Energy (esotericism)

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For other uses of "Energy", see Energy (disambiguation). "Subtle energy" redirects
here. For the mystical concept of psychospiritual bodies overlaying the physical
body, see Subtle body. "Cosmic energy" redirects here. For other uses of "Cosmic
energy", see Cosmic energy (disambiguation)
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The term "energy" is used by writers and practitioners of various esoteric forms of
spirituality and alternative medicine to refer to a variety of claimed experiences
and phenomena that defy measurement and thus can be distinguished from the
scientific form of energy.[1][2] There is no scientific evidence for the existence
of such energy.[1][2][3]

Therapies that purport to use, modify, or manipulate unknown energies are thus
among the most contentious of all complementary and alternative medicines. Claims
related to energy therapies are most often anecdotal (from single stories), rather
than being based on repeatable empirical evidence.[3][4][5]

Contents
1 History
2 Locations
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
History
Concepts such as "life force" and "�lan vital" existed from antiquity and emerged
from the debate over vitalism in the 18th and 19th centuries with Mesmer and the
magnetism. They continued to be discussed in the 20th century by some thinkers and
practitioners in the modern New Age movement.[1][2]

As biologists studied embryology and developmental biology, particularly before the

discovery of genes, a variety of organisational forces were posited to account for
their observations. German biologist Hans Driesch (1867�1941), proposed entelechy,
an energy which he believed controlled organic processes.[6][unreliable source]
However such ideas are discredited and modern science has all but abandoned the
attempt to associate additional energetic properties with life.[6]

The scientific term energy is not what is being referred to in the context of
spirituality and alternative medicine. As Brian Dunning writes:
That's all that energy is: a measurement of work capability. But in popular
culture, 'energy' has somehow become a noun. "Energy" is often spoken of as if it
is a thing unto itself, like a region of glowing power, that can be contained and
used. Here's a good test. When you hear the word "energy" used, substitute the
phrase "measurable work capability." Does the usage still make sense? Remember,
energy itself is not the thing being measured: energy is the measurement of work
performed or of potential... Thus, this New Age concept of the body having an
"energy field" is fatally doomed. There is no such thing as an energy field; they
are two unrelated concepts.[7]

Despite the lack of scientific support, spiritual writers and thinkers have
maintained ideas about energy and continue to promote them either as useful
allegories or as fact.[8] The field of energy medicine purports to manipulate
energy, but there is no credible evidence to support this.[3]

The concept of "qi" (energy) appears throughout traditional East Asian culture,
such as in the art of feng shui and Chinese martial arts.[9] Qi philosophy also
includes the notion of "negative qi", typically understood as introducing negative
moods like outright fear or more moderate expressions like social anxiety or
awkwardness.[10] Deflecting this negative qi through geomancy is a preoccupation in
feng shui.[11] The traditional explanation of acupuncture states that it works by
manipulating the circulation of qi through a network of meridians.[12][ISBN
missing]

Locations
There are various sacred natural sites that people of various belief systems find
numinous or having an "energy" with significance to humans.[13] The idea that some
kind of "negative energy" is responsible for creating or attracting ghosts or
demons appears in contemporary paranormal culture and beliefs as exemplified in the
TV shows Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters.[14]

See also
Aether (classical element)
Ase (Yoruba)
Aura (paranormal)
Barakah
Earth mysteries
Ectoplasm (paranormal)
Energy (psychological)
Kundalini
Lung (Tibetan Buddhism)
Mana
Manitou
Numen
Prana
Qi
Shakti/shaktipat
Shrine
Silap Inua
References
Stenger, Victor J (Spring�Summer 1999). "Bioenergetic Fields". The Scientific
Review of Alternative Medicine. 3 (1). Archived from the original on 2016-05-08.
Retrieved 2017-04-20.
Smith, Jonathan C. (2010). Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the
Paranormal: A Critical Thinker's Toolkit. Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell.
pp. 268�74. ISBN 9781405181228.
"energy � (according to New Age thinking)". The Skeptic's Dictionary. 2011-12-19.
Retrieved 2014-05-02.
"Some Notes on Wilhelm Reich, M.D". Quackwatch.org. 2002-02-15. Retrieved 2014-05-
02.
Jarvis, William T. (2000-12-01). "Reiki". National Council Against Health Fraud.
Retrieved 2014-05-02.
Bechtel, William; Richardson, Robert C. (1998). "Vitalism". William Bechtel's Web.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
Dunning, Brian (22 April 2014). "Skeptoid #411: Your Body's Alleged Energy
Fields". Skeptoid. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
Jonas, WB; Crawford, CC (March 2003). "Science and spiritual healing: a critical
review of spiritual healing, "energy" medicine, and intentionality". Alternative
Therapies in Health and Medicine. 9 (2): 56�61. PMID 12652884.
Latham, Kevin (2007). Pop Culture China!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. Santa
Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 285. ISBN 9781851095827.
Van Norden, Bryan W. (March 2011). Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy.
Hackett Publishing. p. 98. ISBN 1603846158.
Leonard, George J. (1999). The Asian Pacific American Heritage: A Companion to
Literature and Arts. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 204. ISBN 9780203344590.
Lawson-Wood, Denis; Lawson-Wood, Joyce (1983). Acupuncture Handbook. Health
Science Press. p. 133.
Ivakhiv, Adrian (24 February 2007). "Orchestrating Sacred Space: Beyond the
'Social Construction' of Nature" (PDF). Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature
and Culture. 8 (1): 11�29. doi:10.1558/ecotheology.v8i1.1642. ISSN 1363-7320.
Retrieved 3 January 2017.
Fahy, Thomas (2010). The Philosophy of Horror. Lexington, Kentucky: University
Press of Kentucky. p. 77. ISBN 0813125731.
External links
Media related to Energy (esotericism) at Wikimedia Commons
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Pseudoscience
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Parapsychology
Categories: Energy (esotericism)Energy and instinctsNew Thought
terminologyPseudoscienceSpiritualityVitalismWestern esotericism
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