Certified Reiki Master

My friend recently posted that she's now a certified Reiki Master and has started offering sessions for 175/hr.

Personally, I believe Reiki is pseudoscience, but it got me wondering: if there is this universal healing energy that is accessible to all, do you think it's ethical to monetize and charge for it?

Hi LTK. My answer to your question is influenced by the experience I have had with Reiki, so to describe that first - while my acceptance of its effectiveness is evidenced by the fact that I am a level 2 initiate in the Reiki system, I do not think Reiki is a standalone methodology that always solves all health problems; living is more complex than that, and there's certainly a place for both conventional Western medicine and other alternative systems. After an accident in the 1990's that left me with bursitis in my elbow that my physician informed me would cause lifelong pain, I saw a Reiki practitioner weekly for a period of months; as of today, I am pain free. But if I had something like a broken bone, or cancer, or a rash, you can bet I'd be dialing my doctor before my Reiki practitioner.

So, to your question - yes, I do believe it is generally permissible to monetize a sharing of healing energy. The practitioner is devoting their time and energy to help a client improve his or her well being, instead of devoting that same time and energy to, say, bricklaying or computer programming. However, that said - I also think it's incumbent upon the healer to consider the client's ability to pay. Hollywood celebrities, high-end professional athletes, and business tycoons might be able to afford $175 per hour; bartenders, accountants, cab drivers, electricians, and participants in the gig economy cannot. Most other Reiki practitioners could not afford that. In most cases, $175 and a day or two of time is all it takes for someone to become a Reiki level 1 practitioner and treat themselves for life.

If compassionate healing, rather than wealth accumulation, is a healer's dominant aim, s/he has to accept what that means. It means not scalping your client for all they've got for your service, no matter how desperate they may be or how competent the healer is. It means doing some pro bono work whenever practical. Many alternative health methods, and particularly Reiki, are rooted in a sharing of heart-based energy; it is my belief that when the primary motive becomes profit, the value of the healing is diminished.

Yes, next question.

Anything someone is willing to spend money on can be monetized
Whether or not it should, eh. I think if you're willing to spend money on it, what's the difference between 1 and 175 an hour

I myself am certified in Texas but haven’t picked up the renewal fees in quite some time. I guess it’s ond of those for life things when ya think about it - anyhow - I charged . I also gave small sessions to my family friends - set shoulders toes that type of thing for free. It’s up to you and your balance really - where ya draw your lines ...

Edit : I no longer do it for profit so - I don’t re-certify

If there indeed be any such healing energy "accessible to all", any master of it I believe would do ethically well revealing its secrets to the broader public so that the "accessible to all" bit actually becomes what it says and the magic can at last be accepted into medicine as anything else that has proven effective under scrutiny is.

An objection one could raise is that regular medicine is no more accessible to all than sorcery. That is fair enough. While I appreciate the basic argument that noone should be required to work without compensation, I don't think there is a case to be made as to why it be ethical to render health a commodity, up for purchase by those who bear the necessary material fitness. The restrictions in medical accessibility shouldn't in my opinion thus come from an entry fee, but rather from the intellectual challenge building such knowledge poses and the material costs of the production and maintenance of relevant equipment and drugs. By my moral sensibilities, the same should be the case with any magical skills alleged to chase the same effect.

To me, this question is offensive.

Not because "I can't capitalize on this," but because "a faith's cleric or their healer should be duly compensated for the work that they do to support their communal needs."

e.g., I charge for Reiki and Reiki teaching so I can eat, no so I can get stinkin' rich.

LTK wrote: My friend recently posted that she's now a certified Reiki Master and has started offering sessions for 175/hr.

Personally, I believe Reiki is pseudoscience, but it got me wondering: if there is this universal healing energy that is accessible to all, do you think it's ethical to monetize and charge for it?

Well, as others have said, yes it is ethical.

No matter what you do, time=money. If I hire someone to come over and blow bubbles then I have to pay them for their time. If I agree to pay $175/hr for bubbles... yeah I might think that's exploitative for what it is. I don't make $175/hr and I work in IT. But I took a salary in a competitive field so companies are free to say no and hire the guy charging them less for the same thing. Market forces.

If I can't find anyone else who is willing to blow bubbles for less than $175/hr. I have to decide, as a consumer, if I'm willing to pay that. Now if you're the one blowing bubbles and you know you can charge that much because you're the only bubble blower in town then I would think you were totally taking advantage of people. BUT.... if they're still willing to pay then it's more of a grey area because they shouldn't be paying that much or willingly going along with that valuation of the bubble blowing services.

If McDonald's suddenly changed the price of the Big Mac to $50 there would be outrage and very few sales.

Now I think where it gets unethical is where medicine is already going. We need medical services to survive but it's also a business. If you can't afford to pay ethically they're still supposed to save your life. How far does this extend? Not sure. Not a doctor. But I do know they overcharge people simply because they know insurance is paying for it. And so insurance turns around and overcharges people for the insurance. There's sometimes expensive equipment involved and every time they use the equipment they basically charge you for them buying it. So some of these costs are justified.

