" It is not God's will merely that we should be happy, but that we should make ourselves happy."
Immanuel Kant

According to many traditional teachers the Reiki symbols are sacred and therefore secret and should only be seen by insiders, meaning Reiki practitioners second degree and Reiki masters. As described above, the visibility of these symbols can only add to their power; this is knowledge from magick. Besides, in Japan these symbols show up on daily articles of use. (I once meditated on these symbols and got a vision of an ordinary Japanese street-scene, as if I should know that healing yourself and your life should be a very common activity and an integrated part of everyone's life.) In the spirit of this Age of Aquarius many secrets, occult and societal, are revealed now to give as many persons as possible entrance to their birthright: self-empowerment, self-mastery, inner balance, peace and happiness. The idea of someone being of more importance, higher standard or 'special' because of having more, secret knowledge, is an outdated ego thing. To get a taste of what you can do with it I herewith present you the four symbols with their meaning:

Cho Ku Rei - The Power Symbol

Cho = Connect the Ku = Power, Energy with Rei = The Soul, The Universe, The Unity

Put in other words: 'Let all the power of the Universe be here' or 'God is here'.
This is the symbol used to connect with the energy at the beginning of a session, and to increase power/energy where needed during a session.
Further it is used to empower anything you want, like your medicines, crystals, food and drinks, machines and tools you work with, etc. Cho Ku Rei increases the power of all other symbols you use. Another important use of this symbol is cleaning a space or clearing up negative energies, for instance in a bad situation. It can be used for protection of yourself or your properties, because the great amount of light you call in with Cho Ku Rei dispels or keeps away negativity. And it seals in light energy when drawn at the end of a healing.

Sometimes the Cho Ku Rei is drawn opposite with the spiral clockwise; this is a matter of preference. The symbol works with either way of drawing.

Sei He Ki - The Emotional Symbol

Sei = I point He = the Bow, Arrow to Ki = Life-force, Light, Awareness

This strange symbol looks like a human head with two bumps on the places of the eighth chakra (the cosmic chakra where divinity connects with our physical existence and place of the soul akasha) and the tenth chakra (place of mystical talents and inner sight). Therefore alternative meanings of the Sei He Ki are 'Remember Your Self' and 'God and humanity becoming one'. Pointing your arrow to awareness means bringing your attention to your feelings, emotions, patterns and psychology in order to understand and heal them. Sei He Ki restores emotional balance and harmony. Please understand that many diseases and problems have their roots in negative emotions and false beliefs. This symbol is used for the healing of bad habits, addictions, emotional trauma and heavy feelings like anger, frustration or jealousy. That makes this symbol another good one against bad vibrations and negative entities. A good symbol for inner calmness and the release of blockages

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen - The Distance and Mental Symbol

Hon = Spirit, Source, Origin, Universe Sha = Mind, Surviving Ze = Space, Be, Being Sho = Feeling, Emotions Nen = Consciousness, Body, Attention

It is not difficult to discover the various levels of existence in the meanings of this symbol. Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen makes the connection between Spirit and Body, heaven and earth, and is therefore known as 'The Bridge'. It travels through time and space to fulfill its function and is commonly known as the Distance symbol. You can heal absent persons with it or send energy to a situation or relationship. You can treat a cause rooted in the past with it, and it can change thought patterns (mental healing), what makes it a perfect symbol for karmic healing. Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen connects your higher self with the higher self of the one you send energy; 'The Divine in me greets and honors the Divine in you' and this really is the best approach we can take towards our fellowmen.

Dai Ko Myo - The Master Symbol

To the left you see the traditional Dai Ko Myo and to the right the complete different, modern version of it.
The traditional Japanese form is given by Mikao Usui. I don't know what the origins of the modern spiral are; it has been channeled that this 'new' Dai Ko Myo fits better into the vibrations of the training of this time. Both very powerful, it seems a matter of preference which one you choose to work with. Dai Ko Myo means Great Shining Light. As Aleister Crowley in another place states: "Every man and every woman is a star". Through the master initiation you'll reach a strong connection with Spirit, Source, Higher Self, the divine light which nurtures itself and wishes to spread to nurture others.

The Dai Ko Myo is the strongest Reiki symbol and it can replace the others. An exception forms distance work where you, next to the Dai Ko Myo, also have to work with the distance symbol Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen. Once you have been attuned to this symbol it is strongly advised to use it with all your Reiki works. Your energy work will receive an extra boost and you constantly draw this strong energy through your energetic system. The Dai Ko Myo is the symbol which transmits the Reiki initiations.