The Reiki Symbols: What They Are, How They Work, and a Different Way to Use Them

Sarah-Louise
7 days ago
9 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

When I first started looking into Reiki, I remember reading about the symbols and just having so many questions and thoughts around what they are, how they work, why do we need them, and the big one - how can a symbol do something to your energy?

Roll forward many years, and I have worked with nearly a thousand clients with energy healing and Reiki, and have INCREDIBLE results with my clients, as well as in the last couple of years opening my online school where I teach and certify Reiki and Intuitive Energy Healing.

My students have become incredible healers and practitioners through how I teach this work, so I wanted to share here exactly what I make of the symbols, how they work, my different opinion to working with them, and basically answer all of the questions that I had when I first started - because there are a lot of opinions out there, and although my work is extremely ‘woo’, I also bring a very grounded approach to it that is rooted in how energy works.

What Are Reiki Symbols?

To start with, for those that may not have taken any Reiki trainings (yet), I want to just share what the symbols are at a top level - just to give you some more context.

Essentially within Reiki, at certain levels you begin to learn and work with what are known as the Reiki symbols. In the traditional Usui Reiki lineage there are three symbols you learn and get attuned to in Reiki level 2, and then one symbol that you learn and get attuned to in the Reiki Master level.

Each symbol is a pattern of different lines or strokes (some pictured below), and each symbol holds a different ‘energy’ or purpose. The idea is that when you draw, and speak the name of the symbol during a healing, you are activating that energy or frequency into yourself during a self-healing, or into the client in a client session.

As an example, one symbol represents the frequency of emotional harmony, another symbol represents the ability to connect to the deeper layer of a person - the layer that is not bound by space or time (this is the symbol used to connect to other people remotely for distance healings). There are countless ways you can work with these symbols - over the entire body, specific areas, a space, a situation, or even a past experience.

When you ‘activate’ and call in the energy of the symbol, you are essentially activating the energy or purpose of that symbol into the person, chakra, yourself, a different timeline or situation.

As an example, I might be feeling a lot of disharmony, or chaos in someone's entire energy field, or a chakra specifically. I could use the symbol that represents harmony to help balance that out, and bring a harmonious frequency into that chakra or their entire energy body.

They are a great way to work with energy to be very intentional and focused with what you’re doing and the energy you are bringing through.

The History And Where The Symbols Actually Came From

These symbols were passed down through the Usui lineage from teacher to teacher, BUT there are multiple different stories of where they actually came from. So the most common story passed down through Reiki teachers now is that Dr Mikao Usui ‘channelled’ these symbols on a mountain. When you actually dive into this though, it seems that Usui himself never stated that, and what seems to be the actual history is that he had learned and seen the symbols while he was studying hands-on healing before he channelled Reiki. The symbols were not created or invented or channelled to him - instead they are actually based on existing Japanese/Buddhist spiritual characters, and already existed before Dr Mikao Usui channelled Reiki the first time.

The teaching that he created them (or channelled them) came from teachers that taught his work further down the lineage - not him.

How Reiki Symbols Are Traditionally Used

Traditionally, we are taught within Reiki to ‘activate’ these symbols by drawing them in the air, and/or by saying the name of the symbol three times. The majority of teachers also teach that the symbols need to be drawn exactly, and with each stroke made in the correct order. If the symbol isn’t drawn correctly - then it will not work properly, and it will not get activated.

Now, although this is what we see as the traditional teaching of the symbols, it has never sat well with me. I remember specifically practicing drawing the symbols with the teacher reminding us to draw them correctly - and every part of me was screaming - ‘energy doesn’t care if it's right or wrong … of course it will still work’.

Why Intention Matters More Than Perfect Symbols

One of the biggest lessons that being a channel for Spirit Guides has taught me - is that EVERYTHING with energy - whether in a healing setting or just in life - is all about intention. Intention is what brings ‘consciousness’ to energy. Intention is what tells energy what you want it to do, and where you want it to go. It is your intention that moves energy - not a shape you are drawing in the air. The symbol is purely a representation of a specific intention or frequency, and holds no power on its own - it is just a shape or a drawing. If someone who had no idea what the symbol meant was to draw the symbol in the air, nothing would come from it because there is no intention behind it - it’s just a shape.

It is your intention that moves energy - not a shape you are drawing in the air.

When I have shared this with my clients and students who have already learned the symbols, it always boggles their minds, but I always get them to try it out. Test it and see for themselves. I invite them to use or work with one of the symbols, but only work with the intention and not the symbol itself. The idea of doing that is definitely scary and uncomfortable to start with - I remember the first time I connected to someone at a distance WITHOUT using the Reiki symbol and just by using the intention to connect to the other person instead (which is what the connection symbol represents). I made sure I was doing it with a friend and not a paying client (in case it didn’t work). Guess what - It worked. And actually, I remember so clearly the client felt EVERYTHING I was doing (she told me bit by bit what area I was working on even though she couldn’t see - and she was completely spot on).

