!

Oh, boo hoo, you mean just when I'm about to get that coveted "master" thingie, you want me to let it go?

Wouldn't be a bad idea to borrow a concept from the martial arts: when you get to black belt, the title is "Shodan", which I'm told means "beginner".

Blessings,
Aronaya

In many ways, a push to eliminate titles reflects the inverse of those who seek titles - and that does not automatically make it a positive endeavor. By eliminating titles it basically takes those who use titles down a peg for one's own self-satisfaction. No matter how you want to present it, eliminating titles dow nothing to change the nature of Reiki and creates just as much confusion with regard to who's "qualified" as having a profusion of "titled practioners." What could one really hope to achieve by eliminating titles? Forcing people to be more mindful? If seems the problem is really people who are closed minded about what constitutes Reiki - not their titles. Someone can BE REIKI and have a pageful of titles just like someone can have no titles and BE REIKI. But that doesn't mean that everything people call Reiki is Reiki.

If you don't like titles, don't use them. If you like titles, collect all you want. If someone is swayed by a list of titles as long as their arm, then that's a reflection on them and what they value. If you seek what is within rather than what is advertised, then you're that much further ahead of the game.

As individuals, we do not have to accept every "master" that comes down the pike. Nor should we. Likewise, we should not accept everything labeled Reiki as being Reiki. To me, Reiki is a very specific form of energy taught and passed via attunement. There are many similar and related energy practices, but they are not Reiki and I should not be expected to accept them as such.

Total agreement here.
Blessings
Teresa

David,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- is not Archangel a title?? an indication of status??

>:-}}

Reiki all around,

all blessings

Firekeeper

Aronaya,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- yes, just as with the reiki mastership -

- just when you think you might know something that is the time to be more Mindful of learning

>:-}}

Reiki all around,

all blesisngs,

firekeeper

Namaste,

I recently had a conversation with a young man. The conversation was about money. It seems he was having trouble with holding on to it, jobs seemed to be changing too often for him to accumulate any comfortable cushion.

I asked him, when he talked about money with his friends, what was he saying about it. He grinned sheepishly, and said that he complained a lot, that they talked about how money should be abolished and the barter system put into effect....etc...

I talked to him about learning to respect money, because in my opinion money isn't the problem with him, but his concept of it, in his life was the issue.

In the same way, it isn't titles that are important or unimportant...it is your concept of titles that is important. If you don't like their use, then don't use them...but do respect the choice of those who do choose to use them.

I know you are right about the beliefs of other reiki masters....they certainly can get their backs up over nothing, can't they? hummmmmm. Could it be you are looking in the mirror?

We attract what we are. And your beliefs, (no insult intended) do seem to be pretty strong, according to what I have been reading in your posts.

For myself, I don't look at degrees first in a person. But I do look at their energy and how set in cement their beliefs are.

Myself included.

Blessings,

Priestess

Should not the title "Master" be given to us by others and not claimed by ourseleves?.
There are a lot of people out there who have done a weekend course in Reiki 3, who then go on to call themselves master, without intergrating the energy. Ok so they are collecting titles. If that is what they want to do, then that is their choice. If there ego demands that they then tell everyone that they are a Master, Then that is also their choice as well.
A wise man (or it could have been a Woman) once said
" When ego goes, Reiki Flows"
Namaste
Rob

Dear David,

Aristotle said that we become what we repeatedly do. So we can master a great many things in a lifetime.
It seems to me that much of the negative feelings associated with the title Master are very western in origin. Looking back, my first association with "master" was in relation to slavery. The second was the oriental martial arts usage.
Cultural traditions from other countries carry seeds that can grow as flowers or weeds in another contry. I wonder if that is the seed or the soil? Some things just dont translate well in another language or culture.
When I go to a doctor for the first time, I do check the degrees on the wall. Does it mean he is a better doctor? No, but it does tell me where he has spent his time, what he has dedicated himself to, what he feels is important. Titles & history will tell one a great deal if one is willing to look & listen. It is not, however, the full story.
There are master plumbers & gardeners out there & I never feel threatened by the title if one is coming to fix my water tank or help me landscape, except of course in relation to my pocketbook!! :)
I am not ready to accept on the say so of another human being that any particular energy is the highest form we can perform. Perhaps it is the highest level we are capable of in our current state of evolvement. I do not know, but if I had to make a guess, I would guess that pure love is the highest energy. And I do not see myself as having an energy flow right under God. That is getting too high & mighty for me & I object to that more than I do the title master. We are connected to God at all times & we are all equal. But being Reiki does not necessarily make me closer to God. The gift is given, how it is used is up to the individual. If we start with the my energy is better than your energy we end up right back in the trash heap of pride, greed, etc. The closer one flies to the sun, the longer the fall.
Actually, the word teacher carries a great deal of responsibility. Many can master a thing & still not be able to teach it.
Imagine this...you want a doctor or a teacher or a mason or a plumber & no one has titles...who do you go to? It's a nice theory but we are not advanced enough to do away with titles. Something has to evolve in us in order for that system to be replaced.

peace & joy,
holobon

Good morning. I like the way you think.

