by By Veronique Frede
The Reiki Book Club: A Community of Shared Learning and Presence
What started as a gathering of readers became a community of practitioners exploring the teachings, contemplating their meaning, and embodying their wisdom to make sense of ourselves and the world, while supporting one another on the shared journey of growth.
How the Reiki Book Club Was Born
The idea for a Reiki Book Club came to my mind last fall after a visit to the Old Library at Trinity College in Ireland. There, I felt deeply moved by the timeless atmosphere, shaped by soaring architecture, rich, aged wood, and marble statues of thinkers, which infuse the space with a profound sense of history and sacredness. The library felt alive with the palpable weight of knowledge passed down through generations, inviting reverence, reflection, and a deep awareness of the continuity of wisdom. At its center, the luminous globe of Gaia reminded me of the living wisdom that flows through the earth like a vibrant, unbroken thread. Inspired by this experience, the Reiki Book Club came to be with its theme: “When Words Spring to Life.”
Our First Book: Returning to the Inner Heart
The first book we explored was the new edition of “The Inner Heart of Reiki” by Frans Stiene, published in September 2025. I shared the idea with the author, Frans Stiene, who is also my Reiki Teacher. The idea spread, and two groups formed to accommodate different time zones.
The groups met weekly for over two months. Each session was 90 minutes and began with a simple practice to help us center and open. Then we moved into a shared exploration, starting with three opening questions, discussing insights from our readings, surprises and challenges, and the lived experiences arising from the teachings. Our meetings honored both structure and flow: focus where it mattered, wandering when it supported integration, and presence guiding it all.
Why a Reiki Book Club Matters
Reiki is a living practice that can be deepened not only through private study but also in relationship through shared reflection. When we read together, we slow down. When we discuss, we listen. When we learn in community, we illuminate one another’s perspectives.
A Reiki Book Club offers:
Collective insight:
We each receive the teachings differently—through our own lineages, cultures, histories, and life experiences. This diversity harmonizes, enriching the whole circle.
Embodied learning:
We don’t simply read about Reiki; we contemplate and integrate its essence. Every session becomes an act of presence, curiosity, compassion, and sincerity.
Belonging and connection: The teachings and author brought us together, but the real magic was the felt sense of community: gentle, honest, supportive, and alive.
What We Discovered Together
Throughout the weeks, our conversations flowed naturally between the subtle, the practical, and the personal. Frans’ book reveals many layers of the system of Reiki, yet at its heart, it points to a path of wholeness, revealing our true self, limitless, radiant, and ever-present. Practicing the various elements of the Reiki system helps embody the Reiki principles, awaken presence, cultivate compassion, and deepen our sense of interconnectedness with life and the universe. Fear and resistance dissolve.
While words have their limits and cannot fully capture the depth of experience, they can still point us toward the essence of all things. Learning is infinite: when we open ourselves, insights arise, and when we open ourselves together, a collective wisdom emerges, harmony unfolds, shaped by many voices and grounded in shared presence.
The Heart of Shared Learning
At the center of the Reiki Book Club is the understanding that wisdom expands when shared. A single insight can shift an entire conversation. A question can open a doorway. A personal story, a lived experience, can illuminate a teaching and bring wisdom to life. Community learning is not just about knowledge: it is about witnessing, being supported, and being inspired along the path and about the richness that emerges when stories and experiences are shared openly.
An Invitation
Whether you are new to Reiki or have walked this path for years, all are welcome to join and encouraged to create your own circle of shared learning. A Reiki Book Club is a space for curiosity, sincerity, belonging, and shared exploration. It is a place where words spring to life, teachings deepen, and community becomes a living part of our practice. By starting your own group, you can cultivate connection, insight, and the joy of learning and being together, making the path of Reiki a shared and living experience.
