Usui Shiki Ryoho – monopolization by the ‘OGM‘?

A personal account with information so far not told.

I stand for collaboration and respectful co-existence. Polarization is not my aim. Yet, when a spade is a spade … One of the preconditions for reconciliation is not to turn a blind eye to dissonances, to acknowledge them. As such I hope this account contributes to clarity, transparency and to an inclusive discourse. 

My motivation for this article is not for me, my identity. It is not even for the identity of the branch of Reiki which is the main influence for my students although it is them whom I address with our Newsletter. At the end, the essence of this article is about Usui Shiki Ryoho as a whole and indeed the pacification on an even greater scale.  

Because this article got unusually long, here a table of contents allowing you to navigate among the chapters: 

• History of dissonance
• ‘Western’ versus ‘ Japanese Reiki
• Succession of Takata (before and after)
• The ominous letter
• Alteration to ‘the’ system
• Usui Shiki Ryoho
• Changes of heart – Phyllis Furumoto
• “It”
• Closed circles / Examples of information flow
• Make it public
• One of the OGM’s retorts
• Johannes Reindl’s claim
• Never too late
• PS: Finishing on a positive note – The OGM’s response to this article
• Footnotes (Reiki vs reiki, Due diligence, Article’s timeline, Sources, The Author, Reiki-International / Reiki-Conciliation) 

History of dissonanceBack to top

Each of the ‘Grand Masters’ in Reiki’s history has had his and her share of dissonance. Historians today shed light on the question of succession, one of the stones of contention over the generations. This is certainly true for Mikao Usui, Chujiro Hayashi and Hawayo Takata. Sometimes people suggest with shrugging shoulders, that such is human nature and an irrefutable component in the DNA of the energy-field ‘Reiki’. Maybe so.

However, if I teach my Reiki students that reiki fosters the healing on all levels, and if furthermore I maintain that this includes remnants of the past (karmic, epigenetic … whatever), then how can I not be convinced that we have a tool to achieve the seemingly impossible and foster the incurable to heal?

‘Western’ versus ‘Japanese’ ReikiBack to top

Of course, these terms are simplifications for the sake of a narrative. Please bear with me. (reiki the ‘energy’ is universal, Reiki the holistic  practice found its origin in Japan.) 

Takata catalyzed the Reiki as we know it today. Everywhere. 

The Reiki method as we know it today has unfolded through Hawayo Takata. Its success in the West but also the dissonance among her 22* successors has catalyzed the renaissance of Reiki in Japan. Without Takata, none of us would have Reiki. And that includes all the ‘Japanese’ Reiki styles bar the few and relatively unknown remnants of Reiki left in Japan by the late 20th century. (*A 23rd Master has passed away before 1980. Whether there are even more … the historians will tell.) 

At this point you might want to watch a segment of this video starting at minute 36:16 (7 ½ min.) dealing with “Three arenas of dissonance:  ‘Western’, ‘Japanese’ Reiki traditions and between the two of them.” 

Succession of Takata (before and after)Back to top

Hawayo Takata had a special Reiki Master student, Barbara Weber(-Ray). Weber was an academic and has spent more Master-training time with Takata than any of the other 21 Masters including her granddaughter Phyllis Furumoto. There are numerous indications that Weber’s claim of having been taught “the full system” is credible. E.g. some of the practices by ‘Japanese’ Reiki styles originating from Hayashi, i.e. before Takata, were part of her teaching and can still be found today in some branches of ‘Western’ Reiki. They do not exist in the teaching of Phyllis Furumoto or have been removed by her or and the OGM (Office of the Grand Master), which came into existence in 1993. The practice of ‘Reiju’ (blessing) is an example. 

