Qi and Consciousness
I first started to earnestly study Taoism in 1996 when I experienced Tai Chi, since then its been quite the journey. Over 20 years later I feel my knowledge still only scratches the surface, a fact that is both frustrating and inspiring. Over the years my opinions have changed and matured. One of the biggest influences on this was studying Acupuncture, although I would say it wasn't until I left school that I really began to study acupuncture. Unfortunately the acupuncture widely taught today is only a shadow of its former self. The term Traditional Chinese Medicine is used 
extensively in the West and China, however just how traditional is TCM? Recently I was able hear Dr Pan give a talk on his own theories in relation to acupuncture, in his opinion there is nothing traditional about TCM. In the past I've often referred to TCM as "Communist Approved Acupuncture". The term TCM was actually created during the cultural revolution, the healing modalities that were common throughout China were formalised into a complete system. Sounds like a good idea, right? The problem is the formalisation was very politicised. Even today many acupuncturists aren't aware that the system of diagnosis commonly used for acupuncture is actually meant for herbal diagnosis. This is a good example of how many of those changes didn't exactly destroy the old styles, instead they became diluted.
A few years ago I was fortunate enough to meet Jeffrey Yuen, an acupuncturist, tai chi master and taoist priest. Although the information he shared was fascinating one thing really stuck in my mind, he said, "remember all these theories and techniques were created by human beings just like you", At this point I already had my own ideas on how all this works but I'd never really shared them. That comment made me realise that these arts are not static, Taoisms very essence is change and growth, nature never stops still! My own approach has been one of respecting the past and trying to learn as much as I can, while also keeping my mind open to new possibilities. In many ways due to the history of acupuncture we are rediscovering the art, at least in the West, and as I've mentioned before I feel this fact holds huge potential for the whole area of study.
So after years of study and practice, what do I believe? My biggest realisation came many years ago and changed the way I viewed the concept of qi. I'm very familiar with qi, over the years I'd developed the sensitivity to not only feel qi but also see qi. This may sound ridiculous but its actually quite common among qi gong students, depending on the style. I'd always ascribed to the mainstream view that qi is energy, but this creates a rather simplistic view, qi becomes fuel and so the more qi the better, right? Actually no, yes abundant qi is essential but its the quality of the qi that becomes more important. Again we could use the gas analogy, a better quality gas will make your engine run more efficiently and last longer. Although I do believe qi is energy to a point, in that it allows you to move and be alive, I also believe if we just stop here we are missing the pearl hidden within.
In tai chi we say "wherever the mind goes the qi will follow", this concept can also be put to the test during qi gong or tai chi practice. Over time I began to realise there is a direct connection
between qi and consciousness, two sides of the same coin if you will. It would seem your consciousness can direct qi but its also quite possible that without qi you wouldn't have consciousness in the first place! With this one realisation we've taken qi from the realm of medicine and biology and moved squarely into the realms of psychology and spirituality, we are now dealing with a substance that in some way may help us understand consciousness and the question "who am I"
So what do we mean by a good quality qi? Well, this is the second big point, qi is information. This may sound strange but think about it. Right now maybe you're sat on your phone or computer, you're browsing youtube, checking your emails, you're basically looking at information. But how did that information reach your device, for most of you it came wirelessly. All that information came invisibly through thin air, now that seems crazy!! the fact is we are surrounded by information, internet, radio, tv, we don't mock this notion as we understand you need the right equipment to receive it, we know for a fact its there, because I can check Facebook!
Studies done to discover where memories are stored in the brain used rats who had learnt to run a specific maze. Parts of the brain were then removed to discover where the memory was. Although personally I don't agree with that kind of research it did show something interesting. It didn't matter how much of the brain was removed the rats still remembered! Just think about that for a second. They found the rats motor functions were often severely effected, but not memory. I believe your memories are stored not inside of you but outside of you, you just have the right receiver to pick them up. Sounds fantastical, but actually is that any different to your car radio in basic theory.
The ramifications of this have sent me down a few more odd paths, my only solace is that mainstream science is also starting to prove the world is a truly mysterious and amazing place. It's not the robotic mechanist world we thought it was. Our understanding is continuously evolving, whether we study Super String Theory or Taoism I believe we are pursuing the same goal, we are asking the same question, "how does life work?"
