In Zhong Yuan Qi Gong, and Image Therapy as part of Zhong Yuan Qi Gong, the following model of life is widely accepted: A human being is considered as a combination of three parts: physical (body), energy, and information system (spirit, soul). All these three parts are interconnected, and for a person to be healthy, they must work in harmony. Let’s discuss each part separately, as this is most likely a new concept for a lot of people.

  1. Physical part – body. We all know that each person has a body, so there is very little we need to talk about here. We can see a body with our eyes, feel it with our hands, so there is no need to prove to anybody that body exists 🙂 Modern Western Medicine does a pretty good job on the research and exploration of the body; it knows all the bones, internal organs, etc, and does a fairly good job explaining the purpose of each organ and how they all work together.
  2. Energy. Now this is where things become interesting. I know that when I mention energy to some of my friends, I get an odd look my way, so this is not a concept that is widely accepted in the western world. I’m sure most of you have heard about acupuncture, some may have had acupuncture done to you, but probably not sure how it works. The theory of acupuncture is based on human body having 12 energy meridians or pathways, invisible to our regular eyes, but detectable by some modern devices (electrical resistance between acupuncture points on the same meridian is way less vs just random parts of the body or points on different meridians). Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is also based on the theory of 12 Meridians and believes that every disease is caused by the block in energy flow in those meridians. Pain in TCM is attributed to the blocks in energy flow in meridians; when there is no blocks in energy flow, there is no pain. Therefore, acupuncture and also herbal medicine in TCM both aim on clearing blocks in the energy channels, thus restoring normal flow of energy and healthy state of the body. Acupuncture specialists usually insert hair-thin needles into the acupuncture points, and this helps in removing energy blocks and restoring energy circulation in the meridians.
  3. Information part – spirit or soul. Now this is the most controversial part and will cause more head shakes than even energy part 🙂 For religious people it’s far easier to accept this concept, as most religions pay lots of attention to soul growth/development. Now I personally grew up in USSR and religion was highly suppressed there, and I’m not a religious person. So, it was very hard for me to accept this concept at first, as it will be for a lot of people. I remember once when I was about 10 years old, a thought crossed my mind (I know, odd, but that happened sometimes) – that it’s kind of a weird way of life to be born, grow up, gain all the experience and knowledge during our lives, but then get old and just die- and that knowledge is lost forever. I know some older people are focusing on teaching to pass some of that knowledge to younger generations, but still, most of that knowledge will be lost when the heart stops, right? Well, according to the Qi Gong model of life, it does not. When the heart stops, your soul leaves the body and goes to the place where all souls live, reviews its life journey, notices how this or that choice lead to this or that experience, and what decisions done differently would make the journey less painful/more enjoyable for the person/body. Then, it decides if it wants to have another reincarnation on Earth to work on those decision making skills some more, or reincarnate on some other planet and experience different life there.

In loving memory of our friend, Ben Wilson, you are a great soul! We love you, miss you greatly, and wish you best of luck on your next journey!