In March, I crossed the finishing line on my last legs: the Reiki documentary and the accompanying archive, which I had been working on for a year and a half, were released. Just three months later – just as we were heading to Sikinos for the summer – we received some very bad news.
The Bad News
I had made the video archive with its historical material available on Vimeo. Out of the blue, the platform decided to discontinue its services or demand terms that I was unwilling to impose either on the Reiki community or on myself. This came at a time when I had already been increasingly rubbing my eyes at our dependence on American tech giants.
The video work is a service to the Reiki community. Good work needs to be financed, which is why the videos were originally intended to be offered for a fee. The sudden disappearance of Vimeo therefore meant not only the loss of the documentation for many viewers, but also an existential threat to us. It was important not to react in panic and jump from the frying pan into the fire, but to take a considered approach to finding and implementing a sustainable solution.
The Solution
Our Plan B helped us keep calm: YouTube. And then there is Adriano Fattizzo, my long-standing partner, who is responsible for design and technology. He is a source of thoughtfulness, competence and – ! – hands-on implementation.
First of all, Adriano and I went back to our shared values: independence and fairness. We looked for an elegant, aesthetic and user-friendly solution. One example: although we created the subtitles using technology, the many foreign-language versions were subsequently carefully reviewed and revised by real people.
Of course, you cannot become completely independent of monopolists overnight, but through our own innovation we have achieved a considerable degree of liberation. I cannot applaud Adriano enough for this!
In future, our archive videos will be directly and freely accessible. A voluntary donation can be made, but it is not required. That this means making ourselves dependent, to some extent, on the generosity of our Reiki people – well, we know that, and it feels good.
This problem has cost us a great deal of brainpower and heart and soul over the summer. Dear newsletter reader, we are happy to give you an exclusive preview:
A Reiki Seminar
Mischa and I spend three months on the island each year. This is not simply a matter of taking a holiday, but part of the way we organise our life and work.
Until Covid, one or two spontaneous seminars would happen alongside our regular programme every summer. Sadly, that has not happened since. Before leaving, I explicitly wished that something would once again come about out of the blue this year. And lo and behold!
Coffee in the village square. A couple in their mid-forties at the next table – Athenian engineers from the energy industry. One word led to another. “And what do you two do?” the woman asked. “We work in energy too. We are Reiki teachers,” Mischa replied with a laugh. Two days later, the woman was attending my seminar.
Being able to teach Reiki in this setting, with open doors, sunshine and a pergola providing shade … to simply surrender oneself completely to the practice, hardly any theory, just Reiki. What a privilege!
Treating, treating, treating …
On the island, people speak of the “Missha-Therapia”, and so she gave many treatments. In her article An Intensive(!) Reiki Summer, Mischa gives us a glimpse. She mentions neither the little girl with renal insufficiency whom she treated with great success nor all the other hands-on and distant treatments.
The French woman mentioned by Mischa and her husband (the surgeon) found their way to Mischa through a recommendation from a sculptor friend. When I met him by the sea, he remarked somewhat smugly: “It’s nice that Mischa is treating our friend. But the surgeon – there’s no way he’ll be open to Reiki.” The artist was completely mistaken, as you can read in Mischa’s account. This is typical, because preconceived opinions are often projected onto others (conventional medical doctors are a particularly popular target). Yet such judgements are not only usually wrong, they are also destructive to relationships. A pity and completely unnecessary!
And Then I Broke My Toes
Five weeks before the end of our stay, I fell down a steep stone staircase in the dark during the night. There I was, lying on the floor. Mischa called out anxiously from the bed: “Are you all right?” Skull? No injury. Spine? Hips? “Just stay upstairs, everything’s fine, it’s only my foot that hurts,” I called back. She didn’t listen to me.
I had my foot in plaster for a month – a longer saga. I am still limping and the healing process is not yet complete. I have no idea what things would have been like without Mischa’s daily hands-on treatments. I would rather not even imagine it!
But this is worth mentioning (and anyone who knows my often impatient, hyperactive nature will be amazed): I endured this period of immobility with stoic serenity. My good mood never faltered; I was always “in good spirits”, as our son put it rather aptly. I discovered a new side of myself. Wonderful!
What Happens Next
This very weekend, I will be teaching a Reiki 1 seminar. I am looking forward to doing exactly what I consider my calling.
For what comes next, I warmly invite you to take a look at our upcoming dates: DATES.
I would particularly like to highlight the need for a preliminary conversation before the 3A Initiator seminar. There will be one in Lucerne in early December, followed by one in Erfurt in May 2027. In this seminar, you receive the highest attunement there is in Reiki. This is truly a karmic gift. The earlier you have the preliminary conversation with us, the more time you will have to prepare.
And as mentioned: keep an eye out for the republication of the archive videos on reiki-conciliation.
With love
René
NB
the original of this article is in German, translation is AI generated and approved by the author.