You said. Something has to evolve in us in order for that system to be replaced. Good one. I think we are the somethings that can make a difference. One vibration or thought of love and light at a time. Can eventually we will raise the consciousness of this planet.

On the topic of titles.

I used to get offended and felt stepped on when someone would practice Napoleans disease (this disease is harmful to yourself and those around you) on me. You know the ones who have it. They have no confidence in themselves or their abiblities so they have to talk/yell really loud throw around their accomplishments/titles so that everyone around them bow down to their dominant ego so they can walk on your back......Now... I send the poor, loud, arrogant people REIKI. Just imagine living in a body where you have this overwhelming need to conquer someone else with your ego. Poor honeys.

The ones who blow others horns make the most beautiful music. The ones who blow their own are in a choir of one.
Poor honeys.

Have a great day.
Be

Hi, David!

For me, when I know someone is Reiki Master/Teacher, It says something about this person's training, something known. So I know the minimum I can excpect. Of course the title isn't allways enough, but it's something. On my path, I always meet a Practitioner or Master that I need for teh time being. Not always nice and humble. I learned a lot from them and I'm very gratefull for all love and encouragments. But on my path I'm allways on my own. Maybe it helped me that I could experience love and warmth and acceptance not only from the source, but from people also. I'm a bit stronger for it. But it's not the teacher who put light on my way. Knowing this, I chose to happily welcome and respect anyone.

Another thing is that it was my choice to be born in this time and society, and it is my path to bring whatever light I may in this body, in this reality. Dreaming about some kind of idealistic world may also be like denial / running away from how things really are. Where I live, almost nothing can function without labeling. And titles and labels sometimes help things look a bit more practical. As for change, one should be aware of the balance of 'now' before make any changes. Maybe one take a very little piece from the wall and the whole building collapse. Brrr...

Love and Light to you

Nadja

you have a point.

Although, I think reiki flows with or without ego...it is energy after all. Maybe it is the strength you are talking about?

However, after a weekend when someone is attuned to III and calls themselves master, isn't it up the teacher who attuned them to explain the difference in that weekend? And like my children who were raised to be truthful and loving persons as children, once they are on their own it is up to them how they behave.

A title is simply a title, it isn't the reiki, just a measuring stick. Sometimes warped, sometimes straight. It is up to you and me whether we believe that it is true or not before we buy into it. Personally I wouldn't go to a person with the title of reiki I to get an attunement...would you? but that is a title also, and we just have to grow up and realize that titles only mean as much as the person carrying it, and to talk to the person if possible, and see whether it is a higher energy than our own before going to that weekend.

In other words, as a wise man (or maybe woman) said: "don't get your panties in a wad over it.

Priestess

Hello Firekeeper,

The same can be said about our birth name in some cultures if we want to go there.

BTW, the Archangel name is only for the Reiki Cafe my friend. Only for the Reiki Cafe.

Many Blessings,

Archangel

Hello Priestess,

From what I've seen and doing some research on the issue, it's not the titles people achieve that attaches some of them but it's the use of titles to impress people that the title owners get attached to. This is also true when it comes to money, in some people.

I agree with you in that respecting a title, as well as money, should happen. But respecting a title you've achieved and using it to impress others are two different things. A person achieving a title and placing him/herself on high and saying "Honor me because I've attained this title" and then treating everyone else as if they were lower then the title owner is not "Being Reiki". My opinion of course.

Always wishing you Blessings,

Archangel

i totally agree with you. i have no problem calling myself a reiki master nor do i have any problem calling myself a certified yoga teacher or a trained illustrator or a professional musician or a published writer or any of the other accomplishments i have achieved in my life.

i am thankful for the opportunities that have presented themselves to allow me these accomplishments and i will not adopt a false sense of humility in order to seem superior to those who choose to use the titles.

be reiki, be honest, be who you are. those who chose this path did it for any number of reasons, accept the beauty and the responsibility that comes with this 'title'.

namaste,
skywatcher crow.

Greetings,

The issues with titles is this, if you look for a title in a person to verify their credentials then that's fine. Your exercising your free will and the title is not being imposed on you. But when a title holder comes to you and says "Don't pick him, pick me because I'm better qualified" then the "mighter then thou" attitude comes into play.

Also, that something that has to evolve is love and compassion for ourselves and the world.

Blessings,

Archangel

i'm glad someone else said it. i was going to post something to that effect but thought i had made my point clear without pushing it.

thank you firekeeper.
namaste,
skywatcher crow.

