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At the Pinnacle of Power is Surrender

In Taoist cosmology, the entire phenomenal world evolves from the interplay of the forces of yin and yang. In both an enlightened society and a healthy individual, these forces are co-equal and in a dynamic state of

Waves of Yin & Yang

balance. Just as a mountain needs the valley, and soft receives hard, impetus needs receptivity to fully empower and balance it. You can’t surf on crests alone, you need a trough to create the wave.

So it is with people. You can’t control your entire life and all of the world. The universe isn’t designed on Yang alone. And it is not wise to turn your power against yourself through resistance. This is an unhealthy effort to suppress, to freeze the flow of yin and yang. In this state you can neither will change nor surrender to it, and it takes the majority of your available energy to engage in this struggle. Attempting to use this stratagem, we eventually become like a pot ready to boil. If we do not remedy this, we are apt to harm ourselves or others through outwardly directed violence, or inwardly directed dis-ease.

“…ultimate freedom is surrender.”
–Vajrama

Many times you have heard that people can’t change. This, of course, is not true. Though it may be statistically unlikely that a person will alter their core programming, people can change. We can evolve. We just don’t want to. More precisely, we are afraid to change our defenses, our ego structure, our perception that it is our resistance that has allowed us to survive. Many of us choose the illusion of safety by erecting a fortress around our most tender parts, denying all access. The promise of joy, freedom, and fulfillment that we have yet to consistently experience is insufficient motivation to let go of the suffering, anxiety, frustration, and defensive / aggressive temperaments that make us feel so safe. Safe because we know these dysfunctions so well. They seem to have allowed us to survive, and we’ll be damned if we let them go. Better to forgo freedom and joy for a hunkered down safety. Look around you, is it not so?

We stop ourselves from surrendering to our spiritual yearning with fear and an unconscious stubbornness. Stubbornness born of our anxiety and belief that we cannot safely Be another way. So we acquiesce to both the protection and prison of our ego and habits. We allow ourselves to remain stuck between resistance and letting go, will and surrender. Between our animal history and our evolutionary future. We enlist our power in resistance, in being scared and stubborn. And a little lazy.

“At the end of our wanderings there is only the soul’s yearning to return to God.”
–Ram Dass

Throughout our lives we have been taught to use our power, our life force, to pursue the material world. We have lusted after romantic love, and for pleasures both gross and refined. At some point, it would behoove ourselves to invest similar vigor in turning our yearning to the care and nurturing of our soul. It takes all our will to journey to the threshold of self-realization. Yet we cannot enter by will alone. We have to surrender.

The mating of spiritual willpower with yearning gives birth to this Divine surrender, this yielding to the Higher Self. True emotional and spiritual freedom is really the purpose of spiritual power and its mate, surrender. Yang begets Yin and, whether directed inward for self-liberation or outward in service to others, power manifests its highest expression in surrender.

Trust. Relax. Let go. Allow yourself to fall into the waiting arms of the Divine © 2008 Keith E. Hall. all rights reserved.

The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Another article on the 3rd Chakra:  Sea of Chi

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Chakra Balancing

The Power, The Key, The Gate
The sense of yearning is a coded message that the soul is sending to our ego. Yearning takes on different characteristics depending on one’s state of evolution, one’s level of consciousness. To the individual awakening to higher consciousness, first the physical necessities must be met. Then desire drives us until the social / emotional domain is filled. Yet a yearning remains. It cannot be satiated by any quantity of money or sex, romance or power. We desire to attain these things, yet when we do we eventually remain unsatisfied. This is like a dirty little secret that we can tell no one.

No matter how great our material achievements are, how sexy our trophy spouse is, how much status and power, there always comes a time when we become aware of a gnawing sense that we are not fulfilled. Why are the wealthy so propelled to accrue more than they could use in a hundred lifetimes, whatever the karmic cost? Why are the socially well heeled secretly so miserable and judgmental, and control freaks so driven to manipulate others? Libertines can exhaust themselves in the pursuit of pleasures that are never enough, and career workaholics are forced by the stress of chasing their own misplaced ambitions and aspirations to dig their own graves. And why do the majority of people who marry their soulmates end up having extramarital affairs? What can be missing?

