Thank You Wanja Twan

Last month Wanja Twan, who initated my Reiki master Martha Sylvester, died peacefully, surrounded by family and pets, after a long life dedicated to the teaching and practice of Reiki.  Wanja was born   This is how I heard the story of how she came to learn Reiki:

Kate and Wanja at Reiki Alliance Conference 2006

in Sweden in 1934 and emigrated to Canada in her 20s, settling in British Columbia.

Wanja heard about the 1^st degree reiki class, at a difficult time in her life.  Her second husband had unexpectedly left her (he said he was “too happy”!), leaving her with 6 children to raise and a farm to run on her own.  Searching for something to help her, she opened a book called “We Are All Healers” at random.  There she read about a woman named Hawayo Takata, who said she could teach people how to become healers.  Shortly after this Wanja heard that Takata was coming to the local area to teach 1^st degree Reiki.  

She wanted to attend the class, but there were various issues restraining her from making the decision to go.  Being able to afford the fee of 150 US dollars was one. However, when she went to the drawer where she kept the deposits for the weaving workshops she ran in her barn, she discovered that someone had sent her $150 in US dollars – exactly what she needed for the Reiki class.

She was still concerned about leaving the younger children, but one of the older children volunteered to care for them and encouraged her to go.  So at the last minute Wanja made up her mind and went.  As she entered the house where the class was being held, a small Japanese-looking lady dressed in a bright Hawaiian dress was coming down the stairs opposite the door.  She looked at Wanja and said “Aha, I knew you would come!”.  This lady was Hawayo Takata, who initiated Wanja into Reiki in 1978 and as a master in 1979. 

Wanja’s practice was often informal and completely integrated with daily life.  Reiki treatments might happen on the kitchen table, with the children and animals all around.  Reiki was also used for improving bread that was being baked and many other daily uses (including dispersing clouds on a dull day!).  Wanja had a deep connection with the unseen world and Nature.  She had an understanding of the spirituality implicit in Reiki.

Kate, Wanja and Martha in Leamington Spa!

I was fortunate to meet Wanja on a few occasions when the was in the UK and at a Reiki Alliance conference in the USA (she was a founder member of the Reiki Alliance).  We first met in London when I was a very young master full of questions.  I would ask her a question and she would respond: “Well I don’t know, but…” and then give a profound answer.  

One of her teachings was that Takata encouraged her students to be grateful for the healing gift of Reiki.  Wanja developed a ritual for the end of treatments to honour this.  She would encourage us to place our hands on our heart and repeat 3 times “Thank you for this healing”.  It is not part of the official Usui Shiki Ryoho form, but it is a something I maintain to this day in my own practice.

I am grateful to Wanja, without whom I might not have Reiki in my life!  Thank you Thank you Thank you Wanja, my Reiki ‘grandmother!

Phyllis: teacher, mentor, resource and friend

Kate Jones meets Phyllis Furumoto in 1993

Phyllis Lei Furumoto, lineage bearer of Usui Shiki Ryoho, came into my life at Kinnersley Castle in   She was living in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the time, so found the wet winter weather of the UK very cold!  I had been curious to meet the granddaughter of Hawayo Takata, having heard about her from my Reiki master.  I was really interested in hearing what Phyllis had to say, as she shared her grandmother’s teachings. I still remember to this day many things she said at that first gathering, such as “I would rather have a reiki treatment from a 1^st degree student who practices regularly, than a master who doesn’t”.  This was the beginning of a relationship with Phyllis that has been deeply significant both personally and as a Reiki master.

Herefordshire in 1993.

My job as Administrator of The Reiki Association gave me further opportunities to meet her over the years.  In 1997 I was honoured to be asked to organise an Usui I master’s intensive, an exploration of the 9 Elements and 4 Aspects of Usui Shiki Ryoho.  She subsequently asked me to help her to prepare articles for Reiki Magazine International by editing her talks into a readable form.  This deepened my understanding further, which has enriched my teaching and practice.

One of the gifts Phyllis had was to see the potential in people and she often encouraged me to “make promises beyond my capacity”.  Thanks to Phyllis I found myself travelling to the USA for the 1^st time to attend conferences about the Public Practice of Reiki.  What we learned at these conferences became useful when discussions about standards for practitioners took place in the UK.  

