Are Reiki certificates completely worthless?
October 1, 2026
The hidden layer of the Reiki precepts most students completely miss
October 3, 2026
It feels like an old-fashioned question. Hawayo Takata, who brought the system of Reiki to the West, charged $10,000 for Shinpiden (Reiki III) in the 1970s, and she had reportedly sold her house to train herself. Today that is not the case. You should pay for a course, for the teacher’s time and its quality, but I do not use the term Reiki Master either: we are teachers, not masters of anything.
It is sort of an old-fashioned question. I am not sure that still happens. But Hawayo Takata, who brought the system of Reiki to the West in 1938, did charge $10,000 in the 1970s for Shinpiden. Ten thousand dollars, in the 1970s. Mind you, she had apparently also sold her house to learn the system herself, so there was always a lot of money involved back then.
Today it is not the case. Of course I think you should pay for a course. You should pay for a teacher’s time and effort, and for the quality of the course you are doing. Of course you should.
The question says Reiki master, which is interesting. I do not even use the term; it is a Western term, an old-fashioned one. I think people are realising that we are teachers, and that we are not yet masters of anything. Well, I am not.
The short version. The $10,000 fee was Takata’s, in the 1970s, and it was as much a test of commitment as a price.
What to look for. A fee in proportion to the hours of teaching, the size of the group and the support after the course. Ask what happens after you finish: a teacher you can go back to is worth more than a cheaper course with no one to ask.
A common misunderstanding. That a high price signals a secret. There is no secret at any level of the system of Reiki; the practices are documented, and the only thing you cannot buy is the years of practising them.
Ask your teacher this. “What does the fee include after the last day of the course?” The answer separates a teacher from a seller.
You might also ask: Are Reiki certificates completely worthless? · Should you charge for Reiki? · Can you make a living teaching Reiki?
Shinpiden+ is priced for the teaching and the year of support that follows it: Shinpiden+.
More questions answered: Reiki Questions Answered.