When Takata died in 1980, Weber claimed an exclusive succession and made herself unpopular with some of the other Takata Masters. Talking of unpopularity: In the last year of her life, Takata had a mysterious falling-out with Weber, the misgivings were so strong that Weber was unyielding a few years later, when Furumoto suggested a cooperation of sorts. Conversely and still today, I encounter ill-feelings and disparaging suggestions from the OGM in direction of Weber and current Reiki Masters which have benefitted from a Weber influence.

Takata did not leave a single successor. Neither did her predecessors. 

Takata did not leave a single successor. Claims by the Alliance / OGM to the contrary have never been substantiated with proof. Indeed, she herself was not the unique or exclusive successor of Hayashi and thus, systemically, a one-person succession was not part of the greater plan – if there ever was one. After all, Hayashi was not an exclusive successor of Usui either. Some of us, me included, would even argue that a ‘guru’-like dominance of one authority is contrary to the spirit of the 5 precepts and the essential idea of self-responsibility that Reiki stands for.

Hayashi’s successor was to a great part his widow. If his clinic was the expression of all of his practice then she was the sole successor. But then that is referring more to ‘inheritance’ than anything else. Similarly, Alice Furumoto inherited from her mother Hawayo Takata and Phyllis came into full possession only after her own mothers’ death in 2013. That which was passed on has more to do with business and family heirloom than with ‘spiritual lineage’ as it is now proclaimed by the OGM. Passing an established practice on to the next generation is not at all a uniquely Asian tradition. Many family owned or run businesses and organizations in Europe have been handed down from parent to child. And everywhere else for that matter. That grandmother and mother were desperate for the drifter (“ski bum”) Phyllis to find a decent occupation is universally understandable to any parent. 

All the more reason
to publish it.

The ominous letterBack to top

Let me tell you an anecdote: In the course of the many Zoom meetings of the Core Succession Group either Paul Mitchell or Phyllis Furumoto referred to a letter by Hawayo Takata in which the latter allegedly appointed Phyllis as her successor. I interjected and vigorously suggested that such a letter be made public. One of them said (I think it was Phyllis): “Yeah, I have been in favour of this for some time.” Says the other: “The problem with this letter is that it is not clear, it can be interpreted in different ways.” To which I responded: “All the more reason to publish it!”

(I have set quotation marks in the above to give the anecdote liveliness. But I am quoting this from memory. However, the sessions have been recorded and no doubt this is somewhere stored and could be checked. It would confirm the above if not by the exact words.)

Alteration to ‘the’ systemBack to top

Takata taught her 22 or more acknowledged masters different things. In a way, all these things together were the Takata-system of Reiki. This is known as Usui Shiki Ryoho. Looked at it from this angle, you could describe this as a system of Reiki. Practically, in 1980 at Takata’s death, this was the only openly known system. So, we could be lenient with the contemporaries of that time for having seen it as ‘the’ system. They just didn’t know better. But then, not even that is entirely true because throughout that time it was at least rumored that Reiki continued to exist in Japan “underground” and that there was a secret organization (the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai), i.e. an other system than the Western evolution of Reiki. (The Gakkai, founded in the 1920s during Usui’s life time, is Reiki’s original organization with successive presidents right up to this very day and could quite convincingly be seen as the only direct, explicit and exclusive line of succession.)

But even if ignorance had ruled, it all changed in the 90s when historic evidence was made public showing that in Japan Reiki had not died out and practices were followed that were different or additional to what was known in ‘Western’ Reiki. Indeed, some argue that the modern developments and (e.g. scientific) insights have been up-graded to our time and some of the old teaching has become redundant. (The Meiji poems for example.) Be this as it may, neither the ‘Japanese’ Reiki Styles nor Usui Shiki Ryoho could honestly claim to be ‘the’ one and only system.

The reiki is the same.

All these practices, these systems, had one thing in common though and every one of their leading representatives I ever spoke to – irrespective of ‘style’ or ‘school’ or ‘tradition’, etc. – they all agree that the reiki is the same.

