One of the more frequent questions I get asked is if Reiki's healing energy is universal and all around, how can anyone be so wrong and charge a fee for a therapy service. Sometimes the level of shock and disgust is surprising when a person remarks to me as it is like the energy has become prostituted and the healer is the pimp.
The Philosophical Spiritual Debate: Charging a Fee for Universal Energy
No, people should not charge money for Reiki. Because Reiki is all around you all the time.
It flows when you wake up. It flows when you are at work. It flows when you go to a store and you interact with a salesperson. When you are intimate with another person, it flows. When you are baking a cake, it flows. When you are tending to your garden, it flows. Even when you look at total strangers on the bus and see them in distress and mentally wish for them to have a better day, it flows.
Through each of these events at no time would I ever dream of marching up to someone and telling them they owe me some sort of compensation for that energy.
Understanding the Energy Exchange in Reiki Therapy
So, is it the Reiki energy we are charging money for? Let's apply that logic.
Diamonds should always be free, not one of the most expensive jewelry items, considering they grow from the earth. And water should be free as the lakes, rivers, and rain clouds produce it regularly without human intervention. Why isn't water free? Because it is not the diamonds or the water we are paying for, it is the effort involved.
Putting a Price on Effort: The Reiki Practitioner's Perspective
It is my personal view that if a person isn't putting in any effort or providing a professional service if you are simply healing someone casually, or if the energy flows on its own, then you should not be charging for anything. However, if you are dedicating time and providing something you have studied and trained in, you are giving something from yourself that is yours which, ideally, holds some value and is worth compensation.
Factors Influencing the Decision to Charge for Reiki Healing Services
Things such as the healing space the Reiki healer is working from will attract rent, and if it is a room in their home there will probably be a mortgage attached. Running a professional website, marketing, client diary, follow-up calls, recordkeeping, and anything at all used in the provision of a healing session the healer is making available from themselves to the recipient as a part of the energy exchange process.
Balancing Energy and Compensation: The Healing Space Equation
Do Reiki practitioners charge for the energy? Rarely, if ever. But when something such as this is offered to someone for free, especially if it is offered beautifully and with the best of intentions, I think we send out a message to the universe that our time, effort, and space have no value or meaning.
The information contained above is provided for entertainment purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice on your personal situation and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. The Writer and Shoshin Therapies disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
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