Sense and nonsense of Reiki organizations.
First of all: I remain friendly inclined towards associations. Especially if they are of an inclusive character and bring different Reiki styles to one table. For me this includes a conciliatory quality, a topic I like to devote myself to.
Raison d’être of associations
Associations, to put it simply, try to get Reiki accepted by society. A professional image wants to be consolidated. Thereby the therapeutic aspect in health care is usually in the foreground.
For many members the association is also a social gathering place with like-minded people.
Layman and professional
I use these harsh terms occasionally in explanations like this one. The social aspect of an association is often the primary reason for the layman’s membership.
Professional does not at all mean exclusively gainful occupation. Often – and by far the majority – these are people who are deeply committed to and enthusiastic about Reiki. The preservation of Reiki and the assurance of high quality standards is usually the most important reason for membership.
Practitioners and teachers
For Reiki aficionados, self-treatment is a natural part of the practice. In addition, the practitioner also treats third parties – whether for a fee or not and regardless of the degree of Reiki.
The teacher gives Reiki seminars and initiates people, which also activates the access to reiki . Teachers often have a treatment practice and treat and teach equally. For us, for example, the teaching activity makes up about 90%.
Absolutely join an association!
There are as many reasons as there are members. Everyone has his or her own agenda. And that is a good thing.
For professionals – whether users or teachers – I consider it essential that sooner or later they join an association. As a professional, I follow the code that I owe it to my clients to constantly educate myself. Associations are an ideal place for this. Especially if you want to be involved and don’t want to submit to the arbitrariness of an authority – be it political, industry dominated or otherwise.
Many practitioners no longer have contact with their teachers, who could in principle be a source of information and support. For them, membership can be essential. Conversely, the teacher learns a lot in associations – especially beyond the limitations of his own style and Reiki origin. My own memberships were for the most part so justified.
Someone who has benefited from Reiki over a long period of time – in whatever form – has, in my opinion, a duty to share this wealth of experience with others. In an organization there are many opportunities for this.
“I stay out of politics – I just do my own thing.”
That’s my wife’s favourite argument. That’s easy for her to say, because she has me, who has adopted the above code for us and our division of labour, to do that part for us. In addition, she has made her contribution as long-time President and with the revision of the Training Manual over the course of 30 years of Reiki professional life. If you would like to hear her arguments directly from her, take a look at the RTalk ‘Politik’
Nevertheless. It is naive to think that we can do our own thing without at the same time, at least indirectly, being jointly responsible for the “political” development. It is especially paradoxical to think this way when a Reiki teacher tells his students at the same time about spiritual insights that include that everything that seems to separate us is illusion. That we are one – a basic idea that is celebrated with every Namaste.
It is no longer naive when Reiki teachers say: “In contrast to XY Reiki we do it this way in our school …”. This may still pass as part of the teaching material. But when one’s own school is profiled in public in direct comparison with other traditions and the other is even disavowed, then that is offensive politics.
Controversy is not fundamentally wrong. On the contrary, such controversy is necessary. It is part of the daily business in inclusive organizations to constantly wrestle with the differences of traditions. They are therefore ideal venues for controversial discussions.
Timing
In principle, applicants should treat, treat and treat. The beauty of Reiki is its simplicity and nowhere else can you learn more than by treating.
Ideally, the user has access via his teacher to new regulations or laws, to scientific knowledge and quality assurance – in other words, to everything that an association often offers. Particularly at the beginning of his activity, a practitioner does not need to be a member of an association. But as soon as he or she strives for a certain independence or professionalism, the time has come to join an association.
The situation is similar with the teacher. We recommend our newly trained Reiki teachers to teach, teach, teach … and not to be distracted by the grind of an association. However, as soon as they want to teach regularly and also want to find out more outside of our sphere, then the time has come. Later, when they have been active long enough, then associations are also places where you can give something back.
Herculean work
What the volunteers in associations achieve is immense. You can like what associations decide or not. But our thanks to the individual people, who often invest their resources daily and for years, they deserve our gratitude and respect. The most precious of all resources is time. Money is also often invested in associations voluntarily, relatively unnoticed and often generously by many people.