As in any healthy development, new insights emerge replacing old ones, practitioners have preferences and scholars of different disciplines provide new knowledge. It is a dynamic unfolding giving little room for dogmatism. For example, the authors of the 90s (e.g. Petter, Rand, Veltheim) were followed by historians and researchers (e.g. Jonker, Stein, Horowitz) giving an ever more informed view of the past and its facts in an ever more unbiased light. 

No system overrules.

Maybe one would want to describe all the practices who use reiki as one. Fair enough. But there is no one Reiki branch, lineage, organization or mind-set that is ‘the’ system. And certainly there is no one overruling any other. 

Usui Shiki RyohoBack to top

The dispute amongst the 22 living Takata Masters led to a schism. Weber on one side, Furumoto on the other. Or should I say ‘Weber’s teaching’ and ‘Furumoto’s teaching’ on opposing ends. To be clear: Weber’s perspective stemmed from the time she spent with Takata before the latter’s death (1980) while Furumoto’s ideas of Grand Mastery and lineage bearing were developed for the most part thereafter.

It was after Takata’s death that a group of people (Takata Masters and their students) instated Furumoto as ‘Grand Master’ to set her and themselves apart from Weber and her following (Radiance). I do not doubt their sincere wish to protect the practice of Reiki. Yet, it was also reactionary and playing on Phyllis’ family connection to Takata. (Remember, there was nowhere a family connection in the Western narrative of Usui followed by Hayashi followed by Takata.)

The concepts of ‘Grand Mastery’ and ‘spiritual lineage bearing’ were introduced after Takata’s death. 

Thirteen years after Takata’s death, Phyllis Furumoto and Paul Mitchell formed the ‘Office of Grand Master’ (OGM). They went on to introduce the ‘4 Aspects and 9 Elements’* cementing their spiritual lineage bearing concept. In the late 90s Phyllis attempted to trademark Usui Shiki Ryoho. Not only did this attempt legally have no chance but it brought also to the surface that there were other practices under the umbrella of Usui Shiki Ryoho (USR) which rejected both the concepts of exclusive Grand Mastery and the invention of spiritual lineage bearing. (Phyllis told me that she cannot recall precisely if she herself came up with this concept or somebody else in a group session.) *Website: usui-shiki-ryoho/four-aspects and usui-shiki-ryoho/nine-elements

If until then anyone had sincerely believed that they were the one and only USR ‘system’, then latest the uproar against the trademark registration brought it more than clearly to the surface that such a claim is preposterous.

Changes of heart – Phyllis FurumotoBack to top

Phyllis Furumoto’ battled with this history all her life. In her turmoil there were a number of changes of heart: originally she accepted to be the only Master who initiated other Masters, later she conceded that others were entitled, too (1988, as other Takata descendants had taken their liberty to initiate Masters). Towards the final years of her life, there was a significant softening in Phyllis as she increasingly and publicly started to recognize other Reiki styles. More so, she came to understand that over the years she had been culpable of transgressions towards other Reiki personalities. As you, dear reader, no doubt know, she apologized for this, asked for forgiving. Although she may have been the most famous, most successful Reiki Teacher in her time, to me, her most profound legacy is her contribution to the reconciliation process in the Reiki world.  

“Moving into the future, it is clear to me that reiki is saying: ‘okay, now you’re ready for the big picture’. The world is not about mummy and daddy, my Reiki Master, my lineage. It’s about our Reiki.”
Phyllis Lei Furumoto, 2017.

Phyllis died on 31^st March 2019. I visited her on 7^th to 10^th February. She was frail and the realization that these may be her final days had just come to her. By then I had carried the calling in me for some time to bring her an important message. One so heavy that it could only be expressed in person. I was frightened and somehow would have liked to say that this woman is now too weak to be confronted with my thoughts. I decided to speak. Not least because I thought she would understand and potentially feel liberation rather than additional burden. During that time I saw her for a number of hours per day as she had medical examinations and also needed rest. On her request the conversations were witnessed and I have written an extensive report immediately afterwards; also for my sponsors who had helped finance the trip. 