“The grief you cry out from
draws you toward union.
Your pure sadness
that wants help
is the secret cup.
Listen to the moan of a dog for its master.
That whining is the connection.
There are love-dogs
no one knows the names of.
Give your life
to be one of them.”
– Rumi, “Love Dogs”

Sometimes alone in the wilderness, or sleepless in the wee hours of the morning, with external distractions absent, we can feel a longing for something. A vague feeling that we require something or some state of being that we know not. A longing for something that our basic drives cannot assuage. It might appear as a quiet desperation, or perhaps a personal crisis. For some it can be discerned as a yearning of the spirit so deep, so profound, that it moves one to tears.

In spite of the smiley face we put on for others, we secretly know we are not fulfilled. We suspect there is more to life than this, and we often cannot understand what we are yearning for. Our intellect and the desires of the lower chakras are no help in traversing this pit. Like Eliot’s “hollow men”, we are unable to communicate or express what might fill the secret abyss in our gut and heart. We have tried everything the material and social world has to offer; yet the chasm remains. Exhausting ourselves with work, duty, and diversion, we seek an unknown opiate to dull our aching spirit. Alone in this most secret of times, we long for a caress of compassion from One who understands, for we do not. Are we not like dogs, chained and moaning for Love in the dark night, hoping to be invited to our Master’s bed?

“Resistance is futile.”
–The Borg

Desire cannot be safely suppressed. Resisted and turned inward, those energies can only become twisted and concentrated, becoming dangerous to oneself and others. One Tantric approach to desire is to fill any edacity you have, to appease that domain of your consciousness with whatever it desires, within reason. This is not to be done reflexively, but as a meditation, with full attention on what you are doing, while taking responsibility for both your desire and your actions in filling it. This is a middle path, neither denying what the mind, body, and emotions lust for, nor chasing your desire unconsciously until exhausted.

Over time, one begins to notice that less is more. Being fully attentive and karmically responsible elevates your consciousness. You require less to satiate the hunger of the lower chakras, and the processes of attentiveness and self-responsibility become satisfying to some degree, in and of themselves. This is one of many Tantric techniques for Transmutation, the letting go of old programs, and the recycling of life force trapped in those habits. Tethered less to lower agendas, consciousness begins to yearn for more experience of its higher aspects, to agendas of the heart and soul.

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“Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.”
– Eugene Ionesco

Will and power both help us meet the needs of the lower chakras, and empower us to maintain a spiritual practice. Ten to twenty minutes of practice each day is enough to make progress, if the technique is sufficiently efficacious. When the yearning for evolution, for a relationship with the Divine becomes great enough, and joins with authentic, powerful technique and pure intention, the gateway is revealed.

The Gate of Yearning can physically be felt at the solar plexus, and this is the key. Turn that key with purity of intention and high Taoist Tantric methodology, and admittance to the next evolutionary level is attained. The intellect, with its concepts, ideologies, and philosophies cannot by itself find the Way. Our dreams of unconditional love, of living in gratitude and compassion, of being fulfilled from the tips of our toes to the top of our soul, have a somatic pathway. This dream, this promise, lies slumbering betwixt the belly and heart, dormant in the solar plexus.

Once an aspirant realizes this spiritual desire, only anguish will remain if he or she stubbornly resists. It is one thing to wander through the desert of an unconscious life, being pushed and pulled by the mandates of the material world and whatever subconscious urge or resistance that bubbles up within us. It is quite another to know that the Promised Land exists and to travel part way, only to turn back. When called to Awaken, we are compelled to let go of our old habits and antiquated self-definitions. The time comes when we must surrender our insistence on suffering, the pretense that we don’t know better, and the illusion that we are powerless to change. Only fools turn back from the Gate of the Kingdom. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 9: At the Pinnacle of Power is Surrender

The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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Romance, Eros, Agape

If material acquisition, pleasure, and power cannot fully sate our most secret yearning what can? Romantic love comes closer to assuaging this questing of the soul. It is of a higher vibrational level than the mere competition for survival, status, and advantage inherent in the money and material chase. Over the millennia, a large percentage of art, music, and literature has owed its genesis to the impetus and ideal of romantic love, its power and desirability goes without saying.

