At a time when our society is riddled with chronic stress and overwhelmed with illness, energy medicine is regaining ground. Energy medicine has existed for more than 5,000 years. Formerly dismissed by our medical community, it is now being used at increasing rates within hospital settings and is starting to become accepted within mainstream culture. We are moving away from the Newtonian Era that has treated our bodies as mechanisms. We are not machines. We are fields of energy. Energy medicine works by treating these fields of energy (our energetic body).
Life Force
Life force is the overarching energy that flows through all things. It is that which gives us life and is recognized across cultures. You may have heard of it referred to as qi in Chinese medicine, prana in India, and mana in Polynesia. When we maintain healthy lifestyles on all levels, the flow of this life force circulates effortlessly. It is when we are out of balance for extended periods of time (e.g., under chronic stress, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, unhealthy relationships, alcohol abuse, poor coping skills, etc.) that there is a disruption, or blockage in the flow of this energy that can eventually manifest itself into illness.
Illness originates in the energy fields outside of the body before manifesting in physical form, with the exception of traumatic injuries. The energy fields outside of our body consist of the auric field and the chakra energy fields, which are connected directly to our physical bodies. If disturbances arise in our outer energetic fields, we can maintain wellness if we’re able to rebalance ourselves. If we’re unable to clear these disturbances in our outer energetic fields, illness may then occur. Illness may develop as emotional, mental, and/or physical ailments.
My Personal Discovery of Subtle Energies
I lived much of my life in the dark with very little understanding of my life force and subtle energies. This is true for many folks. In ancient times, they were in tune with, and very aware of their energetic body. This awareness was lost to our culture somewhere along the way and has only just begun to infiltrate back into mainstream knowledge.
I was initially introduced to our intrinsic ability to sense energy when I took my Reiki I class. I was in my mid 40’s and knew very little about this healing modality. My beloved, 4-legged beast had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer, and I was determined to do whatever I could to help her. I took a leap of faith and tried the class. This experience was eye opening for me and revealed a world of energetic systems I formerly knew little about.
I first learned that simply by rubbing my hands together briskly, and then forming an imaginary snowball between them, I could feel the energy that had developed there. People feel energy differently. For some, a tingling sensation, while others feel pressure or resistance. In our culture, we have been conditioned to believe that if we can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. If you try this exercise, trust what you are feeling.
Once my hands had become sensitized by the previous exercise, I was taught to feel the auric field closest to my body. After making an imaginary snowball, move one hand (a couple of inches away from the other forearm) up and down the length of it. You can feel this layer of your energetic field.
The lessons in feeling energy continued to expand for me and I learned to identify where peoples’ life force energy begins within their auric field, found in a layer more distant and more pronounced than the previous exercise. Life force energy is found further from the body with healthy, vibrant energy and closer to body for individuals who are unwell. As I moved my hands from far above an individual closer towards their body, I could clearly feel this energetic boundary. There was a distinct change in the air. This boundary was also clearly defined when I tried this exercise on my sweet four-legged beast. She turned briskly around to look at me when my hands hit her life force barrier, as though she could feel it.
The next exercise I learned was to feel zings within people’s auric field. By combing my fingers through another’s outer energy field, I could feel subtle differences in their energy. When pointing this out to the individuals I assessed, it was validated by their disclosure of past and present physical ailments. This was an amazing experience. I had no special powers or gifts, and here I was learning about an ability, a sense perception that I had always had but had no prior knowledge of. We all have the ability to feel these subtle energies.
It astonishes me that such basic body knowledge isn't being taught in our culture at a very young age. I have high hopes that it soon will be as we are making great strides in this direction. We are relearning this fundamental wisdom, getting in touch with our own energy bodies before they’re out of tune, and there is a wonderful resurgence in energy medicine. At last, an age-old practice is finally getting the use and recognition it deserves in our Western world.
My beloved beast did pass on, but she had no side effects from the chemotherapy medication she took. The bonding time we had together while I gave her Reiki only brought us closer, and this experience opened me up to a world I only wish I had been privy to earlier in life. I am forever grateful! This is the basis for my wanting to educate the public. I want to help others awaken to this wisdom.
Our Energetic Body Defined
Our energy body consists of an auric field, chakras, and a physical body. Our aura is an electromagnetic field that radiates from us and is made up of seven layers. We also have seven main energy vortexes, our chakras. The two are connected to one another, and to our physical bodies. Our physical body is also energy at its core.
In addition to these fields, there are meridian pathways that reside within our aura and within our physical bodies. We are a collective system of energy and pathways, and this energetic system is everchanging and transforming.
Auric Field
Starting closest to the body, these auric layers surround us and move outwards:
1. Etheric Body (Physical)
2. Emotional Body
3. Mental Body
4. Astral Body
5. Etheric Template Body
6. Celestial Body
7. Ketheric/Causal Body
Chakras
The 7 main chakras are spinning energy centers represented by the colors of the rainbow. They are vortexes funneling out from our bodies, located along the spine, in a straight line of energy. Each chakra connects to a specific auric layer. When one of them is out of balance over time, as with our auric layers, illness can be created. All of the chakras correspond with aspects of our being including mental, emotional, physical body parts, and life lessons.
1. Root Chakra
Color – Red
Location – at the base of your spine, at your tailbone
Physical relation – physical body, base of spine, feet, legs, bones,
rectum, large intestine, and immune system
Life aspects – Connected to our sense of stability and security. When balanced, it helps us feel grounded and enables us to endure life’s challenges. Connected to our basic needs: food, water, shelter, and emotional needs. It is also linked to family, and it is our foundation for survival instincts.
2. Sacral Chakra
Color – Orange
Location – in the center of the lower abdomen
Physical relation – womb, genitals, lower vertebrae, pelvis, appendix,
bladder, kidneys, and hips
Life aspects – Responsible for our creativity and manifesting abilities. It is linked to our emotions and how we relate to the emotions of others. This is the center for our sexuality and our desires.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra
Color – Yellow
Location – in the stomach
Physical relation – stomach, abdomen, upper intestines, liver,
gallbladder, spleen, and middle spine
Life aspects – Correlates with our confidence, self-esteem, and feeling in control of our lives. Linked to our motivation, sense of responsibility, freedom, choice, and our identity. This is also an emotional center, where our gut instinct resides, and can help us determine the best choices to make. It is where our truth lies.
4. Heart Chakra
Color – Green
Location – in the center of the chest
Physical relation – heart, circulatory system, lungs, shoulders, arms, ribs,
breasts, and diaphragm
Life aspects – Tied to our ability to love and be compassionate. It is the location for empathy, forgiveness, and inner peace.
5. Throat Chakra
Color – Sky Blue
Location – in the center of the throat
Physical relation – throat, trachea, neck vertebrae, mouth, teeth and
gums, esophagus, hypothalamus, shoulders, arms, and hands
Life aspects – Responsible for our ability to communicate with others, and to speak our truth. It is the center for self-expression.
6. Third Eye Chakra
Color – Midnight Blue-Purple
Location – in the center of the forehead
Physical relation – brain, nervous system, eyes, ears, and nose
Life aspects – Linked to our intuition, our perception, awareness, and spiritual communication.
7. Crown Chakra
Color – Violet
Location – in the center of the crown of the head
Physical relation – muscular system, skeletal system, skin, cerebral
cortex, and central nervous system
Life aspects – Tied to our spirituality: connection to self, others, and the universe. Our life purpose resides here. It is the center for wisdom, enlightenment, and gratitude.
Chakra Assessment
I was taught to evaluate each chakra by using a pendulum. While gently holding a pendulum about 4 inches above each chakra, you can determine the health of that energy center by the direction the pendulum moves. (Open – clockwise, closed – counter-clockwise, partially closed – back and forth, out of balance – elliptical, blocked – no movement. If there is no movement, be sure the pendulum is in the correct place.)
It can be validating to witness the actual vortexes of the chakras. The further the pendulum is pulled away from someone’s body, the larger the circumference the pendulum swings. You do not need special abilities for this to work, it works for everyone.
