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. 

Der Beitrag From the Bad News to Serenity – via a Few Detours erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

Summer is drawing to an end. It is September, and we are still here in Sikinos.

We are looking back on a very intensive Reiki summer! I was able to give many treatments, and René spontaneously taught a seminar. But most of all, I treated René’s foot: he had managed to sustain two fractures at the bases of his toes in a fall in the house. It had to be put in a cast! But Reiki visibly shortened the healing process and supported René’s patience. He needed plenty of that, because being confined to the house meant: no hiking, no swimming!

Particularly touching were the treatments I gave to an elderly French woman. She was not doing well on any level, and she came to me as a last resort. Her husband is a surgeon and, understandably, had his doubts. Yet after the very first treatment, he saw a very significant improvement. After the fourth, he said to me: “We bought a house here ten years ago, and even then I knew there had to be a special reason for it. Now I understand what it was: my wife and I were meant to meet you and Reiki.”

That touched me deeply. It is simply wonderful to see how Reiki can work – and the true beauty of Reiki is, and remains, its simplicity.

A woman who has been coming to me for several treatments every summer for quite a few years now – “for maintenance”, as she always puts it – recently asked me: “Why do you think it is that we get such remarkably good results here in Sikinos, of all places? Could it be because of the special energy Sikinos has?”

Yes, that energy is there. But it is not the main reason for these sometimes spectacular results. I think it has more to do with the fact that people often come to us only as a last resort, when they are in great distress. And it is precisely then that Reiki can fully unfold!

But we do not have to be really unwell before we turn to Reiki for treatment. Prevention is the key word. Or, as my long-standing client puts it so beautifully: “keep ourselves in good working order!”

I wish all of us many beautiful experiences with Reiki and a wonderful autumn.

Namaste,

Mischa

See also René’s article From the Bad News to Serenity – via a Few Detours and the feedback from the lady mentioned above – Maintenance on the Island.

Der Beitrag An Intensive(!) Reiki Summer erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

Every child can do Reiki. So can every elderly person. It is a particular joy and honour to be allowed to attune people with physical or intellectual disabilities to reiki. The beautiful thing about Reiki practice is its simplicity!

This is more or less how I like to put it in my public lectures. For 34 years now. I also like to use it as an introduction at professional conferences. Coupled with the statement that the important thing about Reiki is self-treatment.

(I use reiki below when I mean the energetic phenomenon, and Reiki when I am referring to the practice, teaching or history.)

For the layperson, the simplicity of Reiki is a strong argument for giving it a chance and trying it out. No religious or other beliefs are necessary, no concentration, no particular mindset. Unlike conventional energy practices, reiki does not weaken the person applying it, but actually strengthens them. There are no dogmas or commandments in Reiki. Indeed, the opposite is true in this respect too: the practice helps us free ourselves from harmful patterns.

“Child’s play!”

Even Hawayo Takata (1900–1980), the key figure in the global development of Reiki, said: “Reiki is child’s play.” It is useful if you can count to four. (There are four hand positions each on the head, the front of the torso and the back of the torso – see Body Positions.)

The rationale

Unfortunately – or fortunately – reiki cannot be described as energy in the conventional physical sense, because it cannot be controlled and eludes the prevailing definitions of energy. In practice, this means what all practitioners have already experienced: reiki can be applied without our diagnosis or analysis. It seems to possess an intelligence of its own and can neither be manipulated nor controlled. This independence liberates us completely and relegates us to a supporting role in which we are literally no more than the handmaid.

Hands on, and that’s it.

In physics, particularly quantum physics, such ‘non-polarised’ phenomena are known. Modern physics, and quantum physics in particular, has fundamentally changed our picture of a world that can be clearly determined. Concepts such as uncertainty (particle or wave?) remind us that reality is not always as clearly describable as we would like it to be.

References like these, expressed in scientific jargon, sound anything but simple. Perhaps. But it is precisely this characteristic that can be observed in Reiki practice and that helps us understand why the energetic phenomenon we work with – reiki – is not ‘ordinary’ energy.

