Reiki is the esoteric art of healing through chi cultivation. Chi, also spelled ‘Ki’ or ‘Qi’, is the energy force that the Chinese believe runs through all living beings through ‘chakras’. By channelling this energy they believe they can improve their health and by channelling it into other they believe they can help heal others – which is the focus of the practice of ‘Reiki’. Reiki was developed in 1922 by a Buddhist priest named Mikao Usui, who learned the basic principles through ‘mysterious intuition’ following a twenty-one day period of meditation, prayer and fasting on Mount Kurama. From here he had acquired the knowledge to teach ‘energy healing without depletion’.

In order to aid this process, Reiki utilises many symbols and signs which are worshiped as holy by some and kept secret until a practitioner reaches ‘level 2’. Here, the Reiki symbols are revealed, so that you can make your own mind up as to whether they may hold the power they are touted to have and as to whether Reiki healing is for you.

The reason the symbols can be shared in an article like ‘Reiki Symbols Revealed’ without stirring too much controversy is that the symbols on their own are supposed to be useless. Reading about them and memorising them on their own is said to have little value and it is supposed to be the initiation and the training that gives them their potency. Reiki symbols are said by practitioners to act as ‘keys’ that open the door to a high state of consciousness. The way this is supposed to work varies but suggestions include the idea that the symbol represents the belief that they can achieve such seemingly impossible feats as ‘distance healing’ and the intention that they have to do so. In this way the symbols are then meant to connect the practitioner to a ‘universal life force’ (that being ‘Chi’). Students of Reiki are introduced to these symbols during an ‘attunement’ whereby the Reiki Master will present the symbols to the student. These are then impressed into the student’s mind and merged with their metaphysical energies and values via association. Now when a Reiki practitioner draws or visualises the symbols they should connect to the energies they have been associated with.

Over time many different forms of Reiki have arisen just as there are many schools of religion or martial art. Here various Reiki masters have devised and incorporated new symbols and given them new or altered meanings. Traditionally however there are just three Reiki symbols presented during second level attunement. These are: Choku Rei, Sei He Ki and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen. These symbols come from the Japanese writing system of ‘Kanji’ and while their exact physical form may vary from school to school this should be of little importance so long as the meanings they represent are intact.

While the precise use and purpose of Reiki symbols do vary between schools and masters, the original three symbols have traditional values. Here they will each be described and explained:

Reiki Symbols Revealed: Choku Rei – Choku Rei is known as the ‘power’ symbol in Reiki and generally an instruction which states ‘place the power of the universe here’. In this way the symbol is said to be useful for various different purposes. One such use is to increase the power of the practitioner’s Reiki – acting like a ‘booster’ that can enhance an individual’s potency. For this reason it can also be used for protection – strengthening the user’s own chi so as to prevent against disruptions. Students are told that by drawing or visualising the symbol in front of them they will gain instant access to increased ability.

Due to its nature then, Choku Rei is able to be used alongside any other Reiki practice or treatment and at any time; generally though it is used at the beginning of a ‘session’ in order to increase the effectiveness of the entire procedure. Alternatively it can be used to boost the power of the other two symbols.

The appearance of Choku Rei is as a tall ‘r’ with a whirlpool drawn on top of it travelling clockwise into the centre and with its end joining onto the bottom of the r. Again though variations can be made to the image and theoretically the symbol should have the same ‘power’ regardless of how it is drawn.

Reiki Symbols Revealed: Sei He Ki – Sie Hi Ki is the ‘mental/emotional’ symbol and is used to mean ‘God and man become one’ by which is largely meant that the body and mind become one. This symbol then is used to treat ailments caused by the mind – psychosomatic illnesses, stress related illnesses, depression etc. Here Reiki practitioners have shown some foresight in identifying the heavy link between illness and psychology, long before health psychologists began to study the phenomenon. Furthermore it has been said to help with bad dreams, nervousness, forgetfulness and relationship problems – even losing weight or curing alcoholism.

The appearance of the symbol Sei He Ki makes it appear as a squiggle (that looks like a ‘rest’ from musical scores) underneath a backwards ‘r’ with two lumps on its side. These two elements of the design are said to represent the yin and yang and the left and right sides of our brain and so is said to therefore ‘balance’ the two sides of our brains.

