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In order to understand human Qigong, you must understand the nature of the Qi in the human body, and how it functions. This includes understanding what kinds of Qi are in the body, what functions they perform, and how they carry out these functions.
In the first three chapters we have offered a general definition of Qi, discussed how human Qi is included in and affected by Heaven Qi and Earth Qi, and shown how Qi relates to other aspects of our bodies, such as spirit and essence. In Part Three of this book we will review how Qi circulates in the human body.
In this chapter we will first focus on the general characteristics of Qi in our bodies. This will provide a foundation to help you understand the rest of the chapter. We will then concentrate on a number of subjects which will lead you to a deeper understanding of human Qi, such as Qi’s Yin and Yang, and the quality of Qi. Once you understand the traditional concept of Qi, we will discuss the modern concept of bioelectromagnetic energy. Following this, we will offer some hypotheses based upon this energy which Western science has recently discovered. Finally, we will discuss the theory of how Qi gates can be opened through Qigong practice.
In this section, we will first discuss the natural characteristics of Qi and the relationship between Qi and the human body. Then we will explain how Qi’s Yin and Yang are defined, and how the quality of Qi is determined.
The Nature of Qi
To understand the nature of Qi, you should first know where Qi originates. Something cannot come from nothing, so Qi (any type of energy) must come from matter, usually through some kind of chemical reaction. Matter is a physical form of energy, and energy is an unlocked potential (or an insubstantial form) of matter. For example, you may burn a piece of wood or gas and obtain Qi in the form of heat and light. Similarly, food and air are taken into your body, and through biochemical reaction are converted into Qi, which is commonly in the form of heat and bioelectromagnetic energy. Whenever you take in more food than your body requires, the unexcreted excess is stored in your body as fat.
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Next you should understand that Qi generally manifests as heat, light, potential energy (e.g., gravity), and/or electromagnetic energy. Strictly speaking, heat (infrared) and light are alternative forms of electromagnetic waves, so, in effect, there are only two types of energy that we deal with in our daily lives — electromagnetic and potential energy. Often light and heat exist at the same time.
Finally, you should recognize that Qi moves from the area of higher potential to the area of lower potential, and this acts to naturally and automatically bring your system into balance.
Qi in the Human Body
Although, according to the general definition, heat is considered a type of human Qi, heat is not the type of Qi which is circulating in your body. Oftentimes you will feel heat when Qi is circulating strongly, but the heat is not the circulating Qi itself. There is another type of Qi which circulates throughout your body to nourish the cells and keep them functioning, and even to repair damage.
Since electricity has become more familiar to people in China over the last fifty years, many Qigong practitioners have come to believe that the Qi which circulates in the body is actually electromagnetic energy. If you run an electric current through a wire, the wire will heat up because of the resistance of the wire. The heat is an effect caused by the current, but it is not the current itself. According to this theory, as Qi circulates through your body, the resistance of your body causes part of the Qi to be converted into heat.
Qigong practitioners believe that the light which is sometimes perceived during meditation is also Qi. Light is a form of electromagnetic energy. Since all types of energy are convertible, heat can generate electromagnetic power and vice versa, and light can also generate heat, and vice versa. Once you have reached the higher levels of meditation, you will sense light in your eyes and mind. At an even higher level, your head will generate a glow like a halo. All of these can be considered transformations that the electric Qi undergoes when your training has reached a higher level.
The Behavior of Human Qi
Chinese doctors and Qigong practitioners have traditionally described the behavior of Qi as being similar to water. This is seen in a number of ways. First, just as water flows from higher areas to lower areas, Qi flows from areas of higher potential to areas of lower potential. In this way, Qi balances itself naturally. Second, if muddy water is left undisturbed, the sand will settle to the bottom, leaving the water above it calm and clear. However, if you stir up the water, the sand will rise up and dirty the water again. This is similar to how, when the mind is steady, the Qi will be calm and clear, but when the mind is scattered, the Qi will be disturbed and excited. Third, the Qi channels which supply Qi to the entire body are usually compared to rivers, and the vessels which store the Qi are compared to reservoirs. Water and Qi should both flow smoothly and continuously. When a river or channel is obstructed, the water/Qi flow will be agitated and uneven. In an obstructed channel, the water/Qi flow will be higher, and may overflow the banks.
