Here's the short answer. Start with Reiki Level 1, which gives you the foundation and gets you treating yourself every day. In my view, Level 2 is the sensible minimum before you present yourself to the public as a practitioner. Then comes the part people skip: regular practice, some mentoring, and the Australian professional basics like insurance and membership of a professional association. Master Level is mainly for people who want to teach and pass the system on properly. That's my practical view from years of teaching, not a universal legal rule. Think of it as a sensible path, not a rulebook.
Looking for a Reiki treatment instead? Read about Reiki healing in Melbourne.
Are you already working as a healer and want to extend your knowledge and skills?
Or perhaps you haven't yet started working as a healer, but deep down, intuitively, know you are one.
Somehow, you know that this is your purpose, that this is the thing that would bring you joy.
This can put you in an odd position because if you are like I was at a certain period of my life, then you know something for certain without any material evidence!
Somehow, you might even know that you are going to become a Reiki healer, even if you have never received a Reiki healing session!
Sounds crazy, but I've seen it many times.
Your intuition has a grander vision of your life and somehow knows what is impossible to rationally know.
When this happens, it is simply a question of whether you are going to take the leap, of whether you are going to trust your inner voice.
If you want to work as a professional healer, then you never want to be a dabbler. You want to know your craft.
You want to go deep and become the best healer you can be.
To do this, the easiest way is to find a mentor/teacher who has already done what you'd like to do and learn from them.
This has always been my approach. I've travelled all around the world to learn Reiki.
I've studied it in Hawaii, in mainland USA, in Thailand, in India and Australia.
I've been to Japan many times. I learned meditation in Nepal. I've made spiritual pilgrimages to Mexico. And I've learned from famous teachers and great teachers alike.
I've even had several years where I spent 20-30K on courses and related expenses.
And all along, I had just one aim: to learn from the best, so I could be the best teacher I could be.
But just as important if you want to become the best healer you can be is your personal practice.
For too many teachers, Reiki is simply one of many things they do, and they don't work on their craft daily. For me, this will be the heart of your teaching and I've personally had days where I have meditated 22 hours.
I even once spent 90 hours without sleep, meditating 21-22 hours each day.
I couldn't definitively say how valuable that was, but it's experiences like these that really help you learn more about meditation!
So, if you want to Master healing, then you'll want to work at your craft so that when you talk to clients and students, what you say is based on personal experience instead of theory.
People will then feel your authenticity. They will feel a different energy.
It helps to be honest with yourself about why you're learning Reiki, because the answer shapes how far you need to go.
If it's for you, your family and the odd grateful friend, Reiki Level 1 is a lovely place to land. Plenty of people stop there and use it every day for years. There's nothing wrong with that.
If you want to work with paying clients, I'd step up to Reiki Level 2. It deepens your practice and gives you more tools. That's the point where I feel comfortable with someone presenting themselves professionally.
Reiki Master Level is mainly for people who want to teach and pass the system on properly. It's a bigger commitment, and it should be.
If you're unsure which fits, I've written more about the differences between the Reiki levels.
One thing applies to all three. A certificate on the wall doesn't make you competent. Regular practice does. Treat yourself, treat others, and keep showing up. That's where the real learning happens, and no course can do it for you.
A certificate shows you completed a course. It doesn't, on its own, show you're ready to work with clients. Competence comes from practice, supervision and honest self-reflection over time.
Reiki is also not a profession registered with AHPRA. Some professional associations offer membership or accreditation, and this can be valuable, but it is voluntary. It isn't government registration or endorsement, and each association sets its own criteria, which vary and change.
My practical view is that Level 2 is a sensible minimum before presenting yourself professionally. Even so, please check what your insurer, any association you join, the venues you work from and your state or territory actually require.
If you do see clients, a few basics matter:
In Victoria, the General Code of Conduct sets minimum legal standards for general health service providers who aren't regulated by AHPRA. Other states and territories have different arrangements.
On the business side, the Australian Government's starting-a-business guide is a good place to begin. Most businesses need an ABN, and business-name registration may apply. This isn't legal or tax advice, so check your own situation.
Professional associations can offer standards, ethics, directories, professional development and access to insurance. Their requirements change, so recheck them before relying on them.
None of this replaces the heart of it. A wall of certificates means far less than steady practice and real depth of understanding. That brings me to what many courses leave out.
I became a Reiki Master in what I now call 'Western Reiki' before I ever found out about the original Traditional Japanese Reiki system.
When I studied it, it revolutionized my Reiki practice.
It gave it depth.
It gave it greater power.
And it helped to ground me so that I didn't need to fear getting harmed by negative people and places.
I actually made a video on the key components of all good Reiki courses, so if you want to find out the shocking truth about why most courses today only teach half of the original system, take a look.
If you don't care about the quality of your practice, then any course will do. In that case, my recommendation is to find the cheapest and closest course to you.
But if you want to work as a professional healer, don't be seduced by short-term convenience at the expense of long-term disappointment.
As a (prospective) professional healer, you should aim to become the best healer you can be. You should wish to give your clients and students the richest, most transformative experience possible.
And that isn't going to happen if you aren't given the right tools and techniques.
So unless it is economically and logistically impossible (in that case, any Reiki is better than no Reiki!), I'd recommend making the effort to find the best teacher you can, even if that means you have to travel and pay a little more.
And when you're looking for the right teacher, try to find one that will give you support that extends beyond the two days of the course (make sure it lasts 2 days!).
Because the great thing about Reiki (that you can learn it in a single weekend) is also its curse.
Two days isn't long enough to form a habit. And two days isn't long enough to go deep into the practices you learn.
That is why all Om Reiki courses give you so many materials. We want to ensure that the course is more than just the course.
In fact, to help you hit the ground running, we give you a pre-course (with meditations, articles and informational videos). This will help to energetically and mentally prepare you for the course and, as a result, help you get more from it.
Then, after the course itself, we have a 21-day e-program where we send you more information (to go with our detailed manual) and a video portal (with a free, downloadable app so you can easily access all of the materials).
These will give you the resources to go deeper into your Reiki even months after the course. We also have monthly practice nights in Fitzroy North where you can learn more and meet with like-minded healers.
And, if you ever have any questions about your practice, you can always write to or call us. The thoroughness of our approach has helped many of the 300+ Reiki Masters we have trained go on to become professional healers.
So if this is something you aspire to, we can help.
To find out more, call us on 0417 328 457 or write to info@omreiki.com.au
Happy healing!
Om Reiki Founder – Jeremy O’Carroll
In my view, Level 2 is a sensible minimum. Insurers, associations and venues may set their own requirements, so check those directly, along with your state or territory's rules.
No. Reiki isn't an AHPRA-registered profession. Association membership is voluntary and isn't government registration. In Victoria, the General Code of Conduct sets minimum standards for general health service providers.
If you treat members of the public, appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance is important, and many venues and associations ask for it. Check the cover details with your insurer.
No. Master Level is mainly about deepening your own practice and preparing to teach. Many good practitioners work from Level 2, with plenty of hands-on experience behind them.
If you're just starting out, Melbourne Reiki Level 1 covers the foundations of self-practice. If you're ready to go deeper, Melbourne Reiki Level 2 builds on that work. For a broader view, read how to choose a Reiki course in Australia. You can also browse course testimonials from past students and read Om Reiki's code of ethics.
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