In our exploration of Reiki symbols for healing energy flow, we now come to Sei Hei Ki: the second symbol in the sequence taught by Mikao Usui. This article will discuss its meaning, and the different ways to draw it.
As background, my name is Lillie and I’m a practicing Reiki healer, and am writing this article both from my years of training, as well as my on-the-ground experience. This piece is not meant to replace formal instruction, but rather to supplement it.
The Harmony Symbol
Sei Hei Ki is the mental and emotional healing symbol in Reiki. It comes after the Cho Ku Rei Power Symbol, and before the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen Distance Healing Symbol and Dai Ko Myo Master Symbol. Its meaning and use center around harmony, balance, and calm.
Sei Hei Ki Meaning
The words “Sei Hei Ki” translate roughly to: “Earth and sky meet” (or “Earth and sky become one”). This exemplifies the uniting, harmonizing, and balancing nature of this symbol, as it connects the two different realms of universal energy, just as it helps in chakra balancing.
There’s another way that this Reiki symbol harmonizes. If you look at my drawing of Sei Hei Ki, above, you’ll see it actually looks like two hemispheres of a brain: the right and left, or the the wildly creative (emotional) vs. the orderly (mental). This is one way that this symbol visually represents its use and meaning: it balances those two energies.
Drawing this Harmony Symbol
Though it doesn’t have as many lines as most of the other Reiki symbols, I still always find Sei Hei Ki somewhat difficult to draw, for two reasons. First, it’s unlike almost any other symbol or letter our hands or brains usually create. There’s sort of a backwards “Z,” (somewhat like the Raku Reiki symbol), then a letter “5,” then an arc with two bubbles. Wow — what a unique symbol!
Second, like many symbols that are passed down over the years and cross over languages, there exist several different versions of how to draw Sei Hei Ki. Below, I’ve illustrated some differences, notably that the right side is sometimes sketched as a backwards “C,” with the bubbles up higher, and sometimes more of a straight up-and-down line with the bubbles at the side. I’ve even seen it, as I’ve drawn above, with a little flip to the right at the bottom end of the last line. (Similarly, the Reiki Principles have different versions.)
Digital Downloads of Usui Symbols
Interested in an easy digital download of this Usui symbol, as well as the three others? Click the button below!
Sei Hei Ki, in Sum
I’m curious to hear from you, if you have experience with the powerful Sei Hei Ki symbol in Reiki, or even if you’re just now encountering it for the first time. What have been your encounters with it, when and how do you find it most useful, and which of the versions most resonates (or vibrates!) with you to draw? Are you also intrigued by symbols beyond the Usui system, such as the Zonar and Halu Reiki symbols? Do share!
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The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009), TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010), and ReikiColors.com. Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