Qi’s Yin and Yang
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When it is said that Qi can be either Yin or Yang, it does not mean that there are two different kinds of Qi like male and female, fire and water, or positive and negative charges. Qi is energy, and energy itself does not have Yin and Yang. It is like the energy which is generated from the sparking of negative and positive charges. Charges have the potential of generating energy but are not the energy itself.
When it is said that Qi is Yin or Yang, it means that the Qi is too strong or too weak for a particular circumstance. It is relative and not absolute. Naturally, this implies that the potential which generates the Qi is strong or weak. For example, the Qi from the sun is Yang Qi and Qi from the moon is Yin Qi. This is because the sun’s energy is Yang in comparison to Human Qi, while to moon’s is Yin. In any discussion of energy where people are involved, Human Qi is used as the standard. People are always especially interested in what concerns them directly, so it is natural that we are interested primarily in Human Qi and tend to view all Qi from the perspective of Human Qi. This is not unlike looking at the universe from the perspective of the Earth.
When we look at the Yin and Yang of Qi within and in regard to the human body, however, we must redefine our point of reference. For example, when a person is dead, his residual Human Qi (Gui Qi, or ghost Qi) is weak compared to a living person’s. Therefore, the ghost’s Qi is Yin while the living person’s is Yang. When discussing Qi within the body, in the Lung Channel for example, the reference point is the normal, healthy status of the Qi there. If the Qi is stronger than it is in the normal state, it is Yang, and, naturally, if it is weaker than this, it is Yin. There are twelve parts of the human body that are considered organs in Chinese medicine, six of them are Yin and six are Yang. The Yin organs are the Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Liver, Spleen, and Pericardium, and the Yang organs are Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Stomach, Gall Bladder, Urinary Bladder, and Triple Burner. Generally speaking, the Qi level of the Yin organs is lower than that of the Yang organs. The Yin organs store Original Essence and process the Essence obtained from food and air, while the Yang organs handle the digestion and excretion. We will discuss this subject in more detail in the Part Three of this book.
When the Qi in any of your organs is not in its normal state, you feel uncomfortable. If it is very much off from the normal state, the organ will start to malfunction, and you may become sick. When this happens, the Qi in your entire body will also be affected and you will feel too Yang, perhaps feverish, or too Yin, such as the weakness after diarrhea.
Your body’s Qi level is also affected by natural circumstances such as the weather, climate, and seasonal changes. Therefore, when the body’s Qi level is classified, the reference point is the level which feels most comfortable for those particular circumstances. Naturally, each of us is a little bit different, and what feels best and most natural for one person may be a bit different from what is right for another person. That is why the doctor will usually ask “How do you feel?” It is according to your own standard that you are judged.
Breath is closely related to the state of your Qi, and therefore also considered Yin or Yang. When you exhale you expel air from your Lungs, your mind moves outward, and the Qi around the body expands. In the Chinese martial arts, the exhale is generally used to expand the Qi to energize the muscles during an attack. Therefore, you can see that the exhale is Yang—it is expanding, offensive, and strong. Naturally, based on the same theory, the inhale is considered Yin.
Your breathing is closely related to your emotions. When you lose your temper, your breathing is short and fast, i.e. Yang. When you are sad, your body is more Yin, and you inhale more than you exhale in order to absorb the Qi from the air to balance the body’s Yin to bring the body back into balance. When you are excited and happy, your body is Yang. You exhale longer than you inhale in order to get rid of the excess Yang which is caused by the excitement.
As mentioned before, your mind is also closely related to your Qi. Therefore, when your Qi is Yang, your mind is usually also Yang (excited) and vice versa. In addition, as we discussed in the previous section, the mind can also be classified according to the Qi that generates it. The mind (Yi) that is generated from the calm and peaceful Qi obtained from Original Essence is considered Yin. The mind (Xin) that originates with the food and air Essence is emotional, scattered, and excited, and it is considered Yang. Finally, the Shen, which is related to the Qi, can also be classified as Yang or Yin based on its origin.
