Post by Callista on Feb 2, 2007 15:16:12 GMT -5
The Reiki Symbols
For a long time, it was thought that the symbols should remain secret, and not be shown to anyone not attuned to Reiki II. “Takata herself taught that the symbols were not to be openly shown. It is said that she would take the paper copies that her students wrote as practice and would burn them after the class. That was a great reverence for them.(Amador 4).” The symbols first appeared in a book in Australia, and were next seen in Diane Stein's book, Essential Reiki. While some may argue about sharing the symbols, I feel that they should be shared. This is not to say that I am devaluing their place in Reiki, but more to say that I feel that Reiki should not be this secret and mysterious thing.
The symbols themselves have some power of their own. They are tools for connecting to and focusing the Reiki energy. Some believe that if you saw the symbols prior to attunement, that this makes it impossible for you to receive an attunement. This is incorrect. If you saw the symbols prior to attunment, that means you have a stronger connection with Reiki. The symbols were designed to function as a guide for those who had little or no energy sensitivity. They were nothing more than a tool. I have used the symbols myself, and though I don't use them often, they do possess energy. Reiki is simply a reawakening of skills we have always had within us.
Some of you may already be familiar with the Reiki symbols. They may be different from the ones I am about to discuss here. There are a couple of reasons for this. In the past, the Reiki symbols were taught orally (though there have been copies of Usui's original manuals found. These contained illustrations of the symbols.). Mrs. Takata, who was one of the first people to bring Reiki to the U.S., allowed her students to practice drawing the symbols during class, but then the drawings were burned at the end of the class. The variations are due to the fact that many students were taught the symbols orally, so they are slightly different from the original symbols. Another reason for this is that a person's Reiki guides told them to modify the symbols. Or, they were modified to fit better with the person's beliefs.
Now to the symbols themselves. Again, some of you may know slightly different translations of the symbols. Here I will focus on the more common translations.
The Power Symbol
The Power Symbol is sometimes refered to as the “power increase symbol”, The Japanese name for this symbol is Cho Ku Rei. It translates as 'put all the power in the universe here'. Think of it like you would a light switch. It functions in the same general manner. Once you activate the symbol, Reiki is 'on'. Its primary uses are to increase the power of Reiki, or to focus the Reiki on a specific person, location, or event. It can also be used to cleans a room.
Cho Ku Rei
The Mental/Emotional Symbol
This symbol is refered to by several names: Mental/Emotional Symbol, Mental Symbol, Mental/Emotional/Addiction Symbol. It is also sometimes refered to as the Harmony symbol. Its Japanese name is Sei He Ki. Sei HKi means 'God and humanity become one'. This symbol is commonly used in healing situations involving mental or emotional trauma, or addiction. It can also be used to heal the emotional problems underlying physical problems. Yes, emotional issues manifest as physical ailments.
Sei He Ki
The Distance Healing Symbol
This symbol is also known as the Absentee Symbol. It is used to send healing when the practitioner is not present. The Japanese name, Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen, can be translated to mean 'may the Buddha in me connect to the Buddha in you to promote harmony and peace'. This symbol can be used for a lot more than most healers realize. It is useful to use this symbol when hands on healing would be inappropriate. Though it is known as the Distance symbol, this symbol can be empowered to send Reiki to anyone, anywhere, or any time; be it past, present or future. Time and space have no meaning with this symbol.
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen