Energy

We are able to derive special virtues from natural stones that we wear because our energy field interacts with each stone's energy field. Yoga, reiki, as well as several traditional Eastern forms of healing, philosophy and spirituality are based on energy fields. Below is an excerpt from a paper I wrote for graduate school, entitled Energy Flow and Psychotherapy.

Although concepts relating to energy fields may seem novel in the West, ancient Eastern cultures have utilized the concepts of energy flow as a central aspect of philosophy, medicine, and religion for thousands of years. 5,000 years ago the idea emerged that human bodies contain energy systems that are related to health and consciousness (Gallo, 2002). Rooted in India and China, these traditions generated the yogic system of chakras and prana and the Chinese system of meridians and chi, respectively. While the language and the frameworks differ, the core concepts of energy flow and stagnation persists as the foundational concept of these Asian systems. These ancient systems, which have enjoyed a renaissance in the Western world recently, link body, mind, and spirit through the universal flow of energy. Modern scientific discoveries have just begun to confirm that mind and body are energetically connected in the discovery of the neurovascular and neurolymphatic systems of the human body, as well as the emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology (Gallo, 2002).

According to ancient Indian spiritual tradition that is over 5,000 years old, a universal energy called prana is the basic source of all life. Prana moves through and gives life to all forms. Yogis learn to move prana within and around the body through special breathing methods and physical poses, enabling them to reach expanded states of consciousness and enjoy prolonged youth (Brennan, 1988). During practice, a yogi is tapping into the prana of the earth through the root of the body, or root chakra, and moving this life force energy upwards through the body’s chakras.

Chakra means wheel or vortex in Sanskrit (Hover-Kramer, 2002). The chakras are whirling centers of human energy and we each have seven of them running along our spinal column. Spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical health is experienced when the chakras are balanced, open, and transferring energy freely. Blockages, stagnation and imbalance of one or more chakras lead to difficulties with the areas of physical and psychological life that correspond to that particular chakra. Rosalyn Bruyere, a healer, healing trainer, clairvoyant, and one of the original consultants for the NIH center for alternative medicine, found in her travels that different versions of the chakra system can be found around the globe. The more she traveled and studied, the more she found that varied cultural references to the chakra system are universal (Bruyere, 1994)

As prana was being explored in ancient India, simultaneously the Chinese were discovering the existence of a vital energy called chi. According to Asian spiritual and medical traditions, all matter, both animate and inanimate, is composed of chi. A balance of the polar forces of yin and yang energy in a system creates physical health. Overly powerful yang energy causes excessive activity while too much yin energy results in insufficient functioning. An imbalance of yin and yang, leads to a disease state, and ultimately death (Brennan, 1988).

Chi is said to move throughout the body along meridians. These 12 meridians contain 365 different points of energy that apply to organs in the body as well as emotional states. When these energy passageways are clear, energy can flow fluidly and the body will remain healthy or recover from disease. Just as with chakras, the blockage of a meridian hinders the flow of chi, and leads to an unhealthy state for the bodily organs, and emotional systems that correspond to that particular meridian (Eisenberg, 1993). In an interview, Dr. Xie, a Doctor at Beijing Medical University working from both Eastern and Western frames of reference teaches that:

In Chinese medicine the mind and emotions are closely related to health and disease. For example, disease can be caused by the intensification of any of the seven human emotions—joy, anger, melancholy, brooding, sorrow, fear, and shock. An excess of joy will do harm to the heart, anger will do harm to the liver, melancholy to the kidney, brooding and sorrow to the spleen, and fear and shock to the kidney. (Eisenberg, 1993, p. 275)

Since chi is the vital energy of all life, it makes sense that study and practice of aiding the flow of chi is not simply limited to the medical profession, but encompasses all aspects of life. In traditional Chinese culture, religion, morality, and medicine have never been separate. Eisenberg (1993) states:

In ancient Chinese tradition, the medical masters were also the spiritual leaders.

References

Brennan, B.A. (1988). Hands of Light: A Guide to healing Through the Human Energy Field. New York: Bantam Books.

Brennan, B.A. (1993). Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing. New York: Bantam Books.

Bruyere, R.L. (1994). Wheels of Light: Chakras, Auras, and the Healing Energy of the Body. New York: Fireside.

Eisenberg, D. (1993). Medicine in a Mind/Body Culture. In B. Moyers, B.S. Flowers, & D.G. Grubin (Eds.), Healing and the Mind (pp. 257-304). New York: Doubleday.

Eisenberg, D. (1993). Another Way of Seeing. In B. Moyers, B.S. Flowers, & D.G. Grubin (Eds.), Healing and the Mind (pp. 305-322). New York: Doubleday.

Gallegos, E.S. (1983). Animal Imagery, The Chakra System and Psychotherapy. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 15 (2), 125-136.

Gallo, F.P. (2002). Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods. In F.B. Galle (Ed.), Energy Psychology in Psychotherapy (pp. 35-51). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Hover-Kramer, D. (2002). Incorporating Biofield and Chakra Concepts into Energy Psychotherapy. In F.B. Galle (Ed.), Energy Psychology in Psychotherapy (pp. 135-151). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Judith, A. (1996). Eastern Body Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to Self. Berkeley: Celestial Arts Publishing.
Kirlian Photography. Retrieved June 13, 2005, from http:///www.kirlian.org.

Myss, C. (1994). Why People Don’t Heal and How they Can. Boulder: Sounds True Audio.

Myss, C. (1996). Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Siegel, B.S. (1986). Love, Medicine & Miracles. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

Warber, S.L., Kile, G.L.M., & Gillespie, B.W. (2003). ‘Energy’ Healing Research. In W.B. Jonas, & C.C. Crawford (Eds.), Healing, Intention and Energy Medicine: Science, Research Methods and Clinical Implications (pp. 83-101). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

	Location	Stones	Basic right	Balance in this chakra creates
7	Cerebral cortex, crown	crystal quartz, moonstone, diamond	To know & to learn	Ability to perceive, analyze & assimilate information Intelligent, aware Open-minded Sense of spiritual connection Wisdom & mastery
6	Brow, third eye	amethyst, lapis	To see	Intuitive Perceptive Imaginative Good memory Able to access dreams Symbolic thought Able to visualize
5	Throat	turquoise, aquamarine, blue topaz	To speak & hear the truth	Resonant voice Good listener Good timing & rhythm Clear communication Lives creatively
4	Chest, heart	jade, flourite, rose quartz	To love & be loved	Compassionate Loving Empathetic Self-loving Altruistic Peaceful, balanced Good immune system
3	Solar plexus, belly	citrine, tiger's eye, amber	To act & be an individual	Responsible, reliable Balanced, effective will Good self-esteem Warmth Condfidence Sponteneity, sense of humor Self-discipline Personal power sense
2	Lower abdomen, sacrum	carnelian, coral	To feel & have pleasure	Graceful Emotional intelligence Ability to experience pleasure Nurturing to self/other Ability to change
1	Base of spine, perineum	garnet, smoky quartz, black onyx	To be here & to have	Good health Vitality Well grounded Comfortable in body Sense of trust in the world Feeling safety & security Ability to relax