The word kotodama 言霊 literally means “word spirit” or “the soul of language”. But it also stands for the spiritual (tama) power of sound (koto).
They come from Shintoism, the religion of Japan. Kotodama represents the forces of the universe, and there is a collection of them that turns up in many aspects of Japanese life. They appear within Shintoism and Buddism as mantras for meditation, within Martial Arts as a way of focusing ki and with Reiki. Kotodamas are sacred sounds (chants) that correspond to Reiki symbols. They were in use much before the drawn symbols were developed.
What is the Kotodama?
Kotodama is phrased, vowel sounds, that play an important part in different aspects of Japanese life. Kotodama is found in Shintoism as invocations, Buddism as invocations, and mantras in some aspects of Buddhism.
In reiki, it seems that each symbol has an associated phrase that can be repeated three times or repeated as a mantra, which intensifies the reiki effect as we say them out aloud.
How you can use the Kotodama
Chant the Kotodama, either out loud or in your head, by way of a mantra for your meditation, and for personal healing, see what you experience as your whole body resonates!
Kotodama can be used as an alternative when giving a treatment session for others, replacing the symbols using the Kotodama to access Life force energy.
Pronouncing the Kotodama
The basic vowel sounds are as follows:
A – aaah
O – as in rose
U – as in true
E – as in grey
I – as in eeeeee
How is the Kotodama to be said?
- Kotodama should be chanted/intoned using a deep resonant voice
- Breathe them out of you and let your body learn to breathe the Kotodama
What does each Usui symbol sound like when chanting the Kotodama?
Focus
ChoKuRei is the physical energy symbol. It holds the energy of the earth and the body. It grounds and heals the body.
The Kotodama goes from your belly like this:
Hoe koo ey-eeeee
After chanting it several times, connect with the energy that it evokes. Feel the energy, feel the sound – feel it in your body, and your heart space.
Harmony
* The second kotodama is SeHeKi. It is an emotional energy, dealing with feelings. It holds a higher frequency than ChoKuRei. It is not ‘better’ than ChoKuRei, rather it is different. SHK is a lighter frequency, coming from your heart upwards. It expands.
It doesn’t go like ChoKuRei from the ground in, rather it goes from your heart out; like this: Ey eee ey eee keeee.
Feel the expansiveness this energy brings to your awareness. Feel how it crosses the boundaries of the body, and expands the trapped emotions out into the space.
Connection
* The next kotodama is the connectedness energy, HSZSN. It is often used for distance healing or when you want to connect to someone. You can use it when you feel lost and detached and want to reconnect and remember who you are. This is the energy that reminds you that we are waves in an ocean, and we cannot be separated from it. We are integral to that ocean.
The energy is light, even lighter than SeHeKi.
It goes like this: Hoe aah zay hoe neigh
Feel this expansive energy, connecting the universe, time, space, people and memories into one whole.
Empowerment
* The next kotodama is DaiKoMo. It is Usui’s Master energy. This is a powerful energy that connects you to the source in a straightforward way. It goes straight from the source to your core being, to your soul. The energy connects like HSZSN, and also empowers you and lightens you up to your purpose. It penetrates the illusions and the veils of disenchantment and it goes to the core.
It goes like this: Aah eee coe yo
Feel the effect this energy has on every single vertebra in your being; on all the energetic pathways. It unblocks and clarifies the way for the source to flow.