Reiki

Derivation of the Name and Related Terms

Reiki: Japanese, kanji rendering 霊気 or hirigana rendering レイキ, IPA pronounciation /ˈreɪkiː/

Usually one uses hirigana for "foreign" words, and commonly one finds the word reiki in Japanese rendered hirigana. This example has a note of irony given that Usui's reiki originated in Japan, flourished in the West, and then came back into common usage in Japanese as a "foreign" word.

"Reiki" is often translated as "unseen/hidden energy/life-force". In Japanese, the word "reiki" can be used used generically and not specifically in the context of Usui's work. Common phrases for Usui's Method of reiki healing include Usui reiki shiki ryoho (Usui reiki healing method?), Usui-do or Usui-no-michi ("the Way of Usui").

Level III Shinpiden ("Master")

Traditional Reiki Symbols and Jumon

The reiki symbols (shirushi in Japanese) can be seen as a form of ritual symbolism with an associated phrase (jumon, "spell" or "incantation", sometimes called shingon, "mantra"), used to increase reiki energy, or modify it to treat particular ailments or disorders. In Western reiki the jumon is commonly used as the symbol's name.

There is some debate among reiki practitioners as to whether one should reveal the symbols to the uninitiated, as many reiki practitioners consider them sacred if not utterly secret. Even within reiki the first level initiate (shoden) rarely if ever sees them. The second level initiate (okuden) learn the first three (Cho Ku Rei, Sei He Ki, and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen). The master/teacher (shinpiden) receives some further symbols (Dai Ko Mio) during initiation/attunement, but some reiki researchers debate whether these symbols derive from Usui or they originated from his students.

Some other symbols come from traditions which either tap into older Tibetan (and possibly Shinto) sources, or the symbols revealed themselves to later Western masters who taught them to their students.

With the advent of the World Wide Web the secrecy of the symbols has become a rather moot point, as one can easily find them with a [Google Image Search].

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).

External Links

[James Deacon's Reiki pages]