Do not confuse Yin Qi and Yang Qi with Fire Qi and Water Qi. When the Yin and Yang of Qi are mentioned, it refers to the level of Qi according to some reference point. However, when Water Qi and Fire Qi are mentioned, it refers to the quality of the Qi. This will be discussed in the next section.
The Quality of Human Qi
Some people think that Qi is of good quality when it is neither too Yin nor too Yang. However, they are wrong. When Qi is neither too Yin nor too Yang, this means that the level of the Qi is right. It is a quantitative statement rather than a qualitative one. The quality of Qi refers to its purity, as well as its contents. This quality depends on where and how the Qi originated. Usually, the quality of the Qi determines how it behaves and how it affects the body’s Yin and Yang when it is circulating in your body.
Within the human body, Qigong practitioners have generally categorized Qi into “Fire Qi” and “Water Qi” to express the qualitative purity of the Qi. The terms “Fire” and “Water” indicate the effects that the Qi has on our body. For example, when Qi that is impure or of poor quality circulates in the human body, it may cause heat in the body and organs, and make the body too Yang. It is therefore called “Fire Qi.” If, however, the Qi is pure, clean, and circulating smoothly, it will enable the body to remain calm, keep the mind clear and steady, and allow the body to function properly. This Qi is called “Water Qi” because it is the Qi which enables the body to remain calm and cool, like water.
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In the thousands of years that Qigong has been studied, practitioners have found that the Qi that comes from “Original Jing” (and is therefore called Original Qi) is “Water Qi.” It is pure and smooth, like sunshine in the winter, like crystal-pure water flowing smoothly in a stream, very comfortable and natural. This Qi makes it possible for the wisdom mind (Yi) to remain calm and grow stronger. When this Qi is circulating in the human body, it is smooth and will keep the physical body functioning in a steady, calm, and Yin state.
Conversely, the Qi which comes from food and air is not of as high a quality as Original Qi. Because the body cannot discriminate between good and bad raw materials, many undesirable ingredients in the food and air are also converted into Qi. The quality of this Qi is dirty, and nonuniform, like water that has been polluted. When this Qi goes to your brain, it can excite your emotions and upset your emotional balance. When this Qi is circulating in your body, the undesirable ingredients can change the body into Yang and cause problems. For example, the Qi which was converted from fat can convert back into fat, and plug up the Qi paths. Plugged up Qi channels can have undesirable effects, such as high blood pressure, which speeds up the degeneration of the internal organs. For this the reason, diet is a part of Qigong practice. Generally speaking, the Qi generated from food which comes from animal sources has more contaminants than the Qi generated from food obtained from plants.
You can see from this discussion that it is very important to distinguish both the level of Qi and its quality. The level of Qi (Yin or Yang) depends on the circumstances, and must have a reference point. The quality of Qi depends upon the Essence from which it comes.
4-2. Qi and Bioelectromagnetic Energy
In ancient China, people had very little knowledge of electricity. They only knew from acupuncture that when a needle was inserted into the acupuncture cavities, some kind of energy other than heat was produced which often caused a shock or a tickling sensation. It was not until the last few decades, when the Chinese people were more acquainted with electromagnetic science, that they began to recognize that this energy circulating in the body, which they called Qi, might be the same thing as what today’s science calls “bioelectricity.”
It is understood now that the human body is constructed of many different electrically conductive materials, and it forms a living electromagnetic field and circuit. Electromagnetic energy is continuously being generated in the human body through the biochemical reaction of food and air, and circulated by the electromotive (or electromagnetic) forces (EMF) generated within the body by, for example, thinking or movement.
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In addition, you are also constantly being affected by external electromagnetic fields such as that of the earth, or the electrical fields generated by clouds. When you practice Chinese medicine or Qigong, you need to be aware of these outside factors and take them into account.