One of the things she told me was that she wanted to close the OGM and the business arrangement she had in this connection with Paul Mitchell. Furthermore, she was wavering what to do with ‘succession’. For 2 ½ years the ‘Core Succession Group’ had met monthly and debated what ‘succession’ meant, if there should be a succession at all, if a collective could be a successor and Phyllis adamantly refused that a person should be appointed. She believed he or she would become visible and would be recognized by all, failing which there was no succession to be. The about 50 members of this group were all part of her “system” (to quote them) and most were advocating that a successor be placed in position – reminiscent to how I assume it was with Phyllis herself after Takata had died. I was the odd one out in the group. I represented Usui Shiki Ryoho in a tradition without the concepts of ‘Grand Mastery’ (GM) and ‘lineage bearing’ (LB) as propagated by the OGM.

I went to see her on her death bed because I felt compelled to ask her to let go of the concepts of ‘Grand Mastery’ and ‘lineage bearing’. I suggested that they had served their purpose, that they may have helped the propagation of Reiki in a significant way but that now she could let go of them. I knew the arguments against my proposal and addressed them. (One being that the term ‘Grand Master’ has been used in martial arts and fraternal organizations from where it was derived by New Agers in California and applied to Takata, as Phyllis has told me during the filmed interview.) Phyllis listened me out. She did not throw me out. She heard my thoughts and thought them worthy enough that she asked me to extend my visit and present them to Paul who was in a rush to get to her as her days seemed numbered. And to Joyce who was also rushing back from Hawaii. I did not stay, I left as scheduled. Seven weeks later Phyllis passed away.

They served a purpose. But now, please abolish, undo … release these concepts. 

Of course, I knew what I was asking. For decades she had upheld these concepts, was fervently promoting them. Thousands of people would feel let down if she had a change of heart, many thought. I wasn’t so sure because I was and still am convinced that at least as many would have felt a great liberation and extended their sympathy. But, granted, what I suggested was of grave and far reaching consequence. Yet, she had the power – in every sense of the world – to delete these concepts with a stroke of the pen. So, I presented the wish to her. That was my calling. No matter how great the resistances, how small the realistic chance of her going along with it, it needed to be said. I left Arizona content that I had found a good way to present my thoughts to her, was heard and the conversation was witnessed. Any irrational hope I may have had that she might immediately agree had vanished. But she had heard me out and as such there was still a flicker of confidence in me because it seemed like the final step for her to take on the path of reconciliation which she so bravely had entered.  

What followed next is obscure to me. Phyllis changed her mind to the point that the OGM is not closed but reinforced by three people today. And despite her previous conviction and reservation only months before her death she named Johannes Reindl as successor on 15^th March, 2019. The Core Succession Group was to be the first to be informed on 19^th March. In that announcement Phyllis said that Johannes was “it” and what “it” meant was to be found out. She even made a humorous comment: 

“I don’t know if he knows what this game is all about running through the valleys of Austria being it.”

Phyllis Lei Furumoto, 19^th March, 2019.

“It”Back to top

I am not suggesting that at the end “it” did not mean spiritual lineage bearing. But I still believe that this was open to debate, particularly the exclusivity through her, and that Phyllis was well aware of the controversy this entails. What I am thoroughly convinced though is that she did not suggest that “it” meant that the OGM claims any kind of overall authority for all of Usui Shiki Ryoho, leave alone all of Reiki as some quite seriously claim.

‘Grand Mastery’, by the way, I believe she did not explicitly mention as being part of ‘it’. Even the board of the Alliance (in an Email in October 2019) expressed surprise when this title was assumed by Johannes. 

