Reiki
What is Reiki?
Derivation of the Name and Related Terms
Reiki: Japanese, kanji rendering 霊気 or hirigana rendering レイキ, IPA: /ˈreɪkiː/
The Practice of Reiki
Universal Energy
Reiki Practitioner Levels
Traditional Reiki Symbols
The reiki symbols (shirushi in Japanese) can be seen as a form of ritual symbolism, used to increase reiki energy, or modify it to treat particular ailments or disorders. There is some debate among reiki practitioners as to whether the symbols should be shown to the uninitiated, but with the advent of the World Wide Web this has become a moot point, as the symbols can easily be found with a [Google Image Search].
Cho Ku Rei
Sei He Ki
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
Non-traditional, Channelled, or Borrowed Symbols
Dai Ko Mio
Tibetan Fire Serpent
Linguistic Analysis of the Symbols
The symbols, in an English context, can be thought of as "Joycean", in that they often contain condensed Kanji (partially overlapped), Shinto symbolism, or even shorthand Sanskrit, where some elements have been taken off in order to give a specific energy connotation - not unlike James Joyce's portmanteau words in Roman characters, like "electrickery" (electricity/trickery).