The Power of The Reiki Symbols
Each Reiki symbol has a story and a message intended to bring us into a deeper connection with Reiki energy. The symbols are major players in our Reiki training as we learn how to use them with respect and integrity. We take the time to memorize the kanji, practicing each stroke over and over. We drill into our minds the shapes, the sounds, and even the meanings of each symbol.
Although the symbols are often viewed as external tools to intensify Reiki energy during a session, or a way to channel energy for a specific purpose, their true meaning lies beyond our mental perceptions.
In their true meaning, the symbols are conduits for you to step out of your own way. They represent a vehicle to bring you back into the present so you can set aside your stories about yourself and your client, allowing the Reiki energy to flow through you, unhindered by stories and expectations.
Each Reiki symbol can be conceptualized by its 'intended' use. We are taught that Cho Ku Rei is important for grounding and power, while Sei He Ki is used for emotional issues and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen for distance. But when we attach these meanings to the symbols, we are creating a mental perception that gets in the way of the Reiki flow. We know that each symbol, each kanji, has a meaning in the way it is written, but we do ourselves a disservice when we allow that story to dictate our practice.
Instead of conceptualizing the symbols,
intending them for a specific purpose (i.e., pushing our own mental perceptions
of what 'should' happen during the session), the symbols call us to come more
fully into the present. To live in alignment with the precepts and let go
of worry, anger, and anxiety. To live in love and gratitude, and to get out of
your own way so that what needs to come through may come through.
Each client has lessons they need to learn,
experiences they need to have, and realizations they need to experience. No
combination of symbols, and amount of Reiki, can facilitate those realizations
or lessons to happen before their time. We do not choose what happens for our clients.
We are not here to speed up or slow down their journey, to push them forward or
hold them back. We are here to hold the space for them, just as
they are, to be exactly where they are, and find healing in the present moment.
We do not get to change the outcomes
our clients experience after a session. But we do get to choose how we
practice. We get to choose if we superimpose our own stories and shoulds onto
the session, or if we allow the energy to flow through us freely.
The Reiki symbols are a vehicle for our entrance into the present, holding the space for us as we hold space for others. They bring us inward, back to the present, and out of the way so we can allow the energy to flow, for the greatest and highest good of all. They are not intended to direct or dictate how the energy should flow. Instead, they are designed so that we may find ourselves held within them, and in that space we get out of the way, and allow Reiki energy to flow through, unhindered and unfettered by our own expectations.
So the next time you step into a Reiki session, instead of seeing the symbols as a way to direct or intensify the Reiki energy, see them as an invitation to go further inward, as a stepping stone to get you out of your own way. Watch as the Reiki flows through you freely, for the greatest and highest good of all.