Or, put more simply: Usui named the phenomenon he discovered Rei and Ki because in practice he experienced the unpredictability or ‘own intelligence’ of reiki. This is why the name Reiki can also be read in this way: Rei before Ki – as an indication that what we are working with is not simply an ordinary form of Ki. Ki (Chinese: Qi) encompasses a broad spectrum of concepts that in the West are often subsumed under the term energy. Rei points towards something that reaches beyond the ordinary understanding of Ki in a polarised world.

The problem

We all know how difficult it is to explain how our practice works. Precisely because reiki operates beyond our influence (independently ‘knowing’ where it needs to act, where the original as well as the symptomatic imbalances are located within the being) and requires neither diagnosis nor analysis – in other words, precisely all the things that make it so simple and accessible – it stands in stark contrast to the prevailing spirit of our age, which celebrates everything that can be predicted and controlled.

The dictate of the rational stands diametrically opposed to the mercurial quality of reiki.

Either/or?

For some Reiki practitioners, their own desire for understanding, together with the prevailing urge to know and comprehend, is so dominant that they constantly seek out more information. At present, for example, an author writing under a pseudonym (Mamoru Wakatake) is enormously popular on Facebook, discussing increasingly varied and detailed historical information. The man draws on the original knowledge of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, the organisation founded by Mikao Usui just over 100 years ago. In my role as a Reiki teacher (not as a practitioner!), I follow his posts in order to keep up to date. They often remind me of the well-known saying: a specialist is someone who concentrates on knowing more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.

Interestingly, if one so wishes, the revelations of the Gakkai whistleblower can be seen to confirm modern Reiki practice as it is represented in Western Reiki through Hawayo Takata and, in particular, Usui Shiki Ryoho. For example, the simple statement made at the beginning of this article in Western Reiki, “Hands on!”, which so aptly illustrates the practice through touch, appears again when the Japanese author speaks of “Teate Ryoho” (traditional laying on of hands). And this brings us to the title of this article.

Both!

The challenge of simplicity must already have existed in Usui’s very first experiences a hundred years ago. Quantum physics, which was just beginning with Einstein, Bohr and Planck and which today gives us some theoretical room for explanation, is unlikely to have been an issue for him. The focus was on practice. Moreover, in Japan at the time there were religious and philosophical traditions in which concepts that may appear inexplicable to us today had an entirely legitimate place. Yet the tension between the concept of Ki and the particular qualities of reiki must already have been apparent at that time. Seen in this light, simplicity in Reiki practice is nothing new. At the same time, it presents us today with challenges that are more unconventional and progressive than ever.

“Intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

Anachronism or avant-garde? Both! What may have been self-evident a hundred years ago appears revolutionary today: the willingness to practise something without having to control, explain or even understand it. Simple. Reiki.

René Vögtli

Sikinos, August 2026

NB

• In this article, I use reiki when I mean the energetic phenomenon, and Reiki when I am referring to the practice, teaching or history.
• The final quotation is attributed to the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940).
• This article was originally written in German and translated with the aid of AI - and counterchecked by the author. 

Der Beitrag Reiki’s Simplicity: Anachronism or Avant-Garde? erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

Der Beitrag Enjoy the Dive erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

Are you interested in fascinating biographies that draw on the past, resonate in the present and offer a message for the future? And would you like to share the film with people who know nothing about Reiki?

Here is the Interview-Doku we published on 8 March. A quick tip: don’t forget to turn on the German subtitles!

https://youtu.be/j7qSlt-ZyB0

Overview

This interview documentary offers a deep insight into how divisions arise within spiritual and healing traditions – and how they can be healed. It focuses on Frank Arjava Petter’s journey from controversy to reconciliation.

In the film, we follow one of the most influential contemporary practitioners of Reiki from the Osho Ashram in India to Bert Hellinger’s Reiki constellation. Along the way, we uncover revelations about the lineage and witness how long-standing divisions and hostility are overcome. We conclude the film with Arjava’s resignation from Jikiden Reiki at the end of 2025 and look ahead to the future.

In depth

The film is based on four days of unedited raw footage. It contains a great deal that didn’t make it into the documentary. Dive deep into this treasure trove in the  ARCHIV .

