Interesting topic Wayne, an echo of the lovely thoughts you ve been constantly rippling in this community with
symbols needed or not needed... "a question of fact" instead of a "question of Law"
reiki, as i have sensed it, is the spiritual signature of Usui Sensei, it triggers a like one in us too... but that one is our own, our specific, our personal id of our own spirituality.... by a very generous note, Usui Sensei was very kind enough to 'hand over' the 'effects' of his spirituality to rest of the folks...
he invented symbols ? no, he didnt! but yes, he actually DID! he supercharged some characters, some symbols, some kanji characters to be 'programmed' with his spirituality... and this programming was aimed to sustain even after his death....
when we invoke symbols, what we do ? do we call the nascent powers of the symbols ? i doubt that... we actually invoke some channel that connects us to spirituality of Usui, symbols act as a bridge though... only since Usui had intended them to act as a bridging device.... had he not intended them to be so, symbols were already meant for spiritual things, but not for reiki...
so, symbols are needed, in a way to make us involved in the process... the feeling of 'we are doing something' greatly satisfies our ego... and so we feel that when we use symbols we have 'actively' done something to make the reiki flowing... having that said, symbols are doing something we dont care to realize... they are 'initiating' the bridge to Usui Sensei...
when we are connected to Usui, we are connected to a great force.... and then onward, our own spirituality gets triggered, our own healing energy (or whatever we can call them) come in swift action...
when we treat a patient, or give reiki to somebody, we are ourselves working like 'human symbols'
we are connecting the patient to a spiritual force that has a signature of Usui, and once connected, whatever healing occurs, is the result of that persons' own healing ability... although we are very proud of ourselves often, that we were the key reason to bring about that healing...
Connection is the key, we are being used as gadgets in the process.. but since we practitioners bring about the connection by using the 'connecting powers' of the symbols, all is a great apparatus in its own right too!
merit if i compare Usui's system to other spiritual systems too... in every part of the world, we find (or dont find) people who have been gifted with great spiritual attire... sects, religions, techniques aside... every spritual leader 'initiates' us into a system... what this intiation is ? does he pour something into our soul, does he feeds us with energies ? i think that might be a good thing to keep content with... but i dare say, he actually triggers our own faculties to something we were not previously cognizant of... a guru, a saint, a spiritual teacher... hands over the 'clues' to us (telling us or not) of how to approach and utilize what is already within us....
in doing so, the teacher, the guru, or whatever we call him, invents techniques, invents systems, etc. to make us feel 'included'... but these things are just to initiate us, not to complete us... we seldom get completed from outside, we get to completion within ourselves..
a famous quote from indian culture
"mann bheetar, mann murshad" (lit : guru lives within us)
but of course we need to get introduced to our inner guru only with the help of our outer guru...
homage, tribute and great respects for all the gurus! i have bowed neck for them, always !!
take care
salman