It is not quite real, being part of the dream or illusion of the physical plane, but real enough in our experience to feel it and work with it. Therefore it is a bridge concept, a bridge that leads us to the reality of Spirit behind and within everything. These bridges are powerfully important, as shamanic ways to cross from the world of illusion to the reality of Spirit and therefore it is important to understand their properties. Here we will discuss seven properties of this force regardless of what it is called so that you can begin to recognize its presence within and all around you.


1. Circulation

The first thing to understand is that Chi likes to flow like a liquid and even when stored it has a tendency to circulate. For example one may store Chi in the solar plexus area yet it still circulates in a circular fashion even in that confined space. Chi flows in the natural environment from tree roots to branches and back, from mountain peaks down into valleys, from sun toward Earth and back, from clouds to land and from land to clouds, from plants to humans and so on. If you understand the tendency of Chi to flow then you can more easily identify places of maximum flow and gather Chi there more readily, for example at the base of a waterfall where Chi is building up and flowing outward dynamically. In fact in the human body where chi becomes walled off or dammed up due to an obstacle, this is a location where there can be pain, and dysfunction. So in keeping with the natural tendency for Chi to flow, it is best to remove all dams, obstacles, or restrictions to its flow within the body in order to lighten it up and make it less dense. Similarly according the practice of Feng Shui, the flow of Chi can be released, altered, and stimulated by introducing or removing various objects in its way in the environment and thus make it more conducive to perceiving and experiencing Spirit.

2. Assimilation

The second property of Chi is its tendency to form balls large and small. When very large amounts of Chi gathers together it forms planets, suns, moons, galaxies, and ball like forms.  In smaller forms it creates whorls like pine cones, shells, flower buds, skulls, glands, hearts, eyeballs, gonads, whirlwinds and the like. Thus gathering more Chi is best done in a circular fashion. Many of the movements in chi gong are rotational, a kind of circular motion that gathers chi into balls large and small that are then sent into the body reservoirs for holding Chi, in the Tan Tien, in the heart (another ball like structure) and in the brow or third eye, also round. Of course the Chi in these reservoirs likes to circulate around the body, typically from the perineum up the spine to the top of the head and then down the front of the body passing through all the Chi reservoirs so that they are linked by the oval or ball like flow. On a larger scale this whirling pattern of Chi creates hurricanes, tornados, waterspouts, and even black holes. There is a movement both inward and outward in these patterns, both pulling and absorbing toward the center and pushing outward in a kind of growth pattern.

3. Concentration

The third property of Chi is its tendency to concentrate and the more it concentrates the more it tends to manifest into something physical like those things we already mentioned, planets, suns, bodies and so on. If you look in nature you will find places where energy or Chi has concentrated and these are known to shamans as good places to collect more Chi or Life Force. Shamans know these places as power spots and seek them out as places of pilgrimage, locations to practice shamanic techniques, meditate, concentrate, pray, and seek visions. They are often associated with mountain tops, springs, ponds, rock formations, caves, river convergences, bends in rivers, precipitous drops, shorelines and edges of all types. Some of these places have become world famous healing and mediation sites such as Lourdes, Machu Pichu, the great pyramids, Glastonbury, Lake Titicaca, and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Certainly without the concentration of Chi in the sun, the planet could not sustain life forms. According to mystics and psychics, wherever Chi concentrates, there manifests greater light for awakening and awareness and Spirit becomes ever more apparent.

One of the fundamental purposes of the ancient practice of Chi Gong is to concentrate Chi in the body to the point where great power becomes available for healing or supernatural abilities. The more one concentrates the Chi into the bone marrow and power reservoirs of the body, the greater the state of health and strength available. This is even alluded to in the bible, which states, “The body shall be filled with Light.”