Yet, after going through the trials of attaining this ideal in the form of possessing the desired Other, why does it seem to begin to slowly fade? The biologic explanation has to do with pheromone chemistry, survival, and mating instincts. The psychological explanation involves the various processes of the maturing love relationship, and “healing” of inner childhood “wounding.” One spiritual explanation is that if we do not allow the biological, karmic, and emotional energies of romantic love to be transformed into unconditional love, the energy driving us towards this evolutionary goal is thwarted, staying in the lower chakras. If we are paying attention to our internal emotional state, we might find ourselves eventually experiencing disappointment, frustration, ennui, a mid-life crisis, or general malaise. If ignored and left unaddressed, the thwarted energy may busy itself with lower chakra agendas, where it abides until consciousness or grace allows it another opportunity to be transmuted.

In the newly awakening individual, the karmic or energetic process is that, after the love object has been safely acquired, part of the energy inherent in romantic love begins to transform itself into unconditional love or agape. This is the true evolutionary function of Eros, the linking of the biological with the heart, sexus with agape, separation ultimately leading to communion
Romantic love is a high-energy state of pursuit of the love object. Individuals of both genders have their own unique styles of this dance. Agape, though also a high-energy state, manifests itself a little differently - as surrender. Surrender to the heart, to the other, to Unity, to the Divine. To be in romantic love, the love object must meet numerous requirements, physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral to be attractive. To exist in a state of agape, gratitude, and compassion, no such conditions apply. There is simply the act of Loving.

On a very deep level, this is what our soul yearns for - the giving and receiving of spiritual love. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 8: The Power, The Key, The Gate

The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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Learning Self Mastery

The Spiritual Function of Yearning

The first three chakras compose a unit; a triad of our animal drives. At this stage in our evolution, it is easy to observe that, as a species, humans are still controlled by these animal motivations. There are certainly many enlightened buddhas, saints, and prophets that have appeared over the millennia, but the vast majority of people are still centered within their animal heritage, though we can see that humans have certainly invented many complex variations of the basic animal instincts. This is why the animal experiments of Skinner can be applied to people. Stripped of our technology and with our rational faculties stressed, most of us still behave much the same way rats would. And, if possible, all too often we use the gift of our higher cortical powers to serve our animal instincts.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t fulfill animal needs as best as we can. Neo-Tantra often glorifies the senses, which are extensions of the body and animal in nature. Certainly, before we can turn our attention to the spirit, our basic needs must be met. This does include the need for pleasure. It is just that we are out of control, using our technology and mental power indiscriminately to sate our animal appetites. We most often do this reflexively, blindly, and with risk to ourselves, others, and the very planet we live on. Still, if one is acutely observant, it can be noticed that however accomplished we are at gratifying our animal natures, a hunger remains.

Beyond what is needed for basic and comfortable survival, the pursuit of material possessions, power, sensuality, and wealth cannot satisfy the desires of our higher consciousness. No amount of money or social status can satiate the spirit’s longing. Inflame the passions of the lower chakras? Perhaps. But liberate the spirit and fulfill the heart’s true desire? Never. Many try at this, all fail. The game of acquisition and dominance does not feed the soul. It can only drive us to conflict, warfare, an ever-faster rate of conspicuous consumption, and the intrigue of political, financial, and technological supremacy. This extends even to the point where we are willing to destroy our selves, individually or collectively, in one way or another. Perhaps this is one expression of Thanatos. Like the mythical rush of the lemmings, we would rather stubbornly fall to our deaths than give up this dance.

