Reiki Symbols

LuvSoulJah wrote:If u follow that link i started this thread with, u may find some answers !

Yes the artical you posted was interesting
and there are many other similar articals
out on the web. It can be confusing to
someone who's just beginning Reiki today
compared to someone who learned Reiki many
decades ago who did not have access to the web.

When I refer to Reiki I'm talking about the
Reiki system. I focus more on the ULFE than
the dogma of the Reiki system

LOL (dogma).

Buck wrote:LOL (dogma).

Did you see the movie DOGMA?
All my favorite actors!!!
Bartleby (Ben Affleck),
and Loki (Matt Damon),
The latter 2 grew up
here in my home town.
Being younger than my
kids they were a few
grades behind them in
school.

lol I think Jay and Silent Bob stole the show there... acting wise

Concerning symbols and secrecy...

I don't think the symbols are secret tools and I don't think Usui-sensei kept them secret either. My reason for this is that with spiritual teachings like his.. it is only logical that a student gets a new technique/meditation/jumon/shirushi or whatever.. once he or she is ready. Only when you are ready.

Nothing is secret. It's just only handed to you when you are ready.

Unfortunately, somewhere in 'Reiki history' people started to forget about the spiritual values of the teachings. The meaning of the symbols (what they represent, what you should do with it, why they should only be handed to you after you have got enough experience with the jumon...) is part of it.

And that's why we think that things are secret.. or sacred. (The symbols are not secret nor sacred). Most people are not aware of the values and the reasons behind the spiritual teachings. That's fine of course. Besides.. one can only truly understand those underlying aspects if one experiences that spiritual path. Which is also perfectly fine, of course.

*Gasshō*
Frank

Frank, That's a really interesting point of view.

I understand that Takata never let the
written symbol leave her classroom. Was
she just being old school and secrecy
was not her intent.

Milarepa wrote:
yeah, but the thing is, folks who are level 1 don't need to know about the symbols. cause the spiritual practice of Reiki is primarily about mindfullness. if we're already jumping ahead in our level 1 with what we can do in level 2, or it's uses, then we aren't fully involved in level 1. It's Tolles old saying, 'if we keep our mind in the past or future, we're never fully in the present'.

I agree because I believe the greater degree of mindfullness in the present moment allows greater awareness of the past and future. I disagree because just a person is a level 1 does not necessarily mean that they are level 1, and keeping a person in their place is not always the right thing to do.

I have met many people who can access the energies the symbols represent (and are usually attributed to) without formally using the symbols (such as by drawing in the air, imagining, or even by chanting their names).

For example and as a means to better explain what I mean to say, let's say that: Level 1 involves only being able to do hands-on treatments; Level 2 involves Level 1 skills and also the ability to provide distance treatments and use some symbols; and Level 3 involves skills of the previous levels and adds the Daikomyo symbol and the ability to attune others to Reiki.

For the purpose of an academic understanding of what the levels are, a systematic progression through each is essential. Beginning at Level 1 allows a person to get an academic understanding of that level, and experience what is expected at that level. Progressing to Level 2 builds on that knowledge and experience, and it follows that progressing to the next level does the same.

If a person has no experience with any hands-on healing method and does not sense energy, the 1-2-3 progression is extremely valuable and appropriate. It may be very likely that if the person does look ahead and attempts to use a symbol that no additional energies will be sensed by themselves or the person they are trying to treat.

If such a person focuses on Level 3 material and is not able to put the attention they need to understand levels 1 & 2, then they are simply keeping themselves in fantasy or illusion because they will have not developed enough strength to harmonize with the various Reiki energies.

The significance of the symbols (their energies) are then secret even though those symbols are right in front of the student.

Frank wrote:
Concerning symbols and secrecy...
I don't think the symbols are secret tools and I don't think Usui-sensei kept them secret either. My reason for this is that with spiritual teachings like his.. it is only logical that a student gets a new technique/meditation/jumon/shirushi or whatever.. once he or she is ready. Only when you are ready.
Nothing is secret. It's just only handed to you when you are ready.

Perhaps sometimes the best way to keep a secret is to put it in plain sight.

Well put, sir!

Buck,
I like you explanation of building
on that knowledge and experience.

LightBody wrote:There is an interesting concept governing the need to keep mystical/spiritual symbols secret: when they are shared with others, the power lessens (Franz Bardon, Initiation Into Hermetics). Reiki inherited that concept.

