About Marianne

For more than two decades, through teaching, private sessions, and mentoring, I have supported the health and well being of clients, students, and fellow practitioners throughout the Seattle and Puget Sound area, nationally, and globally.

The Journey

I came to Reiki late in life after years of trying to fit myself into work situations that were not optimal for me. I taught 7th grade English and Reading, edited a weekly suburban newspaper, served as an editor/coordinator for a book publishing company, sold real estate, and coordinated 340 blood drives a year for the St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross. Each of these endeavors provided invaluable knowledge, skills, and experience; however, none was a best fit for me. None fed my soul in a way that I was seeking. 

In my mid-fifties, divorced, burned out, and “searching for my purpose,” I sought advice from a psychic, hoping for a job title that would fit me perfectly—I need only to find the listing and apply. When she suggested I study Reiki and become a healer, my first thought was that seeking her advice had been a waste of money. I had never heard the word “Reiki” at that point, and I quickly let her know that I had NO INTEREST in such a pursuit. 

Time passed, and a friend of mine excitedly shared information about a class she had taken that had made a significant difference in her mental, emotional, and physical well-being. “Oh, what class was that?” I asked. I soon enrolled in a Level I Reiki training with Tom Tessereau, executive director of the Healing Arts Center in St. Louis. It was June of 2000 and my journey with Reiki had begun.

The Work

In 2002 I left my job with a St. Louis non-profit and moved to Seattle without a job and still “searching for my purpose.”  After offering a Reiki session to a new friend, she exclaimed, “You’ve got to do this!” My response was that maybe Reiki was something I could do while searching for my purpose. (Some of us are slow learners.) I obtained a business license and established a practice later that year. It soon became clear to me that Reiki IS my purpose, or certainly a large part of it. I found deep satisfaction in working with clients and witnessing positive results. I quickly completed Level 2 training, then in 2004 took ART/Master through the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) and Karuna® Reiki 1, 2 and Master in 2008, also through ICRT. In 2010 and again in 2015 I completed Shoden and Okuden Reiki training through the Jikiden Institute in Kyoto, Japan. 

As I work with a client, my goals are first to listen, then establish an intention for the session, be the most open channel possible for the flow of Reiki, and as I end the session ask that Reiki continue to flow, allow the client to process, share, ask questions, and make sure they are grounded. My intention is to embody compassion, the essence of Reiki, and to open clients to recognition of their own wisdom and encourage each one to claim greater agency over their own lives. 

As an instructor, the material I teach is not limited to one school or lineage of Reiki but is based on teachings of five outstanding Reiki Masters with whom I have studied, on collaboration with Reiki colleagues across the globe, my own research, and what Reiki has taught me during thousands of hours of hands-on and distant sessions with clients who experience a broad range of conditions. 

My teaching philosophy is to provide students with a thorough understanding of the history, techniques and practice of Reiki and to encourage the highest level of competence. To this end, I share with students what I have learned and support each student in the unfolding of their unique Reiki path through mentoring and consulting. I welcome students’ questions and insights, as I believe Reiki will teach each practitioner the best way to work with the energy, and that is, to some degree, unique for each of us. If we are open to it, Reiki will continue to teach us and to develop our skills throughout our lives.

The Reward

Reiki feeds my soul in a way no other endeavor in my life has. The practice and business of Reiki calls on all of my talents, all of my past experience, and the wisdom I have gained from living on this planet for seven decades. It brings me into contact with human beings of every age, numerous cultures and countries, and with myriad expressions of the human condition and myriad expressions of intelligence and wisdom. I feel deeply privileged, profoundly grateful, and enriched beyond measure by each soul Reiki brings into my life.

The author of Reiki, A Guide for the Practice of Levels I and II, published in 2009, I blog at Reiki for Living and have published more than 60 articles about Reiki. I was an editor, contributor, and columnist for Reiki News Magazine from 2004-2010. As a professional member of the International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP) since 2004, I adhere to its Code of Ethics and standards of practice.

My Teachers:

Testimonials