So, most people find themselves trapped in this box, the unconscious drives of the first three chakras. Physically this box is described in the lower half of the body. The “lid” of the box is the solar plexus. The life force inherent in both the emotions of pain, fear and anger, and the quests for money, pleasure, and power aspires to connect with the energies of higher consciousness. Yet our vitality seems trapped in this box that we so stubbornly defend, as if it were a great palace instead of the prison that it has become. To begin to join with higher consciousness in the body, life force must literally push off the lid of this box, and physically ascend through the solar plexus. It yearns powerfully to be allowed to do so.© 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 7: Romance, Eros, Agape

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The Tower of Ego
The over compensation for survival challenges and the perception of lack in the material or emotional realms leads to the quest for dominance. This makes sense on the animal level as the best hunters or providers will ensure their own survival and pass on their genetic material. If you are say, a wolf, this can benefit others in your pack because the alpha male really can only eat so much of a kill; the rest is shared by the pack. In the human realm this is often not so. Technology, social, financial, legal, and military structures can allow a few to garner vast reserves of “kill” without necessarily having to share much of the bounty with others. This is an over-compensation for fear of insufficiency; including the material, sexual, emotional, and other domains.

The same principle holds for social status. Those who lust for acknowledgment, recognition, and fame, will overcompensate for the perceived dearth of love and support by seeking solace in the adoration of the masses, or the privileges of the socially elite.

Those who are the most aggressive and successful at dominance often have the most difficulty in personal

Fall from the tower

relationships. This should be a little spiritual hint, a clue from the Tao. Aggression and arrogance do not lend themselves well to sensitivity and negotiation, which are necessary for healthy relationships including the personal, professional, and geopolitical spheres. The will to dominate and control becomes self-limiting as internal and external forces seek to thwart or mediate unbridled aggression. Excessive yang eventually leads to yin, and pride does go before a fall.

Fall from the Tower
Nearly everyone has a secret desire to be the top dog. Many of us would secretly love to be a celebrity. We love to fantasize that we are a movie star or a rock star on stage before a multitude of fans and groupies, even if it is really only a moment at a karaoke bar! Would you rather be the multimillionaire CEO, or the wage slave? The admired and envied socialite, or the geek ignored and sitting in the corner?

We are pretty much programmed by our animal instincts to seek some sort of dominance in some sort of way, however modest. We desire at least a little niche where we are better than someone else. This is a normal state of animal consciousness. Of course, this is greatly mediated by the fear of being cast out of the herd. Even the alpha dog cannot prevail against the will of the entire pack. So there is this tension between dominance and submission on a basic animal level, which rises to rococo intricacy in the human world. There are some elements of this dynamic which both rise to, and serve the spiritual, as we will see.

From an evolutionary perspective, we need to have a strong, almost maverick personality to succeed on any authentic spiritual path that is unbridled by dogmatism. Any process that seeks to achieve a direct religious experience, a personal encounter with the Divine, will require both patience and persistence to consummate.

On the other hand, will, over-independence, or a love of rebellion for its own sake, can be a seductive trap. Fortunately the universe and our higher Selves are pre-loaded with the software to correct this. No matter how huge the ego, a path to a balanced spiritual perspective will eventually be made clear. We will be shown the limitations of the small self, our desires, and self-aggrandizement. This transition from the mundane games of survival and dominance, to the game of knowing Oneself, and oneself in relation to the Divine, is what the School of Life is about.

“You are dying in a prison of your own devise…”
– Jim Morrison, Unhappy Girl

This is what the tarot card known as “The Tower” describes - the earthshaking alteration at the core of your life’s paradigms. Change is inevitable, and whether this manifests easily or with great struggle is up to you and how well you accept and flow with the change. Transcending your ego patterns can be liberating, freeing you from old behaviors and habits; yet it can also be terrifying, heralding the loss of what you perceive as familiar and safe. The only way for you to lose in this process would be if you stubbornly refuse to allow a necessary change to occur, thus reinforcing an old pattern and imprisoning yourself in an obsolete mode of understanding and being.

“I abandoned and forgot myself,
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased;
I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.”
– St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul

Perhaps this transition from ego to spirit centered life may show up in a dramatic form such as a life threatening challenge, loss of someone deeply loved, a near death experience, or some other sort of major life stressor. It may also appear in our consciousness in a less sensational, more subtle and quietly persistent form. The dark night of the soul can be painted in many shades of gray. It is best to pay attention and both seize and surrender to the opportunity. If you are destined to evolve and you ignore it, the universe will only get more insistent. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 6: The Spiritual Function of Yearning

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Part 4: The Mystery of the Solar Plexus

For many years I have seen various charts and books written on the subject of the chakras. There seems to be some general confusion as to the location and spiritual function of the solar plexus. I have seen some charts put its location as low in the body as the navel, or as high as the heart. Its actual physical center is near the end of the sternum.

