Polemics, Ridiculing and Apologies

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Polemics, Ridiculing and Apologies

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“I have this exhibitionist … trait, that I like to express myself in public.”
‚It probably was because I was making fun of them.‘

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Arjava, we are about in 1997, release of your ‚Reiki Fire‘.

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I want to address not so much the consequences first, but I’m still at the time of the release.

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After that, I have one or two questions where you were at the time of the release.

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And after that, I want to get into what it triggered and what you endured.

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So you have an idea.

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In terms of the time, in 1996, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa was established.

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Bishop Tutu had a significant impact and the Dalai Lama, they both later became friends.

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In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol is signed. Lady Di is killed.

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And, on a lighter note, ‚Titanic‘ was released.

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So that actually brings us to 1997.

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We spoke about it yesterday that you did not realize what kind of a shock your book would trigger.

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Quite to the contrary, you were actually thinking you were doing people a favour by sharing information.

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Before we get deeper into the consequences of your book, let me ask you today:

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If you had to rewrite the book today, would it be a less polarizing work in tone?

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Not so much in the content, but more in the presentational aspect.

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In this context, there was even another question which arose … Somebody gave it to me. It is like this:

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Which aspect of your personality is responsible for wanting to publish the truth?

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Phew! Yeah, that’s a good question.

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Which aspect of it? It’s my nature, you know, my nature is …

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to be truthful.

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My name – you said it yesterday – my German name Frank, it’s ‚free and frank‘ also means straightforward and honest.

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And my Osho name, my Sannyas name, Arjava, means ‚utmost honesty‘ … or ‚authenticity‘, but ‚utmost honesty‘ is

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one of the noble truths of Jainism, the Osho’s family religion.

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So that’s my basic makeup.

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I get an allergy when I see something is not right, something is not true, something is nonsense, people are being misled.

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So this is one.

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And …

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As I said yesterday, I had no intention of becoming a famous Reiki person.

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We did our language school. We were fine with that.

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I just wanted to do people a favour and I thought with the publication of ‚Reiki Fire‘ I’m doing them a favour,

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because suddenly now we know some things that can be documented about Usui sensei. We can set the history straight.

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How much so, of course, then I didn’t know, because that was just the beginning.

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Your introduction with the Titanic was pretty funny, because I saw only the tip of the iceberg when that book came out.

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I didn’t see what was coming underneath. And I was overwhelmed.

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The first reaction I had was I called my publisher. I said,

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‚I’ve had enough! I’m not going to do another book or anything. I’ve had it. These people are all crazy. I quit.‘

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I would just do this one book and I go back to my English school.

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But now you asked me what other aspects of your personality is responsible for publishing.

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Yeah, I have a kind of exhibitionist nature.

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(laughter)

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That’s why you wanted us to strip at the beginning.

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Like to go to the park in my trench coat.

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(laughter)

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I don’t know. I guess every person who writes or every person who does some kind of art must have some of that.

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That they want to express themselves in public.

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I enjoy it.

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For example, my wife, if I say, ‚Hey, I have a lecture today, but I’ve got a cold, can you go and sit there?‘

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She would say, ‚Blah, blah, blah, blah! No, I can’t be bothered.‘

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But I like it.

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I enjoy it.

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I like to sit there.

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I like to sit in the spotlight also.

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And talk and express my feeling.

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This is what it’s all about.

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You know, it’s why I’ve been writing lots of poetry and I published all these poetry books.

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It’s not a good business!

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I think I lose money one day, but I just do it because I love to express myself.

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Yeah, actually, the last one came out, I think in 2023.

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The last one just came now. You ordered it for me.

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And I received an information this morning that they sent it.

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So, we should receive it in these coming days.

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I’m excited. I haven’t seen it.

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At the first moment, it’s always nice when you hold it, when you hold the book.

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So I have this exhibitionist kind of character trait that I like to express myself in public.

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I’m not shy about it. And often maybe I overdo it. My wife always says to me,

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‚You don’t have to say the truth all the time!‘

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Like when people ask me, I answer them what my truth is. And I’m like, you know …

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Either you say the truth, your truth – OK, your subjective truth – or you don’t.

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There is nothing in between for me. I cannot say it a little bit.

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So, either you do or you don’t do. I choose to do.

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Which is a dangerous thing because you can hurt people with the truth, the perceived truth, particularly if it’s a subjective truth.

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And in a way, one could argue that truth always has at least an element of subjectivity.

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So, you took quite a big risk. Granted, you had at the time obviously no idea what you would trigger.

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I’d like to address this a little bit.

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‚Reiki Fire‘ triggered a lot of controversy.

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I did revisit some of the debates which were published.

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And I will, in my next question, get to the things which weren’t even published, which …

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were behind the scenes, so to speak.

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So I looked at what went on in the 90s.

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Some of the objections were obvious pretences.

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I read them and blatantly, there were reactions defending their own positions.

