How to Become a Reiki Master Online: Certification From Reiki 1 to Master
Updated: Sep 29
To become a Reiki Master, you move through the three levels of Usui Reiki in order: Reiki 1, Reiki 2, and Master. At each level you receive an attunement, learn that level's practices, and live with them for a while before you go on. You can do all of this online. The attunements are given at a distance, and the online course carries the same lineage and teachings I give in person.
I founded the Wu Wei School of Reiki in 1998. Since then I have trained more than 1,000 practitioners, in person and online. I am a licensed acupuncturist and the author of The Reiki Handbook: Beginner to Master Level. This post explains what Master certification is, how the online path works, and how to tell whether you are ready.
What a Reiki Master is
A Reiki Master has completed the third level of Usui Reiki. In Japanese that level is called Shinpiden, "the mystery teaching." At this level you receive the master symbol, Dai-Ko-Myo. You deepen your own practice, and you learn how to pass Reiki on to others.
The certificate marks the beginning of a practice. Some people come to Master level because they want to teach. Many come simply because Reiki has become part of how they live, and they want the whole of it.
The three levels of Reiki
Mikao Usui taught Reiki in three levels, and the Western names follow them.
Reiki 1 (Shoden, "the beginning teaching"). You receive your first attunement, learn the five precepts, and begin a daily self-practice. Most of Reiki 1 is about giving Reiki to yourself, and then to the people and animals around you.
Reiki 2 (Okuden, "the inner teaching"). You learn the three Reiki symbols and how to send Reiki at a distance. Your practice widens beyond the reach of your hands.
Reiki Master (Shinpiden, "the mystery teaching"). You receive the master symbol and learn how to attune others.
Can you really become a Reiki Master online?
Yes. This is the question most people are really asking, so here is a direct answer.
Reiki is not bound by physical distance. That is why distance Reiki works at all, and it is taught at Reiki 2 in every Usui lineage. An attunement works on the same principle. It opens and amplifies the Reiki already moving through you, so the flow becomes clearer and stronger.
I have given attunements in person and at a distance for many years. Students tell me the same thing either way: warmth, tingling, emotion, sometimes nothing obvious at first and then a steady change over the following weeks.
What online learning asks of you is practice. Nobody is in the room to remind you. The students who do best give themselves Reiki every day, even for a few minutes, and do not rush from one level to the next.
You can read more in Reiki Attunement: What It Is and What Actually Happens and Distance Reiki: How Remote Healing Works.
How long it takes
You can move through the online course at your own pace. My advice is to give each level time to settle into your body before you go on. Reiki 1 in particular deserves a stretch of daily self-practice before Reiki 2.
It is also true that the maturity of a Master grows over years. Your hands keep learning long after the certificate is on the wall. I say more about this in How Long Does Reiki Training Take?
What to look for in an online Reiki Master course
Whoever you choose to learn from, these questions help:
Who attuned the teacher, and how long have they been teaching?
Does the course teach a daily self-practice, or only techniques for other people?
Are all three levels taught in order, each with its own attunement?
Is there a real person behind the course, and a community to practice with?
Is the price stated plainly?
The Complete Path: Reiki 1 to Master, online
My online course is the Complete Path, and it takes you from Reiki 1 through Master level in the Wu Wei School of Reiki. It includes:
Distance attunements at Reiki 1, Reiki 2 and Master
The teachings and practices for each level
A printed certificate at each level
The Temple of Light, our private student community on WhatsApp
One free one-hour session with a Wu Wei practitioner, online or in person, booked within 30 days of enrolling
The Complete Path is $1,000, or six payments of $175. If you would like to begin more gently, Reiki 1 on its own is $250.
Not ready to enroll yet? Start with my free audio, How to Become a Reiki Master.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a Reiki Master certification online?
Complete Reiki 1, Reiki 2 and Master level in order with a teacher who gives distance attunements at each level. In the Wu Wei School of Reiki, all three levels are in the Complete Path, with a printed certificate at each one.
Do distance Reiki attunements work?
Yes. Reiki is not limited by physical space, which is why distance healing is taught at Reiki 2. An attunement opens and strengthens the Reiki already in you, and it works at a distance the same way it works in person.
Do I need Reiki 1 and 2 before Master?
Yes. Master level builds on the practices and symbols of the first two levels. The Complete Path includes all three, in order.
What is the difference between a Reiki Master and a Reiki Master Teacher?
A Reiki Master has completed the third level. A Reiki Master Teacher has also been trained to attune others. Some schools treat these as two separate steps.
How much does online Reiki Master certification cost?
In the Wu Wei School of Reiki, the Complete Path from Reiki 1 to Master is $1,000, or six payments of $175. Reiki 1 alone is $250.
Do I need any experience?
No. Reiki 1 begins at the beginning. If you have felt called to Reiki, that is enough.
By Bronwyn Ayla, L.Ac., founder of the Wu Wei School of Reiki. Bronwyn teaches in the Usui Reiki lineage descending from Mikao Usui through Chujiro Hayashi and Hawayo Takata.
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