The Grey Book was Alice Takata Furumoto’s gift to the masters Hawayo Takata initiated. It was also an acknowledgement of her daughter, Phyllis, as Hawayo Takata’s successor.
Through letters, we see that Alice knew Takata Sensei wanted Phyllis to take her place as head of The Usui System of Reiki Natural Healing. Takata died in December 1980 and the transition occurred without a formal public announcement. Phyllis took the first steps of her journey feeling very alone.
With her cancer diagnosis in 2009, Phyllis realized she needed to prepare herself and the community for her own death. Phyllis and Paul Mitchell did seven retreats on the topic of succession. From that arose a group of masters and students who met for two and a half years prior to Phyllis’ death to look, question, and reach beyond their understanding of the succession process.
When Phyllis announced Johannes as Lineage Bearer, he was uniquely alone in his position, yet unlike Phyllis, not alone—held by masters and students around the world who embrace the lineage of this tradition of Usui Shiki Ryoho.
“What is it like to take up the mantle of succession?” I asked Johannes. He replied,
“Looking back on that day in March 2019, I can hear Phyllis say, ‘Johannes, you are it.’ It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. IT is just so. I had to hear the truth of these words. They could only come from Phyllis.“I know now that succession is not about 'me,' my personality or traits. It’s not about self-nomination or self-selection. It’s not personal. I don’t feel that identifying me was a personal choice for Phyllis either.“I read an interview recently where Phyllis talked about her own experience of succeeding Takata Sensei. I sensed that in Phyllis’ process of identifying a successor, she was looking to something that she had experienced. It was not about skills, or whether Johannes is nice or obedient, not about 'you' being happy about 'me.' Not even about whether Phyllis particularly liked me. I think she was looking at where the energy flows.“It has been a profound internal process to realize that Reiki comes first. In the beginning this felt like a burden. Whenever I used to hear Phyllis saying, 'Reiki comes first,' it felt like that was a lot to ask. If Reiki comes first, the self is second. Then what about me, my individual self?“Now it feels like such a relief. It connects me with the reality that I don’t have to please everyone. There may be conflicts, but it makes it easier because I understand that it’s not about the conflict. It’s that Reiki comes first. That puts my life in perspective: serving the system, serving Reiki.“This is an important teaching for many of us. Our masters are challenging us, triggering us, showing us what we need to learn: that what matters is our relationship with the practice. Reiki comes first. This is the answer to so many of the questions.”
Phyllis’ internal journey, the community exploration of succession, and conversations among students and masters worldwide generated a field for the succession process. Like Alice Takata Furumoto we are invited to witness, and participate in, the unfolding stream of succession in the lineage of Usui Shiki Ryoho.