You can purchase the 67 videos on VIMEO – use the discount code below, which is exclusively for our newsletter subscribers.

Background

This work follows in the tradition of the 2017 interview documentary *RECONCILIATION – Along the Path of Mastery* featuring Phyllis Lei Furumoto, a key figure in the history of modern Reiki. We have also made all the raw footage for this work available in an archive.

If you didn’t purchase the 66 Videos on VIMEO back then, you might be interested in the following ‘bundle’: 

The 'Bundle' 

Arjava’s and Phyllis’ archives together form a treasure trove of historical insights, personal growth and exclusive revelations. At the heart of it all is the reconciliation of two key figures in the world of Reiki. The archives cost €45 each individually – but if you buy them as a bundle on Vimeo, you can get both for €76.

As a subscriber to our newsletter, you’ll receive a 33% discount!

Vergünstigung

Um Deine Vergünstigung einzuziehen, gehe auf die entsprechende VIMEO Seite. Beachte bitte: Bevor Du den Kauf abschliesst, stelle sicher, dass Du an der richtigen Stelle diesen für Dich exklusiven Code eingibst ...

• Arjava's Archive: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/provokeandevolve 
• Phyllis' Archive: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/reikiconciliation  
• The 'Bundle': https://vimeo.com/ondemand/reconciliationbundle 

Der Beitrag This film is for you! erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

An example of how we successfully tailor our services to your needs.

Cordula and Mike Caminada are in their 50s and successful – she in the medical field, he as a manager in healthcare. Their children have left home and both want to develop further, draw on their full potential, recognise their calling more and more clearly and follow it. They may be a couple, but they came to our seminar as two individuals – to different seminars, to be precise.

At the beginning of December, they will complete the three-day intensive introductory seminar for the third and highest level of Reiki together. In order to prepare them optimally for this next big step in their development, Mischa and I designed a program tailored to their needs. On 12 October, the four of us met. Here are some excerpts from Cordula and Mike's feedback:

Goal 

The preparation day served as technical, methodological and personal preparation for the Reiki 3A (initiator) seminar. It was intended to ensure that participants were both at the level of Reiki 2 in terms of content and, on a personal level, ready and willing to take responsibility for the process they were about to enter. Particular emphasis was placed on the connection between Reiki practice, self-awareness and a conscious attitude towards clients/students.

Educational and spiritual relevance

This form of self-reflection is very valuable for future Reiki initiators. The method helps:

• recognising one's own projections,
• not acting out of unconscious emotions,
• leaving responsibility with the other person,
• and at the same time maintaining a clear, loving presence.

In this way, they attain an attitude that is precisely necessary for initiations and accompanying others.

Overall impression

The day was structured in a logical and meaningful way: first, technical clarification and stabilisation by Mischa, followed by deepening and awareness work by René. Both lecturers complemented each other very well in their approach and expression: Mischa was more gentle, structured and supportive, while René was more reflective, probing and clarifying. This created a holistic learning space.

Results for us

• We  feel grounded in Reiki 2.
• We ve learned a new tool for self-reflection.
• We have experienced how healing it is to show ourselves authentically in a group.
• We feel better prepared internally to introduce people to Reiki ourselves later on.
• The preparation day clearly fulfilled its purpose and also enabled personal development.

We are very grateful to Cordula and Mike for their feedback! (Their feedback in full is only available in German:  Reiki 3A Initiatoren-Seminar – Vorbereitungstag . )

Mischa and I have decided to publish this report as an example of how we are happy to respond flexibly to the needs of our Reiki students. So please feel welcome to discuss with us where your journey should take you.

René and Mischa

This is a DeepL supported translation, the original is in German.

Der Beitrag Develop Yourself with Us! erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

‘Yes, there used to be celebrations, but nowadays ...’ Stop! There will be one in 11 months. And enough time to schedule it.

There is a lot going on in the Reiki community worldwide. It is, of course, a reflection of the world of 2025, which all too often feels like 1945 - only on speed. The many, rapid and multidimensional developments in recent years are one of the reasons why Mischa and I have not organised a festival for our students for some time. Visits to Reiki groups yes, personal and spontaneous get-togethers too.

