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life has changed.
time for your practice to change with it.​​​​​
​​The world is different. Anxiety, stress and worry are at increasingly high levels and there is a mental and physical health crisis and, I will argue, a spiritual crisis too. The nature of social connection has changed forever and communities and support services are struggling. Some people have not been able to re-emerge into the world, with online interactions being a go-to for many, and for others boundaries are eroding or have gone altogether.
We are in need of modern day warriors.
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Reiki is certainly not a quick fix, especially not for trauma. In fact, it isn't a fix at all. Fixes are the work of modern approaches to health, a way of thinking that one thing within a complex system is broken and a pill can be given to make it work again. Holistic approaches understand that when one aspect is out of balance, it affects the whole organism.
Reiki is the means by which a wisdom greater than ourselves can offer what is needed. ​​​
the world isn’t the same.
your training shouldn’t be the same either.
When looking to train in Reiki, at all levels, it is important you attend with a teacher that you feel aligns with your approach. If that's me, I am absolutely delighted you've found me.
When I was training in Reiki over 20 years ago, I learned with a teacher who did not align with my approach and
IT MATTERS.
Part of my practice at the time was as a freelance tutor of Massage, Reflexology and Acupressure, mentoring wonderful, dedicated and enthusiastic students within a private tutoring centre in Glasgow. I was 'encouraged' by the business owner of the centre to learn Reiki Master Level so that I could teach Reiki, to allow the owner to bring in more bookings and, essentially to make them more money. ​​​​​​
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'Andrea's Reiki Level 1 course isn't just a day course where you learn to do reiki. it's life changing.'
Zara, Reiki student who attended Reiki Level 1 training and advanced to the Practitioner Program.
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Now, there's nothing wrong in wanting to earn more money - money is energy and we all need to make a living - but I learned very quickly that this came at the expense of the students, in more ways than one. Teaching dozens of students at a time in a one day course did not allow for those students to feel confident in themselves and their newly discovered skills. Shortly after, I parted ways with the centre and wished them well, grateful for one of the many learning experiences on the path of my 25 years in professional practice.
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I then started to come across people who had learned Reiki and felt that their training had been lacking. It is amazing what happens when you share your own experiences. There is a general sense that if you are not understanding or confident in using your Reiki, there is something wrong with how you are doing it. Not so. Some Reiki learning stories were shared by people not realising that they had been failed in their training. They had either never trained in Reiki before and so had no idea what to expect or they returned to the same teacher for the next level, not knowing that training could be any different. Every Reiki student should feel energised, excited and confident at the thought of sharing their newly developed skill.
More and more people were crossing my path with these experiences. I took the clear signs from the Universe and began to develop my own comprehensive courses on what I was felt was missing in the landscape of Reiki training.
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'A knowledgeable and compassionate teacher, and she created an environment for me where I felt comfortable to ask questions and to share my thoughts - some of which were really personal.'
Caroline, Reiki Level 1 Course student - read her experience here
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I author my own instructive accompanying manuals; in my own words and from my own experiences as a practitioner and teacher. These are adapted and updated as I learn new things - Reiki continues to be life long learning for me too. Writing my own manuals might not sound like a big deal but - and it may surprise you to learn, especially if you are new to Reiki - most teachers ('Masters') copy directly from the manuals they were given when they first learned, and so in most training courses the manuals you receive are a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy...you get the gist - and it follows that this is the same approach to what they are teaching. Just repeating, repeating, repeating.
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refreshing real.
I have taught many students who have learned elsewhere and they were seeking something new, something real, because they knew their practice was stale and out of touch. Repeating the same old, same old, they were stuck and couldn't find a way forward - this is only natural when an instructor has taken the very same approach in teaching their course.
If this is you then your intuition is telling you that it is time to evolve your practice, but maybe you don't know how. Perhaps you haven't been encouraged to gain personal confidence in your practice; to make it your own, to hear your own voice, to not only LISTEN to your intuition - what the energy is communicating to you - but to ACT on these communications. This is how we strengthen our understanding of energy and develop as energy workers, to have the confidence in our skills and the courage of our convictions.
My Reiki Refresher Courses take into account that you know your precepts and techniques but a different perspective is always useful and a fresh approach needed, along with some confidence building and general energetic direction going forward.
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you don’t need to fast in a mountain cave for 21 days.
Usui Reiki principles were first introduced in the 1920s after Dr Mikao Usui, considered the 'inventor' of Reiki, spent 21 days fasting in retreat on Mount Kurama. We'll not be doing that.​
Reiki is a framework, a structure of learning. It shouldn't be a hard and fast set of rules that you feel you cannot move from. Like all spiritual disciplines, learning the basics, having a solid foundation and a good moral compass are essential before you can begin to adapt, change or evolve and make it your own.
Dr Usui may have come up with the principles in the 1920s, and he created the learning structure for something he called Reiki (Rei: Higher Power, ki: life force energy) but he did not invent energy and he did not invent energy healing.
Just ask The Trees, The Waters, The Skies, The Stones - the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis, Brú na Bóinne in County Meath in Ireland and The Egyptian Pyramids, powerful Stone Elders that create energetic spaces for ceremony and healing - and they're around 4000 years old.
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The Apothecary​
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you're in experienced, skilled hands - and you'll learn how yours can be too.​
My in-person courses have no more than 4 people attending, so often availability is limited. This allows for you to receive the individual attention and tailored training you need. I teach my in-person Reiki courses at my apothecary, just outside of Glasgow, over 2 days - 4.5 hrs on each day - and this allows you to consider, digest and rest!
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In my live online courses, there are no more than 15 attendees and these courses have bitesize sessions to ensure you receive the best possible learning without taxing any of our Zoom attention span limits! Again, these smaller learning workshops allow for you to consider, digest and rest. Learning Reiki can be intense; it often requires a change in mindset and experiencing the world in a different way than how we are conditioned to see it and experience it. This different perspective takes time to shift and integrate, but it happens the more you share Reiki and the more practical experiences you have. This allows for the mind to process actual lived experiences, rather than Reiki being a mere theory. This is incredibly important for true knowledge.​
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You do not need any experience of energy, auras, chakras, Nature, crystals or plants as these are covered in my courses. However, it is useful to have experienced Reiki as a recipient before attending my courses. I believe that this is important before successfully sharing Reiki with others. If you have never received Reiki in a therapeutic setting from a professional therapist, a private consultation can be booked before your course dates.
Embarking on the path of Reiki is not a step to take lightly, I will tell you this. Reiki is not only a learned skill, it is also a discipline and one of personal development should you choose. Actively using Reiki means sensing the world in a different way, one of an energetic dimension, and this brings its own challenges.
But the world needs - now, and always - big hearted warriors, and if you feel ready to fight the good fight, restoring light, respect, compassion, humour, joy, boundaries, beauty and love to the world and to yourself, then this is as good a place as any to start.​ ​​​
Reiki For The Real World is Copyright and IP of Andrea Doran and VOLVA. Please see Terms and Conditions.
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