Essay:Energy Play

Energy is explained by western science as "the ability to perform work over time", and at first read, the definition would seem to be pretty limited as to application. Looking deeper, however reveals that all matter consists of energy. time and space in colusion create the potential for action, which is interpreted as energy. This means that in its most fundamental form, all action is a magical process, for all action relies on a form of energy which can be measured, but not defined.

Everywhere that anything exists, there is energy. all things are made of energy and rely on energy to continue existing, then return to energy when they run out of energy. The manner in which things interact, from an energetic perspective has much to do with resonance (pluck a string on a harp and all the strings that are tuned to the same frequency will vibrate. this is resonance). Resonance is the ability of one form of energy to influence the state of another form of energy. It is through resonance that many acts of will are exacted. Miyamoto Musashi (japan's famous sword saint and author of the Book of Five Rings) wrote about the effects of contagion of mood; a technique by which a mood of loss can be assumed deliberately, in order to create (via resonance) a similar mood in your opponent. once the mood has been passed, you can then affect the mood a the victor and crush your opponent. it is the belief in Chinese medicine, that the organs within a system all create resonances with each other to make a "pattern" the reading of which gives an acupuncturist the ability to bring an organism into energetic balance. of course, the martial artist can also use the same information to find the weak spot in their opponent. The occult martial arts rely on the concept of energy play for much of their philosophy. "Chi" (ki, prana, etc.) can be built up over time giving the practitioner great powers, and protecting the body from harm. many practitioners of chi kung (the way of energy) have become quite famous in the orient for their acts of prowess. some have been run over by heavy trucks without harm. others have been known to light fires with the power of their chi. There are two main forms of chi. Yin and Yang. The Yang chi is hot, active energy which leads to excitement, activity, fire, movement. The Yin chi is more lubricative and nourishing. Most forms of chi kung rely chiefly on yang chi (due perhaps to a cultural suppression of the female), but when both are developed simultaneously, one can reach much higher, without burning up (many practitioners of yang chi kung complain of the constant smell of burning pork as their flesh is cooked by their own vitality. yin chi cools and grounds, but also leads to the experience of the strange and phantasmogoric. balance is the key). It is also believed that chi can be transmitted over distances, and many chi kung experts have participated in studies which have shown some amazing results. As all forms of information are essentially made of energy, thoughts, wishes and dreams can be sent to others in the form of a ball of chi. energy creates change. Any process to which chi is applied will undergo an increase in activity. change will occur in the area it is most likely to happen. Adding energy to a process does not ensure that it will effect the desired results, only that it will create change. For this reason, it is important to be clear about one's direction when working with chi (for example: many practitioners of medical chi kung experience great difficulty in producing positive change when working on people they hate). intention is the key to working with energy.

The Aura is a much toted concept used to explain the field of energy surrounding a person, object, place or animal. The human aura is believed to consist of many layers of energy, arranged onion-like around a person. As there is little congruency between expert sources, it is likely that much that is "seen" by these experts is created through the process of projection. This does not mean that they are necessarily based on falsity, but just that the individual mind dictates what one will see when examining another person energetically. It is always good for this reason to take your own notes when exploring auras.

Energy play is also a very fun way to explore the "reproductive" acts. sexual energy (jing) is denser than chi, and tends to be more powerful, but can be used in much the same way that chi can. It can be drawn from the generative organs up the spine to produce some tasty states of extacy, or channelled into a sigil to give it direction. One of the most rewarding uses of jing is to build up a charge over a period of time (try for 30 days) with a loving partner (or so). All parties bring themselves to the point of orgasm repeatedly without crossing the line, thus supercharging themselves with jing. The jing is then cycled through the spinal orbits (up the back, down the front) until escape velocity is achieved. this tends to result in experiences of profound connection to each other/all life coupled with incredible exstasy.

Diseases of all types (from the common cold to the cramp in your but from sitting on the chair reading this) are considered to be distortions in the flow of energy through the body's channels (or maridians). An acupuncturist, shiatsu therapist, or practitioner of medical chi kung detects these distortions and uses their skill to correct the flow, in much the same manner as one would clean the dams out of a river to get rid of its stagnating pools.

All forms of magick rely on energy work. a servitor is created by emitting a quantity of energy, giving it a form, name and purpose, then setting it on its way. Evoked beings require the energy of the magus to give them form/sustenance. Invokation occurs along the same lines as mudras (hand, body, or mental postures designed to channel one's enegy in a specific way in order to bring about a change in perception/behaviour). All ideas can also be seen as a form of energy. In fact, in many schools of occult martial arts, the spirit of the lineage is passed directly as an energetic blast from master to student. The very language we use to communicate daily events to our roomates is a form of energy designed to evoke an image of an event or idea in the listener. It is a magical process.

Training the breath is key to energy play.