Chi, Prana, and the Ether Element

Earth Energies By Karen Crowley-Susani (Oct, 2018)

Life force is the mysterious essence that permeates all of life. There are many names for it, such as chi, qi, ki, prana, and even the element ether can be thought of as facets of the same force. They each have slightly different qualities but are all part of the same vital energy. This wonderful healing life force energy essence is everywhere and is always available but if you want to use effectively, you need the key, which is intention.

To begin with, chi, also called ki or qi, is the whole vital force or life force that is within every living structure. Prana is very similar and is also considered as an essential life force. There is the prana contained in our body structure, in the atmosphere, and in the air we breathe. Finally, there is the element of ether, which Francois Rabelais, a French philosopher of the 15th century, described as the “substantifique moelle” or the marrow that sustains us, the vital force.

The Western World is not as familiar with the ideas of these different vital life forces as the Eastern World and can be harsh in its criticism of it. For example, Orgone energy, discovered by Austrian Psychoanalyst, Wilhelm Reich, in the 1930’s, is also a type of chi. Reich went on to build orgone accumulators, devices in which patients sat inside to harness the reputed health benefits of more life force. The device was able to help cure cancer. He died serving a 2-year sentence for “fraud of the first magnitude” and many of his publications were burned by order of the court.

In the Eastern world, the Hindus and the Chinese both developed many different ways of working with chi and prana. For example, Taoism is a Chinese religious or philosophical tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the “Tao” or the “Way.” The Taoists developed many ways to work with chi such as Chi Gong and Tai Chi. Both are martial arts that help you restore your energy or “chi.” There are also meditation techniques employed by the Taoists to increase chi. One example is called the Microcosmic Orbit. This meditation technique works directly with the chi of the body and helps with harmonizing, healing, and improving the flow of life force in the body.

Another example of utilizing chi can be found in the Buddhist tradition. Very accomplished monks have the ability to accumulate a unique substance in their bodies that ordinary people do not. It is called sarira and looks little pearls or beads. These individual pearls are fabricated and accumulated during a lifetime of meditation. Sarira was used as a booster for their energetic bodies to reach higher spiritual levels and it is found in their ashes after cremation.

In India, there are many stories of yogis meditating for years in the same place and position without any food or liquid. At the Fire Element Temple, in Thiruvanamalai, India, we were told about one such yogi who meditated in the same place for 3 years. These yogis gather the prana in the air and nourish themselves with it. Another example is the holy man and Breatharian, Prahlad Jani, who didn’t eat or drink for 70 years. The medical experts have tried to understand how he did it during several medical observations.

In recent years it has become more popular for people from around the world to learn how to become Breatharians and to live off the vital life force of prana. One example is a couple named Akahi Ricardo and Camila Castillo. They have been Breatharians for over 9 years. Camila even went through the entirely normal and healthy pregnancy and the birth of her son with no food or liquids. Another example is Jasmuheen, who is a proponent of “pranic nourishment” and is considered the western grandmother of the Breatharians. Henri Monfort, a French man, is another famous example of a practicing Breatharian for over 40 years.

As you can see, people throughout time have used the life force that surrounds us. There are monks and holy men who spend their lives cultivating their abilities to use it and there are ordinary people who learn to use prana in their daily lives. These people have accomplished this because they were able to clean their bodies and raise their vibration enough to sustain themselves through the life force available to us all in the form of chi or prana. They also demonstrate that prana and chi are real and a life force that can be utilized through intention.

Now, I’d like to take a look at the third life force energy, which is the element of ether. The Indians call this 5th element, Space. The ancient Indians even built a temple dedicated to this essential element, called Chidambaram Nataraja. This Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu was built in the 5th century and is an energetic masterpiece showcasing the ancient Vastu Shastra builder’s abilities to include all the aspects of the element of ether in their structure. In this rare building, one can feel all the aspects of ether in the body. It is a joy to visit. The space or ether element can be experienced in the spaces of the body that relate to ether, beginning in the heart chakra, rising to the throat, the ears, the 3rd eye, and ends in the crown chakra.

This life force was also found by the Master Builders of Europe as the length of a vibration connected to the rhythm of the sun. In the solar mandala, there are five elements, earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

Ether is special; it is the fifth one and consists of the sum of the first four. Think of it like making a cake. You have four separate ingredients, flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. They are mixed together and baked, and something new is created out of the four. Ether is like this, and therefore is unique.

In energetical geometry connected to the mandala of the sun, you can make a double square using the ether measurement. Its diagonal is related to the Golden Mean by the square root of 5. This rectangle is a very healing structure, full of life force energy.

But to access this healing, you need to be like the Buddhist monks or Taoists in their meditations and use intention. Even though this vital life force is always available, it must be directed. Healing with chi, prana and the element of ether is not a passive activity. It needs the intention that comes from meditation.

Chi, prana and the element ether are all wondrous in their abilities to increase life force and to heal and sustain us. As we have seen, there are many ancient ways to work with this life force as well as modern ways to interact with this vital energy. One thing is for sure, intention is the most crucial parameter in working with this mysterious essence that permeates life on Earth. ✦