4. Undulation

The fourth property of Chi is its tendency to follow a serpentine path on its way to its destination. Chi undulates and weaves back and forth and this is why most plants exhibit this serpentine quality in branches, blossoms, and vine-like structures. Other natural forms such as rivers and jet streams follow similar methods of moving snake-like as do dolphins, fish, birds, reptiles, insects and most mammals who all have a tendency to weave back and forth as they travel, seldom following a straight line for any distance except perhaps to capture prey when speed and a direct line is essential. Even the planets undulate and wobble in their rotational trajectories, as do whole solar systems on their way around the galaxy. The Earth itself wobbles contributing to the seasonal changes and precession of the equinoxes responsible for vast historical cycles. Certainly there are few straight lines in the body including the weaving of the vascular system that is more like the river system of the Amazon. Thus in the Chi Gong practice of collecting Chi the arms undulate up and down, from side to side, and forward and back.


5. Pulsation

The fifth property of Chi is its tendency to pulse and surge during its circulation patterns. The heart pulses, the mating movements pulse and surge, as do so many movements in nature from storm cells, to wind patterns, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Thought patterns pulse and surge as creativity finds its way from conception to manifestation as do emotions like grief and laughter that pulse and surge as they find expression and release. Sleep pulses and surges in movements between deep sleep and REM sleep patterns, breathing pulses and surges, expands and contracts, absorbs and releases, creates and destroys in this classic pattern. Again in the practice of Chi Gong and martial arts, the patterns of breathing are integral to the collecting, storing, and effective use of Chi.

6. Radiation

The sixth property of Chi is its tendency to radiate outward in all directions such as the sun’s heat, radiation, and light toward all the planets. This property seems to contradict the tendency to move in circular ways but it is really more like a complementary movement that only appears to form a different pattern. Some examples of this apparent tendency of chi to move in straight lines would include ley lines, sun rays, ocean waves, a bull attacking, hail and rain falling, and so on. However any of these movements when taken to a larger context become circular again. Ocean waves and ley lines appear to move in a straight line but when one takes into consideration the roundness of the earth they are actually moving circularly over great distances. If the pond were big enough the ripple moving out in all directions from a rock thrown in, would become circular. Nevertheless knowing that Chi can and does radiate can become important when you choose to bask in the radiation of the sun or when you choose to become radiant yourself while teaching, healing or entertaining.

7. Attraction

The seventh property of Chi is its tendency to naturally seek higher frequencies. As Chi concentrates and flows freely it raises its vibration so that it travels through dimensions or other worlds so to speak. Let us take for example a human being who concentrates Chi in themselves and in so doing achieves higher states of consciousness. In places of high Chi concentrations people tend to report seeing more visions, having more heart opening experiences, having major insights and breakthroughs in understanding themselves and the nature of the cosmos. When eating certain plants foods with exceptionally high concentrations of Chi people report out of body experiences, enormous vitality, higher centered experiences and the like.

Following the basic tendency for like to attract like, Chi attracts more of itself to itself. Thus the person filled with Chi attracts high-level friends and colleagues, beautiful environments, and conflict free experiences. Places of high Chi concentration often attract hordes of people, as do Egypt, Peru, England, and parts of North America such as Yellowstone and Yosemite to name just a few.

Since each human being is a vehicle for Life Force, every one of these seven Life Force properties are true of each human being in a variety of ways. A healthy human being has good circulation as well as is able to circulate ideas and communication socially. All humans assimilate knowledge, food, light, and all that is needed for survival. Human beings have the ability to concentrate their attention to accomplish tasks and concentrate thoughts to solve problems. Humans move about like ants, undulating, dancing, and circulating around their environments, their thoughts moving from various points of view to come to conclusions and beliefs. A healthy human’s bloodstream pulses with every heartbeat and their sexuality pulses with the rhythms of procreation and life. A person’s ideas and creativity radiate outward as do their warmth and love. All humans attract to themselves their lessons, their agreements, their karma, and the totality of what they experience. By knowing these seven movements of Life Force you are in a better position to allow them their freedom without suppression or restriction, to build them for greater power, to explore them for greater understanding of the grandest and greatest of all adventures, life.

Originally posted on 09/02/2007