Like its physical location, the energetic character of the solar plexus also seems a little confusing to many authors and teachers. Some describe its nature as identical to the lower sub chakras of the belly, e.g., will, action, centeredness. At least one school teaches that it controls the sense of the passage of time, which one can see is related to the concept of action. I believe that the confusion over its energetic function has two explanations.

First, is the confused, contradictory, and sometimes arbitrary placement of its location. If it is placed in the location of other known sub-chakras of the third chakra, it takes on the characteristics of that particular energetic “neighborhood.” This confusion might be due to the repetition of ancient disinformation, problems with the translation of texts into English, or it could just be due to ignorance and dogmatism.

While this first rationale relates to an apparently long standing historical confusion, explication number two is: The energetic nature of the solar plexus is changing as we evolve! I have invested quite a bit of time over the last few years meditating on the sensations and qualities of the solar plexus. I have also closely observed its activity in others who are on a path of awakening and I have come to see that the solar plexus is the energetic and somatic frontier in our evolutionary process. If you can perceive it, its essence is dynamic, ever changing, questing, and persistent.

Let me say that it is demonstrably so that, as long as we are incarnate in a physical form, all truth will have its roots in the body. We may lie with our words and thoughts, we may be deceived by our perceptions, by our minds, but the body never lies! It does not know how to. The ultimate truth of our human experience and the fruits of our actions will always be revealed in the body. Sensations, body language, physiologic processes, all are part of the somatic code that can lead us to awakening and understanding. It needs but to be deciphered. The codex is obtained through the practices of receptivity, attention, and silence. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 5: The Tower of Ego & The Fall

The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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Presencing: Embody Emotional Freedom!

Storing Life Force
What makes the third chakra and its emotions and agendas so powerful is, well, power. Power in the sense of the pure life force stored in this area. The third chakra is like a battery; life force is stored as potential. This energy is rarely stored as true potential, in the electrical sense. A battery can sit and store its electricity for a long period of time. People however are dynamic living bioelectrical systems. Human life force is a power that is active; it needs somewhere to flow to, something to do. Whether your karmic agenda is anger and manipulation, or self-healing and enlightenment, vast quantities of bioenergy are needed.

The Third Chakra

One basic function of Tantric and Taoist practices is to generate and store in the third chakra the energy needed to walk your own spiritual path with freedom and courage, whether or not your friends, family, or culture supports this. Primates, including humans, have invested millions of years in creating social structures that maximize safety and survival. The “herd instinct” is to limit the amount of freedom an individual can have. This is a sort of default brain stem reaction born of fear of potential harm to the group, and what is born in fear blossoms into judgment, stubbornness, resistance, anger, hatred, manipulation, and violence. This ancient, and virtually autonomic, limbic reaction is grossly maladaptive for how we as a species need to evolve. The energy bound by the imprints of these dark emotions needs to be extracted and recycled at the third chakra. If we can let go of our insistence on pain, fear, and anger, we can reprogram these lower chakras to deliver the life force necessary to ascend into self-realization, thus insuring our survival as a species into the next millennium.

The Anatomy of Power
The third chakra is relatively large in size. Apparently, in its function as a storage area for the power that all action requires, it needs somatic mass. At its lower border, the third chakra is referred to by the Taoists as the lower Tan Tien, sometimes called the Field Of Elixir, or the Hara in Japanese. Anatomically close to the sexual energies of the first two chakras, this is the point that all martial arts training uses to collect power. Perhaps its physical closeness to the chakras mediating sex energy is one reason we seem to mix together elements of sexuality, power, and even violence.

Included in this energetic family are the sub-chakras of the navel. The uppermost border of the third chakra is the solar plexus. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 4: The Mystery of the Solar Plexus

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Characteristics of the animal third chakra
As an extension of the reptilian / mammalian fight or flight reaction, the third chakra manifests the energies of control, manipulation, stubbornness, anger, hatred and violence. These can be directed outwardly or inwardly on energetic or physical levels. We can see various mixes of these manifest in the world as intolerance, warfare, social prejudice, manipulative business practices, control agendas in interpersonal relationships of various types, etc. Turned inward, these energies often produce obsessive / repressive emotional strategies, self-judgment, anger at oneself, resistance to change, and when repressed to the neurological, glandular, and cellular levels; disease.

