Reiki practitioners use symbols in personal reflection and sessions with consenting recipients. The examples below describe several symbolic uses, including animals, plants, objects and goals, alongside the practical care each situation still needs.
Using Symbols When Treating Animals, Birds, Reptiles, Fish, Or Insects
Some practitioners enjoy offering Reiki to animals as an optional, symbolic practice. It should only be done with the responsible caregiver's agreement, and with the animal free to move away or refuse; never restrain an animal, and stop if it shows it wants distance. It is not a substitute for veterinary care. The Distant Symbol and the Power Symbol are the ones the tradition uses to hold an animal in mind.
Some practitioners draw the Power Symbol over an animal's food and water (saying the mantra three times) as a blessing and a way of holding the animal's wellbeing in mind. This is a symbolic practice only: it does not purify food or water, neutralise chemicals or preservatives, or make anything safer to eat or drink. It must never be used on medication and does not change how a medicine works. Follow your veterinarian's advice on feeding, remedies, and any treatment.
Using The Symbols With Plants And Seeds
Draw the Power Symbol over your houseplants as you walk by and say the mantra three times, with the intention of offering Reiki for their highest good. Whether it's a potted plant in your yard, an allotment plot, or a cutting from a seed or seedling, the same practice applies. The Distant Symbol before the Power Symbol may be used to hold plants in mind while you are away, for example. The symbols are a way of focusing attention on the plant; they are not a substitute for ordinary care such as light, water, and soil.
Using The Symbols With Inanimate Objects
The symbols, particularly the Power Symbol, are sometimes used as a focus when turning attention to an object. Draw the Power Symbol in front of or over the object, or across each of your palms before placing your hands on it. To connect with an object far away, use the Distant Symbol and repeat its mantra three times along with the object's name three times. Then, using the Power Symbol, repeat the mantra three times and hold the object in your intention. This does not repair machinery or equipment; a fault still needs a qualified repair.
Using The Symbols With Food And Drink
You can use the Power Symbol and its mantra on everything from the food on your plate to the ingredients in your kitchen, as a blessing or a way of pausing with gratitude. It does not change the food itself, remove anything from it, or make it safer to eat.
Using The Symbols On Personal Problems And Situations
Whatever difficulties you are experiencing, from strained relationships with your partner or family to problems at work or in school, Reiki offers a way to hold the situation in your attention and to bring a sense of calm and perspective to how you meet it.
- To begin, jot down the specifics of any problem area you're working on on a piece of paper and hold it between your hands. "Allow Reiki to flow into the situation of my relationships for the highest and greatest good," or "Allow Reiki to flow into the situation of my money problems for the highest and greatest good."
- Then, while silently repeating the Distant Symbol's mantra three times, draw the Distant Symbol across the paper, intending to connect with the situation.
- Next, trace the Harmony Symbol across the paper and repeat its mantra three times, inviting a sense of harmony and whatever is best for your highest and greatest good.
- Then, over the paper, draw the Power Symbol and say its mantra three times, intending to hold the situation in Reiki for the highest and greatest good.
- Hold this position for 5 to 10 minutes. When finished, express gratitude, draw another Power Symbol, and repeat its mantra three times over the paper, intending to close the practice.
- Repeat this daily if it feels helpful, while continuing to take ordinary practical steps towards the situation.
These are some practical ways to incorporate the symbols into your life.
Empowering Goals Using Reiki Symbols
You can use a similar technique with Reiki to work on your goals and dreams. On a piece of paper, write down what you truly desire—a new job, a loving relationship, a country cottage, a trip—and be as specific as possible. Then, using the Distant Symbol as a guide, trace it across the paper and repeat its mantra three times. Then, using the Harmony Symbol, draw it three times and repeat its mantra three times. Finally, draw a Power Symbol and repeat the mantra three times, then hold the paper in your hands and hold the goal in your intention. Hold the paper for about ten minutes daily if it helps you stay focused, while taking ordinary steps towards the goal.
However, exercise caution. It is worth asking whether what you are requesting is ethical and whether you truly want it. Describe the type of home or situation you are looking for rather than a specific property, and do not work on a specific person with whom you wish to develop a relationship, even if that person is free and single. The symbols are a way to clarify your own intention; they do not secure the outcome, and your own choices and effort remain what move a goal forward.
Empowering Affirmations Using Reiki Symbols
If you're working with affirmations—positive statements that some people use to focus their attention—you can combine them with the Reiki symbols by writing them down, drawing the symbols over them, holding the paper in your hands, and then repeating them to yourself. You may use any combination of the three symbols and their mantras in the following order: Distant, Harmony, and Power.
Keep affirmations gentle, realistic, and kind to yourself, and phrase them as intentions for your highest and greatest good. Rather than "I am not ill anymore," a supportive affirmation might be "I am doing what I can to care for my health." The tradition holds that what we think, say, and feel now helps shape our experience, but thoughts do not cause illness or control events, and affirmations are not a substitute for medical care or practical action.
Empowering Everything In Your Life
The simplest way to use the symbols is to apply the Power Symbol on a daily basis over the objects around you, as a way of bringing attention and care to your day:
- Bathwater
- Lightbulbs/heaters
- Boiler
- Showerhead
- Television/radio
- Oven/microwave
- Toiletries
- Washing machine/dryer
- Cosmetics
- Computer/laptop
- Clothes
- Telephone/cell phone
- Teapot/coffeemaker
- Jewellery/clocks/watches
- Car/motorcycle/bicycle
- Bed/pillows
- Chairs/sofa/dining table
- … and anything else!
Related topic: Reiki symbols, Symbols to support habit change, Psychic awareness with symbols, The Antahkarana symbol, The 3 symbols and their structures.