Reiki symbols are sacred tools used primarily in Usui Reiki (traditional Japanese Reiki). They are energetic keys that help the practitioner focus and amplify Reiki energy for specific purposes—healing the body, mind, and spirit, and even across time and space.
While Reiki itself does not require symbols to be effective, they act like switches that “turn on” different aspects of healing energy, especially in Level 2 (Okuden) and beyond.
🧿 The 4 Traditional Usui Reiki Symbols & Their Meanings
1. Cho Ku Rei (Power Symbol)
Pronunciation: “Cho-Koo-Ray”
Translation: “Place the power of the universe here.”
Purpose:
- Amplifies or boosts energy
- Used to clear and protect space or people
- Helps in physical healing and grounding
When to Use:
- At the start of a session to intensify energy flow
- To seal or cleanse energy in a room or aura
- When treating physical issues or pain
- Uses Beyond Healing:
Energise food, water, or medicine: Draw it over meals to raise vibration and purify energy.
Clear negative energy in a room: Use it to “cleanse” spaces—especially after arguments, illness, or guests.
Seal an aura: After a healing session, draw Cho Ku Rei to close and protect the energy field.
Protective shield: Visualise it around yourself or loved ones before travelling, public speaking, or energy work.
Activate crystals: Use it to charge crystals for healing or intention setting.
Think of it as a power switch—turning ON the Reiki flow. It also serves as a “bookmark” to lock in intention.
2. Sei He Ki (Emotional/Mental Symbol)
Pronunciation: “Say-Hay-Key”
Translation: “God and man become one” or “Unity of heart and mind”
Purpose:
- Balances the emotional and mental levels
- Helps release trauma, anxiety, depression, or limiting beliefs
- Clears negative thought patterns and energetic blocks
When to Use:
- During emotional healing
- In cases of stress, addiction, or insomnia
- For inner child healing and trauma work.
- Uses Beyond Emotional Healing:
Break unhealthy mental habits or addictions: Use it when trying to shift thoughts, compulsions, or dependencies.
Strengthening memory and learning helps individuals absorb and retain knowledge more effectively.
Sleep aid: Use Sei He Ki at night to relax the mind and reduce overthinking.
Strengthen affirmations: Use Sei He Ki while saying or writing affirmations to promote emotional healing or transformation.
Balance the left/right brain: Helps restore harmony between logic and intuition.
This is particularly beneficial for healing the heart and third eye chakras, which often accumulate emotional and mental stress. chakras, where emotional and mental tension can gather
3. Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (Distance Healing Symbol)
Pronunciation: “Hon-Sha-Zee-Show-Nen”
Translation: “No past, no present, no future”
(Acknowledges time as an illusion)
Purpose:
- Sends Reiki across time and space
- Allows you to heal past traumas, send energy to future events
- Enables remote healing for others at any distance
When to Use:
- Sending healing to someone who’s far away
- Healing past wounds or karmic patterns
- Energizing intentions or goals in the future.
- Uses Beyond Remote Healing:
Heal past trauma or karmic patterns: Send Reiki to your younger self at a time of crisis or to unresolved events.
Send healing into the future: Energize job interviews, surgeries, performances, or major life events in advance.
Connect with someone emotionally distant: Send peace or support to someone unwilling to speak or receive help directly.
Resolve past-life influences: Use in deep spiritual sessions to clear ancestral or soul imprints.
Support for goals or manifestations: Charge vision boards, journals, or goals using this symbol to bridge your energy with your desired outcome.
Write down what you’re sending energy to, place your hands over it, and activate the symbol.
4. Dai Ko Myo (Master Symbol)
Pronunciation: “Die-Koh-Me-Yoh”
Translation: “Great shining light” or “The Great Enlightenment”
Purpose:
- Used by Reiki Masters
- Heals at the soul level and aligns with one’s higher self
- Increases intuition, spiritual insight, and energetic transformation
When to Use:
- For deep spiritual healing and alignment
- To activate attunements
- During advanced meditation or energy work
Uses Beyond Spiritual Healing:
Raise your vibration: Meditate with this symbol to awaken inner wisdom and higher consciousness.
Clear blocks from the soul level: Great for persistent, deep-rooted patterns that physical or emotional work hasn’t touched.
Aid in spiritual awakening: Use during full moon, new moon, or spiritual ceremonies for deeper connection.
Attune spaces or tools: Bless sacred spaces, books, crystals, or altars with this symbol for divine guidance.
Layer it with the other three Reiki symbols to enhance their power.
It acts like a spiritual spotlight, shining light on shadow areas of the soul and transmuting them.
🧘♀️ Creative Ways to Use All Symbols Together
You can combine symbols for layered impact:
Before an important event: Use Cho Ku Rei + Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen to send energy to the moment.
To heal trauma: Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen + Sei He Ki to access and soothe the emotional body across time.
For spiritual grounding: Dai Ko Myo + Cho Ku Rei to stay clear and connected during deep energy work.
🎯 Final Thought:
These symbols are not just tools for “healing” in the traditional sense—they are vibrational signatures that help you connect to aspects of your soul, life path, and purpose. Their true power lies in intention, presence, and consistency.
These symbols don’t hold power on their own; they are activated by intention and attunement.
