Reiki Roundup: extra-large end-of-summer* edition

*or end-of-winter for our readers in the Southern Hemisphere

This may be our biggest Reiki Roundup ever! For some reason, Reiki has turned up in the news much more often in the past couple of weeks, so grab your reading glasses and let's get started.

London: The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council has now opened its register to reflexologists, and Reiki practitioners are scheduled to be added within a few months. The voluntary register will open over the course of this year to a wide range of complementary and natural healthcare practitioners. Reflexology is the fourth discipline for which the register has opened this year, joining massage therapy, nutritional therapy and aromatherapy.

East Anglia, United Kingdom: A woman whose husband shot her by accident is recovering now, thanks to a series of surgeries and the aid of alternative therapies, including Reiki.

Spain, by way of Japan: The Japan Times has a feature on a winery where Reiki is used to "harmonize the wine with the energy of the universe."

Mumbai, India: After surviving a cardiac arrest, an anonymous writer learned to practice Reiki.

Majur, India: A Reiki practitioner and her husband have culminated their life of scholarly work with a six-volume lexicon of the Tulu language.

Dehradun, India: The Times of India has an article on how the elderly and others with limited mobility can integrate Reiki with surya namaskar, known to yoga practitioners worldwide as the sun salutation, to greet the sun in a less active way. The techniques mentioned are from a branch of Reiki that has evolved in India in recent decades that incorporates yoga and other meditative techniques.

Hervey Bay, Australia: A Reiki practitioner gets an award for his volunteer work.

The Australian Outback: A Reiki practitioner is one of the characters in a new television comedy series. She likes to give Reiki to snakes.

Northumberland, Ontario, Canada: A Reiki master teacher who works with both animal and human clients talks to her local newspaper.

Barbados: The Caribbean island nation's Reiki association is planning a gathering in October.

Burien, Washington, USA: A woman who just got her second "bionic shoulder" also got Reiki to help with the surgery and recovery.

Mesquite, Texas: Born a displaced Hungarian countess, she's now a Reiki practitioner.

Ft. Hood, Texas: Reiki is one of the therapies offered to injured and traumatized veterans at the U.S. Army's Warrior Combat Stress Reset Camp. And here's more on the yoga-aficionado general who helped bring that assistance to his troops and hopes to expand the program.

Nashua, New Hampshire: After overcoming from kidney cancer with the help of her doctors and a Reiki master friend, a Nashua woman went into the recording studio to continue healing with music.

Hampton, Maine: A man who's now in remission after nearly dying from liver cancer surrounds himself with positive-thinking people and has learned to practice Reiki.

Cyberspace: The Usui Virtual Retreat is entering its third and final week, and this week Susan Mitchell, one of Hawayo Takata's Reiki students, contributes her thoughts on how practice can lead to happiness.