Story of a Reiki Master

There was once a young woman, Kate, whose father had just died suddenly.  She was suffering from shock and grief; it was the first loss of a close loved one.  A friend offered her a Reiki treatment and this changed the course of her life.  She found that Reiki lifted the sadness and distress.  It gave her peace of mind in a way she had not experienced since childhood.  She returned many times to receive this wonderful healing and re-discovered joy and love in her life.

Then one day a thought came to her: “I would like to be able to give this sort of experience to other people”.  She was surprised by this thought, as she was theatre director and had no plans to become a complementary therapist!

She was introduced to Reiki master Martha Sylvester and soon learned 1^st degree Reiki.  With joy at feeling Reiki in her own hands, she began giving Reiki healing to others within a few weeks.  When she received a phone call inviting her to join a 2^nd degree class a few months later she enthusiastically agreed and took the class.

Soon after she was invited to offer Reiki treatments at a complementary health clinic in Kings Heath, Birmingham.  She gladly agreed and experienced first hand many of the teachings she had learned about Reiki in the classes.  She also observed that many people would benefit from Reiki every day in their lives, rather than just weekly or monthly sessions.  But she didn't consider herself suitable to become a Reiki master.

Reiki had helped to bring her a new partner, her future husband Alec.  They had a home together in Cotteridge, Birmingham where they invited Martha to offer Reiki classes.  During one of these classes Martha invited them both to become Reiki masters.  Kate accepted immediately, seeing that this would enable her to teach those she gave healing to who needed to be able to treat themselves – or a member of their family.  Alec took a bit more persuasion, but after a night when he says “Reiki wouldn’t let me go to sleep until I’d changed my mind” he accepted.  Thus, they began their preparation to become Reiki masters together.

Their preparation took a few years, during which time they attended every class and workshop offered by their Reiki master.  “Reiki is preparing you” she told them.  Eventually she felt they were ready for
initiation and a 1^st degree class was arranged during which this would take place.  On 1^st November 1991 Alec and Kate were initiated as Reiki masters in their own home in Cotteridge.

The very next day they received a phone call from someone saying that she a group of friends wanted to learn Reiki.  So Alec and Kate taught their first 1^st degree Reiki class the following month.  They continued to teach together for several years at a time when there were few Reiki masters and many people wanting to learn.  It was an exciting time, involving travelling to new places and meeting many lovely people.

Kate became involved with The Reiki Association, which also began in 1991, and through this met Phyllis Furumoto, lineage bearer of Usui Shiki Ryoho.  When Kate heard Phyllis describe the Nine Elements and Four Aspects of Usui Shiki Ryoho she recognised them and realised the value of what she had been taught by Martha.

Kate and Phyllis got to know each other well over the years, with Kate working for Phyllis and also studying with her, which deepened her understanding of Usui Shiki Ryoho.  This deepening of her understanding and experience added to Kate’s joy of sharing Reiki through teaching and treatments.  Kate also experienced personally the healing power of Reiki.

Following a talk by Phyllis, Alec realised that his main focus was being a taiji teacher so he decided to stop teaching Reiki.  Kate began teaching alone and continued to teach regularly every year and has been honoured to initiate over a thousand people, in many parts of the UK, into 1^st and 2^nd degree Reiki, as well as leading various workshops and retreats to help them deepen their Reiki learning.

Kate’s involvement with The Reiki Association fostered her interest in Reiki treatment practice.  Knowing from her own experience of the value of receiving healing through Reiki, Kate hoped that people would have a good first experience when going for a Reiki session.  This led to her being involved over many years with The Reiki Association and other organisations in an exploration of what it means to be a professional Reiki practitioner.  She began teaching courses to enable practitioners to become confident and competent practitioners.  Kate continued to give Reiki healing as well as teaching, gaining valuable experience in what being a Reiki practitioner offers.

In 2017 Kate joined a pilgrimage to Japan with Phyllis, which helped her understanding of the cultural origins of Reiki, which was both confirming and deepening of her experience.

In 2021 Kate reached both her 60^th birthday and 30^th birthday as a Reiki master.  Having now been a Reiki master for half of her life she is preparing for the next era, one that also begins with a parent’s death – that of her mother.  What will come next?  Perhaps it is time for her to begin initiating masters of her own.

The Joy of Working as a Reiki Practitioner

This month it is 31 years since I learned Reiki and I have been thinking about how wonderful it is to be able to work as a Reiki practitioner.  Compared to many other jobs it has a lot of advantages!

Flexibility – as my own boss I can choose when and how much to work.  Although I am committed to seeing clients regularly, I find I am able to balance their needs with my own so that I can care for my own health too.  As a diabetic not on medication, it is important for me to be able to eat at specific times.  Being my own boss gives me the flexibility to make this possible.  Having heard how some NHS staff are expected to work without even proper breaks for meals I am very grateful to have this ability to choose my own timetable.