If a symbol is kept secret to help maintain its power, then its power source is very limited. VERY limited. Limited energy has limits--it will stop working once its source is depleted. The more people that use it, the faster the source dies. Secrets in this fashion keep others in their place, usually beneath the teacher.

However, if a symbol is shared with the public and it continues to grow, either it is very powerful or its power source is unlimited.

Unlimited energy has an unlimited power source, and in contrast to limited (secret) sources, the more people that use it, the more that it grows in power. As the source continues to grow, so do those using those energies.

That is a really interesting concept, especially since it´s Hermetic. I say this because as I´ve mentioned in my intro post, I´m a Kemetic reconstructionist, which is a practitioner of ancient Egyptian religion with a few modern tweaks to make it feasible for modern practice. I say interesting because Hermeticism is based on the writings of Hermes Trismegistus, attributed to a syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Kemetic god Thoth (or, Djehuty). However, this idea of using the same symbol weakening its power would be quite the opposite in Egypt. Actually, they used the same rituals for thousands of years, some of them even removing certain deities´names to be replaced with another, making the ritual texts almost identical. Why? Because the repeated use of a sacred text brought it more power. Words and speech held pòwer to the Egyptians. They are a form of magic, and this is because in one of the creation stories, the word of the god caused things to exist. Likewise if we say something will come true, be it in a blessing or curse, that pushes its reality toward what has been said. This is why affirmations can be especially powerful. They form our reality.

I believe it would be the same, then, with symbols. I think the only way its power can be diluted is if there is a failure in pedagogy- that people are taught that certain symbols mean things that they don´t actually mean. This can be a danger, especially when translating words and concepts from disparate cultures.

I've met many Reiki practitioners who demonstrate a tendency to present Reiki as something entirely original, entirely unique. However, when one is as well-read as you and I, the concepts present in Reiki are less original and more universal than some would have others believe.

James Deacon has several illustrations of Reiki Symbol variations on his website. Here's the link to the ChoKuRei page:
http://www.aetw.org/reiki_ckr_various.htm

Symbol variations for the other Reiki symbols are in the left column of that page.

Ah yes, funnily enough I had seen that page before you posted about it.

Now that I think about it, though, the varying symbols, as long as the correct jumon is recited, may not be a bad thing, provided that the intention is to use CKR. I think having more than one symbol will divide its power since instead of everyone using the same symbol they must choose from a variety. However if the jumon is recited and the intention is to use it, it reminds me of how the deities are still the same power, even if they choose to express themselves in different forms. In the Kemetic context, at least, all deities have "power," and this is not diminished even if they deviate from their conventional form. But to be recognized and given offerings, (one of the sources of their power) they usually must revert to a recognizable form, unless an especially devout follower can recognize this deity. So it is with the symbol.

There have been posters who note that once someone is familiar with the specific flavor of Reiki energy brought about by the symbols, it may or may not be necessary to use the symbols in order to tap into that power. In this sense one would use the symbols like training wheels. I think being overly concerned about the perfectly drawn symbols is an expression of egotism and/or attachment. I believe in finding the middle ground; try to do them correctly so that there is continuity in the teachings, but don't get too hung up on whether there are three or forty spirals in CKR, that misses the point of using it.

They are training wheels. It gives you confidence that things are working the way it is supposed to be. Eventually with practice and experience you can effect healing just by intent. This is the goal to be one with the DKM.

During attunment you will still use them to pass on the keys or tools to your students.

Gassho

Also considering the fact that charms, like 2 of the "symbols", are common in Japan - I always buy some charms at the temples/shrines when I go to Japan. It is very unlikely that these are secret considering the way most of these charms work, however, there are some charms that are written on paper and folded - and is not supposed to be opened because if you do you break the spell.....
So there

chi_solas wrote:

LuvSoulJah wrote:Here is an interesting page I stumbled upon. Some of you may have already seen it. I know that these symbols are a sacred thing, and are traditionally handed down from the Master to the Pupil.... But today u can find the Master symbol even on many book covers, needless to say that they are all over the web. Anyway I found this page quite interesting. http://www.cedarseed.com/air/reiki.html

Times are a changing. I never liked secrets.
I never liked belonging to organizations that
had secret hand shakes etc; Whose idea was it
to keep the Reiki symbols a secret? It would
appear that Reiki at one time was exclusive.
The price to become a teaching Master in the
system was expensive $10,000.00

I guess the instructors reasoning for the expensive cost of a session was. If someone pays 10,000.00 for a session then they may actually listen to what the teacher says. Lol

Totally with ya on that score. I've found folks are decidedly more lackadaisical when things are free, or cheap.