I feel there’s something that needs to be clarified.
When it comes to Reiki, there are two schools of thought:
Those who believe that the practice is open to anyone and everyone, and those who believe that Reiki should be a closed practice.
In this blog post, we’ll make the case for open Reiki practices.
What do I mean by that?
Well, basically…
The Foundation of Reiki Is Inclusivity
At its core, Reiki is based on the principle of inclusivity—the belief that everyone deserves access to healing energy. This principle was enshrined in the very first tenet of the Usui System of Natural Healing: “Just for today, I will not anger.” From this foundation, it’s clear that Reiki is meant to be shared with as many people as possible.
After all, what good is a healing practice if it’s only available to a select few?
Reiki Is Not a Religion
One of the main reasons people believe that Reiki is a closed practice is because they mistakenly believe that it’s a religion. Reiki is not a religion; it is merely a form of energy healing. This means that anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, can learn and practice Reiki. In fact, many hospitals and healthcare facilities now offer Reiki treatments to patients as part of their integrative medicine offerings.
Reiki Is Not secretive
Another misconception about Reiki practice is that it’s secretive or only available to certain, enlightened people. The truth is, anyone can learn Reiki if they want to. There are plenty of books, online courses, and in-person workshops available on the subject.
Seriously, you can find great courses online like this one from Judith, which I highly recommend.
And while it’s true that Initiates (people who have completed a certain level of training) may know more about the history and origins of the practice, that knowledge isn’t necessary in order to perform or benefit from Reiki.
Reiki Is Beneficial for Everyone
One of the best things about Reiki is that it’s beneficial for everyone. Whether you’re looking to improve your mental or physical health, ease stress, or just feel more balanced and centered, Reiki can help.
If you’re interested in trying Reiki for yourself, there are plenty of resources available to help you get started. You can even find session ‘sliding scales’ which means paying what you can afford – making this ancient healing modality available for anyone who needs it!
Open Practices Are More Accessible
By definition, open practices are more accessible than closed practices and Reiki is supposed to be accessible. That was Master Usui’s whole point in teaching Reiki the way we know.
Sure, there’s hard training and practice to be accomplished (and this not everyone does), but anyone can participate in an open practice, regardless of their background or experience level.
Closed practices, on the other hand, often have strict requirements for membership (e.g., you must have completed a certain number of hours of training). This can make them cost-prohibitive for some people and exclusive in nature.
Open practices remove these barriers and make Reiki accessible to everyone—which is in line with the founding principles of the practice.
Open Practices Foster Community Building
Open practices also foster community building and I believe this is essential for spiritual growth.
When people come together to share in a common experience—such as a Reiki practice—it helps create meaningful connections between them. These connections can then be leveraged to create supportive networks that extend beyond the walls of the treatment room. This is especially important given that loneliness and social isolation have been linked to poorer health outcomes.
Conclusion on the question “Is Reiki a closed practice”?
We hope this blog post has helped clear up some of the misconceptions about Reiki and its status as a closed or open practice!
As we’ve seen, Reiki is an open practice that is available to everyone – regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof.
If you’re interested in trying out this wonderful form of energy healing for yourself, I highly encourage you to seek out a qualified practitioner in your area.
Namaste!