Countless experiments have been conducted in China, Japan, and other countries to study how external magnetic or electrical fields can affect and adjust the body’s Qi field. Many acupuncturists use magnets and electricity in their treatments. They attach a magnet to the skin over a cavity and leave it there for a period of time. The magnetic field gradually affects the Qi circulation in that channel. Alternatively, they insert needles into cavities and then run an electric current through the needle to reach the Qi channels directly. Although many experimenters have claimed a degree of success in their experiments, none has been able to publish any detailed and convincing proof of his results, or give a good explanation of the theory behind his experiment. As with many other attempts to explain the How and Why of acupuncture, conclusive proof is elusive, and many unanswered questions remain. Of course, this theory is quite new, and it will probably take a lot more study and research before it is verified and completely understood. At present, there are many conservative acupuncturists who are skeptical.
To untie this knot, we must look at what modern Western science has discovered about bioelectromagnetic energy. Many bioelectric related reports have been published, and frequently the results are closely related to what is experienced in Chinese Qigong training and medical science. For example, during the electrophysiological research of the 1960’s, several investigators discovered that bones are piezoelectric; that is, when they are stressed, mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy in the form of electric current.1 This might explain one of the practices of Marrow Washing Qigong in which the stress on the bones and muscles is increased in certain ways to increase the Qi circulation (electric circulation).
Dr. Robert O. Becker has done important work in this field. His book The Body Electric reports on much of the research concerning the body’s electric field.2 It is presently believed that food and air are the fuel which generates the electricity in the body through biochemical reaction. This electricity, which is circulated throughout the entire body through electrically conductive tissue, is one of the main energy sources which keep the cells of the physical body alive.
Whenever you have an injury or are sick, your body’s electrical circulation is affected. If this circulation of electricity stops, you die. But bioelectric energy not only maintains life, it is also responsible for repairing physical damage. Many researchers have sought ways of using external electrical or magnetic fields to speed up the body’s recovery from physical injury. Richard Leviton reports that “Researchers at Loma Linda University’s School of Medicine in California have found, following studies in sixteen countries with over 1,000 patients, that low-frequency, low intensity magnetic energy has been successful in treating chronic pain related to tissue ischemia, and also worked in clearing up slow-healing ulcers, and in 90 percent of patients tested, raised blood flow significantly.”4
Mr. Leviton also reports that every cell of the body functions like an electric battery and is able to store electric charges. He reports that: “Other biomagnetic investigators take an even closer look to find out what is happening, right down to the level of the blood, the organs, and the individual cell, which they regard as ‘a small electric battery’.”3 This has convinced me that our entire body is just like a big battery which is assembled from millions of small batteries. All of these batteries together form the human electromagnetic field.
Furthermore, much of the research on the body’s electrical field relates to acupuncture. For example, Dr. Becker reports that the conductivity of the skin is much higher at acupuncture cavities, and that it is now possible to locate them precisely by measuring the skin’s conductivity. Many of these reports prove that the acupuncture which has been done in China for thousands of years is reasonable and scientific.
Some researchers use the theory of the body’s electricity to explain many of the ancient “miracles” which have been attributed to the practice of Qigong. A report by Albert L. Huebner states: “These demonstrations of body electricity in human beings may also offer a new explanation of an ancient healing practice. If weak external fields can produce powerful physiological effects, it may be that fields from human tissues in one person are capable of producing clinical improvements in another. In short, the method of healing known as the laying on of hands could be an especially subtle form of electrical stimulation.”1
Another frequently reported phenomenon is that when a Qigong practitioner has reached a high level of development, a halo would appear behind and/or around his head during meditation. This is commonly seen in paintings of Jesus Christ, the Buddha, and other Oriental gods. Frequently the light is pictured as surrounding the whole body. This phenomenon may again be explained by body electric theory. When a person has cultivated his Qi (electricity) to a high level, the Qi may be led to accumulate in the head. This Qi may then interact with the oxygen molecules in the air, and ionize them, causing them to glow.