"There are a lot of people out there who have done a weekend course in Reiki 3, who then go on to call themselves master, without intergrating the energy. "

we all start somewhere. i am really sick and tired of people in this cafe taking swipes at others who choose to take 'weekend' or 'distance' courses.

i will admit to being a 'weekend warrior' all those months ago. i took my hands-on reiki training from three different reiki masters at what you may call a weekend training. i work two full-time low-paying jobs and was able to scrape up the money to pay for these trainings. if they had not been offered i would not have been able to advance to the next level which i knew in my heart i was ready for. while these trainings were short, i feel quite blessed to have taken them.

i have also spent the better part of a year learning about reiki from reiki itself, reading and experiencing first hand what grace and beauty the energy can bring. i have not performed many attunements, but the ones i have passed on have been beautiful, amazing experiences and i feel honored to have been given the ability to share this with others. i have also, and still do, offer (free of charge) any advice or asistance to others who may be nervous about using the reiki energy and/or having difficulty with the various cleansings involved (which can be outright uncomfortable). does this make me any less of a teacher simply because i did not spend over 10 thousand dollars and a year of my life working with a reiki master?

if this does not make me a 'reiki master' in your eyes then so be it. in addition to my reiki training i have spent the past seven months in a yoga teachers-training program. there are some who would argue that one cannot teach yoga unless one has spent years washing the feet of a great guru and meditating in a cave. you can't please everyone. i am happy with my choices and thankful for the opportunities which have allowed these accomplishments.

be mindful of judging others. not everyone has the money and the time to be able to attend year-long trainings with someone. what is it about your own 'qualifications' which motivates you to judge the abilites of others?

i do not claim to know everything about reiki. i learn something new each and every time i work with this energy.

enjoying the grace and beauty of reiki every day.

skywatcher crow.

Sky watcher Crow
I did not explain myself properly. I to did my Reiki 3 training in a weekend, I to had to save hard to do it. I am not taking a swipe at the "Weekend warriors", because I am one myself.
I care about Reiki. It saddens me to see someone do a course and then proclaim loudly that thet are a "Master". Without really knowing what the energy can do, or not wanting to know either.
Ok on paper they are. On paper I am.
But we have all met them. People who give Reiki a bad name by the example they give.
You are not one of those. You use the energy, learn from it,
by doing that you are mastering it.
I would rather have training from you, than from someone who paid $10,000 or any amount for thier certificate and only used the Title to make money.
I have heard some "masters" say that they "would rather teach than give treatments, because that is where the money is".
I was/am not judging the abilities of others, Just making an observation
Sorry if I have offended or angered you
Namaste

Rob

I have never really given much thought to this thing about "titles". What has been said is true. We come across people all the time with titles and when you really look at them they are just like the rest of us. I have found that some of the ones with titles end up with big heads because they seem to get the idea that they are better then the rest of us, but we are all equal no one is better then anyone else.
I will even admit that I like the sound of myself as a Reiki Master, it made me feel like someone instead of just having my regular name. But if I really look at it, it is not so much the title that gave me the self-esteem boost but what I have become involved in.
All this talk about titles comes around to the college/university thing again. Everything seems to revolve around that now a days.

crystalgirl

Hello Crystalgirl,

Always remember that a true master will never impose, and sometimes, not let anyone know he/she is a master. A true master is known by their actions in service to others. This holds true for all true spiritual leaders.

When the last supper occurred between Jesus and his disciples Jesus washed their feet before the breaking of bread.

Again, a true master is always in service to others and never regards him/herself as higher then others. Also, a true master will always attribute his/her accomplishments because of a higher force (God/universal source). It's the free will to let go and let God that makes us masters of ourselves and servants to God and others.

God Bless and Amen to you and all,

Archangel

archangel,

People who are overly impressed by themselves are always going to be around, no matter the subject.

They will always attract people who are overly impressed by titles more than knowledge. It is the easy way. I think that this is part of the lesson required by both.

>:-)

There are those who think knowledge/awareness/etc. come from the outside.

Eventualy, empty titles will fall to the bottom of the barrel and disappear. There is nothing new here.

If we worry about empty reiki titles, then we must not fail to look at Ph.D's, M.D.'s, etc., and remove them also. After all there are the Bogus in those, as well as the "honorary", which is the same thing.

Obviously, you are not going to be one which falls into the cesspool of paying money to someone who recently gave themselves a title. Do you think it will help if we all go after them with tar and feathers? I don't think results are permanent with that behavior.

BTW, if anyone is interested in buying some oceanfront property, I have some in Oklahoma for sale. (I have this piece of paper called a "title" on it, I bought from a traveling salesman)

>;-}

Priestess

Priestess,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

-sssooooooooo, that is where all the snipes went -

- to the lovely marshes along your oceanfront property in Oklahoma!!

bagl, bagl, bagl

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

firekeeper