Ki: I have a theory

[Sam]

Yes - electrical and magnetic fields are actually unified as far as the theory of them goes..... teh point is they really wouldnt extend very far.... althoug theoretically they would carry on for ever, after a couple of microns tehy begin to dissipate exponentially so that they are effectively zero.....

This is just from field theory and a small knowledge of energy reproducable by the body, if anyone can explain where the energy would come from to expand teh field, im happy to listen

[Why_Worry]

Bioelectricity flows better when you tell the truth actually or are happy. Its kinda wierd, if you want an example (you might need someone else though) put out your arm and push down on it slightly. Tell the truth and it shouldnt move then but if you lie your arm should g odown a little. Its confusing and you need to know how much pressure to apply so yeah. My sensei did that to me but i have a hard time getting it to actually work with others cause i usually apply too much pressure and they have ot push up so yeah.

[Why_Worry]

oh, and sam, i have no idea the answer to yoru question either. Its really confusing that you have this electric field going for a couple of feet outside of your body. COnfusingness.

[Menjo]

Bioelectricity flows better when you tell the truth actually or are happy. Its kinda wierd, if you want an example (you might need someone else though) put out your arm and push down on it slightly. Tell the truth and it shouldnt move then but if you lie your arm should g odown a little. Its confusing and you need to know how much pressure to apply so yeah. My sensei did that to me but i have a hard time getting it to actually work with others cause i usually apply too much pressure and they have ot push up so yeah.

I think thats more of a mental thinking thing....

[atalaya]

i am kind of remembering a discussion about how the swabbed skin of the inside of your mouth has a reaction when you are happy under a microscope. (even after separation from the body). your body's cells (apparently) maintain some kind of electric-empathy to your brain and nerve endings and actually have marked changes. is this the aura thing? there are a lot of chemical and electrical changes in the body during different moods and it stands to reason that mind over matter applies to the matter controlled directly by your mind.

[Why_Worry]

I dont know anything about that, but its really cool, and it makes alot more seem possible, so i am almost sure people are gonna bash what you just said, but i like it and i'm going to believe it. ANd people are probably gonna bash what i just said about how if i just believe what i want i will wind up killing myself, but o well. It seems reasonable to me, so i am believing it.

[White Warlock]

Hmm, first time i saw this thread. Seems a fun discussion that petered out.

Well, to add my thoughts to this seemingly dead issue...

The human body does not have a single magnetic field, but a multitude of minute magnetic fluxes associated with all the energy emanating within.

The energy created in our bodies are chemically induced, initially presented in the form of heat. Some of it is converted into electricity. Signals are generated by mental command, allowing a multitude of small electrical impulses to muscles. In turn, these muscles contract, which allows us do things like type.

I can go on with a long list of 'layman' explanations for how the body works, how it generates energy via conversion of matter, and how it then utilizes that energy in very complex ways... but this is not really the point of the topic. The point is, it is attempting to state that ki is this energy, and somehow we can harness this energy and utilize it for some 'alterior' purpose.

However, it cannot be. The energy within our bodies is not a single capacitor that can be harnessed and redirected. The energies utilized within are already performing minute functions, of a scale in many cases far more microscopic than that of a motherboard's utilization of electricity to generate unique commands via external utilities. To harness such energy would require rewiring... damaging of the motherboard if you will.

When a limb is lost, a bionic prosthesis can be attached, and this device can be connected to nerve endings or functioning muscles, and these can be used to control and manipulate the prosthesis as if it were the missing limb. But, this is not an 'alterior' purpose... as the goal here is merely to 'replace.' Also, these prosthesis have sources of energy of their own that helps to enhance the 'very weak' signals generated by the body and then manipulate hydraulics or other mechanical parts.

These examples i present to illustrate a point. The body is already utilizing these energies, electrical impulses, etc... for their intended goal. And while we can definitely attempt to control some autonomic aspects of our body, whilst definitely already being able to control some standard aspects, the limits of all of this is not the limit of the energy... for the energy itself is mostly presented in the body as a means to send signals... direct parts of the body to act this way or that. The limit of our body is our body... the physical limitations posed by the weakness of our muscles for lack of developing them, the fragility of our bones for their stand-alone design, and the vulnerability of our organs for their dedication to a crucial task in maintaining this vessel we reside in.

We, as martial artists, must always strive to maintain a firm grasp of reality... lest we believe things that cannot possibly be, and in the process endanger our vessel and, in turn, our very existence. We are fragile, we can die. Let's keep this in mind when striving for answers.

[markusan]

Good post WW. I can't agree more. I still suspect that Ki, like Karma and Hara is an asian word that has been very badly translated into english and its meaning has been turned into a bit of a fairytale.

ITs sort of like saying machismo is some special energy field around a man that attracts women. Its obviously not, it is a combination of physical and psychological attributes that combine in some sort of harmony. But nothing magic.

In war and peace Tolstoy tells the story of three people on a train platform. The question they are asked is "How does that train move". The scientist explains it has to do with combustion, steam pressure etc. The stoker says its "the fire". And a food seller on the platform says "the devil makes it go".

[shogeri]

"matter is simply energy vibrating at frequences that manifest form shape and mass.. within that model, consciousness, properly disciplined, can manipulate the basic energy however it chooses..." taichibob - kungfumagazine forum

Rather than trying to make qi complex, or over simplify, it's best to just accept that it exists, and that it has little or nothing to do with magic, mysticism, or spiritualism...

[HumanTyphoon]

Wow, you guys are very smart people. It makes me feel....like trash.

But, aside from my sad colon with a parenthesis mark, I actually think this is rather interesting. In fact, not so long ago(about when Jesus was still alive),I came up with this little theory/philosophy/idea/thought/answer/thing. I think I stated it in another thread, but here it is....

A long time ago...when my daddy was not born yet, and his daddy wasn't either...or maybe they were. Well, science at the time had not been pursued to the skylimits that we have today. Due to that fact, people all over the world blamed what was "acts" of science on spiritual beliefs such as religion, ki, etc. For example, germs in the elden days of Europe were not known and the cause of illnesses were said to be from demons and what not. Random face of the day . This probably applied for many other things as well. With that in mind, you could consider that with science, many people didn't see weird invisible demons as the cause of the fever anymore, but instead germs. Well, now it comes to my theory thing that everyone probably already knows. Now, consider that what we call 'science' is actually what our ancestors called "ki/chi/demons/good soil or land/angry magic potatoes/etc." You can make yourself happy by meditating, but meditation is a form of relaxation, which is positive and helps the flow of biotransmitters in your body move at a better pace to keep you smiling with much laughter and joy. In a way, science and ki/spiritual "stuff" are not so far as some may think. They might even relate and may sometimes even be the same.

There, it almost might make sense now, but it's kinda similar to what Markusan was saying...so go read his stuff a few posts above mine. Much better explaining without the and the or even the at what I just wrote.