The Reiki Symbols are a Key

When I first learnt Reiki Level 2 (Okuden), I was taught the 3 sacred symbols and what each one was “for”, each with its own unique purpose and essence.

One symbol was for power. Another for mental and emotional healing. Another for distance healing.

I was shown how to draw them, when to use them and where to place them during a treatment. My teacher said “these are a command to the Universe, not just words or pictures”. And Zetta was right, but I don’t think she realised that those words unlocked more questions in me than answers.

Like many Reiki students, I accepted that this was simply how Reiki was practised. And in our busy lives it’s easy to just learn a ‘technique’, do it, and expect a result.

But over the years, something changed.

The more I worked with Reiki, especially after retraining in Komyo ReikiDo in 2017 and later conducting my “Interviews with the Masters” series in 2024-25 as Chair of Reiki Australia, I realised that each of these masters and world leaders in healing had a different perspective on Reiki. That encouraged me to look more deeply into my own practice.

What I discovered was that the symbols were never meant to be treated just like magic buttons that you press to make something happen.

They are far more profound than that.

They are three dimensional living energies. And they can be our teachers.

They’re invitations to become something different ourselves.

Instead of asking, “Which symbol do I use to fix this problem?”, I found myself asking, “What is this symbol trying to teach me?”

That one shift changed everything.

Traditional Japanese Reiki teaches us that the shirushi (symbols) and jumon (mantras) are bridges. They are training wheels for the mind, designed to help us return to what the Japanese call Anshin Ritsumei, or absolute peace of mind.

Rather than simply drawing a symbol and hoping for a result, I began spending time with each one. I meditated on them. I chanted the mantras. I drew them over and over again. I sat quietly and allowed myself to experience their energy.

Slowly, each symbol began to reveal itself.

The first symbol helped me feel grounded, present and strong. It brought me back into my body and reminded me to stand firmly in my own energy.

The second symbol seemed to open my heart and my intuition. Old emotions surfaced, but so did a much greater sense of peace and understanding.

The third symbol brought an awareness of something much bigger than myself. It was difficult to describe, but it felt like coming home… a deep sense of connection, oneness and simply being.

None of these changes happened because I drew a symbol over a sore knee or wanted a particular outcome.

They happened because I developed a deeper relationship with the symbols themselves.

Over the past 28 years I’ve explored many other healing modalities and trainings, but Reiki has always remained the foundation I return to whenever life becomes busy or out of balance.

Over time I realised that the symbols weren’t changing the world around me nearly as much as they were changing me.

And perhaps that’s what Reiki has always been about.

The symbols are not there simply to help us give a treatment.

They’re there to help us awaken.

Building a Relationship with the Symbols

I would like to invite all those who have trained in Reiki Level 2 (Okuden), or the Reiki Master Level (Shinpiden) to deepen your own connection with the Reiki symbols, and allow them to teach you more about your own true nature, and allow Reiki to take you on a new journey of discovery.

Here are a few practices I’ve found valuable over the years.

• Spend time drawing each symbol by hand. You may like to use a calligraphy pen, a paint brush or even just a texta, pen or marker. Don’t rush it or worry about getting every line perfect. Allow the drawing itself to become a meditation, as you draw it over and over, like a mandala.

• Chant the mantra that belongs with each symbol for 5-10 minutes. Feel the vibration of the sound in your throat first, then your chest, then as it moves through your body rather than simply repeating the words. Chanting is also a part of many Buddhist traditions, and it is something that Mikao Usui incorporated in his practice, and in fact it’s still a part of traditional Japanese Reiki.

• Draw the Reiki kanji (or, for Level 2 and above, the appropriate symbol) into the palm of one hand (either with the palm chakras or the chakra on the tips of your fingers), then bring your hands together in Gassho, and simply sit with the energy.

You can also use this as a part of the Three Pillars of Reiki or simply at the start of a treatment.  Before you commence sharing Reiki with anyone else or lay your hands on, notice what shifts within you first.

• Another beautiful practice is to draw the symbol in front of you, then literally step into it. We discuss this briefly in Reiki Level 2, but now I want you to go beyond, and use it as a part of your spiritual practice. Close your eyes and experience whatever arises without trying to analyse it.

• You can also share the energy of the symbols with your food, your water, your crystals, your pillow or anything else that forms part of your daily life. As you work with them, you’ll often find the energy reflects back into you.

After each practice, spend a few moments reflecting.

What is this symbol teaching me?

How does it make me feel?

Where do I notice the energy in my body?

What emotions or insights arise?

And perhaps the most important question of all… Who am I becoming through my relationship with this symbol?

For those who have not yet trained in Reiki Level 2 (Okuden), you can simply use the Reiki Kanji itself and notice how it, too, can connect you to the essence of Reiki.

For those who have completed the Reiki Master Level (Shinpiden), you may also wish to meditate on the Reiki Master Symbol, often translated as the “Great Shining Light.” Allow it to connect you more deeply with your higher consciousness and your own true nature, recognising that we are already one with the Universe.

The Reiki symbols themselves are far more than tools. They are companions on our spiritual journey.

The more time we spend with them, the more they reveal their wisdom, gently guiding us back to balance, back to ourselves, and ultimately back to the quiet peace that has always existed within us.

Perhaps the greatest purpose of the Reiki symbols was never to change the person lying on the treatment table, but to quietly transform the practitioner who uses them.

I’d love to hear about your own experiences. Please feel free to share them in the comments below.

If you’d like to learn the gentle yet powerful art of Reiki, our next Reiki Level 1 & 2 will be held on September 12th and 13th, with the Reiki Master and Teacher’s Workshop next weekend and again on November 14th and 15th. Check my website for more details or to book your placement.

Namasté

Carol x