Flesh & Spirit Community is a prophetic voice living outside the box. It is on the backs of peaceful warriors, lovers, sacred prostitutes, elders, mystics and prophets that our community has been inspired, informed and transformed. Here are some stories of a few prophetic voices. Since we are a community that utilizes the wisdom of Reiki I choose to bring a different light to the voice of Hawayo Takata who was truly her own authority.

Recently Donny and I had the pleasure of attending a mass with Victoria Rue,a woman, a lesbian and a Catholic priest. Yes, a Catholic priest not recognized by Rome but secretly ordained by bishops in the church. As she welcomed the Divine feminine into liturgy, the experience of power was embodied by the community. The movement of women priests is changing the conversation of power. Another such voice who has touched our lives is Troy Perry the founder of Metropolitan Community Church. When he was thrown out of the church as an openly gay man in 1968 he began his own church meeting in his home with12 people. An inclusive movement began with Troy creating safe space especially LGBT to express God's love. Similarly are the stories of the three key players in the healing movement called Reiki.

A Japanese mystic, Dr. Mikao Usui, sought the wisdom and power of healing which he saw lacking in Japan during the 1920's.He became his own authority by rejecting the spiritual dogma at the time that said physical healing no longer happened. His desire to free people from physical suffering set him on a quest that has become a movement of healing across religious traditions.Mikao Usui studied the texts and writings of sankrit and ancient Buddhism. It is said Usui found an abbot who encouraged him to take the formula he had gathered from these ancient writings and to go to Mt. Koriyama, to fast and pray. The abbott encouraged Usui to do a meditation ritual for twenty one days.Usui encircled himself in twenty one stones for each day. Eachnday he would throw away a stone waiting for the revelation of healing to be imparted. On the darkest part of the night before thedawn, he threw out the last stone and nothing had
happened.Usui had been told that the light of healing might kill him if it struck him. In that moment, he saw the light appear.He had to choose whether he wanted to receive the light with its potential for healing or let it overpower him.
The story goes that Usui, hit by the light, received the revelation of each symbol used inhe had studied with its meaning and usage. He understood there was a "cost" his call.
The second person in this lineage of revelation was Chujiro Hayashi. Hayashi was a retired Navy captain who was seeking something to do with the next phase of his life when he met Usui and learned Reiki. He set up and ran the first Reiki clinic for Usui in Tokyo. The container of the revelation Usui had experienced with Reiki as a healing method happened prior to World War II brewing in the background. Keeping in mind men might go to a potential war and be killed as well as the cultural view of women that Hayashi would have to factor into his decisions regarding empowering Takata. He got to be in his own authority by steping outside the box when he met Hawayo Takata.
Hawayo Takata was to bring much of we know of as the healing method of Reiki to the West. It was her persistence, commitment to her own healing and a call to invest big in the call to be a channel for healing that opened the doors for a Reiki Movement to happen. If Hayashi had not attuned Hawayo Takata as a Reiki Master this knowledge would probably still be hidden from many whose lives have been touched by Reiki.
Born in Hawaii of Japanese parents in 1900 Takata was familiar with being an outsider both in Hawaii and then as she went to Japan for medical treatment. Her husband had died in 1930 which left to raise her 2 daughters as a single parent. While she was in Japan she needed surgery and was advised by the doctor that she might not survive the operation. Her intention in going to Japan for the surgery was so that her daughters would be with her parents should she die. While on the surgery table Takata heard a voice telling her, this surgery is not necessary. Jumping off the table she asked the physician what other options she had by not doing the surgery. He told her he had heard a Reiki clinic as a possible alternative.
The next day she arrived at Dr. Hayashi’s Reiki clinic where she had her first of several months of Reiki treatments. She gradually healed and became very interested in this Life Force treatment that healed her. After much persistence Dr. Hayashi agreed to teach her and she stayed in Japan to practice Reiki under his supervision for a year. She did an internship with Dr. Hayashi for a year allowing her to be trained as a level II practitioner before she returned home to Hawaii. Takata began giving Reiki treatments in Hawaii having healing results just like Usui. It is said it was the persistence of Takata influenced Hayashi to step out his boxes of culture and gender to make her a Reiki Master in 1937 while he visited with her in Hawaii.
Takata initiated 22 people as Reiki Masters. She charged a fee of 10,000 as an investment to become a Reiki Master at the time. I believe Takata was her own authority much like the woman to came to Jesus inisisting "even the dogs can eat the crumbs under the table" By valuing her worth, valuing the healing she received and valuing the healing that is available she added elements of inclusion to a movement of healing that continues to change the world. It was through her persistence, commitment to her own healing and a call to invest big in belng a channel of healing, Hawayo Takata challenged people out of their old paradyms of lack, into expanded spaces for healing and abundance.
Both Donny and I have had the priviledge to work with Reiki Masters who were attuned by Takata.
To all liberationists who are willing to be their own authority like Victoria Rue,Troy Perry,Mikao Usui, Chujiro Hayashi, Hawayo Takata and you brothers of Flesh & Spirit Community, I give thanks!