The Reiki symbols are four focal points of intention received during training: Cho Ku Rei concentrates and grounds the energy, Sei He Ki works with emotional and mental terrain, Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen allows work beyond time and distance, and Dai Ko Myo is the symbol of mastership and transmission.
This article explains what they mean and what they are for. You will not find how to draw them here, and further down I explain exactly why.
What the Reiki symbols are
They are not magic, not passwords, not drawings with power of their own.
They are keys of intention. Forms that, within a transmission you have received, help the practitioner orient the channelling toward one aspect of the work: presence, emotion, distance, light.
They are received at the second level — Okuden — and at mastership — Shinpiden — always accompanied by the corresponding initiation. You can see where each one fits in the Reiki levels.
Their origin lies in Japanese calligraphy and spiritual vocabulary. Their names are phrases, not single words, and each school pronounces and translates them with its own shading.
Why you will not find the strokes here
I will explain this as plainly as I can, because it is a fair question.
First, out of respect. In the tradition, the symbols were transmitted orally and privately, teacher to student, inside a relationship of commitment. That reserve is not commercial secrecy: it is how this tradition looks after what it holds sacred. I keep it.
Second, because without initiation they are not what they appear to be. A copied symbol is a drawing. What makes it operative, according to tradition, is not the stroke but the connection transmitted in the reiju. Publishing the stroke would not give you what you are looking for; it would give you the shell.
Third, out of honesty. I know perfectly well that all four symbols circulate online, in books and in videos. I am not pretending they are an inaccessible mystery. What I am saying is different: available is not the same as transmitted, just as having the sheet music is not knowing how to play.
And fourth, out of care: learning to use them without guidance usually produces frustration, not harm. People try hard, feel nothing, and conclude they are not cut out for this. That is not a good place to leave anyone.
So this article is a map. Not a key.
Cho Ku Rei: the energy here and now
The first one received. Its name is usually translated as "place all the energy of the universe here", though versions vary.
It is the symbol of concentration and grounding. It is associated with beginning and closing, with defining a space, with bringing attention into the present.
In practice it is used to open a session, to prepare the place where you work, to ask for focus when the mind scatters.
It is the best known of the four and also the most misread: it has been sold as a "protection symbol" in an almost superstitious sense. I understand it differently — it does not protect from external forces, it orders internal attention.
Sei He Ki: emotional and mental terrain
Its name is frequently translated as "God and humanity become one", or as an invocation of harmony between what is above and what is below.
It is the symbol of emotional and mental work. It is associated with easing unrest, with patterns that repeat, with memory and with habits one would like to release.
Here a clear warning is needed, without detour: this symbol does not treat mental illness. It does not replace psychotherapy, it does not replace medication, and it is not a resource for a serious emotional crisis.
What it can do is accompany a process already being attended by the right professional. In my practice, when someone arrives with a picture that needs professional care, I say so in the first minute.
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen: beyond time and distance
The name is usually translated as "no past, no present, no future", and in some schools as a greeting from the luminous essence in one person to the luminous essence in another.
It is the symbol of distance Reiki and of work with time: with a past situation that still hurts, with a future moment that produces unease — surgery, a journey, a goodbye.
Of the four, it raises the most questions and demands the most honesty. Tradition holds that energy does not depend on physical distance. The available research offers no solid proof of that. I tell you so with both things on the table.
And a rule I always apply: Reiki is not sent to anyone without their consent. Free will is not bypassed, not even with good intentions.
Dai Ko Myo: the great light
Usually translated as "great shining light" or "great being of radiant light".
It is the symbol of mastership. It is received at Shinpiden and is associated with transmission, with initiations, and with deeper spiritual work.
It is not "the most powerful symbol" in the way that is sometimes sold. It is the one that encompasses the others and carries the most responsibility, because whoever receives it can initiate other people.