In thousands of years of spiritual practices particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism the concept existed whereby enlightenment is attainable through a living Master. I do not question this and certainly do not deny anyone his or her right to choose this concept for him-/herself. So, if students or seekers see merit in having a Grand Master to help give them orientation and support, so be it. However, if a Grand Master or spiritual lineage bearer transgresses his/her boundaries and unduly claims an authority over others, well, then I do object and this is precisely what this account is all about.

Closed circlesBack to top

For years the OGM has been informed from different angles that their presentation of their Grand Master and lineage bearer to stand for all of Usui Shiki Ryoho was not only problematic and polarizing but outright wrong. And, in my opinion, it jeopardizes Phyllis Furumoto’s legacy of having prepared the ground for bridges to be built, for forgiving and reconciliation to take place.

In 1996 my teachers (John and Esther Veltheim) released a book which was on Phyllis’ book shell until her final day and which was read by some of Phyllis’ most entrusted consultants. It expresses respect for the title of Grand Master being nurtured in the Reiki Alliance but at the same time the concept is rejected to be valid for USR practices beyond Phyllis’ practice. The term ‘Grand Master’ can apply for any Master (of Takata or before or after her) who has matured to the point that he or she is initiating and training Masters. In respect to the Reiki Alliance and to Phyllis, the Veltheims and their students consciously declined calling themselves ‘Grand Master’ but ‘Master Teacher’ instead. A practice I uphold still today, as you, dear students of Mischa and me know. 

Examples of in-house information flow

In 2012, a senior representatives of Phyllis gave a presentation about Usui Shiki Ryoho at the annual meeting of ProReiki in Germany. In a private conversation I drew his attention to the transgressiveness of the ‘4 Aspects and 9 Elements’ to be presented as the definition of Usui Shiki Ryoho.

At the very beginning of the filming with Phyllis in 2016 at the private dinner table of Phyllis and her wife Joyce and with two other people, I was asked about the rights for the film and about my Reiki background. When the filming was finished, Phyllis took me on a walk showing me Green Valley. On a stone bench she asked me to tell her in detail what the differences between my practice and hers were. I answered that there was one significant difference and some minor ones. The significant one was that we explicitly do not have the concepts of GM/LB as she does. It was this conversation which made Phyllis invite me to become a member of the Core Succession Group.

After Phyllis’ death I resigned from the group writing an extensive report (containing many of the points in this account, if not all of them). I distributed it to all the members of the Group.

In October 2019, I travelled to Germany to meet Paul Mitchell in person. Once more, and in great detail I explained the thoughts I had presented to Phyllis on her death bed and all essential points mentioned in this paper.

On 5^th October 2019, I gave a presentation on Zoom to the Board of the Reiki Alliance recounting my thoughts. There were other similarly minded presenters, too. They had a much stronger standing than me for they came from within the organization and had well-grounded historic insights.

It would be wrong to think that transgressions have only happened decades ago. I know of people having been assailed in our time now in ways reminiscent of the ‘wild days’ in the far past. I discussed these incidents with the OGM and each member is fully in the know.

This year, on 5^th of April, after my attention was yet again drawn to a misrepresentation, I wrote an Email to Johannes imploring him to stop presenting himself and allowing others to present him as though the OGM driven version of Usui Shiki Ryoho and particularly his position had authority over all of Usui Shiki Ryoho. Emails were exchanged (see ‘One of the OGM’s retorts’ below) and at the end the OGM invited me to a zoom-meeting on 30^th May:

I found it a good and constructive exchange even though there was a tendency to regurgitate what was said many times before. Still, I thought clarity was an agreed objective and there was a sense of mutual acceptance and respect. The essence of what I insisted was that the OGM clearly communicates that next to their branch of USR others exist on equal footing and that the OGM does not assume explicitly or implicitly an authority over all the USR branches.

By mid July 2022, it appeared that all my hopes were in vain. The OGM had released their new website earlier that month reinstating their claims as though it was the nineties. I Emailed my misgivings but have not received a response.

