There is considerable confusion as to which Usui Reiki groups or Usui Reiki systems qualify as being traditional Reiki. Depending on whom you ask, the answers will vary considerably. Arguments can be made for and against many of these groups. Which of the following groups would you choose to regard as the most traditional?

• Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai — Usui Society in Japan

• The Reiki Alliance — Usui–Hayashi–Takata–Furumoto lineage

• The Radiance Technique — Barbara Weber Ray's seven degrees of Reiki, also known as Authentic Reiki and Real Reiki

• Usui Shiki Ryoho — All Usui Reiki practitioners who trained under Takata's lineage in the West, including the Reiki Alliance members as well as other practitioners

Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai

The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, founded by Dr. Mikao Usui, is still active today. This is primarily a secret society. It's likely that the Reiki they practice would be the closest to what Usui originally developed. However, the members do not use the term traditional to describe the Usui Reiki system they practice.

The Reiki Alliance

Members of the Reiki Alliance took it upon themselves to designate Phyllis Lei Furumoto as Takata's successor, awarding her the title of Reiki Grand Master. However, Takata never officially made Furumoto or anyone else her successor.

Some Reiki Alliance members don't consider those who have attained Reiki Master Level through non-Alliance Masters to be traditional Reiki Masters. Supposedly, these Alliance members are not happy that the nonmembers never paid the $10,000 fee for mastership as defined by Takata. There is still some controversy over which of these claims and allegations are true.

The Radiance Technique

In disagreement with Furumoto's claim, Barbara Weber Ray announced that she is the true successor to Takata. Ray asserts that Mrs. Takata gave her additional information, which no one else was made privy to. In particular, Takata passed on to her a teaching about the seven degrees of Reiki.

Ray was able to trademark her teachings as Authentic Reiki, also known as Real Reiki. Upon reviewing her Web site, the word traditional does not appear, but Ray does claim that she is the only person who was given the details of the entire Usui system. Considering Ray's viewpoint, one could assume that Ray and her Reiki initiates feel that they are following a traditional path.