On Friday, November 2, 2018, Phyllis Furumoto, Grandmaster and Lineage Bearer of Usui Shiki Ryoho, spoke to members of John Harvey Gray’s lineage at an event sponsored by Brian Brunius and Reiki Centers of America. The three-day event was something I’d long anticipated, but Friday, devoted to the “Initiating Lineage” of John Gray, was the most profound for me as one of his students, and as a Reiki instructor in his lineage.
Reiki Master John Harvey Gray
John had a scientific mind, and his approach to Reiki was deeply analytical. He not only preserved the teachings of his Master, Hawayo Takata, through recordings and detailed notes, but he carried out years of research, study, and practice that gave him an undeniable authority and authenticity. His decades of experience teaching and delivering Reiki treatments lent his words power when he spoke. One person I know who became a Reiki Master under John referred to her training as “the Harvard equivalent of a Reiki education.”
Initiating Lineage
In Reiki, we all have an “Initiating Lineage.” This is the lineage of the teacher who put their hands on us and initiated us into the practice of Reiki. For most who attended the first day of the event with Phyllis in NYC, John Gray was their Initiating Master. He initiated them into the practice of Reiki. They attended the classes he taught, and learned from him. Some of them were my students, so for them Brian Brunius is their Initiating Master, and they consider themselves to be in John Gray’s lineage because he was my initiating master.
Spiritual Lineage
So who was Phyllis Furumoto to those people in attendance, and why did I think it valuable to bring her to New York City? Phyllis is the lineage bearer of Hawayo Takata. She was initiated into Reiki by her grandmother. When Takata died, Phyllis became her successor and lineage bearer. In Usui Shiki Ryoho, this position is called “Grandmaster,” and is also titled “Spiritual Lineage Bearer.” As the system of Usui Shiki Ryoho developed, it became clear that part of the role of the Grandmaster was to maintain the energy, practice, and philosophy of Usui Shiki Ryoho, what Phyllis often referred to as a still-point. She knew the system would change and develop with time, but some parts of it had to remain unchanging in order to maintain its integrity.
So all who practice Usui Shiki Ryoho have an Initiating Lineage and also a Spiritual Lineage. My initiating Lineage is Usui, Hayashi, Takata, and John Harvey Gray. My Spiritual Lineage is Usui, Hayashi, Takata, and Phyllis Lei Furumoto. I honor both equally. I will be forever grateful to Phyllis for holding a John Gray Lineage Day, and for helping us to honor our dear teacher, whose Reiki training changed all our lives. It was very healing for all of us present to experience the unification of the Spiritual Lineage with the Initiating Lineage.
~Brian Brunius, NYC Reiki Center
