3 Ways We Love to Work with the System of Reiki: Reiki Women Podcast Episode 211
September 16, 2026
I cannot know without seeing you practise, but the question itself says you are not confident, and confidence is the whole point of the symbols. They were added to the system of Reiki to give people something tangible to draw, say and chant so they could feel the energy. They are there to support you, not to be worried about. Practise what you were taught and let it take you in.
Well, I don’t know, because I don’t know how you are using them. But the question sounds as though you are not very confident in your practice, so what you need to do is get confident.
The whole reason the symbols were included in the system of Reiki was to help people with their confidence. They gave people something more tangible to hold on to. Instead of being told to sense the energy, and thinking, I don’t know how to do that, you have something physical: you can draw it, you can say it, you can chant it, and the whole body moves or shifts. All of these are extra tools to help you feel more of something that is energetic.
Interestingly, all the symbols are very old. They connect through to things that could be centuries old in Japan, and one of them goes back to India, to a seed syllable in Sanskrit. They were taken from where they had been practised for a long time and added to the system of Reiki as a tool to help you.
So think of them in those terms. They are there to support you. They are not something to worry about. If you know the precepts: for today only, do not worry. When we begin to worry we start to second-guess ourselves. Let go of that. Practise what you have been taught and let it be the tool that takes you into the energy.
When this happens. Usually in the first year after Okuden, and usually after seeing someone else draw a symbol differently, or reading a book that contradicts your teacher.
What is actually going on. There is no single correct drawing. Symbols vary between lineages and even between Usui’s own students, because the symbol is a doorway, not a password. What matters is whether it brings your attention in.
What to do. Use the version your teacher gave you, exactly as given, for a month without changing anything. Confidence comes from repetition, not from finding the right version.
Ask your teacher this. “Show me how you draw it, and tell me what you feel when you do.” The second half of that question is the useful one.
You might also ask: What is the real purpose of Reiki symbols? · What is the most misunderstood Reiki symbol? · Are you chanting the Reiki mantras correctly?
Bring your symbol questions to me inside Shinpiden+, where we work through them together.
More questions answered: Reiki Questions Answered.