But... if you're saying you can heal someone with energy they too have access to and you really have no over head costs and all they're really paying for is your time and you can't even prove that you're actually doing anything that helps them more than the placebo effect... then paying more for that than (just for the sake of comparison) an exotic dancer who actually takes their clothes off and dances on people's laps... isn't slightly mad (imho) and seems more of an exploitation of their belief in the healing power of that energy... which you can't prove is even real or explain how it works. But if you think your time is worth $15/hr then the reiki healing is worth $15/hr (because there's no other overhead). If you think your time is worth $25 same thing. But if you think you're worth more than what an average doctor (who went to school for 8 years and completed residency and had to pass MCATs and has to pay for all that education + malpractice insurance) makes then I personally feel that's far too excessive to be ethical.

Now if anyone would like to pay me reiki malpractice insurance then I'll gladly sign off on charging people more

LTK wrote: My friend recently posted that she's now a certified Reiki Master and has started offering sessions for 175/hr.

Personally, I believe Reiki is pseudoscience, but it got me wondering: if there is this universal healing energy that is accessible to all, do you think it's ethical to monetize and charge for it?

Reike is a system of control, no different than any other religion. Those that are willing to pay others to provide this service, that they are otherwise fully capable of performing themselves if its is a universally accessible energy, are just lazy. There is no moral dilemma in this choice. Those that choose to pay benefit and those that will take advantage of that monetarily benefit as well. However I would always keep in mind, when engaging in any such activity, that the truly noble Master, knowing what he does, would choose to teach the student to do this themselves, rather than charge them over and over for the privilege.

VixensVengeance wrote: Reike is a system of control, no different than any other religion. Those that are willing to pay others to provide this service, that they are otherwise fully capable of performing themselves if its is a universally accessible energy, are just lazy. There is no moral dilemma in this choice. Those that choose to pay benefit and those that will take advantage of that monetarily benefit as well. However I would always keep in mind, when engaging in any such activity, that the truly noble Master, knowing what he does, would choose to teach the student to do this themselves, rather than charge them over and over for the privilege.

You do realize the reasons that religious and spiritual roles were routinely "granted" to community members who typically were different than the rest of society, right? Because if not, we can have a whole other thread about the reason the norm wasn't cis-het neurotypical able-bodied clergy for millennia of human history.

“, but it got me wondering: if there is this universal healing energy that is accessible to all, do you think it's ethical to monetize and charge for it?“

2 questions

1 what universal healing energy would you have in mind - people and humans have a vast amount of labels for this very thing. I say pretty much every one is attainable to any one willing to listen to a lecture or a video or even read a book. The joy as in life is finding THAT one - that fits ya. Some the Big “R” is gold and for some it’s mere sand. So what - which - whose universal form of healing and energy ya shopping for or better yet - what ya seeking ?!

2 - should you - YOU charge for it ? I know I have.

Carlos.Martinez3 wrote: “, but it got me wondering: if there is this universal healing energy that is accessible to all, do you think it's ethical to monetize and charge for it?“

2 questions

1 what universal healing energy would you have in mind - people and humans have a vast amount of labels for this very thing. I say pretty much every one is attainable to any one willing to listen to a lecture or a video or even read a book. The joy as in life is finding THAT one - that fits ya. Some the Big “R” is gold and for some it’s mere sand. So what - which - whose universal form of healing and energy ya shopping for or better yet - what ya seeking ?!

2 - should you - YOU charge for it ? I know I have.

1) For the sake of argument, since I don't believe in any type of healing energy that can be conferred based on Reiki (beyond placebo benefits), let's just say the energy I'm asking about is the kind tapped into during a Reiki session.

2) It's probably my own preconceived prejudices but when I read the Bible as a kid, I don't recall Jesus asking for payment when performing a healing service. If Reiki is a healing service shouldn't it be free, even if it takes time?

If it's your living, I can see it's hard to not charge for it, but if it's something you do on the side because of your love to heal others, monetizing it seems odd to me. In my old religion we called it priestcraft if you charged money for using sacred powers to help others.

I can also see not charging anything and instead leaving an option for a donation.

LTK
Thanks for sharing even though you are not a believer. Thank u
Any answer is like asking a Jeddist- what’s the Force ?
I can only answer for what I can and do .. do. (Ha , I said do do)
For me it comes to real life : Relief
After every session: do YOU feel differently. Is there relief ? Can u bend now without pain ?( this one is kinna to each practitioner their own but) Do you feel ... light and reset ? These are questions I asked my peeps. Real answers to real questions never ... thank you I’m done : exit through the gift shop thank you ! For me : as far as energy is concerned - that’s usually on the person and how their body reacts sometimes and even if it was accepted - thought for a bit - the sound of water has been know to heal - yet no touching or even controlling of it is present ... same can be said of fire ... wind ... nature and yet there’s no visuals way to track it / yet at these moments they are met - there IS a difference in thought action and entire being sometimes. Even just a memory can do that - a memory of fear or joy can be tapped into and remove anxiety pain stress so on and so forth.
Energy is different for each practitioner but the general idea is let the body work. Let it respond . Let the taker take and the giver ... give.