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Although the link between the theory of the body electric and the Chinese theory of Qi is becoming more accepted and better proven, there are still many questions still to be answered. For example, how can the mind lead Qi (electricity)? How actually does the mind generate an EMF (electromotive force) to circulate the electricity in the body? How is the human electromagnetic field affected by the multitude of other electric fields which surround us, such as radio and television waves, or the fields generated by household electrical wiring or electrical appliances? How can we readjust our electromagnetic fields and survive in outer space or on other planets where the magnetic field is completely different from earth’s? You can see that the future of Qigong and bioelectric science is a challenging and exciting one. It is about time that we started to use the modern technologies to understand the inner energy world which has been ignored by Western society.
There are a number of questions which have puzzled Qigong practitioners and acupuncturists for many years. If Qi is the same thing as what is now being called bioelectricity, which Western medical science is just discovering, then certain deductions or hypotheses can be made that might offer convincing explanations for many of these puzzles. In this section I will try to link together these aspects of Eastern and Western sciences, based on my understanding. In this section, I would like to raise some questions and draw some hypotheses concerning, for example, how a human body may react to and be influenced by external electromagnetic fields such as that of the Earth. I hope this section will stimulate your thinking and help the more conservative Qigong practitioners to accept this new science and participate in future analysis and discussion.
The Electromagnetic Field in the Human Body
How Is the Human Electromagnetic Field Formed? Since we and all other living things are formed and live in the Earth’s magnetic field, our bodies also have a magnetic field of their own. The magnetic field of our body always corresponds with and is affected by the Earth’s field. Modern science has shown that magnetic fields and electrical fields cannot be separated (Faraday’s Law and Maxwell’s equations), and indeed are aspects of the same force. Where there is one, there is also the other. This type of field is commonly called an electromagnetic field.
Before we discuss how are we affected by the Earth’s magnetic field, you must first understand the difference between four terms that are often confused: 1. The north and south poles of a magnet; 2. The North and the South Magnetic Poles of the Earth; 3. The geographic North and the South Poles of the Earth; and 4. The actual north and south poles of the Earth-magnet.
A piece of bar magnet has two poles, the north and south poles. The lines of force outside of the magnet start from the north pole and end at the south pole while the lines inside the magnet go from the south pole to the north pole (Figure 4-1). This is defined as the north and the south poles of a magnet.
Now let us take a look at the basics of the Earth’s magnetism. If we place a bar magnet in the Earth’s magnetic field, the magnet will align itself with the Earth’s field. The “north” pole of this bar magnet is the ‘north-seeking pole,’ which points toward North of the Earth’s magnetic field, which is called the “North Pole” (Figure 4-2). Naturally, the pole which points to the South is defined as the “south pole.” Therefore, the poles on a magnet are defined according to the directions they point to within the Earth’s magnetic field.
Furthermore, we have defined the pole of the Earth toward which a magnet’s north pole points as the Earth’s “Magnetic North Pole” while the other end is the Earth’s “Magnetic South Pole.” Essentially, this means that, for ease of navigation and through convention, the Earth’s Magnetic North Pole is for all intents and purposes considered to lie in the same direction as the Earth’s Geographic North Pole. In fact, however, the geographic North and the South poles of the Earth do not actually coincide with the magnetic poles.
Figure 4-1. Magnetic field of a magnet
Figure 4-2. The Earth’s magnetic field
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Figure 4-3. Current loop inside Earth
Let us take a closer look. We know that permanent magnets are collections of current loops (Figure 4-3). If the axis of the assumed current loop is more or less along the direction of the Earth’s axis of rotation, the magnetic North Pole will approximately coincide with the geographic North Pole, as it actually does. In fact, the magnetic North Pole is in northern Canada. This means that a compass needle does not point exactly north except at certain places. The difference between geographic north and magnetic north is called magnetic declination. This quantity varies from about 25 degrees East to 20 degrees West for different places in the United States, and also varies slowly from year to year (Figure 4-4).
We also know that the Earth’s magnetic field has started at the geographic South Pole and ended at the geographic North Pole for at least the last million years (although evidence suggests that during the last several million years the magnetic poles of the Earth have reversed several times5 & 6).
