Pellowah vs Reiki
Understanding the Key Differences

Two Rivers, One Ocean

Picture two rivers flowing through the same valley. One runs fast and shallow over smooth stones, catching sunlight, cooling your feet the moment you step in. The other moves slowly, deeply, carving through limestone over centuries, reaching underground chambers that the first river never touches. Both carry water. Both sustain life. But they do very different things to the landscape.

That is roughly the situation with Pellowah and Reiki.

If you have spent any time looking into energy healing in Melbourne (or anywhere, really), you have probably come across both names. And you have probably wondered: what is the actual difference? Is one better than the other? Should I choose, or can I do both?

Good questions. And the honest answer is more nuanced than most comparison articles will give you. So let's get into it properly.

Where They Come From

Reiki has deep roots. It was developed in Japan in the early 1920s by Mikao Usui, a spiritual practitioner who, according to tradition, received the ability to channel healing energy during a period of intense meditation on Mount Kurama. Over the following decades, Reiki spread through Japan and eventually to the West, splintering into various lineages and traditions along the way. By now it is arguably the most widely practised form of energy healing on the planet.

Pellowah is much younger. It was first channelled in 2003 by Kachina Ma'an in Australia. The word itself is angelic in origin and means "radical shift in consciousness." And that meaning is not decorative. It tells you exactly what the modality is designed to do.

Here is an interesting detail that often gets overlooked: Pellowah was originally developed for a group of experienced Reiki Masters. They were already skilled healers. They were not looking for another way to treat sore backs. They wanted something that would accelerate their spiritual development. And what they got was a system that operates on a fundamentally different level to Reiki.

So right from the start, Pellowah was not designed to replace Reiki. It was designed to go somewhere Reiki does not typically go.

Decorative ornament symbolising the origins of Pellowah and Reiki healing
Flower design depicting the different energy flows of Pellowah and Reiki

How the Energy Actually Works Differently

Okay, so this is where it gets interesting.

Reiki channels universal life force energy (ki, chi, prana, whatever your tradition calls it) primarily through the practitioner's hands and into the recipient's body. The energy typically enters through the crown chakra, flows through the heart and out through the palms. Most Reiki traditions use specific symbols to direct the energy and follow a series of hand positions, moving methodically from the head down through the body. The energy works on the physical and etheric layers of the aura, which is why Reiki is so brilliant for things like pain relief, inflammation, acute injuries and physical tension.

Pellowah does something quite different. Rather than focusing on the physical body or the lower layers of the aura, Pellowah works on the outer layers of the aura and on consciousness itself. There are no symbols. No prescribed hand positions. The practitioner connects to the Pellowah frequency and allows the energy to flow where it needs to go, but the energy is not primarily targeting muscles, organs or chakras in the way Reiki does.

Think of it this way. If your aura were a house, Reiki would be the tradesperson who fixes the plumbing, patches the walls and makes the rooms comfortable. Pellowah would be the architect who redesigns the entire floor plan so the light comes in differently. Both are valuable. But they are doing very different jobs.

One practical consequence of this difference: Reiki sessions tend to involve more physical sensation. Warmth, tingling, a sense of energy moving through specific body parts. Pellowah sessions are often quieter and subtler during the session itself, with the major shifts showing up in the hours and days afterwards as your consciousness integrates the changes.

What Each Modality Excels At

Now here's where it gets practical.

Reiki is exceptional for:

  • Acute physical pain and injury recovery
  • Stress relief and deep relaxation
  • Supporting the body during illness or medical treatment
  • Balancing and clearing individual chakras
  • Immediate, tangible comfort when you are in distress

If you have twisted your ankle, have a splitting headache or are recovering from surgery, Reiki is fantastic. It meets you where you are physically and gets to work straight away.

Pellowah is exceptional for:

  • Chronic emotional and psychological patterns that keep repeating
  • Expanding awareness and consciousness
  • Breaking through mental fog or long-term indecision
  • Connecting all 12 strands of DNA for deeper self-integration
  • Accelerating spiritual growth and intuitive development

If you have been stuck in the same emotional loop for years, if you feel like you are living at half-capacity but cannot put your finger on why, or if you have hit a ceiling in your personal or spiritual development, Pellowah is often the thing that cracks it open.

A pattern I have seen again and again in my Melbourne practice: someone comes in having done plenty of Reiki (and benefited from it), but they have hit a plateau. The physical stuff is sorted. The chakras are balanced. And yet something still feels... off. Not wrong, exactly. Just incomplete. That is usually the signal that the work needs to move from the physical and etheric layers up into consciousness itself. And that is precisely where Pellowah operates.

The Technique Gap

There is another difference that surprises people, and it has to do with how each modality is practised.

Reiki is quite structured. You learn symbols. You memorise hand positions. There are protocols for treating different conditions and clear lineage traditions that govern how the energy is passed on. This structure is one of Reiki's great strengths. It gives practitioners a reliable framework, and it means that a good Reiki treatment in Melbourne will feel broadly similar to a good Reiki treatment in Tokyo or Toronto.

Pellowah strips all of that away.

No symbols. No hand positions. No protocols. The practitioner connects to the Pellowah frequency, and the energy does the rest. It sounds almost too simple. But that simplicity is the point. By removing the mental scaffolding (the symbols, the positions, the decision-making about where to direct the energy), the practitioner's conscious mind steps out of the way. And when the conscious mind steps out of the way, the energy can reach places that a more structured approach might miss.