I am privy of analogues efforts by others pursuing a like-minded line of thought. I asked the OGM for permission to share the recording of our Zoom session of 30^th May with one person for his information and up-date. It was adamantly refused and sadly, an intimation of breach of confidence was alluded to.

Stepping out of
echo-chambers

Make it publicBack to top

One of the conclusions I come up with is that the problem with all the above examples – who are but a few – is that these are conversations held tight in a vacuum. They are one-on-one, within the OGM, the Core Succession Group and closed circles. With that in mind, I have decided to share my account on our website for our Newsletter for you, dear students of Mischa and me, for on each of your certificates, like on the certificate I received from my teachers, it says ‘Usui Shiki Ryoho’, the practice going back to Hawayo Takata which was handed over to the 23 Reiki Masters she had trained by her death in 1980.

One of the OGM’s retortsBack to top

Accepting that some practitioners within Usui Shiki Ryoho want to uphold their particular concepts of succession from Phyllis to Johannes, a historian suggested in 2019 that the OGM re-name their version of USR giving it a name specifically honouring Taktata-Furumoto-Reindl. As a working name I called it the ‘OGM Reiki’ and some people call it apparently the ‘Alliance Reiki’. Indeed, a change of name would be a simple clarification giving that branch all the freedom to do as they wish and clearly state that they are not unduly appropriating other branches of the same origin.

Because I do not deny my ancestry.

But I would change the name if I developed my own system.

The OGM’s retort: “Why don’t you change your name.” 

Stating it here like this, it looks rather polemic; granted. To be fair, the retort may have been spoken in the heat of the moment and the OGM might want to expand in future. (See ‘Never too late’ below.)

One of various definitions of ‘Grand Master’ is when he or she separates from a given teaching and opens his/her own school. It is then respectful to the original teaching to choose a new name. Ideally, that should have happened when Phyllis was made and accepted to be ‘Grand Master’ back when. Latest when the concept of lineage bearing was clad in iron with the ‘4 aspects and 9 elements’ and when the trademarking failed, i.e. in the 1990’s, it would have been appropriate to change the name. That is hindsight, admittedly. However, the re-start after her death was and continues to be a modern-day opportunity to do so or find other solutions creating clarity. 

Johannes Reindl’s claimBack to top

My Email of 5^th April, 2022 yielded the following response from Johannes – I quote only the passage I find relevant for this paper. I trust it does not distort the essence of Johannes’ mail:

(Translation:) … I disagree with your statement “You are not lineage bearer for the whole of Usui Shiki Ryoho”. ‘Usui Shiki Ryoho’ is the name for the practice and not the name for a community or group and its diversity. I am very aware that not everyone recognizes this role, function and essence of the Lineage Holder and Grand Master. This is not new, it was the same in Phyllis’ time.
Original: “Ich stimme deiner Aussage „Du bist nicht Linienträger für das gesamte Usui Shiki Ryoho“ nicht zu. “Usui Shiki Ryoho“ ist der Name für die Praxis und nicht der Name für eine Gemeinschaft oder Gruppe  und ihre Vielfalt. Mir ist sehr bewusst, dass nicht jeder diese Rolle, Funktion und das Wesen des Linienhalters und Großmeisters anerkennt. Das ist nicht neu, das war auch zu Phyllis’ Zeiten so.“

Yes, none of this is new. And yes, Usui Shiki Ryoho is the name for the practice (from Takata to her acknowledged masters). But it is only a part of this practice, what I call a ‘branch’, which upholds the OGM concepts. The OGM’s grasp for all of Usui Shiki Ryoho is akin to an annexation or an appropriation.

I had thought that at the end of the Zoom conversation on 30^th May, seven weeks after Johannes’ mail we were on the same book, that the OGM had accepted that within the practice of Usui Shiki Ryoho other branches exist parallel to theirs. Actually, I understood that the key question now was how to create clarity around this. 

Never too lateBack to top

Although the launch on 4^thJuly of the revised OGM website usuishikiryohoreiki.com  appears like a fallback to the polarized 90s, I maintain that it is not too late. It does not take much for Johannes or the OGM at large to acknowledge explicitly that theirs is a tradition of Usui Shiki Ryoho which honors the lineage Takata-Furumoto-Reindl while parallel to their tradition there are other Usui Shiki Ryoho lineages and traditions (branches) equally stemming from Takata and equally entitled to call themselves Usui Shiki Ryoho.

That is really all it takes.

While the main purpose of this article is to inform our students, I of course encourage transparent discussion and clear positions. There are many opportunities and platforms serving this purpose and I shall continue my commitment to that end.  

23^rd August, 2022

PS: Finishing on a positive note – The OGM’s response to this articleBack to top

I was pleased to receive Paul Mitchell’s response (see ‘Due Diligence’ below). He did make some valid points. When I receive his OK, I shall include his Email in the comments below this article.

The most important of his observations is that he considers his practice as one of equal validity of various lineages within Usui Shiki Ryoho. If such clarity prevails, generations to come are freed of obscure remnants of yesteryear.

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FootnotesBack to top

Reiki vs reiki

Reiki is written (upper-case R) when teaching and practice are meant and reiki (lower-case r and italic) is written when it refers specifically to the energetic phenomenon “from the origin of life” (quote ProReiki). This spelling was inspired by Dori Beeler’s paper ‘Reiki as surrender: evidence of an external authority, 2017 Journal of Contemporary Religion.’ 

Due diligence

Prior the publication of this article I have sent it to the OGM (12^th August) informing them and giving them a chance to comment within 10 days or to tell me if they needed more time. On 16^th, Paul Mitchell commented the article (see ‘PS Finishing on a positive note – The OGM’s response to this article’) adding “Of course, it is completely up to you what you want to communicate to other people.“

Timeline of this article

The first idea came on 16^th July.  Release: 23^rd August. 

Sources

This is not an academic treatise and I feel not compelled to index all the sources. Any of my statements though can be questioned and discussed with me directly. Authors are mentioned by name and their works are public. I maintain regular contact with many of them and some have appeared in my talk-show RTalk, albeit on different topics than those discussed here.

I see one source though being quoted ever more often in works of other people and that is my very own video archive containing all the raw material of my extensive interview with Phyllis Lei Furumoto: 66-steps-on-the-path-to-reconciliation (note the search functions). Researchers can have free access (just contact me). Anyone else: thank you for buying the 66 videos for the modest price of 38 Dollars. The main feature documentary-interview with Phyllis is of course free.

The Author, i.e. me, René Vögtli

While this is primarily addressing my wife’s and my Usui Shiki Ryoho students who know us, I am aware that this may may – and indeed should – be read outside this circle. Such readers may not know me and wonder … Good on you!

Together with my spouse I have been a Reiki Teacher since 1992 and a Master Teacher since 1995. We work exclusively and full time with Reiki, mainly teaching but also treating people. Together we have had the honour of welcoming about 7000 Reiki 1 students and have ended up training 46 Reiki Teachers (13 Master Teachers). Visit our website reiki-international.net for more.

Since the beginning, i.e. 1990, I was involved one way or the other in association work. In committees, as a founder, as a closer, in exclusive and inclusive organizations, of which, today, I am left with one: reiki-conciliation.org.

You have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me: kontakt@reiki-international.ch.

Reiki-International … Reiki-Conciliation

At the heart of this article stands the aim to strive towards a world of ever more peaceful co-existence and respectful collaborations. That is the declared visionary drive behind Reiki-Conciliation. Therefore, this assessment is right down that alley. Yet, I decided to address primarily our Reiki students because I feel they should know where I, and they, stand as they move around in the Reiki community. My take, my position and my anecdotes are of lesser relevance in the reconciliation movement. 

Back to top

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