Reiki Symbols Revealed: Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen – Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is the ‘distance healing’ symbol and is said to have the meanings of ‘The Buddha in me contacts the Buddha in you’ or ‘no past, no present, no future’. Being the distance healing symbol its use is mainly to heal from a distance meaning that the practitioner is not required to be near the afflicted in order to help them (normally Reiki is performed by holding your hands over the problem area of the individual). The concept extends beyond that though and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen can break the normal barriers of time and space. It does through its alleged access to the ‘Akashic’ records of each soul which can be used in karmic healing – helping them with traumas from the past or even past or parallel lives and to improve Karma.

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen can also be used by sending it ‘back in time’ to help lessen the trauma as it occurs. Furthermore it can be transported into the ‘future’ in order to offer support for tasks that individuals have yet to perform and to be used as a good luck charm. In this way it can be used to help them overcome troubles of the past, or to protect them in the future; as well as the more straightforward usage of healing them across distances – from across the room or if a friend is suffering abroad or elsewhere in the country. The power of Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen can be increased with Choku Rei which may help it to travel further and faster.

To think of Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen in this sense requires us to break outside of the current boundaries placed on our minds and think of time as ‘non linear’. This obviously requires quite a large philosophical shift in itself. To describe the physical appearance would be difficult with this particular symbol as it consists of various smaller symbols arranged vertically.

With all three Reiki symbols revealed, how do we interpret their meaning and make sense of them in an objective manner with regards to current trends in science and understanding? Firstly it’s important to stress that Reiki healing is not a replacement for medical science. With its exact use being so vague and varied and with no scientific evidence to support them, it is hard to consider Reiki symbols revealed as effective and scientific. Claims that prospective patients need to be ‘open minded’ and aware of the practitioner’s intentions also raise questions as to their objective usefulness. With so many con artists and false claims out there, it’s important to carefully study the effectiveness of Reiki before parting with our hard earned cash or pinning our hopes on it to cure our various ailments. We certainly should not reject medicine or medical procedures in favour of a metaphysical art that claims to be more natural or holistic.

That’s not to write Reiki and its symbolism off completely however, and it’s important to look at it objectively and find what use the symbols may have. Firstly, the act of healing or helping individuals over long distances through thought alone is nothing new and occurs commonly in religions using prayer. Here the only difference is that the impetus is put on the individual making the ‘prayer’ and the universal energy, as opposed to an outside figure such as ‘God’. In this sense it is empowering and good for our internal locus of control. In this way Reiki symbols are revealed to be a type of prayer.

Furthermore, with the connection between mind and body being more fully understood by the day, it seems entirely possible that ‘positive thinking’ no matter what form it takes, could aid in healing. In fact terminally ill patients have been demonstrated to show greater chances of recovery the more positive they are. This is not at all surprising when you think of the interplay of psychology – certain endorphins that can be produced within the brain in response to various mental states can act as pain killers and antidepressants, whereas adrenaline etc caused by stress can lead to an increased heart rate and biological stress. Where the problems are to do with relationships, stress, health behaviours or other psychological factors this is even more the case.

Whether we can indeed benefit other people with our positive thinking however is another question and one that seems rather more unlikely. Again studies have demonstrated that individuals are more likely to recover from illnesses when they are surrounded by loved ones, but the difference here is that the patients are interacting with their family and friends. If the sufferer is a long way from the practitioner and is unaware as to what they are doing then it’s unlikely that the procedure will have any physical benefit. On the other hand, informing friends or family on the phone that you are thinking of them – and perhaps sending them positive energy if this is the context in which it will be best received – could actually improve their chances of recovery or at least provide them with comfort.

Even the radical view of time as non-linear may not be completely without scientific support – with quantum physics suggesting that particles can actually travel forwards and back in time or exist in two places at once. Whether this can realistically be applied to the ideas behind Reiki however is another matter.

As our understanding of the human anatomy and of science improves, so too must our interpretation of Reiki. When it was devised over one hundred years ago, Chi seemed as likely an explanation as the interplay of hormones and bodily functions. So are Reiki symbols revealed as baloney? Or do they still hold some value? The answer is probably neither – the symbols themselves are arbitrary – but it is the thought behind them and the positive thinking they represent that holds power. Surely though we are not at a complete understanding and Reiki is certainly a topic that could benefit from further study. With the science of Reiki symbols revealed we may be able to utilise visualisation, positivity and symbolism to even more powerful effect.

Mack LeMouse

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