The Reiki Symbols

Many Reiki Masters consider the Reiki symbols holy and persist in the old Reiki tradition that they must be kept secret. The symbols should only be available to those who have been initiated at the Reiki 2 level. Today I feel that this approach is no longer relevant as the symbols have been described in many books and are freely available on the Internet.

Reiki symbols of no value
The Reiki symbols as such and the information that can be read about them are of little value on their own. In different tests it has been proven that the symbols have little or no use before a Reiki initiation. Students with no Reiki experience (but with psychic abilities) have been asked to memorize the symbols and then use them. The results differ from a control group who had Reiki 2. The conclusion has been that it is the Reiki initiation as such that gives the Reiki symbols their power.

Reiki Symbols as keys
The Reiki symbols are like keys that open doors to a higher mind. You can also see them as buttons, when you press the button you automatically get a result. In my opinion one of the functions of the Reiki symbols is to instantly override the user's precognition that some things cannot be done (i.e. distance healing). The symbols trigger a belief or intention built into the symbols that helps the user to get the results intended. The different symbols also quickly connect the user to the universal life force.
When a Reiki Master does an attunement and shows the Reiki symbols to a student, the form of the symbol is impressed in the students mind and merges with the metaphysical energies it represents.
When a Reiki practitioner draws, thinks about or visualizes a symbol it will instantly connect to the energies it represents.

Three Reiki symbols
Today there are many different forms of Reiki and some have incorporated their own symbols in their initiations. In "traditional" Reiki there are three Reiki symbols given during the Reiki 2 Attunement (initiation). They are: the Power symbol (Choku Rei), the Mental/Emotional symbol (Sei He Ki) and the Distance symbol (Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen). You can find more information and pictures on separate pages. Click the links!

The form of the symbols

The Reiki symbols are partly based on the Japanese writing system, Kanji. The symbols should be drawn or visualized as they have been taught during the Reiki 2 Attunement. As more and more people get attuned to Reiki this will mean that there can be a great number of variations between the symbols taught by different Masters. This is not really a problem as there is not a 100% right or wrong way to draw them. The Reiki symbols given to a student will work however they look as they incorporate the intention and the connection to the metaphysical energies it represents. I have added some information about each symbol and a visual