Symbols With the Use of Energy Work

Given the manner in which synchronicity works, I wasn’t at all surprised when I happened upon an article on the web about Reiki.

Surveying the comments below afterward, there was one that immediately drew a response from me and got me thinking in greater detail about something that is obviously on the minds of many Reiki practitioners.

Symbols.

In this particular instance, it is the way in which something that used to be a highly guarded secret seems to be pervasive in even the vaguest of searches for Reiki today. I can understand the reaction, as my first response upon seeing Reiki symbols after having been attuned mirrored some of the thoughts expressed in the comments section below the article.

“I thought these symbols were supposed to be kept secret?”

“How can someone post them online for everyone else to see?”

AND

“What happens if everyone knows the symbols?”

Some of the responses to these questions reflected indifference to downright indignation. My reaction was a little more responsive.

At first, I thought about the many years in which I did not have access to the symbols, many in which I wasn’t even aware of them. I practiced energy work based on a feeling of intuitiveness and instructions in books I had read during a 25-year period.

Some of these books were books on the discovery of some of the lesser known healing modalities using energy such as one of my favorites by Dr. Brugh Joy entitled JOY’S WAY. Others were written by Healthcare practitioners who found energy work to be useful in helping patients suffering from certain diseases because of its non-invasive and painless procedure such as HANDS OF LIGHT written by Barbara Brennan and one I’d read when considering specializing in Massage Therapy for Cancer patients entitled MEDICINE HANDS by Gayle MacDonald, M.S., L.M.T.; all of them very good examples of how the use of energy is used without invoking any particular symbol to enhance the effects. In both books, there are documented cases of the positive effects of these modalities in the fight against all diseases. In MEDICINE HANDS, there are detailed accounts along with references to the research provided right in the book.

Dr. Joy’s book and Barbara Brennan’s book show illustrations of points of energy vortexes or Chakras situated in every part of the body with exercises that can be done to learn to feel these specific points and to work with them; something I myself had learned to do since the mid-1980s. During those years and up until recently, I had never used symbols—just the power of intent and visualization.

The power of intent, as well as the ability to visualize, is what is said to actually invoke the desired effect of seeing and feeling the energy, to becoming a channel for it, to finally sending it in a way that is most beneficial to the patient or client intended to receive it. This is how I learned and used the energy myself for the purposes of healing my own illnesses and physical injuries before even considering this art form as a way to help heal other people. Reiki and the use of its symbols were just a blip on a map of California having come from someplace off of the Pacific at the time—and a very expensive one at that!

It wasn’t until after I became a “Certified Reiki Master” and using the symbols as a way of enhancing the effects of the energy being sent that I discovered that, on some occasions, symbols could actually be a hindrance to the person in need of or even wanting energy work.

Some people don’t NEED a dose of energy as hefty as a nuclear plant.

I refer to one case in particular. I was asked by a member of my Facebook page, Remote Reiki Healings if I could pay them specific attention during some of my group healing sessions. They’d given me an account of some of the issues they were dealing with, and I felt compelled to give them individualized energy care. During the session, and when I was visualizing the drawing of certain symbols in my mind’s eye to be used and directed to the heart center--something that is common during remote Reiki sessions-- I clearly saw them push against and turn away from the symbol. In fact, they had, at that time, refused the energy that was being offered. I didn’t question the refusal or try to force the person to take it, because, in the use of any energy work, it is a matter of the receiver having complete free will during the process. I was, however, curious as to why they had suddenly refused it.

The thought had occurred to me that maybe it wasn’t energy they needed. Because they were a member of my page and we shared other groups in common, I saw their name entered in most of the postings dealing with the receiving of “Free Reiki” for many different occasions by other Reiki practitioners and well-intentioned people, and suddenly the reason for their outright refusal of the energy by me became obvious: Too much of a good thing.

I wrote to this friend in a private message and described what had happened during the private session and suggested to them at that time to abstain from energy work and to seek medical attention.

Without giving a full account for purposes of privacy, I will say only that this particular person was in dire need of sleep. They hadn’t slept comfortably for a few weeks prior to their asking me for the session and by that time, they were sleeping less than a few hours a night because of pain they were experiencing.

Before I could even get into why they should consider my suggestion, they told me they were actually on their way to the emergency room. They hadn’t slept in three days and were in terrible pain. I told them how wonderful I thought it was that they were seeking medical attention and asked them to ‘keep me posted’ after they had gotten some sleep, of course.

***

There have been other instances where energy has been turned away after having invoked the symbols of Reiki, as well, but it wasn’t until after reading some of the comments about the article that I started thinking about why.

Usually, the persons who practice Reiki are already familiar and comfortable with alternative lifestyles and philosophies of countries that accept the belief in the power of the mind or the use of cosmic energy to help with the healing process if not for the outright cure of them.

But, where I practice, there are a great many people who are uncomfortable with these beliefs and even if on a conscious level they think they are OK with the use of such practices, deep down they fight it. I guess because I’m also psychic, I sometimes see this in great detail. During the times I don’t ‘see’-- as in a group of people receiving the energy-- and nothing happens; it could be due to these differences in beliefs.

If, on some level, I am aware of everything that happens, others are too, even if they cannot ‘see’ it. In effect, it is the symbolism that prevents them from receiving energy that could be beneficial to their healing from injury or disease.

In the past, when symbols were used in secrecy, there was no reason for any person receiving the energy to know of them and therefore, less likely for them to refuse the energy during a session on any level.

Today, with the symbols being in full view of a lot of people via the internet, Reiki, as a complementary and alternative form of healing, is being exposed to bias strictly because of its association with Eastern Philosophy. As much as this saddens me, it is the will of those individuals to feel the way they do without fear of retribution or discrimination.

So what happens in these instances? How do we offer our services to individuals who are not comfortable with the use of something as foreign as Reiki and its symbols?

Perhaps other symbols could be invoked that are already steeped with the awesome power of intent. Some of the examples I think of are already being used in a similar fashion

such as prayer and emergency services.

Instead of using symbols such as Cho-Ku-Rei, Sei-Hei-Ki, and Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen (the symbol used expressly for distant healing), we could replace them with symbols easily

recognizable but, more importantly, acceptable to individuals who would be more comfortable with the symbols they grew up

with.

Visualizing these would be helpful when recipients not comfortable knowing that other symbols-- possibly going against their own personal belief or philosophy-- were being used. It would help them to choose to accept energy as a positive reinforcement used in complementary and alternative forms of medicine when, ordinarily, they might refuse.

Or why not do what I did for years and what a great many practitioners of energy work do and just use nothing but the ppower of intent? It is, after all, the intent to become a channel for healing energy that allows us to be so. The symbols are used only as a way to focus a specific intent.

Some would argue that symbolism used during attunement is what gives our intent a greater potential to help heal by allowing increased flow.

My experiences are a little different as described earlier. I believe it is the desire of the recipient to be healed and/or the particular need of the recipient that determines how strong the flow of energy will be or even if it is accepted.

The only time I control the flow of energy is when it is directed for my own use. When I use energy with the intent to help others heal, I have no control of the amount or the intensity of energies that flow.

It is the recipient who controls the flow of energy that they receive and the intensity in which they receive it. Knowing this, I am just as comfortable refraining from the use of symbols when necessary and confident in the use of intent and visualization alone in energy work to help invoke a healing response in any individual willing to accept it.

Namasté

~Susan