Sacred geometry of Reiki Power Symbol Cho Ku Rei

During a recent dinner with friends, I heard the term “sacred geometry.” It was spoken in reverence. Sotto voce. So it got my attention. As soon as I had an opportunity I looked it up. I learned that sacred geometry ascribes symbolic and sacred meanings to certain geometric shapes and certain geometric proportions. It is associated with the belief that there is a spiritual constant, a universal mean, a geometer of the world.

It’s essentially repeated patterns found in nature that we ascribe meaning or relationship to.

There are recognizable repeated patterns everywhere we look. There are triangles, rectangles, and hexagons. Circles. The concentric circles like the ones that raindrops make when they hit the surface of water. Circles with designs such as the yin yang symbol. These images move us. They connect with us at the heart level.

One of the wonders of nature is the Fibonacci spiral. In geometry, it’s the golden spiral; a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is φ, the golden ratio. The Phi symbol is the circle bisected by a staff. Interesting.

Spiral patterns are repeated throughout nature. From the tiniest of nautilus shells to massive galaxies with giant tendrils of life spiraling out from their cores, extending for millions of light years.

The designs in the shells of sea creatures begin tiny and young, and also spiral out into time, space, and life.

Some of the most repeated designs are reflected in our numbers. 1, the straight vertical line, is a powerful sacred geometric figure. Think of a single tree, the stem of the flower, a cactus, the lone cowboy, the staff of the crucifix, the stem of the ankh, the last piece of asparagus on your plate.

The number seven, an angled one with a top line, is considered a mystically powerful number. Whether it’s 7 as we write it, or seven backwards, it is a symbol used in every written language. Seven is seen by many cultures as the perfect number that holds creation and the universe together. Religious or mythological cosmology refers to seven heavens, seven chakras, seven planes of creation, the seventh son of the seventh son.

It’s interesting to note that the 7 is the first 2 strokes of the Reiki power symbol Cho Ku Rei. To complete the Japanese pictograph, continue from the bottom of the seven, drawing a large semi circle that flows up and around just underneath the top cross bar and spirals inward, to the core. Like the galaxy.

The word Reiki is derived from two Japanese words: rei and ki. Rei means “higher power” or “spiritual power.” Ki means “energy.” Put together, reiki can be loosely translated as “spiritual life force energy.” Cho ku rei, is used to increase or decrease power (depending on the direction in which it is drawn). Its intention is the light switch, representing its ability to illuminate or enlighten spiritually. Its identifying symbol is a coil, which reiki practitioners believe is the regulator of qi, expanding and contracting as the energy flows throughout the body. Power comes in different forms with Cho ku rei. It may be used as a catalyst for physical healing, cleansing, or purification. It may also be used to focus one’s attention.

I’m not a Reiki practitioner, yet to me, the potential in this power symbol is obvious.

I see the straight lines of the 7 as base lines, like the x and y axes on a graph. The spirals are not confined to a two dimensional surface; they are either spiraling down, penetrating through the paper or the body fascia, or out as a releasing tsubo, a vortex. The energy you are intending, your energetic intention, moves, cycling in and down, or withdrawing out and back up.

During a recent canine massage my hands were over a dense area that was not spontaneously responding to my stroking, compression, and myofascial positional release. I wondered what would happen if I imagined my fingers projected energy through the pattern of Cho ku rei.

I held my fingers still, maintaining constant pressure and visualized the pattern. A seven and 3 cycles spiraling inward.

My imagination slid across the top line of the seven, turned, and swept down to the bottom. I paused. The directions that patterns move are essential aspects of their sacred geometry-ness.and swirled up to just below the horizontal line.

I was using my right hand, so my natural tendency was to move in the rightward direction, counterclockwise, from the bottom of the 7. I continued coiling inward, until after 3 roundabouts, I was in the core.

The pressure remained constant yet I sensed the subtlest of movements in my fingertips. The energy projected from my fingers extended deeper and deeper and deeper into the dog’s neuromuscular fabric.

Something shifted. It was deep within the tissues. Whatever was in there that needed adjusting tightened and released.

As I withdrew, my fingertips tingled clockwise. So I reversed the direction and followed it out. I smiled as I reflexively murmured “lefty-loosey, righty-tighty”.

Here was a repeatable pattern I could follow to flow in, connect and influence, and flow out.

1. With the 2 strokes of the 7, I aligned my energy with the tight resistant area within the dog.
2. Spiraling in, the energies of the dog and I connect and wind further into the tightness.
3. Reversing the spiral, the resistance is loosened and pulled (to safety) free.

This is very similar the “pain drain” technique of Healing Touch.

You are the geometer. Imagine the sacred geometry patterns and make them part of your practice. They will transport your intentions and help your PetMassage be even more powerful.