In 1570, an English court physician, William Gilbert, constructed a permanent magnet in the form of a large lodestone sphere. He used a small compass needle to survey the magnetic field near the surface of the sphere and discovered that his model successfully represented the main features of the Earth’s magnetic field. In his survey, he discovered that in a point in the Northern Hemisphere, such as in England or the United States, the field is directed downward and to the north. Therefore, we can reasonably assume that a relatively short magnet, several hundred miles long, is buried deep inside the Earth. Since the lines of force are directed downward for an observer in the Northern Hemisphere, we may assume that the “Earth’s magnet” has an S pole on the end which is beneath the north magnetic pole.4 Therefore, what we usually call the Earth’s North Magnetic Pole is actually the south pole of the Earth’s magnetic field. In other words, the actual magnetic poles of the Earth are the reverse of how they are shown on navigation maps (Figure 4-2).
Figure 4-4. Lines of equal magnetic declination
Figure 4-5. Dip needle
Figure 4-6. The Earth’s magnetic field at Washington D.C.
The ordinary compass needle responds only to the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field, since it is pivoted in such a way as to prevent up-and-down motion. If a magnetized needle is mounted so as to be free to swing in a vertical north-south plane, it is free to point in the direction of the field, and in the Northern Hemisphere it will assume a position in which it points downward and to the north. Such an instrument is called a dip needle (Figure 4-5). The angle of dip is measured from the horizontal. For example, values of the horizontal and vertical components of B for the Earth’s field at Washington, D.C., have shown that the vertical component is about three times the horizontal component at this location (Figure 4-6).
Figure 4-7. A piece of steel becomes a magnet when placed in a magnetic field
Once you have assimilated the above concepts, let us now analyze our body’s magnetic field. We know that when a piece of steel is placed inside a magnetic field, it becomes a magnet (Figure 4-7). Since our bodies are made up of conductive material, and we are in the magnetic field of the Earth, it is reasonable to assume that our bodies are like magnets. Since a magnet has two poles that must be located on the centerline of the magnet, we can easily guess that the poles of our bodies must be somewhere on the head and the bottom of the abdomen if we stand in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere (Note: the Earth’s magnetic field passes through our bodies horizontally if we stand on the equator). The reason for this assumption is that the spinal cord is made of highly electric conductive fibers that connect the head to the sacrum. Thus, our task is to locate the poles of the human magnet.
Figure 4-8. Human magnets in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere
Since your body’s magnetic field is formed under the influence of the Earth’s magnetic field, the north and south poles of your body will be determined by whether you are in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. For example, if you are standing near the North Pole, then the lines of force of the Earth’s magnetic field will enter your body through your head and emerge from the bottom of your body. Naturally, if you are near the South Pole, then the lines of force of the Earth’s magnetic field will enter the bottom of your body and exit from your head (Figure 4-8). This means that if you are at the Earth’s North Pole your head will be a south pole while your abdomen will be a north pole. Naturally, the situation will be reversed if you are at the Earth’s South Pole.
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Figure 4-9. A human magnet in the Northern Hemisphere
I believe this means that if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, your brain (i.e., Upper Dan Tian) is constantly being nourished and stimulated by the energy from the Lower Dan Tian. However, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, your Lower Dan Tian Qi will be stronger, and naturally the sexual energy will also be strong. This may be a possible explanation for why more human technology was developed in the Northern Hemisphere.
When you are lying down or on the equator, the poles are on the sides of your body, and they change every time you move. This probably means that under these circumstances the Earth’s magnetic field only has a minimal effect on your body.
Now let us discuss how this is related to Qigong. Assuming that you are in the Northern Hemisphere, your head should be a south pole while your abdomen is a north pole (Figure 4-9). Excluding all other factors such as location, weather, etc., the strength of your magnetic field depends on the natural qualities of your body. This may be what the Chinese mean by “Original Essence.” It is analogous to the fact that when you place high-quality, refined steel in a magnetic field, the magnet formed will have a stronger magnetic field than if you had used poorly refined steel. Since this magnet is stronger, the magnetic energy will last longer. Similarly, if you received high quality Original Essence from your parents, your body’s magnetic field will be strong, and the Qi or electrical energy circulating in your body will be strong and smooth. This means that your vitality will be great, and you will probably have a long and healthy life.
