Our Spiritual Lineage

Dr. Mikao Usui was a Japanese school teacher and monk in Kyoto, Japan.  In the late 1800s, he left his home and job to follow his quest to discover how Buddha and Jesus healed people with their touch. He travelled to many countries over several years and studied many ancient documents related to healing. He learnt many languages in the process.  When no answers came his way, he set out on a 21 day fast on top of Mount Kurama, which is outside of Kyoto Japan. It was here on the last morning that Usui was struck by a ball of Light on his head which revealed to him what he had sought all his life. The practice what we call Reiki. He travelled hence far and wide through Japan, teaching and training many Japanese.

Among the ones that Dr. Usui trained was a Japanese naval officer and physician, Chujiro Hayashi. Hayashi opened Reiki Clinic in Tokyo with Usui’s permission and there after opened many more clinics. He trained a number of students. He is the Master who gave us the Hand Positions that we commonly use in our Reiki practice today. Hayashi often dealt with some difficult medical cases.  One such case was Hawayo Takata, when she was first introduced to Reiki.

Hawayo Takata was a Japanese American woman from Hawaii.  After she lost her husband suddenly at a young age, she was burdended with not only extra work but very poor health.  Due to the strain and stress she developed a Tumor, Gall stones and appendicitis. She also struggled to raise her two young daughters.  She then went to Japan to seek medical help. And in the process came across Chujiro Hayashi. After several months of Reiki treatment at his clinic, she healed completely. After which she spent a year in Hayashi’s clinic learning to become a Reiki Practitioner.  After her return to Hawaii, she began to practice Reiki. Hayashi visited her with his daughter and before leaving in 1938, he made Hawayo Takata a Reiki Master. She was announced the Lineage Bearer & successor of Chujiro Hayashi soon after.

The grand daughter of Hawayo Takata grew up in the Midwest of the United States. She was initiated into Reiki at an early age and it became her duty to treat her grandmother when she came to visit the family. She was initiated as a Master in 1979 at the start of a trip with her grandmother, Hawayo Takata. For the next year and a half, she apprenticed with her grandmother, teaching and assisting first degree and second degree classes.  After her grandmother’s death in 1980, Phyllis was recognized by the Reiki Master Community as her grandmothers successor in the lineage. She is faithful to her grandmother’s teachings while remaining flexible and moving with the times with the ever growing world community.