On my own path, this symbol is the closest to what I work with alongside the ascended masters and the seven rays. I say that because it is how I understand it, not because you have to share it.
The four, in one table
| Symbol | Level | Common translation | Main function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cho Ku Rei | Okuden (2nd) | "Place all the energy of the universe here" | Concentrate, ground, open and close |
| Sei He Ki | Okuden (2nd) | "God and humanity become one" | Emotional and mental terrain, habits |
| Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen | Okuden (2nd) | "No past, no present, no future" | Distance and time |
| Dai Ko Myo | Shinpiden (master) | "Great shining light" | Transmission, initiation, spiritual work |
What the symbols are not
Worth saying as plainly as the rest.
The symbols do not cure illness. They do not diagnose anything. They do not replace any medical or psychological treatment. They do not harm anyone and cannot be used against someone. And they do not work as amulets: drawing one on paper under the pillow is not the practice.
They are also nobody's property. No school invented them and no school can charge you for "the original symbols".
If someone offers you exclusive symbols other teachers do not have, or promises specific outcomes from one of them, apply the criteria in how to verify a Reiki master.
Other symbols, other schools
Beyond the four classical symbols of the Usui system, derived systems bring in their own: Karuna Reiki, Kundalini Reiki, angelic lines and many others.
I do not dismiss them. Some come from serious work. But it is worth knowing they are not part of traditional Usui Reiki, and always asking who created them, when, and on what basis.
The differences between school families are in Japanese vs Western Reiki.
What I see in the treatment room
Many people arrive at a second level in Medellín expecting the symbols to be the moment when "something finally happens".
And almost always the opposite occurs: on the first day they feel nothing special and they are disappointed.
What I have seen again and again is that the symbols start to mean something months later, once daily practice sits behind them. One day someone tells me: "I used it without thinking, in the middle of a difficult moment, and it helped." That is the moment it integrated.
I have also accompanied people who arrived with symbols learned from the internet, trying to use them by force and getting nothing. There was no harm. There was exhaustion and a sense of failure they did not deserve.
From the body to the forest, from the forest to the soul. These things ripen slowly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the Reiki symbols if I am not attuned? You can draw them: they are shapes and they are published. What the tradition holds is that without the second-level transmission they do not operate as expected. There is no risk of harm, but there is a high chance of frustration. If they genuinely interest you, the way forward is training with a teacher you can verify.
Why don't teachers publish the strokes? Out of respect for a transmission that was historically oral and private, and because the stroke without initiation is not what people think they are obtaining. It is not a trade secret: the symbols have circulated online for decades. It is a way of honouring how this tradition understands the sacred.
Do the symbols protect you from negative energies? Not in the superstitious sense in which they are sometimes sold. Cho Ku Rei is associated with defining and ordering a space and an attention, not with repelling entities. Be wary of anyone selling you protection against specific evils, or urgent clearings for dangers only they can see.
Can distance Reiki be sent to someone without telling them? It should not be. In my practice it is a firm line: consent is asked for. Respect for free will is a central principle, and acting on someone without permission — however good the intention — violates it. If you cannot ask, you can offer the intention and leave the outcome free.
Are any Reiki symbols dangerous? No harmful effects are known from using the symbols, just as none are known from Reiki in general. The real risk is different and indirect: that someone trusts a symbol instead of going to a doctor. That can cause harm, which is why I repeat it in every article.
If you want to train at the second level, or simply to talk it over, write to me on WhatsApp at +57 314 811 7561 or through contact. I will tell you which lineage I work from and what I ask before initiating anyone. Conversations can be in English.
Om Mani Padme Hum ✦
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes and does not replace diagnosis, treatment or follow-up by a healthcare professional. Reiki is a complementary practice: it accompanies, it does not substitute. If you are under medical or psychological care, continue it and talk to your treating professional before adding any complementary therapy.
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Written by
Sananda Reiki
Spiritual support and Reiki therapies in Medellín and online.
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