It is a bit like the difference between a guided meditation and sitting in pure silence. The guided meditation gives you something to hold onto, and that is useful, especially when you are starting out. But the silence, if you can stay with it, takes you deeper.

During a Pellowah session, the practitioner is also instructed not to talk. No checking in, no narrating what they sense, no verbal guidance. Just quiet presence and flowing energy. This is another reason Pellowah sessions can feel so profoundly still. For more detail on what actually happens, see our guide on what to expect in your first Pellowah session.

Geometric flower ornament representing the technique differences between Pellowah and Reiki
Flower symbol illustrating how Pellowah and Reiki complement each other

They Complement, Not Compete

Here is the thing that gets lost in most "vs" articles: Pellowah and Reiki are not rivals. They are collaborators.

Many of the best energy healers I know in Melbourne (and across Australia) are trained in both. And they use each one for what it does best. Reiki when the body needs attention. Pellowah when consciousness needs to shift. Sometimes both in the same week, depending on what the client is going through.

Remember, Pellowah was born out of the Reiki community. It was not a rejection of Reiki. It was an expansion. The original group of Reiki Masters who received the first Pellowah attunements did not throw away their Reiki certificates. They added a new dimension to their practice. And most of them found that their Reiki actually became stronger after connecting to the Pellowah frequency, because their own consciousness had expanded.

So if you are a Reiki practitioner wondering whether Pellowah will make your existing skills obsolete: it will not. It will deepen them. And if you have never done any energy work at all and are trying to decide which to start with, the honest answer is that either one is a fine entry point. You will know fairly quickly which resonates more strongly with you.

But even so, if I had to generalise (and generalisations are always a bit rough around the edges), I would say this: if your primary concern is physical, start with Reiki. If your primary concern is mental, emotional or spiritual, consider starting with Pellowah.

Learning Both: What the Training Looks Like

One practical difference worth mentioning is the training structure.

Reiki is typically taught in stages. Level 1 gives you the basics and the ability to give hands-on healing. Level 2 introduces the symbols and distance healing. Master level comes later and qualifies you to teach. Depending on the tradition and the teacher, there can be recommended waiting periods between levels, sometimes months or even years.

Pellowah Level 1 and 2 are taught together over a single weekend. After that weekend, you can give full Pellowah healings. There is a Level 3 for those who want to go further (it works on deeper DNA activation), but it is not required to practise effectively.

This does not mean Pellowah is "easier" to learn. The attunement process is intense and the shifts that happen during a Pellowah course weekend can be significant. But the system itself is deliberately simple, and that simplicity is a feature, not a shortcoming.

We run Pellowah courses in Melbourne regularly, as well as in Brisbane and Daylesford. Many of our students are already Reiki practitioners who want to add Pellowah to their toolkit. But plenty have no previous energy healing experience at all. Both groups do equally well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Pellowah and Reiki?

Reiki works primarily on the physical and etheric body, making it excellent for acute pain, injuries and physical ailments. Pellowah works at the level of consciousness and the aura, making it particularly effective for chronic conditions, emotional blocks and spiritual growth. Reiki uses symbols and hand positions; Pellowah uses neither.

Can I practise both Pellowah and Reiki?

Yes. Many energy healers in Melbourne and around Australia are trained in both modalities. Pellowah and Reiki complement each other well because they work on different levels of the energy system. Pellowah was originally developed to help experienced Reiki Masters accelerate their spiritual growth.

Is Pellowah stronger than Reiki?

Pellowah operates at a higher vibrational frequency than Reiki, but that does not make it universally "stronger." It means Pellowah is better suited to consciousness-level shifts and chronic issues, while Reiki is often more immediately effective for physical symptoms and acute conditions. Neither is superior. They serve different purposes.

How long does it take to learn Pellowah compared to Reiki?

Pellowah Level 1 and 2 are taught together over a single weekend, after which you can give full healings. Reiki is typically taught in stages, with Level 1 and Level 2 as separate courses. However, learning speed is not the most important factor. The depth of the attunement and the quality of teaching matter far more. See our FAQ page for more details.

Should I try Pellowah or Reiki first?

If you are dealing with a specific physical injury or acute pain, Reiki may be a good starting point. If you are looking for a shift in consciousness, clarity, or help with a chronic emotional or psychological pattern, Pellowah may be more appropriate. Many people try both and discover they favour one for particular situations.

A Final Thought (That Isn't a Summary)

There is something I have noticed over years of teaching both Reiki and Pellowah in Melbourne that rarely makes it into comparison articles. And it is this: the people who get the most out of energy healing are not the ones who pick the "right" modality. They are the ones who stop treating healing like a consumer decision.

We live in a world that trains us to compare, optimise, choose the best option. And that mindset is useful when you are buying a dishwasher. But energy healing does not work like a dishwasher. It works like a conversation between your conscious mind and something much larger. And the best conversations are the ones where you stop trying to control the outcome and just show up.

So whether you start with Reiki, start with Pellowah, or somehow stumble into both at once, the most important thing is that you actually do it. Not that you pick perfectly. The energy has a way of taking you exactly where you need to go, regardless of which door you walk through first.

About the Author

Jeremy O'Carroll is the founder of the Australian Pellowah Centre and one of Australia's most experienced Pellowah practitioners and teachers. A Pellowah Level 3 practitioner and Reiki Master across multiple traditions, he has worked as a full-time healer for over 15 years. He is the author of the bestselling Reiki book The Perfect Reiki Course and several inspirational novels.

Jeremy teaches regular Pellowah courses in Melbourne, Brisbane and Daylesford.

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