Our Physical Bodies
When we take a closer look at our physical body, we see that it too is truly energy at its foundation. We are not simply physical, concrete beings. We are, at our core, energy, which can ultimately be transformed and healed.
If we were to take a look at our bodies at a microscopic level, we would see cells. At the heart of our cells, we would find DNA. Within the DNA, we would find atoms. Inside the atoms, there is mostly empty space (more than 99.9%) along with subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, and electrons). These subatomic particles form waves of energy. Simply put, we are vibrations of energy. This visual allows us to alter our perception of our bodies as something seemingly fixed and unyielding, to something that can be altered and restored. (Noonan, 2017).
Energy Medicine
We exist as energy fields at every level. Energy medicine can help heal these fields. It is a gentle approach that clears blockages and balances our energy fields both within and outside of the physical body. Energy healing has the ability to reduce symptoms, slow down the progression of ailments, and help improve quality of life. In addition, there are no adverse side effects with these modalities of healing.
Envision energy blockages as a damned canal with debris that has gathered along the path, blocking the healthy flow of the waterway. Illness is created behind the debris that is blocked from the natural flow. When excess water is released from the damn, the rush of water clears the debris from the canal. Once the path has been cleared, the waterway can then heal what it was blocking. Likewise, when the pathways inside and outside of our bodies are cleared and balanced, our bodies can then work on healing themselves.
With hands-on energy healing modalities, there is an increase in electrical energy sent by the practitioner’s hands. This surge includes a rise in voltage, magnetic energy, and biophoton emissions (the current of light coming from the body). (Price, 2016).
With other forms of energy medicine such as acupuncture, needles are placed in specific places along the body’s meridian pathways influencing the flow of these energetic paths within our bodies. Exercises such as Qigong work to clear and balance the meridians of our external energetic field as well as within our bodies. Below are some of the various modality examples.
Energy Healing Examples
By means of facilitator:
Reiki
Jin Shin Jyutsu
Healing Touch
Pranic Healing
Quantum Touch
Reconnective Healing
By means of facilitator with pressure or needles:
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)/Tapping
Acupuncture
Acupressure
Auricular Acupuncture
Reflexology
By forms of exercise:
Qigong
Tai Chi
Beyond Belief
Rubik has been studying the effects of energy healing on subcultures in the laboratory since the 1970’s. She’s repeatedly seen validating improvements, especially with compromised cells (cells impaired by antibiotics or temperature shocks). (Price, 2016).
Rubik experimented with healers who used hands-on, hands nearby, and distance healing. All of the subcultures that received treatment healed more quickly than those in the control group, which did not receive any treatment.
This information illustrates two important points Rubik explains. The first is that the power of energy healing is outside of our belief system. It is beyond the placebo effect at work. You do not have to believe in energy healing for it to be effective. You simply need to remain open and have the will and intention of being healed for it to be valuable.
Secondly, the improvements with subcultures from energy healing within a laboratory environment indicate that our bodies improve with energy healing at a cellular level in kind. Energy healing benefits us at the very essence of our being.
Full Circle
In a day when alternatives to harmful medications are desperately needed, and chronic illness is running rampant throughout our world, we are getting back to our roots. We are rediscovering our own subtle energies, and the magnificent benefits of energy medicine. I encourage all to give it a try, even for simply maintaining wellbeing, and start getting in touch with your own energetic body. Stay balanced and live well!
References
Alcantra, M. (2017). Chakra Healing: A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Healing Techniques that Balance the Chakras. Althea Press, Berkeley, CA.
Price, P. (Director), McTaggart, L. & Rubik, B. (Performers). (2016). The healing field: Exploring energy & consciousness. [Documentary] Gaia Television.
Schomer, A. & Morrissey, R. (Producers), Noonan, K. (Director), Hamilton, D. (Performer). (2017). Heal. [Documentary] Gaia Television.
In Loving Memory ❤️
~ Khloe Jean ~
2007 - 2017
