The Non-Traditional Reiki Symbols Most Practitioners Never Learn

Symbols have always fascinated us.

Since the dawn of civilization, they have been part of culture, beliefs, and spiritual practices. From helping our infrastructure to religious institutions, symbols are present everywhere.

They help us bridge the spiritual and the physical worlds and enhance our daily lives with divine wisdom.

In Reiki, there are two categories of symbols.

Traditional - passed down from Mikao Usui.

Non-traditional - channelled by other Reiki Masters.

The symbols in the second category serve to enhance the passing on of attunements or to support the body's natural healing ability in specific situations.

While not all Reiki schools or teachers agree with this approach, the usefulness of these symbols is undeniable.

Such is the case with the Shika Sei Ki and Shika So symbols.

What are the Shika So & Shika Sei Ki Reiki symbols and where do they come from?

These two symbols come through the following lineage:

Hayato Takata - Iris Ishikuro - Arthur Roberston

It is unclear which of the 3 has channelled them, but these symbols were implemented at Usui Reiki Level II by only a few teachers who were descendants of this lineage. While they still resemble the Japanese Kanji format, they are considered non-traditional. Still, their effectiveness is embraced by many practitioners.

One helps heal emotional imbalances.

The other ensures harmonious communication.

Let's take them one by one.

Shika Sei Ki

This symbol is similar to Sei Hei Ki. Shika Sei Ki is the Reiki symbol for peace, which can also translate as:

“Love that travels from heart to heart.”

While Sei He Ki has many other uses, Shika Sei Ki focuses solely on the heart, as an organ, the heart chakra, and the thymus gland.

How And When To Use Shika Sei Ki

Shika Sei Ki is ideal for helping clear away low-vibrational emotions, such as stress, anger, sadness, and depression. To activate it, place your hands on your heart area and focus on the feeling of peace and serenity. Then, continue this exercise for 5-10 minutes to maximize the cleansing effect.

You can use Shika Sei Ki in self-treatment to clear away negative energy and emotions, open your heart chakra, and raise your vibration. This can open you up to offering and receiving love by filling your heart chakra with pure energy and compassion.

You’ll also help alleviate physical imbalances by healing at the emotional level. But, of course, the outcome depends on the person’s readiness to accept and modify their own views on themselves as well as their connection to the rest of the world.

At a physical level, Shika Sei Ki can help with cardiovascular issues like:

• Hypotension and hypertension;

• Oscillating tension;

• Ischemic heart disease;

• Tachycardias;

• Myocardium inflammation;

The above have roots in low-vibrational emotions, and that’s how Shika Sei Ki’s influence can go a long way in restoring balance and health.

The different uses of Shika Sei Ki can help Reiki practitioners better understand how to use this symbol for healing and other purposes. It’s a way to support personal growth or create a more harmonious environment to live and work in.

Here are a few examples:

• Draw Shika Sei Ki and Sei He Ki in the center of a room to create a warm, loving environment.

• Shika Sei Ki is very useful in relationships because it can break up monotony and restore emotional balance.

• In couples, you may place your activated palms on your partner’s heart area and vice versa. This will create a sense of harmony and bring to the surface emotions that you both need to express. It’s a way to acknowledge the root of the problem, which is the real path to healing.

• Together with Shika So, they complete the healing of the emotional-communication channel.

• Keeping the throat and heart chakras in balance will help you express your emotions harmoniously.

Shika So

Shika So works great with the throat chakra to improve communication. It can also help with thyroid problems and other energetic imbalances at the fifth chakra level. This symbol may support connections with others and reduce anxiety when speaking to a large group.

Once you tackle the emotional layer, expressing yourself harmoniously is the next step.

Communication isn't limited to verbal speech.

There are many ways to express yourself, such as thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Writing, singing, painting, or any creative-related feat is a form of expression.