After this experience, my relationship with the symbols (and Reiki) shifted, because I knew I could trust what I was feeling when it came to the symbols and energy. All my clients and students (of course) experienced and still experience exactly the same, and once they have felt it for themselves (not just taken my word for it), their relationship with energy changes. They move away from just being a practitioner that follows a step-by-step process (which does work) - to becoming a practitioner that understands energy … and although that might not sound like a big deal ... i can assure you it is.

I am not saying the symbols are pointless, I actually do use them sometimes … if you are struggling to focus on an intention during a healing, they can really support with that. They are definitely not wrong, and they are not negative to use … but I do think if you are constricted by having to say it correctly three times after drawing it perfectly, if you have fear or doubt over using them incorrectly, you are giving YOUR power away, and the power of energy away to a symbol … and I believe that the best energy workers and healers are those that know energy follows intentions, not rules.

I believe that the best energy workers and healers are those that know energy follows intentions, not rules.

To take it even a step further, if you wanted to, you could make your OWN symbols up for any intentions you might use regularly. This is something that I have been playing with this last year and it has been so fun (and it works - obviously). I have asked my Guides to give me symbols for many day-to-day energy things such as clearing energy, grounding energy, protecting my energy … and it has been such a fun way to work with many intentions that I use throughout the day. Again, it just demonstrates it isn’t the symbol that holds the power - it is your intention that does.

When you dive into the history of Reiki and the actual teachings of Usui, there is a lot that is unclear (because not a lot was recorded), but one thing that is consistent in his teachings, is he didn’t teach the symbols to everyone, only those that struggled with holding an intention or frequency … so by his direct teachings, they were actually a tool to use when needed, not something that they have become today. According to records, there was also no strictness with how they were drawn, this was something that got taught into the lineage many years after him.

According to the records, Usui’s teachings were actually incredibly intuitive, even when it came to the hand placements - his method was for you to become a pure vessel and listen to what the energy wanted to do and where it wanted to go.

Another thing that seems to have changed over time is the secrecy around the symbols, this also seems not to be something that came from Usui either.

It is the rules around Reiki that many practitioners don’t click with, but equally, it is having clear and outlined steps that many practitioners also love! For someone who doesn’t feel connected to their intuition quite yet, having a set of steps to take that will always leave someone feeling better is actually a really lovely thing. But what is interesting is that the rules and strictness of how it can be taught - doesn’t even appear to have ever come from him personally.

How I Personally Teach Reiki Symbols

Inside my courses - of course I teach the symbols, I teach the ‘correct’ way to draw them, say them, and use them, but I also make sure that my students know it isn’t about the symbol as much as the intention behind it. I make sure they don’t have fear around drawing it wrong - because there really isn’t anyone up there approving or checking your work when it comes to working with energy - it is all about your intention and what you want to happen when you draw or say the symbol. I make sure my students are aware of the intentions behind the symbols, and that there really is no right or wrong way if the intention is there.

My students have become INCREDIBLE practitioners, getting powerful results and shifts in their clients, and many also go on to my Intuitive Energy Healer certification, which is where you actually move away from Reiki and into opening up into your own healing gifts. The reason I mention this is because when it comes to working with your own energy, one of the big things you have to move into is throwing out the rulebook. Your intuition, your intention, and your channel are the only things that are needed when you start moving into your own healing energy, so having a more open approach when learning Reiki will help you step more into your own actual healing gifts if and when you want to open that door.

I do want to close by saying there is no right or wrong way of working with the symbols (or Reiki for that matter) … that is actually the entire point I am making. Don’t let any fear, or doubt, or questioning yourself or whether you’re doing it right take over. If your intentions are pure that is all that matters at the root.

If you are looking to start or move forward in your energy healing or Reiki journey, as I have mentioned here in this article, you can learn and get certified online with me. I offer three levels:

Reiki Level 1: Learn to work with energy for yourself. Perfect if you're new to energy healing.
Reiki Level 2: Become a certified practitioner. Learn the symbols, distance healing, and how to work with clients confidently.
Intuitive Energy Healing: Go beyond Reiki, and step into your Soul's healing & intuitive gifts.

My certifications include:

Online learning you can do at your own speed
1:1 attunements (including a full energy healing and intuitive reading)
Personal 1:1 support throughout
BONUS: Vibrational Living course - managing your energy day to day
BONUS: Healing the Nervous System module
BONUS (Level 2 & IEH): Facilitating group healings online or in person

Because it is currently the 2-year anniversary for launching my Intuitive Energy Healer, for the first time in a LONG time, I have a 20% discount available on all my courses, as well as 20% off the already discounted bundles (when you enroll in more than one level at once).

To access the discount, use codes:

SPECIALCOURSE - For the individual courses

SPECIALBUNDLE - For the bundles

Take a look at the courses here

P.S. my intuitive development course is also included in the discount!

If you aren’t sure what level is right for you, or if you have any questions, please get in touch! Email me at hi@sarahlouisesutton.com or DM me on Instagram @sarah.louise.sutton