



Iya Tanya is a priestess of the African Diaspora. She was born and raised in NYC and has practiced and studied spiritualism from various cultures for well over a decade. Although spiritualism is ancient, it has been a federally recognized religion by the US Gov’t since 1983. She holds several healing certificates as an Usui Reiki Master Teacher, Registered Lightarian Reiki Master Facilitator, Registered Lightarian AngelLinks Facilitator, a Certified Intuitive Counselor of the National Spiritualist Association, and Ordained as a Spiritualist Minister. While remaining committed to her culture, her vision is to share and promote education of mind, body, and spirit through the inspiration of articles, poetry, prayer, rituals, veneration, health and healing.”
Many people often ask me, "what kind of minister are you? Nowadays, just about anyone can become a minister. Some people take courses, like I did, whereas other people just pay for the title. Just to give you some background, I attended a spiritualist seminary program in New York City that consisted of 4 levels, each 8-15 weeks in duration that anyone can take and do not have to become ordained. However, to become ordained one must take and pass other courses in psychic development, séance training, and trance work which can take well over 3 years to complete.
I received my Ordination by the Holistic Studies Institute and Spiritualist Center, Inc. Holistic Studies Institute of New York was founded in 1977 by Rev. Stephen C. Robinson and Rev. Alice M. Hughes, two liberal Spiritualist Ministers, who envisioned an organization dedicated to the enlightenment of the human mind, nurturance of the body and upliftment of the soul. Since its inception, HSI flourished as a holistic learning center, with its National Headquarters located in Albany, New York. More recently HSI has expanded its full services to New York City, with a convenient mid-town Manhattan location. HSI is a non-profit corporation, incorporated in New York State. It is a recognized 501C 3 religious corporation by the US Internal Revenue Service. HSI is authorized to operate as a Spiritualist Organization, which is recognized by the US Federal Government.