Rules and Regulations for practising Reiki in South Africa:

​

The long and the short of it is, at this stage, there are none. The  SA reiki community, along with other Holistic Healing modalities, have for the last 9 years been working with the HWseta to get reiki SAQA Qualified and therefore covered by medical aids. The qualifications are now in the final stages of being written and working out the assessment process. Once this is finalised, courses will need to hold the SAQA qualification, in order for you, as a practitioner to be covered by medical aids. However, even if your course isn't SAQA qualified, there are processes in place to get you up to speed. I am currently representing both Reiki and Crystal healing with the ongoing work with the HWSeta, and therefore I am totally up to date on the standards of what needs to be taught. 

​

With that being said, there are some incorrect mistruths being put out there as to who you should study with:

​

1) There is only one respected Reiki Association and if you don't study through them, you will have to redo your courses.

- The only reason you are told to redo your course, is because this particular Association won't accept any other courses other than their own, in order to become a member - please note, very few organizations  / associations worldwide asks that of you. There are at least 4 teachers in Gauteng alone who are teaching the SAQA qualification, and therefore the proper material needed to qualify.

- NO association / organisation in SA has the autonomous authority over Reiki In SA and should not be dictating redoing of any courses. This particular association has also made no effort to find out what Curriculum other teachers are infact teaching, so their assertion is neither fair nor  based on fact.

- There are other very respected Associations to join, should you choose to do so, and you have options.

​

2) There is only one teacher in Gauteng who teaches the "right" qualification, and if you don't study through her, you will have to redo your courses.

- Once again, there are many of us who have the SAQA qualification.

- The SAQA qualification works on modules. If for any reason, there is a part of your course that wasn't included, you would be able to take that module and not have to redo the entire course. But the fact of the matter is, anyone holding the SAQA qualification is teaching the correct material required, and there is no reason whatsoever to have to redo a course.

​

3) There is only one teacher in Gauteng that is recognised in Japan as being the only qualified teacher.

- This is an extremely misleading statement, as this is for one branch of reiki only (and there are many). There are very few teachers worldwide who teach this branch, and it is not the form of Reiki that falls under the SAQA qualification.

​

This kind of competitive and controlling nonsense is very frowned upon within the International reiki community, but sadly is very strong within certain sectors in SA. Just google "reiki and competition" and you will find articles written on the subject. I shouldn't even have to be writing this, as most teachers in gauteng work beautifully together for the greater good for Reiki in SA. And this is why we established The reiki Guild South Africa, in order to try and bring back the energy of working together and not against each other. This comes from a certain sector that for many years had "control". With the introduction of the SAQA qualification, this has ironically put everyone on an even playing field, and the archaic need to control something, that is for everyone, is now being done out of fear of loosing their monopoly.

​

​

Choosing a teacher is actually more difficult than you think. Each individual a has different needs and reacts differently, energetically to people. As a prospective student, delving into this world, you should choose someone who feels right for you.

​

A teacher should give you choices, and not try to convince you otherwise. If they do, ask yourself WHY?

​

Do not accept what you are being told at face value. Ask questions, shop around and find that person that is the best fit for YOU.

​​​​

From my own experience when I first studied Reiki, there were not many options available. I was led to believe that the course I was doing was the only option as it was the only one certified by an association. I was refused entry into Masters as I was very open about the fact that I wanted to teach, and I was expressly told that I could not teach as I lived within 22 kms of my own teacher. That's when I realised that this associations main focus was monopoly and not mentorship. After I left, the world opened up for me and I gained the most fabulous teachers who taught me what true mentorship is, and I want to  and have offered the same thing to my students. I believe as a community we should support each other and stand together and not create a culture of exclusivity which personally I believe goes against everything that Reiki teaches us.I subsequently spent many hours educating myself on what was happening with accreditation in South Africa and now find myself personally involved in the actual process of getting it through the HWseta, which is very exciting. This also means that my course and the courses taught by my past students hold the SAQA qualification.

​

In Frank Petter's latest book, "Reiki: The Legacy of Dr. Usui", There is a section containing an interview with Dr. Usui (The founder of Reiki). In it, Usui states that Reiki is for all and that is why it cannot be owned by any one person.

 

If you spend any length of time in the "Reiki Community", you will find many different practices, and attitudes prevalent. You will find many many caring professionals and practitioners who love Reiki, and enjoy healing others with reiki, and teaching reiki to others. Sadly, you will also encounter some of the following attitudes:
1. My lineage is more "true", "pure", "more direct".
2. Your teaching is incomplete, you did not learn in the "traditional", "non-traditional", "method from Japan" way.
3. Your teaching/training was "with an inadequate teacher".
4. Your Master class was inferior because "you cannot be truly a master because you are not adequately prepared to teach".
5. You are not practicing the Usui System because  "you trained with Master "X" and everyone knows he/she doesn't practice true Reiki".
6. My system of reiki is superior because  "it is more powerful", "more deeply penetrating", "heals on a deeper level", "is higher vibrational", "I have trained in Japan" (and on and on ad nauseaum) 


​

I believe very strongly that all Reiki Practitioners should be properly trained. I also believe that they should practice Reiki and be proficient before they attempt to teach others. However, I do not believe that I am the arbiter of what "good training" is. People need different things and there are masters and styles to fill in all those needs. I am not in any position to judge any other Reiki Channels ability to do, or teach reiki. So having said all that, there are many fabulous teachers in South Africa, and they each teach differently. Talk to a prospective teacher, and even better, find the time to sit down and meet with them and ask the right questions. The best way to figure out which course is the best for you, is to judge by the energy you feel from a prospective teacher. Remember a good teacher should be your mentor for life, so your energies must gel. Spiritual practice should be empowering, so if you find your Reiki teacher is dis-empowering you, you probably don't have the right teacher. Do not get hoodwinked by anyone who tells you their course is the only accredited course, or who tells you cannot teach in the future or who bad mouths any other reiki teacher.