Life Energy Beliefs
O
Life Force Ideas Around the World
Here are the O entries of life energy beliefs around the world and from antiquity to the present. An edited and expanded version of this Life Energy A to Z is published in my book
Life Energy Encyclopedia.
O
Od see odic force.
Odic force is an expression introduced by the German baron Karl Ludwig
Friedrich Reichenbach (1788-1869) for an almost magnetic force, od, which
radiates from the body – especially from the mouth, hands, and forehead.
Reichenbach also imagined a pure life energy, actinic force, emanating from
life itself, and by time transforming to odic force. Actinic is from the Greek
aktis, which means beam.
Oki is a collective name among the Huron Indians, for the mightiest
spiritual powers in the world – such as heaven, the sun, and the moon.
These powers are summoned in rituals.
Okra see kra/okra.
Önd is a Norse word for spirit. See hugr.
Orenda is a word among the North American Iroquois Indians, for a
fundamental spiritual force. It exists to differing degrees in people, and is
possible to increase to the extent that one learns from life. Compare
manitou.
Orgone is a term for life energy, introduced in the 1930s by the Swiss
psychologist Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957), who was one of Sigmund Freud's
students. To Reich, orgone was a primordial blue cosmic energy,
omnipresent, at work in celestial events as well as a driving force for
emotions and sexuality. It is unclear how he came up with the name
orgone. It may be derived from the word orgasm, since sexuality is a
central expression of orgone, or from organism, since orgone is essential
for all life. Some sources speculate that the word is formed from
org(anism) + one. Reich constructed machines, orgone accumulators, to
stimulate this energy. He also claimed that sexual activity had the same
effect, which led to frequent persecution of him, also from governing
bodies of the USA, where he had moved at the end of the 1930s. He died
in prison, sentenced for violating the injunction against selling the
accumulator. The orgone concept has many similarities to the life energy qi, which is also
pointed out by many defenders and practitioners of it.
ORMEs (Orbitally-Rearranged Monatomic Elements) is a theory from the
1990s by the American agronomist David Radius Hudson, about the
change of the properties of precious metal through manipulations of their
atoms, in what he calls modern alchemy. Among other things generated, is
a white powder supposed to be healing and giving spiritual experiences.
Oxygen (from the Greek oxys, acid, and genes, producer), the life-supporting element in air, was discovered in the 1770s by the English
theologian and natural philosopher Joseph Priestley (1733-1804). The
Swedish pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) and the French
chemist Antoine- Laurent de Lavoisier (1743-1794) made similar findings
at about the same time. Lavoisier named it oxygen in 1777, because he
thought it was present in all acids. Before their discoveries of it, oxygen
was unknown, but its importance in combustion, breathing, and oxidation,
had been observed and the subject of much speculation. Many theories
were introduced through the centuries, in order to explain these
phenomena, such as the concept phlogiston (see this word). It is also quite
possible that many beliefs in a life force have been attempts to explain the
necessity for living creatures to breathe – the idea of a vital invisible
substance within the air. Qi, with its link and proximity to breathing, is
definitely one such concept. So are prana, ruach, spiritus, pneuma (see these
words), and many others.
Life Energy Beliefs from A to Z
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My Life Energy Books
Qi, prana, spirit, ruach, pneuma, and many other life forces around the world explained and compared. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).
The life energy qi (also chi or ki) explained, with several very easy exercises to awaken, increase, and use it. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).
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My Other Websites
The ancient Chinese life energy
qi (
chi) explained and how to exercise it.
Creation stories from around the world, and the ancient cosmology they reveal.
What the Greek philosophers believed about the cosmos, their religion and their gods.
Taoism, the ancient Chinese philosophy of life explained. Also, the complete Tao Te Ching online.
Other Books of Mine
The Greek philosophers and what they thought about cosmology, myth, and the gods.
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This book examines Jungian theories on myth and religion, from Carl G. Jung to Jordan B. Peterson.
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The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained. The great Taoist classic, translated and extensively commented chapter by chapter.
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Erroneous Tao Te Ching Citations Examined. 90 of the most spread false Lao Tzu quotes, why they are false and where they are really from.
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About me
I'm a Swedish author and historian of ideas, researching the thought patterns in creation myths. I've also written books about Taoism, the Tarot, and life force concepts around the world.
Click the image to get to my personal website.
Life Energy Encyclopedia
Qi — Increase your life energy
Cosmos of the Ancients
Archetypes of Mythology
Tao Te Ching
Fake Lao Tzu Quotes
Stefan Stenudd