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The Reiki Symbols
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ReikiDharma Newsletter Volume 20, April 10, 2007 Dear friends! It is time for another ReikiDharma Newsletter. Spring has come, and the hearts blossom after a long period of gathering strength. Have you ever seen a lotus flower opening, petal after petal? Before we get into the Reiki work, I would like to share a text with you that I wrote in India some time ago: A Ripple in the Lotus Pond Every one has gone to sleep, except for the frogs and the silence in between their calls. They always talk to me, as I speak with them. Together, we watch the lotus that grows amongst them, opening. Petal by petal stretch forth in the moonlight. They know and I know. We have seen it happen many times before. Clouds obscure the scene with their winter coats, hiding, then revealing mercilessly. Known and unknown sounds are carried by the cool fragrance of January. In the distance, an owl flies by, unseen. Soft, dark and muddy, the bottom of the pond thinks of itself as the whole world. Pushing through is no easy task. The sap of life flows into one petal at a time, excruciatingly slow. The plant quivers: this way, and that way, ready to sink back to the bottom one more time. The gentle wind whispers in my ear gMy love, the dawn is near.h The pond takes another breath as one more petal blooms where there was darkness a moment ago. Soon they will stand before it in awe and their hearts will be filled with bliss. They will pray to the Heavens and bow deeply to the Earth. It is good that they have never seen what I see. I get up and go home, knowing that it will continue without me. A tear of gratitude slides out of my left eye: a ripple in the lotus pond. And now to today's Reiki theme: The Reiki Symbols I have been asked by a friend from South Africa to write an article on the Reiki- Symbols. After writing it I thought that it may be helpful to all of you. Below I will share with you what I have been able to research in Japan. My sources are the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai- Dr. Usuifs original Reiki Society, and my beloved teacher, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, a direct student of Dr. Hayashi, and her son Tadao. When referring to Dr. Usui, Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Yamaguchi, I will use the suffix Sensei. This is a Japanese word meaning g respected teacherh. This is the proper way to address the one who imparts his love, grace and knowledge to youc The Reiki Symbols are a wonderful source of inspiration, creativity and confusion. Inspiration Letfs begin with the first, inspiration. Reiki was born in an eternal moment of intense inspiration and self- discovery. This intensity is present in any Reiki moment, during a treatment or an attunement. In a treatment, this is partly due to the symbols that intensify the energy, heal the soul and transcendent time and space. In an attunement it is due to the fact that the symbols help to awaken the sleeping Reiki in the student. Creativity Usui Sensei incorporated three symbols in his work, for his students to be able to work more effectively. Those three symbols were given specific jobs to do. The Power Symbol was used exclusively on the body. The Mental Healing Symbol was used exclusively for mental healing. The Distant Healing Symbol was used exclusively for distant healing. Three Concepts When talking about the symbols, we must keep one thing in mind. The symbols have a geometric shape as well as a name- and, a meaning. This means, that a symbol can be many things. It can be a Reiki Symbol- meaning a tool that is exclusively used in Reiki. It can also be a Kanji (Chinese/ Japanese pictograph) or a symbol from another culture. And it can possibly be a Mantra. To all those three concepts apply different sets of rules. 1- A Reiki Symbol A Reiki Symbol is a symbol incorporated into the Healing art by Usui Sensei. For me a symbol channeled by one of us, is not necessarily useless, but it does not belong to the original system. Therefore I would not call it a Reiki Symbol. A Reiki Symbol is Reiki specific. Usui And Hayashi Sensei stressed that they should not be shared with anyone who has not been attuned to Reiki. The one who uses it must have certain background knowledge, and healing skills, as well as instruction in how and when to use the symbol. You would not give a chain saw to a five year old either. In the Japanese tradition the first two symbols are considered just symbols. They have a name but this name is just a description and the description does not need to be said when the symbol is written. Chiyoko Sensei saidh no need to say g spoon, spoon, spoonh when picking up a spoon It is often thought that one is initiated into a certain symbol. The fact is that you are initiated into Reiki. The Symbols are just tools that help us concentrate on a certain quality. The cross, the symbols for male or female, or a stop sign on the highway are more or less the same. They tell us what we, and others ought to do in a given situation. 2- A Kanji or a letter/ syllable from another language A Kanji or a letter/syllable from another language must have a certain meaning. The meaning of the power symbol, for example is The meaning of the Mental Healing Symbol is g Bad habith (often used in connection with sexually perverted habits). This explains why in Japan the first two symbols are not chanted when they are used. Who could say while working on a client, g By the order of the Emperor, by the order of the Emperorh, or even gbad habit bad habit bad habitch? Usui sensei gave the symbols Japanese names, because that was his language. The names were to explain what the symbols were used for. So gbad habith is not really the name of the symbol, but a description of what we do with it. The origin of the Second symbol is to be found in Sanskrit. It is a Sanskrit seed syllable from the Siddham writing, called Hrih. The Japanese call it g Kirikuh because they have a hard time pronouncing a word filled with konsonant, like ghrihh. In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo), this symbol represents the Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Love and Compassion as well as the Senju Kannon, the one thousand armed Bodhisattva. The Hrih, it is said, was formed out of a tear of compassionc So, knowingly or unknowingly you call on this divine emanation when you perform mental Healing. This means that you do not do the healing, but the deity doesc A Mantra A mantra is made of sound or a number of sounds. A mantra needs to be pronounced in order to release its power. The distant healing symbol is a mixture of symbol and mantra. That means that it must be written and spoken. If it cannot be spoken aloud, it has to be at least pronounced by your lips silently. Our Distant Healing Symbol is made up of five kanji that are jammed into one another. This is not done deliberately, but with precision and deep knowledge of the subtleties of the language. If you were to write all the kanji separately, you would see that the top part of the second kanji fits into the bottom part of the first. The top part of the third kanji fits into the bottom part of the second. The top part of the fourth kanji fits into the bottom part of the third. And the fifth kanji remains as it isc This is a method often used in Shingon and Tendai Buddhism to create a mantra. This way the conscious mind is bypassed and the goods are deliveredc The first who used this mantra is, to my knowledge, Saint Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist reformer who lived from 1222- 1282. A student of mine in Japan told me that it is also used in ancient Shintoism, and the meaning is gMan and God are Oneh. Confusion Everyone seems to have their own theory of what the Reiki symbols mean, and how they are supposed to be used. I have explained where they come from and what their cultural/ religious background is above. However, Reiki is liquid and adjusts to the culture and the people that it is practiced by. Therefore many new ways of using the symbols have evolved. My understanding of that is, to incorporate what is useful- which you must find out for your self- and to let go of what is not for you. Everyone mixes his own cocktail and that is the nature of things. All I can say is: cheersc Good News Finally available from Reiki Dharma exclusively: the lovely portrait of Usui Sensei from my first book gReiki Fireh It will be available in different sizes, please email me if you are interested in energizing your session room with Reiki from Usui Sensei in personc Special Workshops: If you would like to meet me on the road, there are four unique chances coming up. I will teach Japanese Reiki Techniques in Bahrain from April 20-22 and Family Constellations on April 23. The first weekend in May (May 4-6) I will be teaching Japanese Reiki Techniques in New Mexico, USA. All the above workshops will be the only ones in that area and I would love to see you there. For more info please check the schedule below or consult my homepage at http:www.ReikiDharma.com With love and gratitude from Germany, your friend Frank Arjava Petter Copyright(C) 2007, by Frank Arjava Petter
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Frank
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