My wife tells me sometimes : can u get me a drink - and I joke sure - your paying for it ! ( marriage and wife dynamic as head of household joke)

A selfless idea only asks you to rid yourself of .., u ... empty cup gets ... kinna same thing here. Taking time and effort takes .. well .. time and effort lol . Cost good to live good some days. Cost good to learn good too some... Smiley face !

LTK wrote:
2) It's probably my own preconceived prejudices but when I read the Bible as a kid, I don't recall Jesus asking for payment when performing a healing service. If Reiki is a healing service shouldn't it be free, even if it takes time?

If it's your living, I can see it's hard to not charge for it, but if it's something you do on the side because of your love to heal others, monetizing it seems odd to me. In my old religion we called it priestcraft if you charged money for using sacred powers to help others.

I can also see not charging anything and instead leaving an option for a donation.

What you said about Jesus is true. Rabbi were not allowed to charge to teach Torah and instead had to rely on their trades. If they were from a priestly family they might get a stipend from the temple, but if they were laborers then they were probably still doing that during the week. I think most people have this idea that Jesus taught every single day but that really doesn't make sense; like saying a mob of people had nothing better to do and could afford to follow him around every day without working

But priests on the other hand were absolutely paid, although indirectly. Since they weren't given land (but rather cities) they were beneficiaries of the tax revenue of the state. On top of that people who sacrificed food, that food was eaten by the priests. So one could call that payment or one could call the tax benefit payment.

I think this implies that rabbi didn't have to devote a full week to teaching Torah. Everyone had to learn a trade and that's what they would focus on during the week. However, since the priest was dedicated to a job where people could come to him at any time, then it makes sense that priests were compensated almost like how insurance works.

I also think that at on many occasions miracles were done in conjunction with hospitality. In other words, either Jesus was already a guest and being served by a host or this hospitality was provided after the miracle. We can see one example of this when the Roman's daughter was healed. I think this exchange of hospitality was simply taken as custom and not included in the text. But hospitality was a big part of the culture which is why during the instructions of how they were to preach the gospel they were to basically find people in the city to provide hospitality. And since that has value (food and lodging) it could be regarded as compensation designed to assist in their survival. So I think overall I think the bible supports compensation but not necessarily a set fee or charge. That's why I liked that you brought up donation. I remember when you could get "shareware" and even still today there are sites where you can download something in exchange for or prompt a donation.

Great points ZealotX

If you are a healer, you have an obligation to heal those you must, and you have an onus to help those you can. That does not, however, forbid you from being taken care of in return.

steamboat28 wrote: If you are a healer, you have an obligation to heal those you must, and you have an onus to help those you can. That does not, however, forbid you from being taken care of in return.

Absolutely, I agree. The exact price is of course an open question, and perhaps a more pressing one is just who is to pay for the care. We are to assume here that the healing energy in question is real and effective. We are to assume a world, for the sake of argument, in which the Reiki session may well become a necessary medical procedure for someone who may well not be in a position to afford it. Shy of regulations to steer her, the Master is now faced with a choice: Do they ask how much health is worth to the suffering and only help them when satisfied by the answer, or do they help the suffering and ask questions about compensation later? We are also talking not about an economic argument but about an ethical one. It is not about what is the just system or course of action, but the moral one.

Basically, because of the "if this healing energy were real" clause, this question is no different from a general question about how to handle healthcare in general. The patient here is perhaps a consumer, but they are no mere customer as they would be if the service was a mere luxury good like it is in the real world, reserved for people with more money than sense. One may morally object to the practice in the real world , as sharlatans are taking money to perpetuate their customer's poor reasoning and questionable beliefs, and perhaps their own, too, but because it is nonsense, it is not fair to charge them with withholding necessary medical attention behind overly tall pay walls. Assuming however a world where Reiki actually works beyond placebo effects changes that. The Master is not selling a product, but offering a possibly necessary service. They should be paid for their work as anyone else, surely, but the question as to who should pay how much is by no means a settled one.

I know nobody asked for examples, but here is my code of ethics on the matter:

I charge for materials and labor on anything I physically create.

I charge for anything I had to pay to learn, or gained through my own struggle.

I do not charge for anything gifted to me freely by the Universe, any of Her designated messengers, or other teachers.

When I charge, I charge based on a sliding scale. That means, if you can or offer to pay more, you will get charged more. If you can offer little, you will pay little, we will barter, trade boons/favors, or i'll give you a freebie if you really need it.

Not saying my way works for everyone, but I paid to learn Reiki. Not much, just a little. But I still paid, so I still charge.

Expectation; if it exists and I profess to address it in some capacity... then the focus is a product of service which could be calculated on things like duration of work at and agreed rate, or contracted amount with duration specification.

If no exectation exsts.... then its more a product of my on growth, so free.... at the least.

They should charge, it is a service. Even if its a universal energy, if someone doesn't know how to use it, they pay for something they cannot do.
I think of it like a car mechanic, since I can't install a radio I pay someone to do it, even if I have the tools at home, I don't know how