Anatomy Of The Human Energy Field
An Overview
What is the Human Energy Field?
As an energy healer perceives it, "energy" surrounds you and embraces you—invisible, like the air you breathe, and just as real. Also called prana, chi, ki, qi and many other names in the world's wisdom traditions, it is the life force that is the basis and animating power for the universe and everything in it. It encompasses us, permeates us, sustains us, and connects us to all things. It is the non-material substance of which everything is made. Within this endless, non-physical sea of energy, each person has their own individual human energy field, kind of like a drop within that ocean. The human energy field is both part of the larger, universal field, and in some ways separate from it.
While the human energy field is non-material and to most people invisible, there are some individuals, including some energy healers, who can see, perceive with other senses, or otherwise sense it. Often the energy field is described by those who can perceive it as a dynamic, flowing cocoon or layer of light surrounding and permeating the physical body. It's not just a blob, though. It has distinct features and structures, just as our physical bodies do—an energy field anatomy. Some of the parts of the energy field are:
The Aura
Also called the energy field or electromagnetic field, the aura is the non-physical shell or layer of energy that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body. The aura and the specific fields of various organs such as the heart have been scientifically measured. Learn more here.
Chakras
Chakras are energy centers, or portals in the field. Located along the central channel of the body from the base of the spine to the top of the head, they are conceived of as whirling, wheel-like vortexes through which universal/cosmic energy flows into and out of a person. The word "chakra" comes to us from the Hindu wisdom tradition but similar concepts are found in many cultures. There are seven major chakras in the ayurvedic/yogic tradition, along with numerous minor chakras. Other traditions identify different numbers of these powerful energy centers. Want to learn more? Start with my main page about chakras, which will lead you to many other related pages.
Meridians And Nadis
Meridians (from the Traditional Chinese Medicine tradition) and nadis (from the ayurvedic tradition) are subtle (non-physical) pathways or channels in the body through which energy flows. You might think of them as a circulatory system for energy. ("Energy" is called chi or qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine, ki in the Japanese tradition, and prana in the ayurvedic and yoga traditions.) Learn a bit more about meridians here.
Subtle Bodies
Subtle body is a general term referring to the layers or aspects of the field correlating to different
planes or vibrations of existence. These include the emotional, mental, and spiritual layers or bodies. Learn more here.
Physical Body
The physical body is often overlooked as part of the human energy field. But everything is energy, and that means that the physical body is energy, too. The physical body is denser than other parts of the energy system, but it's still an integral part of the energy field. The physical body is created and sustained by the more subtle aspects of the energy system, rather than the other way around, and disturbances in the energy field create imbalances and disturbances in the physical body.
We can impact our physical bodies by working with more subtle aspects of our being, including both our energy and our thoughts. This entire site is about using energy to improve our well-being on all levels including the physical, so any page you go to will be about that topic. For an exercise on using the power of your mind to cultivate physical health, go here.
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While different individuals, cultures and energy healing traditions have conceived of or focused on
different parts of the subtle anatomy, these are the basics that most people
today agree on—a language that many energy healers share. If you walk the energy healing path for enough time, you may find that you perceive other energy-body structures as well. There's nothing wrong with this. Different energy healers and sensers are going to have different interpretations or perceptions of the human energy field. That's because we all experience the world through the lens of our personal experiences, thought structures, cultures, skills, and abilities. We also tune into different frequencies of energy. This means we may perceive things differently. Different experiences and perceptions of the energy body and other subtle phenomena don't invalidate each other. They just add to the richness of the being a part of the energy healing community!
Interested in learning more about energy, energy healing, and the chakras? Try my book, Chakra Care: Do-It-Yourself Energy Healing for a More Joyful, Loving, Fruitful Life. You'll learn
to clear, nurture and support your chakras with 500 fun, down-to-earth
activities. A user-friendly, practical guide, available as a paperback
or Kindle. Learn more or buy it here.
Top image by Emmanuel HEREDIA (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons