Johannes Reindl

I was born in October 1977 in Linz, Austria, and grew up in a small village nearby. As a young boy, I got in touch with Reiki through a close family friend and sensed early on that this was something special. Shortly before my 18th birthday, in 1995, I took my first-degree class and immediately felt, “I am home.” From then on, I practiced regularly, treated myself and occasionally family and friends, and attended Reiki shares. Reiki became an important companion in my journey into adulthood and supported me deeply, especially during my civil service work in a geriatric hospital.

A turning point came when I attended a Ki Aikido workshop with Paul Mitchell in Wettenbostel, Germany, where I got in touch with the wider and international Reiki community. It was also there where I met Phyllis Furumoto in person in 2001. I had already been touched by her presence at a student gathering a few years before, but this meeting marked the beginning of a closer relationship. She asked me to assist her as a French interpreter at a workshop. During this time together in the Summer of 2001, I recognized that one day Phyllis would become the master who would initiate me into mastery. Inspired by her, and uncertain about my professional path, I chose to study sign language interpreting in Austria and later I worked for many years as an interpreter and teacher at the university.

Over the years, I joined many Reiki events—as participant, interpreter, organizer and sometimes even as a cook. In October 2013, I asked Phyllis to prepare me for mastery. After four years of preparation, I was initiated as a Reiki Master in Kyoto, Japan, in October 2017, as part of the last group she trained.

In March 2019 Phyllis invited me to travel to Arizona to interpret for a Master Intensive workshop there. After this event Phyllis publicly recognized me, at her home in the presence of Reiki Masters of our tradition, as her successor and Lineage Bearer of Usui Shiki Ryoho. Accepting this role was a profound turning point in my life. The first years in this responsibility have been deeply transformative. Through all these experiences, I continue to trust Reiki’s guidance and carry forward what I see as Phyllis’s legacy: dedication, depth, service, and I continue to trust in the path that calls us to grow beyond ourselves.