Over the years I often described the island as mystical and could never really explain what I mean by that. From this new book shines the light of summerly joy of life just as much as it honours the millennia-old history.
To begin with: Reiki is not mentioned anywhere. The context to the island is that we have been giving seminars on the island since 1993. Sikinos has touched many Reiki students and … mysteriously … has triggered many Reiki activities. Oslo and Bremen, two of our Reiki strongholds, for example, got kick-started on the Aegean island. Therefore, we offer this English work in our online shop now for former as well as future visitors to the island – whether as tourists or as participants in our intensive seminars there.
Our own personal relationship to the island is very close. As strange as it may sound, it was as if the island had called us. That was in 1988 when we were still living in Hong Kong. A grotto-like stone cottage became a home, which is still an anchor in the lives of our meanwhile grown-up sons.
Back to the book. It was written by a son of the island. Petros Fronistas attended primary school on Sikinos, had to go to Athens as a teenager for further education, where he then made a career at the National Bank. We met him and his family regularly, also on the big holidays in winter or at Easter. He retired a few years ago. After passionately researching for the book it was published in Greek in 2012. The English translators carefully preserved the original poetry of the language as much as it is possible and added many helpful footnotes.
In terms of content, it covers the history of origin and mythology as well as thousands of years of repelling pirates and the sweaty efforts to cultivate wine and cereals. At the remote end of the island, there is a significant burial site shrouded in legends. (It regularly plays a role in our seminars). The English version of the book gives an update incorporating the development and renovation as they are in progress since 2018.
Botany and local customs, politics and education are addressed and the 100-page booklet ends with the development of the island in modern times. Imagine: the island has been inhabited for thousands of years, but has no natural harbour. It was thus not until 1988 that a ferry touched the coast for the first time. The “Georgios Express” is exactly the boat with which also we landed for the first time.
The former veneration of the wine god Dionysos and the mystical enchantment of the island inspire the work from the first to the last page. Have fun reading.
€ 14.- / sFr. 16.- in our shop.
René Vögtli