Necessity to receive Reiki treatments – I love receiving Reiki treatment, so it feels like a real benefit that those who are giving treatments to others regularly are expected to receive Reiki treatments.  I give myself Reiki treatment most days (an enjoyable way to prepare for work!). By self-treating I help to maintain my own health and well-being, so that people who come to me for Reiki meet a calm and happy practitioner who is in the best health possible.  I also find it both enjoyable and beneficial to receive Reiki from someone else on a regular basis to further support my well-being.  When I was less experienced about Reiki this was also a good way to learn more about how it works and what treatment can offer.

Mindfulness practice – I have noticed that giving Reiki treatment is a form of mindfulness.  As I treat, I pay attention to the sensations in my hands and body.  I also watch signs from the person I am treating such as sighs, twitches and facial expressions.  These things help me to maintain my attention in the present moment.  What wonderful work that requires mindfulness practice for an hour at a time!  It isn’t necessarily easy, but I find that reiki energy fosters a meditative mental state in practitioners as well as the person receiving healing.  As a result, I often feel calmer and more centred myself at the end of the treatment as well as having helped the person being treated to achieve deeper relaxation.

In service to others – there is something deeply satisfying about helping another person who is in some sort of distress to feel more peaceful.  The Dalai Lama points out that being in service to others is a way to achieve joy in our own lives.  Giving Reiki treatments is one way we can help to relieve suffering and improve the quality of people’s lives.

Simplicity – attending a webinar aimed at nutritionists recently which included a lot of technical information I felt grateful that I do not have to remember so much detail to give Reiki treatments.  With no diagnosis involved in Reiki, I don’t have to work things out and risk making mistakes.  I find that anything I need to know comes to me intuitively and I am grateful for the grace and ease of this way of working.

There are challenges too of course, such as deciding what to charge, being comfortable giving treatment and knowing how to maintain appropriate boundaries, but I value these as part of the personal and spiritual growth this kind of work offers.

I am grateful to be able to work as a Reiki practitioner and I hope more people will enjoy this way of making a living.

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.

"Gathering a bouquet at full gallop"

After a holiday by the seaside I am feeling refreshed and enjoyed having time and space to simply be, instead of rushing to make the next deadline.  My life is full of many things:  Reiki treatments and teaching, singing groups, family and keeping the house and garden in order.  There is always something to be done!  I often find I am busy just about every day of the week.  The holiday reminded me how important it is to stop once in a while and have time to re-connect with myself and nature.  There’s a Chinese proverb that describes this perfectly: “It’s like trying to gather a bouquet at full gallop”.

To gather a beautiful bouquet, it is necessary to take time, to look carefully and consider what flowers to include.   This can’t be done when moving at speed.  It’s necessary therefore to slow down, take time and be more present.  This is something that can be quite a challenge in modern life, with all its distractions from computers, phones and other people!

While I usually start my day with a peaceful time giving myself Reiki, I often don’t pause for the rest of the day.  With an ever-increasing list of ‘things to do’ it is tempting to just keep going.  What Reiki has taught me, however, is that for my health and well-being I need to make space and have pauses.

I heard recently about how in the midst of the busiest Japanese cities there are temples and shrines that people visit regularly.  I encountered this myself when I visited Kyoto last year.  On my last day there I was exploring a busy shopping street and saw an entrance to a Shinto shrine.  I went in and found a delightful small space where people were able to find an oasis of peace, a few feet from the hustle and bustle of the street outside.  Here there was a place to re-connect with nature, to refresh the soul, to find sanctuary.

I had also visited many Buddhist temples where the gardens are peaceful places to re-connect with nature and refresh the soul, inviting me into the present moment with their simple beauty.  The tea ceremony we participated in had a similar effect and I realised that this seems to be an important aspect of Japanese culture: the ability to find time and space to re-connect with nature and spirituality.

I see that Reiki, like those shrines and temples, offers space to re-connect with natural energy and find sanctuary for the soul.  It invites me to be present, slows my mind and helps my body to relax (unlike going at full gallop).  It is even more accessible than the Japanese temples and shrines, because it’s available in my own hands, anywhere and at any time.  All I need to do is remember to stop for a few minutes and place my hands on myself.  I have discovered that pausing and slowing down my mind is actually really good for my work because a relaxed mind is more creative, enabling me to find creative solutions to problems.

So I hope you have some time to pause your usual routine during the summer.  To assist this, I invite you to enter the sanctuary of Reiki – whether by placing your hands on yourself if you have learned Reiki or by receiving treatment from someone else if you haven’t.  May the bouquet you gather be fragrant, abundant and gathered slowly!