Understanding energy?

Understanding energy – that was essentially the theme of the November 2005 issue of The Good Life.

The entire issue of the newsletter was devoted to the exploring the reality that, at the basic level, you and I and everything else are all energy. The issue explored topics such as auras, sensing and seeing auras, aura photography as well as experiencing energy with the pendulum and using L-rods.

Other topics included energy healing, energy medicine, energy exercises and the energetics of cooking.

Everything is energy

We are energy. You and I and everyone else – and everything else – are masses of energy.

Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc², although perhaps a bit profound for us to fully grasp, simply states that all matter is energy.

Understanding energy at the sub-atomic level

It is not difficult to appreciate this fact. At one level, we know that we are flesh and blood, skin and bones, hair and nails, etc.

But what are these made of? Atoms and molecules.

What are atoms and molecules made of? Pre-atomic particles like protons, neutrons and electron.

And what are these pre-atomic particles made of? Modern medicine has discovered that they are not solid particles, but merely vibrations or waves of energy. They are energy.

This understanding is relatively new to science. But not to mankind.

Understanding energy as qi, prana, pneuma, spiritus...

For thousands of years, the Chinese have regarded the human body plus everything else as energy. They call this energy qi. It forms the basis of qigong, acupuncture, herbalism, food therapy…. even feng shui, geomancy and astrology.

The Indians, too, have a similar concept of energy, or prana. While the Chinese focus on energy flow along pathways called meridians, the Indians focus on energy centres called charkas.

The human body has seven major charkas – at the top of the head, the “third eye” (between the eyebrows) throat, heart, solar plexus (below the breast bone), lower abdomen and base of the spine.

It is not just in the East that we find concepts of energy. Western cultures have them too, except that much of it has been lost with the advance of modern science.

The ancient Greeks called this energy pneuma, while the Romans called it spiritus.

Understanding energy in art

This energy if often seen in art. In Christian art, for example, saints are almost always depicted with halo a circle of white light over their heads. And Jesus Christ is sometimes shown with beams of light coming out from the centre of his palms.

In Eastern art, we also find drawings of Buddha and other holy men and women with light emitting from their palms. Or from their “third eye”. Or the whole body is bathed in light.

Where do artist gets such images from? Where do the makers of Chinese gongfu movies get the idea that skilled fighters can defeat their opponents and even demolish stone walls simply by pushing the air – by sending out energy.

Perhaps all this come from an overly fertile imagination. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that ancient peoples in China, India, Europe and elsewhere who did not have the chance to travel, meet each other, or read each other’s books just happened to imagine similar things.

Seeing, experiencing and understanding energy

Perhaps not. Perhaps people could actually see, feel and experience this energy.

And maybe we can as well. It is quite easy. So don’t just believe all this thing about energy, meridians, charkas, halos and auras. See, feel and experience it for yourself.

There is now even scientific proof that such energies do exit.

For example, there are now special “cameras” that can photograph the aura, as well as machines that can measure the level of energy at acupuncture points.

There are books and scientific papers written about these things.

Value of understanding energy

It is important that we appreciate this reality that everything is energy. Then we can appreciate many of the factors that influence our health and well being.

We can then appreciate, for example, why acupuncture, homoeopathy and other forms of “energy medicine” work although they seem illogical.

We can better appreciate how food affects not just our physical health, but also our thoughts and emotions.

Understanding energy will help us understand things that are commonly considered superstition, like feng shui.

And we can learn how to avoid or at least minimize the harmful energy influences in our daily lives.

We will view the word differently when we can see and experience energy. We will acquire a totally different perspective of life. Most importantly, we will gain a much better idea of how to live “A Good Life”.