Characteristics of the enlightened third chakra

As we let go of or reprogram the imprints of the third chakra, we tend to experience less anger, frustration, and desire to control others. Mastery of this chakra creates centeredness, the quiet confidence that comes with knowing who you are, your abilities, the effect of your actions, and the ethical limits of the expression of your power, i.e., Right Action. Spiritual will is a classic example of the manifestation of third chakra power in service to a higher goal. It takes a lot of will and commitment to stay on a path of self-inquiry and spiritual progression, especially in a culture which does not support this. Sometimes social and religious organizations may actually attempt to dissuade one from this process. Ridicule and the threat of judgment in some form are always the tools of those stuck between fear and manipulation. So, a certain amount of personal power is necessary to embark and remain on an authentic spiritual journey. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 3: Storing Life Force and the Anatomy of Power

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The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power

Americans love power. It is our god. Well, ok, money and power. The American Dream is based on a certain level of self-sufficiency and freedom. Empowerment and the liberation of the spirit have been characteristics of many of the original and often iconoclastic immigrants to North America, some of whom emigrated because of spiritual and political oppression. The founding fathers understood that within a context of a certain degree of social cooperation, the American spirit required a high degree of personal freedom. In yogic terms, we desire a high degree of third chakra activation.

Not that Americans are the only people who desire personal freedom, most of the world does. It is just that in modern times, the United States was unique from its inception in endeavoring to codify and insure a degree of personal and political freedom. This transpired at a time when most of the world was ruled by monarchies and warrior elites.

Perhaps you recall the adage, “Power breeds corruption.” We can easily see this in dictatorships and in other organizations where a high level of institutional power is concentrated in the hands of only a few, e.g., solely owned corporations, military organizations, insulated bureaucracies, etc. It is once again becoming obvious to many that the way we have organized our form of representative democracy is highly prone to corruption. This is nothing new, but at a time in history where it is becoming critical that we achieve personal and social enlightenment, it might be advantageous to look at ways to evolve our style of governing and doing business.

The Ego and the Third Chakra
The ego as a defensive protection against a hostile world draws on the energies of the first three chakras in its formation. In the unenlightened individual, the ego serves as a “Maginot Line” of virtually impenetrable defense against external threat. In this function it uses the powerful energies of pain, fear, anger and manipulation to achieve its goal. On an animal level this is so important for survival that it is hard wired into the brain stem and spine as the “fight or flight” reaction.

Our ego type is set within the first few years of life. Our early life traumas meet the various styles of coping mechanisms that we are exposed to at this time. We absorb the karmic energies of both our initial painful experiences and the style of the protective mechanisms of those around us. Inevitably we over correct, over protect, and thus self-limiting dysfunction is born. Both our perceptions of and actions in the world are based on this core imprinting. Very little that is truly new is ever permitted to penetrate our consciousness very deeply. The reason being that the new and unknown, though exciting, can be seen by the subconscious, by the limbic system, as a threat to our personal status quo. Our very perceptions are altered by our experience, karmic imprints, and defensive reactions.

An example by way of another axiom: there are always three sides to any story: my side, your side, and the truth. We consciously and subconsciously edit every experience right down to our basic perceptions, especially if there is a potential for conflict inherent in the situation. On some deep level, every conflict is perceived as a potential threat to survival. We edit our reality by sheer will and our habits of mental / perceptual filtering. In this sense we create and recreate our reality moment by moment. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 2: Characteristics of the animal and the enlightened third chakra

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Qigong and Fibromyalgia

Q: A.M. writes: I am a Fibromyalgia sufferer for 7 years now and I have been practicing qigong (not as regularly as I would like, but…) for the last 3 years. However I find that the most useful technique for coping with my fibromyalgia is meditation. It targets the pain directly and allowed me to stop taking marijuana for the ever-present nerve pain. Just knowing that I had some control over the situation was a tremendous weight off of my chest and it helped to end the vicious emotional cycle caused by feeling powerless. Now I have developed somewhat of a routine where I periodically use marijuana in conjunction with my qigong (because I find it twice or three times as powerful that way). I have all but cured myself but for some minor lingering pain. Right now I practice sporadically and my progress is relative slow but steady. Anyway, I am curious to hear any of your thoughts on the subject.

