Reiki symbols are used in the practice of Usui Reiki, an alternative form of healing developed nearly 100 years ago in Japan by a Buddhist monk named Mikao Usui.  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." 

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Reiki healers practice attunement (sometimes called initiation), moving their hands over the body along the lines of the five traditional symbols. These gestures manipulate the flow of universal energy called ki (or qi) through the body and promoting physical or mental healing.

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A typical Reiki session lasts 60 to 90 minutes, and patients are treated either lying down on a massage table or seated. Unlike massage, patients can remain fully clothed during the Reiki session, and direct physical contact is rare. Practitioners typically begin working either at a client's head or feet, moving slowly along the body as they manipulate a client's ki. 

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Reiki symbols do not hold any special power themselves. They were devised as teaching tools for Reiki students. It is the intention of the practitioner's focus that energizes these symbols. The following five Reiki symbols are considered the most sacred. Each may be referred to by its Japanese name or by its intention, a symbolic name that represents its purposes in the practice.