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Very often, camouflaged under well sounding truisms or half-truths.

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And some even direct falsehoods.

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For which, actually, some of the authors even publicly had to apologize later.

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Many people out there in the world don’t know that this is what actually went on.

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So …

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Having said this, this leads up to my question.

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What do you think made people react so strongly? And why did you retribute?

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Because some of your answers, published answers, were similarly polemic.

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Almost a ring of righteousness came with them. And sometimes even a little patronizing.

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Me reading what went on in the 90s, I kind of thought, ‚Oh, that was not necessary to respond in that way.‘

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Can you follow my thought and my feelings?

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I don’t really remember that much from then. It’s a long time ago.

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And I guess I have changed.

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I’ve become … I don’t know, more relaxed or …

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more centred in myself or so.

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Maybe I overreacted at times. Possible.

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But I don’t really remember it. For me, it’s so long gone.

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Yes.

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Do you remember any particular instance or something that maybe can trigger my … ?

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Well, yes, there is.

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And like I said yesterday at the beginning, I don’t want to go and dig out old dirty laundry because nobody is benefiting from it.

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But there was correspondence around the Reiki Magazine in Germany, which went back and forth

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where people actually then had to apologize to you in print.

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So that was an incident.

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And when I did my research leading up to this interview and I spoke to different people who were critical back then

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and continue to be critical today, very often …

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There was little substance to their criticism. It was more that they were affected by the presence, by the tone.

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You know, I heard on a number of occasions,

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‚Well, Arjava has such an ego. I think that he published Reiki Fire really just to satisfy his ego.‘

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And then you have those who continue to say, ‚Well, he just wanted to make a lot of money and be famous. Ego!‘

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So, the money aspect I’m happy to ignore at this point all together because that’s quite ridiculous anyhow.

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But that other aspect deserves to be addressed.

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I don’t care. I don’t care one bit. Fame doesn’t mean anything to me.

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I said it already yesterday, the only thing that matters is the love in my heart. And even that is not mine.

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So I don’t give …

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OK … (mumbling) … Do I have to watch my mouth now?

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I don’t give a fuck. Really, I don’t care.

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I don’t care at all for fame. It … is nothing to me.

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Nothing, nothing whatsoever.

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I remember once, one of my best friends had died in the motor cycle accident and I was going somewhere far away.

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Suddenly the plane started to really go up and down violently. People were screaming in the back and all that.

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I was thinking, ‚OK, now what do you want to be written on your … on your gravestone?

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Do you want it to be written that this guy has written so many books, that he’s famous?

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And I was sitting there going , ‚Phew! It’s nothing.‘

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Maybe it’s hard to believe. Maybe.

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I think what people say – that I wanted to have a lot of money or I wanted to be famous – that is just their projection.

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That’s maybe what they would have like for themselves. But I’m not interested.

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Truly, honestly from the depths of my heart. Nothing. Zero.

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So they made me …

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As I said, there must be this exhibitionist thing that I want to express myself in public.

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I love that.

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That’s why I published the poetry books, too, even though they don’t sell.

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The tone, I don’t really understand why people got upset.

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Probably because, often I was making fun of them.

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And maybe that was not nice, but I was just making fun of them.

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I remember at one time, this was later on,

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I read on Phyllis‘ website about the master initiation, that when it’s done, it’s doesn’t really work yet,

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but it starts to work when the money has been transferred to her account.

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I was just laughing, thinking, ‚Oh, my God!‘

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Then one of the books in ‚Reiki – ganz klar‘ (German: plain and clear), which was never published in in English,

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I wrote this: ‚Like, you know, I went to a department store and bought a big stereo. But I didn’t have the money to buy it.

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So I bought it on time, on the instalments. And when I came home, it didn’t work.

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But it only started to work when the last instalment was paid.‘

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I like to make fun of people like that. Maybe it’s a … there is a misunderstanding.

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Actually, personally, I’m less concerned about people having their nose out of joint when somebody makes a mistake.

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However, I do keep you responsible if that kind of tenure then influences your students and your students go out

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and carry on the same …

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maybe not so jokingly anymore, not so humorously anymore,

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but the same kind of almost disrespect.

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Then … or … So, and …

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I don’t hold the student primarily responsible. I hold always myself as a teacher and you as a teacher responsible.

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Yeah, I don’t think my students are disrespectful.

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I mean, okay, maybe somebody is, but that is their own …

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that’s their own business, not? Their own karma.

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I always look at what about me, am I disrespectful?

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No, I love people.

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I don’t have any problem with anybody, actually.

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Also with the people who attacked me or tried to make my work difficult

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I have no problem with anybody.

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Thank you to our sponsors! This video depicts a segment of a four-day interview with Frank Arjava Petter.

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For all videos and the list of sponsors visit our website:
www.reiki-conciliation.org

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Translation: AI
Transcript: René Vögtli