When I took Reiki Master training years ago, it was a wonderful day with a lot of energy and magic. I'm not even sure I knew what had fully transpired in my energy system until weeks later, as my energy field opened up and I felt a complete shift in how I was viewing my life.
As I prepared to become a professional energy healer, I felt pretty insecure, despite years of spiritual practice and many hands-on experiences under my belt. As I was meditating one day, I found myself wondering, "How can I even become an energy healer full time if I'm afraid to use what I've learned in a professional capacity?"
Thankfully, my Reiki guides were with me, and I had an instant realization that all I needed was a stronger mindset! I knew I had energetic gifts and could definitely offer good healing, but I wasn't sure how to talk about Reiki, or what to say to clients coming in!
At the behest of my guides, I created a Reiki Independent Study for myself. I treated myself as if I was back in college. This time, instead of laboring through thick tomes about Art History, I put ALL of my attention on books about REIKI. đ
I scoured every single library in Sonoma County for books on Reiki. I used the library's transfer system to gather books from all over the library system, and I gobbled up 20 or 30 books on Reiki and energy healing by various writers.
It was the best thing I ever did for my confidence!
Reading helped me to reflect on my own beliefs and values in the world of Reiki. It answered questions I didn't even know I had, that had kept me uncertain about the work itself. Once I exhausted Reiki books, I began to read about other modalities I'd studied in. While my reading has slowed down, regular self-education has been a HUGE part of my life as a full time energy healer and life coach. It's essential.
Now, over the years of teaching students through Reiki Master, I began to realize that there were some questions my students repeatedly asked in the year following Reiki Master. Based on those questions, I assembled a set of books to help instill healthy habits and patterns for all of us as light workers. I think these books are really worth reading!
These are the Required Readings for Reiki Master Training (as of 2022):
Required Readings:
Beattie, Melody. Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring For Yourself. Hazelden. 2nd Revised edition. 1992. (OR available via Audio Book)
Honervogt, Tanmaya. The Complete Reiki Tutor: A Structured Course to Achieve Professional Expertise. Gaia Publishing, 2008.
McIntosh, Nina. The Educated Heart: Professional Boundaries for Massage Therapists, Bodyworkers, and Movement Teachers. Second Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2005. (Get the least expensive edition)
Sincero, Jen. You Are A Badass At Making Money. Penguin Books. 2018
I chose the first book by Melody Beattie because I have received so much positive feedback about how it has shifted dozens of students' lives! (Not kidding!). Tanmaya Honnervogt's book is such a clean and easy read! And the other two books, while not Reiki-specific, address several common issues I see that come up for students when faced with professional practice.
Reiki Master Training this year begins online in June, and culminates in an in-person immersion in Sonoma County, in July 2022! See the website for details!
Recommended Readings (not required):
That said, in my own life I've loved REIKI BOOKS, and I'm not going to list a bunch here, but my hope is that students of HHR will find and read the Reiki books you are naturally drawn to.
Beyond that, I'd like to recommend these other basics, as they are books that have shaped the Reiki Healing and New Age healing industries, especially in the United States. If you would like to 'learn the lingo' of the healer, then these books are must-reads. (But please note, they are NOT required for class!)
Hay, Louise L. You Can Heal Your Life. Hay House, Inc. 1999.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life: A Users Guide to the Chakra System. Llewellyn Publications. 1999. Any of her books, really.
Penczak, Christopher. Magick of Reiki. Llewellyn Publications, 2005.
Roberts, Llyn & Robert Levy. Shamanic Reiki. O Books. 2008. I just personally love this.
Roman, Sanaya. Creating Money: Attracting Abundance. New World Library. 1988. Great channeled writings and exercises.
Stein, Diane. Essential Reiki. Crossing Press. 1995 AND Essential Reiki Teaching Manual. Crossing Press. 2007. She singlehandedly shaped many of the hallmarks of Reiki in the west that we think of today, with her groundbreaking and controversial book in 1995.
There are so many other wonderful books, I can't even begin to list them here. Do you have Reiki books you LOVE? Share them with me in the comments below! And if you liked this blog entry, please leave me a heart as well! đâ¤ď¸
DAILEY LITTLE is a healing practitioner, transformational life coach, ordained Priestess, and teacher who founded Healing Heart Reiki to help others navigate life with joy. She offers private sessions, and teaches classes in healing and mindset from a magical peaceful corner of the world in Northern California. For more info see: www.SantaRosaReiki.com