The Vision Quest of Mikao Usui

Last week we extensively studied Reiki and Buddhist Spiritual Healing. But Reiki is much more than some people think. This “more” and the versatility of the Reiki method is exactly what I appreciate so much about it.

A year ago I was asked why I shoot many of my Reiki videos on YouTube in the forest. This had inspired me to think, so that I immediately times to it the video “Why Reiki comes from the forest” have created. Mikao Usui went to the densely forested Kurama Mountains 100 years ago to meditate and perform ascetic practices. On the night of 21-22 day he had a vision and was initiated into Reiki. This is how Reiki came to us from the forest through Usui. Ingenious or?

Usui could have simply gone to a temple or Shintô shrine in Tokyo for meditation. He could have gone to the countryside near Tokyo for his practice. Instead, he traveled to the Kurama Mountains, 600km away, which was much more costly then than it is now. Why did he do that?

The place in the Kurama Mountains where Kurama Temple is today is, on the one hand, the place known as Kurama Mountain in Reiki circles, although it is a whole region called Kurama with many mountains. On the other hand, this is also the place where the ascetic Maoson founded Japanese shamanism ages ago. There is a memorial stone there to this day and a small waterfall under which you can meditate.

The temple is both Buddhist and shamanic. On the way up to the main building you will find many small Shintô shrines. Shintô means the Way of the Spirits and is one of the two shamanic traditions of Japan. The spirit that is particularly revered here is power animal dragon. Therefore, you will always find water-spouting kites on the site for the shamanic cleansing. Together with the wolf, the dragon is one of the most famous power animals in Japan. For some reason, the shamanic wolf of Japan is always mistaken in the West for a fox spirit. I myself was allowed to learn Dragon Shamanism in Japan in the Kurama Mountains from the shaman Usui.

Going even further into the Kurama Mountains, there is a famous ascetic place for the Shugendo, the magical shamanism of the Japanese mountain ascetics called Yamabushi. There is, among other things, a steep slope where two ascetics tie a rope to their feet for shamanic practice. One sits on top of the escarpment and the other dangles overhead in gasshô to overcome fears and release disturbing feelings.

The place where Mikao Usui received his vision and Reiki initiation is at a shamanic tree that is revered as a nature sanctuary and in front of which there is a small shrine and spring accordingly.

With this in mind, I assume that Mikao Usui deliberately went to the Kurama Mountains for his Vision Quest practice. And it is obvious to me that Reiki has something to do with shamanism. This becomes clear via the shamanic Choku Rei symbol for power amplification and via the way Usui integrated the symbols into Reiki amplified. Thus, just like the Kurama Temple, Reiki is a syncretism of shamanism and Buddhism.

And now you can imagine why I coach not only Reiki but also shamanism. It also took me a few years to fully understand these connections and backgrounds of Reiki and shamanism. Since my early research proved the connection to Buddhism, I also initially had my own resistance to the idea that there might be a larger connection to shamanism. Since I look at Reiki in the same scientific way, I see it as my task to look at all aspects.

The longer I occupy myself with it, the greater the world of wonders that opens up. This week, now that it has become so pleasantly warm, it will be really nice shamanic here with us in the Odenwald. Because I am giving four days of shamanic events starting Thursday. To do this, we go to power places every day. Therefore, I perceive the shamanic days in the forest more like a vacation, because I am doing what I love with like-minded people. Here under Events you will find the events of the week. Now this coming Thursday, which is a holiday, we’re about to start Vision Quest training. Since the Odenwald is wolf territory, we start our vision quest appropriately at the wolf power places in the Wolfs-Schlucht. This is a fantastic area with abundant creative wisdom.

Many years ago, someone told me that during a vision quest, you have to stay alone in the forest at night…. Today I know that this is not necessary at all and that this is also possible during the day. So you can choose the time of day.

In the Vision Quest we go into nature to power places and connect energetically with the place. Thus we enter another level of consciousness in which we can perceive things that are otherwise imperceptible. Everyday life is thus removed so that we can fully engage in the shamanic journey of the Vision Quest.

Then we call the great shamanic wolf as our spirit guide. If you already have other power animals, you can of course also call them. But the wolf is a good guide to the places for receiving our vision.

When we have found such a place, we merge with it. That already is a very interesting feeling with expanded perception. And absorbed in it, we ask our question or simply let ourselves be inspired without asking a question. Since we are one with the place, it will now respond through us so that we can come to a higher realization from within.

In the next step, we can let the wolf lead us to another place and question it as well. This is useful because, for example, different trees have different abilities and effects depending on the type of tree. Therefore, the response of an oak will be different from that of a beech. If it is a rock or waterfall, they have different but very useful messages for us because of their age, structure and experience. Thus, just as Usui did in the Kurama Mountains, we use all the power places that are helpful to us to learn and grow through vision.

If you want to learn to connect with nature and be guided through the wolf path to nature sanctuaries to receive your visions, join us on Thursday, June 16 9am-2pm at the


Vision Quest Event


in Eberbach in the Odenwald.

Of course, there will be breaks in between and the opportunity to eat and drink.

Here’s what you’ll learn at the Vision Quest – June 16, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

There are no prerequisites 😀