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If this line of reasoning is valid, then we are able to explain something that has been confusing Qigong meditators. According to past experience (mostly from meditators in the Northern Hemisphere), when a person meditates facing south he is able to obtain a stronger Qi flow and is able to balance his Qi more quickly than if he were facing another direction. Facing south lines up the incoming energy with the “Small Circulation” of energy down the center of the front of the body and up the spine. Since the front of the body is Yin, it absorbs energy more easily than the back or sides. Another possible explanation is related to the fact that we tend to turn and look at people who are talking to us as if this let us hear them better. Since your mind has a considerable influence on your body’s energy, facing into the incoming energy may also help you to absorb and “digest” it. We can also explain why many Qigong practitioners claim that if they sleep with their head pointing north they sleep better, and feel more rested and balanced the next morning. (However, if you sleep sitting up, you should again face south.) These two claims become reasonable and understandable if we accept the concept of a bipolar human magnetic field.
It is clear that the energy patterns in the human body are affected by natural forces. It is also clear that the energy from the sun has a more significant affect than the energy from the earth. This leads me to believe that when you are meditating during the day you should face the east simply because the influence of the sun’s energy is more significant than that of the Earth’s magnetic field. During the night, when the influence of the sun has waned, it is probably best to face south if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.
Within the human magnet, we may again assume that there are millions of smaller magnets that correspond to the cells (Figure 4-10). Just as every cell has its own minute electrical field, so too does each cell have its own magnetic field. Indeed, the two are merely different aspects of the same force. When all of these small magnetic fields are combined together, they form a complete human magnetic field. All of these magnetic fields remain steady as long as there is no other energy source to disturb them. However, whenever any extra energy is generated either inside or outside of this field, the field will no longer be steady, and an electrical current will be generated. Each time this happens, the body’s field must rebalance itself, and a new pattern of energy must be formed.
This means that if there is no energy source for the human magnet, the magnetic field will not be disturbed and naturally there will be no energy circulating in this field. In this case the body is dead. However, when you are alive, food and air Essence generates energy inside your magnetic field through biochemical reaction. This energy builds up in your solar plexus, and then circulates throughout your body by way of the Qi channels, which are highly conductive paths through the fascial tissue. As the energy circulates in your body, it is important that every part, especially the organs, receives the right amount in order to function properly.
Figure 4-10. Human magnets in the Northern Hemisphere
Let us take an even closer look. According to Chinese medical science, the electricity (Qi) circulates throughout your body from one channel to the next in a specific order. One end of each channel is therefore positive, and the other end negative. If an acupuncturist wishes to use a magnet to correct the Qi level of a channel, he must know how the magnetic field will influence the internal Qi circulation. He must know how Qi circulates and in what direction it circulates. He must also know how to orient the poles of the magnet. Wrong orientation will only worsen the situation. According to reports I have read about the use of magnets in acupuncture, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Possibly the failures are due to the acupuncturist’s not taking the orientation of the magnets into account.
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Time and the Human Electromagnetic Field. Since we are part of the Earth’s electromagnetic field, our own fields are affected by variations in the Earth’s energy field. These variations can be caused by such sources as the moon, the sun, or even the stars. The most obvious cycle that we are exposed to is that of the day. Every twenty-four hours our bodies should go through a cycle as the Earth rotates once and goes through a cycle of light and day. The rotation of the Earth is in turn affected by the sun’s energy. It has been proposed that there is another cycle generated by the moon’s influence on the Earth’s energy pattern which repeats every twenty-eight days. Since the sun moves higher and lower above the southern horizon throughout the year, our bodies also go through a yearly cycle as well. The Chinese believe that the Earth and human beings go through other cycles every twelve and sixty years because of the influence of the stars. If you wish to study the human electromagnetic field, you must also take all of these cycles into your consideration.
Human Magnetic Model. Based on the above information, I would like to offer a magnetic model for a human being in the Northern Hemisphere on Earth. In Qigong society it is common knowledge that there are three energy storage areas from which energy can be taken and used without limit. These three places are called Dan Tian, or the Fields of Elixir. The Lower Dan Tian is thought of as the furnace of Original Qi. Let us consider it the north pole of the human magnetic field since the energy originates there. Let us consider the Upper Dan Tian (the third eye) to be the south pole because it receives energy (Figure 4-10). Science tells us that the lines of force in a magnetic field start from the north pole and end up at the south pole. In Qigong practice, the Qi originates at the Lower Dan Tian and ends up at the Upper Dan Tian to nourish the brain. The north pole is higher in energy and is in a relatively excited state while the south pole is lower in energy and is in a calm and steady state.
In his report on biomagnetics, Richard Leviton states: “One magnet practitioner, both a physician and a researcher, is Dr. Richard Broeringmeyer, a chiropractor, nutritionist, and publisher of the Bio-Energy Health Newsletter in Murray, Kentucky. ‘Life is not possible without electromagnetic fields,’ he said, ‘and optimum health is not possible if the electromagnetic fields are out of balance for long periods of time. Magnetic energy is nature’s energy in perfect balance.’ Each of a magnet’s two poles has a different energy and influence, says Broeringmeyer. The bipolar function is near the heart of biomagnetism.”3
In regard to the two poles, I believe that it is the magnetic north pole at the Lower Dan Tian which offers energy or Qi. It is able to increase the overall vital life force, strength, and development of a living system. In contrast, the south pole or the Upper Dan Tian accepts energy or Qi. It acts to slow down, to calm, and to control the development of a living system.
You may understand now why I have located the poles of our magnetic field on either side of the Middle Dan Tian (solar plexus). The Middle Dan Tian can be considered the furnace where the Essences of food and air are converted into electricity and generate an EMF for circulation.
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The above assumptions are based on Chinese Qigong systems that were developed in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth over the last several thousand years. I do not know if this theory is accurate, or how the poles affect living things in the Southern Hemisphere. The implication, however, is that people in the Southern Hemisphere have their magnetic poles reversed from how they are in the Northern Hemisphere. In other words, their Upper Dan Tian will offer energy while the Lower Dan Tian will receive it. Can this mean that, while the brains of people in the Northern Hemisphere are constantly being nourished, the brains of people in the Southern Hemisphere are being depleted? Does this explain why most technology was developed in the Northern Hemisphere? Do people in the Southern Hemisphere live longer because their Lower Dan Tian is their south pole and it absorbs and retains Qi better than the Dan Tian of a person in the Northern Hemisphere? I have heard of several doctors who recommend that patients who have lost their energy balance spend time on the equator, where the Earth’s magnetic field has a minimal affect, and their bodies will be able to rebalance themselves. These are exciting and challenging ideas. It is time for a wide-scale study of human energy or Qigong in every corner of this world.
Channels
If Qi channels are areas where the electrical conductivity of the body tissue is higher than elsewhere, then we have answered one of the great questions of Qigong. In addition to explaining how Qi circulates, this can also enable us to learn what the ancients were never able to discover: the shape of the channels, and their exact location. In the past we have only been able to do Qi research on living people, but now we should be able to use cadavers and measure electrical conductivity throughout the body, and thereby determine the precise location and shape of the channels.
Vessels
We may assume that what are called the Qi vessels are tissues that can store electrical charges like a capacitor. The body has eight of these capacitors (called the eight extraordinary vessels) that are responsible for regulating the current circulating in the twelve channels. If this assumption is true, we should be able to determine the exact location and characteristics of these vessels with today’s technology.
Cavities
Acupuncture cavities are small spots on the body where the electrical conductivity is higher than the surrounding areas.2 Electricity is conducted between the main electrical channels (Qi channels) and the surface of the skin more easily at these locations than elsewhere. These cavities are the gates where needles, magnets, electricity, and other means such as lasers can be used to affect the flow of electricity in the Qi channels. The “Five Centers” or “Five Gates” (the Laogong cavity at the center of each palm, the Yongquan cavity on the bottom of each foot, and the Baihui cavity on the crown of the head) are probably larger openings where either the electric conductivity is higher or the conductive channels are larger.
Electromotive Force (or Electromagnetic Force)(EMF)
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