In the first level of Reiki you learned to relax and let the energy do its work. In the second level your ability to relax will deepen, but now you will also learn to bring specific intention to the healing process. You will do this primarily through three symbols, which have been used by Reiki practitioners since Mikao Usui.
The symbols were planted within you at level one; at level two you become consciously aware of their form and function. It will not take you long to memorise them: even the big one, hon sha ze shô nen, will stick if you practice it often enough. Once memorised you have powerful tools that can be used at any time during a healing, or indeed at any time or place. As part of your level two training you will learn how and when to use them in your daily life.
As you go ever deeper on your journey with Reiki, you embody more clearly the phenomenon of Reiki within yourself: you realise that you and Reiki are not two separate things. Reiki level two is like shifting up a gear as you make this journey, speeding you toward realising your true identity and coming back to your true home.
The meaning in symbols
Symbols encode shared meaning. The meaning may or may not be understood by the conscious mind, but powerful symbols always resonate in the unconscious. This is what differentiates a symbol from a logo. Logos impact us at an aesthetic level but no deeper.
The circle is a symbol that resonates across time and culture. It encodes unity, wholeness, balance and completion. The fact that we see circles every day dulls us to the power of the symbol, which lays dormant until we bring our attention to it afresh. The cross is another powerful symbol that has held deep meaning for Christians for over 2,000 years, something its superficial use in fashion does not threaten.
The Reiki symbols have unique meanings and effects on the healing process. Like the hand positions, understanding is first a matter of learning and applying principles; later it becomes more intuitive.
Each symbol has a mantra, which is said mentally or verbally every time that you draw a symbol. The unique quality of each symbol plus mantra will allow you to tap into different aspects of the healing energy.
The universal symbol
This symbol can be used to focus Reiki on a specific area or issue, to harmonise conflict situations, and as a talisman over journeys or objects.
The mental-emotional symbol
This symbol purifies objects, places and people by clearing away unwanted spiritual, psychological, or emotional patterns.
The distant healing symbol
This symbol cuts across time and space, connecting us to people, events or places that are not present to us now. You can give Reiki to people far away, to future events, or even to yourself in your past, collecting lost fragments of your whole self.
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