I have now resigned from all associations
No, this title does not contradict anything previously said. To explain this, I am writing this article.
The Reiki Network, ibH, RIO have not been an active part of my life for years. This spring, I have now also said goodbye to ProReiki and ERG.
Association work has always been a dynamic process for me, in which I often slipped into different roles at the same time. It is in the nature of things that there are some construction sites where things are easier than others. For me, … ‘hickups’ in projects were the trigger for my departure. It’s pointless to speculate about the nature of ‘hickups’, especially since these are only momentary snapshots in the course of a process anyway. But even more: trigger and cause are two different things.
For example ERG: actually I could have left ERG after its foundation in 2017, because my personal vision had been achieved. But the euphoria about the potential for development carried me away and I missed this moment. It is nice to be part of a fantastic team, a pioneer for important things. In this way one can easily forget – humanly speaking – what one really wants. In this sense, I am grateful to the trigger that it reminded me of what was essential.
Whether or not my contribution to the work of associations in the past was valuable or not, others may judge. That is not the point at all, because I took part in the work on my own responsibility and out of self-motivation.
This year I turned 67 and the thought fills me with joy … even a little pride, if I am honest. Now I have decided for myself that I have done enough active service in associations. For one thing.
On the other hand: for my future work outside of my active teaching, which I will continue, I am happy to have more of my resources freeded, to be unattached and independent.
My future with associations
I continue to work in and with associations and organisations. So I am available as sounding board, mediator and speaker. My presentations in UK or Portugal are examples and especially my presentation to the French Federation (s. ).
Recently I was an online guest in Reiki Home. At the end of last year, I was invited as a critical spirit at The Reiki Alliance in a worldwide Zoom meeting. I continually support scholars in their work or the scientific database. I have been consulted by speakers at annual meetings in Israel or Russia, I promoted cooperation with efforts in hospitals in Brazil, etc.
My greatest joy and hope is for ERG. Although I no longer play a direct role there, I do recommend associations with which I come into contact to join ERG. I will continue to support the inclusive spirit that ERG enbodies.
The reconciliation work
More than ever, I believe that my greatest potential for contribution today is reconciliation in the Reiki world. Reconciliation within Western Reiki, Japanese Reiki and between Western and Japanese Reiki. To put it in a nutshell.
More on this in the near future. At this point only this: whoever would like to participate in projects with the goal of reconciliation in the Reiki world, please contact me.
Criticism of associations
It would not do justice to the associations and the picture would be distorted if a word of criticism did not find a place.
There is the usual criticism: long-winded, cumbersome, slow to make decisions, a breeding ground for particular interests … I find this petty-thinking, ungrateful and boring. Above all, it is unwise, because it overlooks the usefulness of the same page: consistent, sustainable, democratic and potential for development for volunteers.
My problem with associations lies elsewhere. We need new ideas, new ways. The ‘we’ refers to just about every area of life. Associations are a manifestation of the past and usually adapt to the current state of society. They are not a think tank, an experimental workshop and pioneering force. Even if there are certainly visionaries in associations, and even if there is the odd brainstoring, even a think tank every now and then, they primarily conserve and are not revolutionaries. But that is exactly what I think we need in the Reiki world. If we, Reikians, don’t dare the new, who will?
On top of that, for me there is the inherent paradox with reiki. It is beyond our influence, works ‘to the highest good’ and is untamable – and this is exactly what happens in associations, even if not with reiki but with Reiki. A contradiction that has preoccupied me for many years and which I already mentioned in 2016 in the article about our closeness and distance to efforts of recognition.
Thank you dear companions…
…in the associations!
May our paths cross again. I look forward to it.
Namaste.
René Vögtli
Reiki is so written when Teaching and Practice is meant and reiki is so written when it specifically refers to the energetic phenomenon “from the origin of life” (quote ProReiki).
This article is originally written in German, the translation is aided by DeepL.com.