Ether in my hands - What am I doing?
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I've noticed that I am able to 'push' energy out of my hands while I inhale, and it can form a ball. I can physical feel it in my hands and I can make it increasingly dense. It feels like it is a ball of ether. It is very interesting, but I'm not entirely sure what to do with this.
I read that with practice in pranayama, this allows you to control subtle energies during rituals. Is this the same kind of subtle energy that pranayama leads to? If not, how is it different?
Thanks,
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One kind, yes.
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Is it possible to describe what it feels like, to control the subtle energies for you during a ritual? Is it a physical sensation like I've described at all? I have not been practicing pranayama, but I've been meditating like crazy. I'm very excited to see tangible progress like this.
Thanks!
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Interesting.
I had a similar experience about a year ago, but the ball of energy in question seemed to move throughout my body at will, generating a warmth.
It seems like you've taken it a step further in terms of your ability to "manifest" it at will. -
"":bmmnd5a6]Is it possible to describe what it feels like, to control the subtle energies for you during a ritual? Is it a physical sensation like I've described at all? I have not been practicing pranayama, but I've been meditating like crazy. I'm very excited to see tangible progress like this.
Thanks!"
While practicing hermetic rituals i tend to focus more on the mental aspect, i think it would be a non efficient way to focus on the physical manifestation. Like if you can talk to a being mentally, why would you evoque it into visible appearance to do the same? Except if there are specific reasons. Same with energy.
Where it gets very physical, even more than what you say, is in tai chi/qi gong practice though. Yes it is frequent qi produces warm and dense sensation both within and without. Some say it tends to be felt first in the hands, like you. Others in the whole aura surrounding the body. Others in the yesod chakra. I think the order varies... What is sure is when it is good in quantity and quality, it is very strong physically, to the extent of producing as much physical force as (pro athlete)muscles do. Thats the whole point of internal martial arts, to fight using that power instead of muscular one. Though ones focuses on the mind while doing it, not on the qi. Otherwise you get sloppy and slow. Focus on what actually controls the energy, not the energy itself.
There are a couple of steps in the mastery and sensation of this. If one relaxes and make it flow up and down, the body can shake wildly. It is like it moves by itself, or the person is epileptic or possessed by a demon lol.
What is then felt precisely is the yin and yang aspect of that energy. For me, i think i felt it about the same time with the other aspects. It is not necessarly a last step. When one masters it in real time against a skilled adversary(like in fighting), it goes so fast, you have to do micro adjustements of the yin and the yang and their manifestation continuously while someone skilled does his best to not only prevent you from doing it, but also to rip your head off in the process
Then what is felt? The best phrasing i can think of is Bardon's words, electromagnetism. Croley also mentions it while describing kundalini, though Bardon integrates it a little more "tai chi like", in the aura within and without, to produce specific effects, in his description. It is like being aware of this double force and directing it in: rythm, shape, compression, release. So it really becomes a mind game. And what does this mind game feels? Very hard to describe but its like a mix of vision, sensation, tendency(like right before a thought arises in the mind). The yi king seen as circles(like the bagua) could be a good example. Or a curb on a graphic, an oscilation if you will.
Yang is expansion, yin contraction. So the utlimate yang would be expansion into Nuit, and the ultimate yin the contraction into Hadit. When speed of the oscilation increases, more power is produced. Though one feels the multiple planes at the same time. The most yang of Assiah is yin to the most yin of Yetzirah. And so on. You can feel the tree of life, or meridians/chakras in the body. And what is your body actualy? If you expand into Nuit, would it be a surprise to feel/direct things distant from your individual physical body? Where is line between qi gong and meditation? It may be thin ! I think as soon as macrocosm is established in the aura(which becomes the actual universe) the line is broken.
When internal force is produced, normaly the breathing is said to be "inverted". While you exhale, you actually expand into Nuit, relaxing, and at the same time producing great power. This is the real internal power. You may feel it like these two examples of practice: one is you compress, while inhaling, the force into the dantien(yesod chakra), then release it wherever you want while exhaling. Second one is you compress into bones, then realease through skin. When releasing, you should feel electricity and the expasion of the whole body, especially between joints. Thus it is said after long term tai chi practice, one grows in height and limbs lengh for every joint space increases. All this stuff is very good for health.This you should feel also.
And yes the difference will be felt in classic hermetic rituals after such practice, though as i said above, i think the goal/focus/speciality is slightly different. The reverse is true also, meditation will increase very fast the energy work, especialy as it establishes permanently the macrocosm in ones aura(or makes one expand permanently into Nuit). I think for this hermetics are superior to eastern style, because they see all from a meditative point of vue, while eastern meditation tends to be from an energetic one. So each has its own advantages and specific sensations/fruits.
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Congratulations on a small but important breakthrough.
I say "small" because it's pretty basic. We teach it in Temple of Thelema as some of the earliest work, as a side exercise. It gets you across the line into working the phenomena that aren't entirely physical (although the etheric level is very close to the physical). That sort of thing rewired your head a bit, gives you a different starting point in perceiving what else is going on around you.
For example, has it yet altered how you experience doing a pentagram ritual? If not, then do a pentagram ritual, mindfully observing the para-physical energies, especially in your hands.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Congratulations on a small but important breakthrough.
I say "small" because it's pretty basic. We teach it in Temple of Thelema as some of the earliest work, as a side exercise. It gets you across the line into working the phenomena that aren't entirely physical (although the etheric level is very close to the physical). That sort of thing rewired your head a bit, gives you a different starting point in perceiving what else is going on around you.
For example, has it yet altered how you experience doing a pentagram ritual? If not, then do a pentagram ritual, mindfully observing the para-physical energies, especially in your hands."
Not sure at who it is directed but thanks anyway, i guess several here are experimenting this breakthrough !
Now you mention it, although i said i didnt focus onto this while practicing hermetic rituals, i meant quantitatively. But indeed qualitatively, it is very present. Actually, even performing a qabalistic cross mentally, the effects are felt strongly in the physical body ! As the transformation was progressive i almost not noticed it, but thinking back at the same rituals three years ago, or even a year ago, this makes a big difference.
Now i've just performed a ritual to check. I noticed also the room is filled with qi and i can feel it and slightly see it outside of my body, in the whole room. Funny how it had went unnoticed. Though i had worked specifically onto filling("charging") rooms as a Bardon exercise last year, but now the difference is it is without any effort. Just a change of perspective, instead of actually "charging" anything(for instance bardon recommended to begin with like 10 repetitions and decrease until you can with one, now its not even one. It s more like "sliding"into the perception. Difficult to describe but there is a difference.
Very nice that you teach such things in TOT, especially as early practice ! It must help a lot the students !