A: Yes, the combination of qigong and meditation can be quite effective, as the results in the original research project indicate. (see: Qigong & Fibromyalgia: From the Arthritis Care and Research study)
I believe that fibromyalgia is characterized by a sort of energetic “congestion” that afflicts the muscles and nerves, and the noticeable symptoms are pain, fatigue, and stiffness. It seems to me that there are two categories of possible intervention here: treating the pain, and treating the underlying energetic congestion.

Blocking Pain
Interventions include the use of pharmaceutical analgesics, hypnosis, and meditation and visualization. The use of drugs in treating this condition is best discussed in a medical forum, however I will comment of the use of hypnosis and meditation.

The utilization of techniques such as hypnosis and meditation, particularly meditation that includes visualization, has been effective for numerous conditions, including pain reduction. While these modes of non-pharmacological analgesia provide a valuable alternative, especially where narcotics might be medically indicated, I would also like to observe that they do not necessarily treat underlying causation. Blocking pain is not always restorative, and can sometimes mask an ongoing disease process. It is difficult to make generalizations, since there are many forms and applications of these modalities. I would say however, that if one’s meditation is oriented solely towards pain relief, it is likely to be more palliative than curative.

Relieving Underlying Energetic Congestion
Qigong, as well as T’ai Chi Chuan, is a form of “Taoism in Action,” concerned with flow and balance. Just as the yin yang symbol intimates, there is a dynamic equilibrium between polarities, and from this derives all personal, social, and natural manifestations. Any disparity between these energies will automatically initiate a correction. The more severe the imbalance, the more rigorous and dramatic the adjustment. Since our American culture does not fully support deep, impartial inquiries into cause and effect, we often blindly intervene without any intuitive sense of the consequences. This leads to a certain ignorance in not only health issues, but personal, social, environmental, and political endeavors.

When I use the term “energetic congestion,” I do so in the sense of imbalance and inhibition of flow. This disruption of our natural state of grace results in all forms of dis-ease, physical and emotional; individual and social; in nature and in humankind. In addition to qigong, modalities that facilitate an efficient return to balance include T’ai Chi, acupuncture, Bioenergetics, and certain forms of Tantra and Kundalini Yoga.

Marijuana, though it has increasing medical applications, may not be the best treatment choice. Marijuana has little analgesic effect in a strict sense. It’s effectiveness may be due to its gentle sedative and muscle relaxant qualities. This certainly could decrease the aggravation of neuromuscular pain. One of the drawbacks to this approach is that marijuana tends to have a rebound effect as a relaxant. Just like pharmaceutical muscle relaxants, it has a propensity to have the opposite effect a period of time after it is metabolized, that is, it tends to tighten the muscles afterward. Progressive relaxation ( Journey to the primal Sea, At the Beach) is a technique with no rebound or side effects, and thus may be more efficacious in the longer term, at least as a muscle relaxant.

There are many forms of qigong. The system of qigong and energy yoga that I teach has a physical and emotional balancing effect that can be achieved in as little as ten minutes of practice each day, though longer practice may result in deeper benefits. This style of energy mastery is a balance of internal and external approaches. There is a meditative aspect and a more physical outer element. Gently stretching the muscles in coordination with the mind and breath, and without irritation or fatigue, allows one’s vital energy to move unimpeded in a balanced manner. This combination of gentle movement, attentiveness, and judicious activation of one’s life-force can alleviate energy blockages, and effect improvement on physical, mental, and emotional levels.

Note: Though the classes and seminars that I present are effective for a broad spectrum of persons, those with a specific acute or chronic physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual condition may need personal evaluation and enhancement of the standard training program. This is best effected, at least initially, through personalized consultation. (c) 2004 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

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T’ai Chi & Qigong Instruction available in the Baltimore Washington, DC area.