Phyllis was kind and generous, supporting my trips to Idaho for the conferences by inviting me to stay with her.  Alec and I were able to return the favour and she came to visit just before we went to China for the first time.  She was excited on our behalf and gave us some money to spend.  She told me that our trip to the home of tai chi inspired her to visit Japan for the first time.

Phyllis valued authenticity in people and taking part in a 3-year course with her called “Responding with Compassion” helped me to value and express my authentic self.  It was during this course that she introduced me to the wonderful Transformation Game.  

In 2010, following Phyllis’s cancer diagnosis, I visited her in Arizona, to give support and Reiki during chemo.  It was the biggest adventure of my life as she needed me to drive her and I was nervous about driving – especially on the other side of the road!  However by the end of the trip, thanks to her excellent driving instruction, I was confident enough to drive myself into the desert alone. One day we played a Transformation Game that led to singing becoming a greater part in my life.  Phyllis loved to sing and encouraged me to explore this aspect of myself.

5 years ago, Phyllis asked me to join the Executive Director team of Reiki Foundation International.  I agreed and as a result had online meetings with Phyllis and two other Reiki masters almost every Monday.  Our explorations together led to a deeper relationship and understanding.  It even led me to be able to disagree with her!

In 2017 I made my own visit to Japan on a tour she organised.  I am so grateful to have been able to make a pilgrimage to the home of Reiki in her company.

Phyllis has been a teacher, mentor and resource – someone who has guided, inspired and challenged me.  We have also shared a deep friendship.  It was therefore a great comfort, knowing there was little time left together, to be able to help her with a few final tasks, to give her Reiki, sing together, watch a great movie and finally say goodbye.  My friend is gone from this physical world, but all that we shared is part of me and cannot be lost.  I am deeply grateful.

Health, Happiness, Long Life, Success

30 years ago this month I completed m y 1^st degree Reiki class.  I heard that Hawayo Takata said that 

In about 1989, the year I learned Reiki

practising Reiki would lead to health, happiness, long life and success.So after 30 years is this true for me?

Health

Reiki self-treatment led to discovering the cause of my lack of physical energy – which manifest almost like ME symptoms at times with associated painful joints and muscles.  An intuition that sugar was a problem for my body and having the courage thanks to Reiki’s support to go to my doctor for further investigation led to a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.  The Reiki principles helped me to deal with this diagnosis and the Reiki philosophy of self-care and a natural approach to healing led me to decline medication and achieve remission of my diabetes through stress management, nutrition and exercise.  I have regained my vitality and am also better at keeping things in balance.  So yes Reiki has given me health!

Happiness

Mentally and emotionally I was in a difficult place when I learned Reiki: grieving for my father and even before that subject to a negative outlook on life.  Reiki was like a ray of sunlight breaking through on a dark day and has continued to be so.  It enabled me to allow love into my life, bringing me together with the man who has now been my wonderful husband for the past 25 years.  Reiki brought a different way of looking at the world and helped me to deepen my spiritual life.   Through this I have found a peace and joy I had not experienced since early childhood and did not expect to find again.  So Reiki has certainly brought me happiness and I feel this will continue to grow as the years pass.

Long Life

Mrs Takata would often say to students: “prepare for a long life”.  Until my diabetes was diagnosed, I suspect I was at risk of an early death from stroke, heart attack or other complications of being diabetic.  My father was only 58 when he died, so although there are other members of my family who have lived into their 80s it may well have been more likely that I would die sooner rather than later.  I also had no particular desire to live a long life.  Reiki has given me a purpose and through becoming less driven I have found other creative passions such as singing, so that I now lead 3 singing groups and plan to write songs too.  This has given me a much greater engagement with life.  I therefore have more motivation to make any changes needed to conserve and even improve my health, so I am indeed preparing for a long life!

Success

This was sometimes spoken of as ‘prosperity’ and for a long time I did not find this aspect to be true in my life, due to my low income.  However, I have been able to do amazing things in my life even so: thanks to my Reiki worki I have travelled to the Idaho and Arizona in the USA, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Kazakhstan and of course Japan.   For all of these adventures at least part of the cost has come from the support of others, so I have been truly blessed and feel that I am very successful and prosperous, even though I don’t earn a lot of money!  What a miracle!  I am also blessed to have a cozy home, good food and most importantly loving relationships that enable me to do my Reiki work.  I feel successful in my work in that I receive the esteem of my colleagues who are often willing to listen to my thoughts.  So I also think that Reiki has brought me success.

May Reiki also bring you health, happiness, a long life and success.