But an event where we can meet, learn more and, on top of that, reflect on our origins to sharpen our focus on the future ... Well, thank goodness the Swiss Reiki Association SwissReiki, which we have been friends with for many years, has dedicated itself to organising such a celebration.

Yes, we will not be “among ourselves”, i.e. only Vögtli students. All the more reason for many of us to go along so that no one has to feel lonely. Other Reiki ideas will also be present. Not only do we not need to be afraid of this, but we can look forward to mutual enrichment. Take a look at the programme here: ReikiSwissCongress2026 . René will be hosting  the gala evening with Frank Arjava Petter.

You can register directly and find the form and prices here: https://www.reiki.swiss/eventfrog. 

And if you are interested, please get in touch with us here first: Contact. If we can get a group together, Mischa and I could all get in touch.

What do you think?

Der Beitrag Reiki celebration? But of course! erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

A first film is already out! The timeliness of the exclusive announcement of the resignation wanted to be published immediately. With  subtitles in 10 languages!

https://youtu.be/NDuu5xnUevQ

The film is attracting international attention - also because it is being translated into different languages.

Become a sponsor or patron! Please contact me directly: r.voegtli@reiki-conciliation.org.

You can view the current status of the project at any time at: interview-documentary-film-with-frank-arjava-petter

René Vögtli

Der Beitrag Resignation – Why and What now? erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

Frank Arjava Petter resigned from his post at Jikiden, leaving the style of Reiki that had become the epitome of 'Japanese Reiki' over the last few years. He took this decision at Christmas and made it public on 25 January.

On the very first day of filming, on 7 January, Petter, one of the most important living Reiki personalities, gave me an exclusive insight into his motivations! Later this month I will publish a summary of this part of our conversation.

The four-day dialogue serves the reconciliation process in the Reiki world - also between so-called 'Western' and 'Japanese' Reiki. By the beginning of next year, we plan to publish a documentary film about it and make all the footage available in an archive.

Follow the development on the project page reiki-conciliation.org/projects/interview-documentary-with-frank-arjava-petter.

Help develop the project further. You can become a sponsor or donor; visit us at reiki-conciliation.org/sponsor-and-donations/#sponsorship_form.

Der Beitrag Exclusive! erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.

Asclepius is the ancient Greek god of healing and could be seen as the patron saint of Reiki in our Western culture, particularly in the context of 'Western' practice. Asclepius had a snake with him during his healings.

He also healed with the blood of Medusa, the woman with the serpent's head. His staff with the snake still symbolises medicine for doctors and pharmacies today.

(The staff with two snakes, the Hermes staff, symbolises fertility and opposing forces. Here, too, the snake is given elementary symbolism, even if this is not directly related to our theme of healing).

Hygeia, daughter of Asclepius, is the ancient Greek goddess of healing from whose name our word hygiene comes (Greek: health). In the statue depicted here, there is a vessel in her hand from which Asclepius' snake is drinking water.

In the tradition of Chinese Buddhism, there is the deity Kwan Yin. In Japan, she is called Kannon. She looks at things with compassion. Incidentally, she gave her name to the camera manufacturer Canon.

Kannon is the patron saint of the Kurama Temple and thus the origin of Reiki. Her origins can be traced back to Hindu, pre-Christian culture. There is also a connection to the second Reiki symbol, which stands for harmony. From an oriental point of view, Kwan Yin could be seen as the patron saint of Reiki.

In many depictions, Kwan Yin is shown with a vessel from which water is flowing, symbolising how she pours mercy onto the earthly. Hygeia and Kwan Yin are both female, and the element of water is also attributed to Yin. Parables and parallels to reiki suggest themselves.

What fascinates me most of all is how this discourse reveals the deeper wisdom of holistic world-view and how the illusion of separateness is almost mockingly demonstrated. No wonder Mikao Usui described the Reiki practice as the art of inviting happiness.

Der Beitrag Reiki connects fluently – under the auspices of the Snake erschien zuerst auf Reiki-International.