At the physical level, it can aid:

• Hypo and hyperthyroidism;

• Parathyroid insufficiency;

• Laryngitis;

• Cervical spondylosis;

• Pharyngitis;

• Coughing;

• Tonsillitis;

• Ankylopoetic spondylitis;

You may apply Shika So directly to the throat chakra or blend it with your daily Reiki self-treatment. It will gradually release accumulated and/or negative energy from the throat region, allowing the universal life force energy to enter.

Consider adding Cho Ku Rei + Sei He Ki + Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen to enhance the effect.

And … you can use the same procedure when practicing Reiki on others.

• It works great with both the energetic and physical bodies (especially the thyroid area);

• Draw it in the middle of a room to facilitate the expression and communication of the people who enter that space.

• Use it regularly to increase your chances of surfacing the thoughts that need to be expressed. This is a great way to work with your blockages. Of course, be mindful of what you speak. While it’s healthy to let go of certain emotions, you also want to be selective with what you share;

• I prefer using Cho Ku Rei + Sei He Ki + Shika So to balance the communication and expression.

• Shika So works very well with Shika Sei Ki to heal both the heart and throat chakras for a more complete treatment.

You can positively affect others' lives when you communicate your feelings appropriately. By doing so, you’ll be able to release “trapped” emotions that can only be expressed through communication. In fact, performing this alone may help with the healing process.

That is why the throat and heart chakras are closely correlated.

Using Shika Sei Ki and Shika with other Reiki symbols.

Shika Sei Ki and Shika So will enhance the effects of other symbols.

Help heal the soul and heart:

• Activate them on your palms and then on your heart chakra.

• Hold your palms in this area for 10 minutes daily.

• Notice how your mood improves day after day.

• Add Harth form Karuna Reiki to enhance the universal energy flow as well as the entire healing effect.

Help heal and release deep emotions, thoughts, and ideas:

• Activate Shika So + Zonar on the throat chakra.

• Place your palms above this energy center and hold them there for about 10 minutes.

• Allow the universal energy and the specific manifestation of this sequence of Reiki symbols to release any stagnant emotions. Gradually, this exercise will help you express yourself at the right time.

Cleanse a room and promote healthy communication:

• Activate Cho Ku Rei + Sei He Ki + Shika Sei Ki + Shika So in the center of the room, dissolve any stagnant energy and infuse the space with pure love and compassion.

  
  

These symbols work best when you give them time to settle.

Don't rush the process or expect immediate transformation. The heart and throat chakras hold years of unexpressed emotion and guarded communication. They won't release everything in one session.

Instead, approach this work with patience.

Use the sequences above consistently, even when you don't feel dramatic shifts. The changes often show up quietly in how you respond to conflict, in conversations that flow more easily, or in the tension that slowly dissolves from your chest. That's the nature of emotional healing.

It doesn't announce itself loudly.

It gradually becomes the baseline.

The most useful symbols are often the least talked about.

Shika Sei Ki and Shika So didn't spread through mainstream Reiki training because they came from a lineage only a handful of teachers followed closely enough to preserve. Their absence from most curricula has nothing to do with their effectiveness.

That gap matters because practitioners working with grief, communication blocks, or heart-level imbalances are solving for exactly what these symbols address.

Used with patience, these two symbols close a loop that standard practice leaves open. The heart heals, the throat speaks, and the emotional body finds a way to move forward rather than circle the same pain.

Some of the best tools are still waiting to be found.

One of the most fascinating things about Reiki symbols is that there are many ways to use them. For example, Shika So can help you open up and be more expressive. At the same time, it can heal your physical imbalances or overcome certain blockages.

Working with the throat chakra is especially beneficial for communication, whether with a partner, in a group setting, or in everyday life. Furthermore, you may use the symbol to free you from shyness and amplify your creative side.

Enjoy Reiki’s flexibility, and don’t be afraid to explore. You’re the only one who can decide how to use the symbols to best effect. It can be a confusing and lonely journey at times, but the beauty of this process will reveal itself sooner than you might expect.