Student Resources

Recommended Books

No matter what level of Reiki you have, it’s a great idea to keep learning. Every teacher has something beautiful and meaningful to share. Here are a few books I’ve read and recommend in no particular order.

Reiki for Dummies by Nina L. Paul

This book is perfect for what it is. It is extremely down to earth, easy to read, very informative and well-written. It will help to provide you with tips on all kinds of Reiki and Reiki-related subjects such as working with crystals. It would be a good candidate for a manual for classes as well as a tool to help your loved-ones understand what Reiki is.

The Reiki Sourcebook by Bronwen and Frans Stiene

The authors have compiled an impressive, well researched, neutral reference book. I particularly enjoy the detailed listing of Japanese and Western Reiki techniques that includes illustrations. Also interesting are the lineage charts outlining how Reiki has changed and grown and how the different branches of Reiki have come about.

Magick of Reiki: Focused Energy for Healing, Ritual, & Spiritual Development by Christopher Penczak

As a Wiccan, the point of view put forth by Penczak is unique, but don’t let that stop you from being interested in this book. It’s well-written, thoughtfully organized and aimed at both the novice and experienced practitioner. I particularly appreciate his meditations and use one of them in my Level II class. He likes symbols and includes many of them in the book which may be of particular interest to those who share his passion.

Sacred Path or Reiki: Healing as a Spiritual Discipline by Katalin Koda

This is another possible manual or textbook candidate for Reiki/Master teachers. Like Penczek, Koda is Wiccan but is also a student of Tibetan Buddhism and a yogini which has shaped her perspective. She’s taken the archetype of the warrior and created a new approach: that of the Reiki Warrior. It is well-written, contains great information on the chakras and lots of client stories which serve to make this book relatable and informative.

Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art by Diane Stein

Every author has a bias and each book has to be viewed within its historical context. With this book, it’s good to know from the outset that Stein is a feminist, and comes almost exclusively from this slant. Essential Reiki is historically groundbreaking and important because when it was published in 1995, Reiki was taught almost exclusively in the West in a traditional manner. That means that there was virtually no sharing of what Reiki is, how it works, its (sacred equals secret) symbols and how to perform attunements outside the cloistered community of Reiki practitioners. She really blew it all out of the water with this work. It was the first book to explain all of the information to the public and is still pertinent. If you can get past it being a bit alienating to some because of its feminist orientation and its proclamations about Reiki’s history that cannot be supported by documentation, it’s a wonderful reference.

Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide by Pamela Miles

Miles, who has been practicing Reiki since 1986, is in my opinion the leader in the U.S. for the Reiki as medical treatment movement. She works with hospitals and is a personal friend of Dr. Oz. Her voice is an important one for the future of Reiki. It’s difficult for me to conceive that relatively soon Reiki will not be as embraced by the allopathic medical community as acupuncture is. Please note that this book is not instructive at all—which means it is not actually a comprehensive guide, contrary to its title. Instead, it is best for those who are already familiar with Reiki, who are looking for ways to describe it to medical professionals or to those who are in the medical community and want a better understanding of the topic.

Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field by Barbara Ann Brennan

This is not a Reiki book. It is, however, an important reference for anyone who is interested in human energy. It contains amazing illustrations that include the workings of the chakras and what the energetic body layers look like to a clairvoyant. Also included are detailed charts of not only where various imbalances reside, but also how the physical body parts relate to specific chakras. Although it was written a good while ago, published back in 1988, it is exceedingly relevant today. Be aware that Brennan is a physicist and psychotherapist and presents the material in a clinical and scientific manner and as a result it can be quite dense. Give yourself some time to get through it—it’s definitely worth the effort because you may find yourself consulting it over and over in the future.