In Search of the Gods: Lessons from Pan Gu: Mystical Qi Gong
After speaking with Herpw Bikdeni about his interest in other indigenous and nonwestern philosophies, particularly the Law of Five Elements from the Taoist Tradition, I decided to focus my efforts on exposing some of the commonalities between Ka'at Ibi (Assessing the Heart and Mind) and Qi Gong (Energy Work) in hopes of bridging the gap between Kemetic Spirituality and Taoist Wisdom. I have been formally studying Ka'at Ibi since January 2007. I am now in a process of learning to teach Ka'at Ibi. I have been studying Qi Gong since 1999 and received my teaching certifications in July of 2006. Personally I have found there are many similarities between the physical movements and exercises conducted in each system.
Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong are based upon the premise that existence and the universe we live in are primarily energetic and vibrational. Common human perception of the world as solid matter is untrue. In reality everything exists as energy manifesting in varying densities. According to Neb Naba of The Earth Center Schools, existence is much like a soup where some parts are watery and thin, some parts are solid and hard, with a range of other consistencies between. In all the exercises that I have learnt over the years in Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong, the student works to increase his or her awareness and sensitivity to the environment and their own body. As this awareness develops, the student then has access to more information and can behave in ways that seem supernatural to the untrained, but are really a result of this increased awareness.
Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong recognise that the human body is not just physical matter, but primarily composed of many and varied energies, all working in concert within each of us. Both systems understand that healing is a matter of addressing the energetic disharmony of the individual, not just the physical symptoms of a disease. The teachings also tell us that the human body produces its own energy field that extends beyond the skin and out into the environment. Both Ka'at Ib and Qi Gong contain exercises which, if performed regularly and correctly, can heal and strengthen this field, and thereby increasing the quality of the student's health and quality of life.
Central to both Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong is breath control. The initial exercises in each system are designed to train students to have complete control over their breath. Focus is put on moving breathing from the chest down into the abdomen, to use the body's full lung capacity. Emphasis is also placed on slowing down the inhalation and exhalation to the point that one inhalation/exhalation cycle can last sixty seconds or more. Both systems contain multiple and varied exercises, the majority of which stress slow, deep, controlled breathing.
In Qi Gong, the centres of the palms are known as Li Gong. Significant amounts of time are dedicated to increasing the sensitivity of Li Gong, to heat, electricity, and energy. Through focusing the mind on this point for extended amounts of time over the course of years, the Li Gong point can be trained to sense, absorb, and emit Qi (energy) for healing and protective purposes. In Ka'at Ibi we also train and focus our attention on the palms over extended periods of time. The same sensitivity of the palms to energy and sensations is also developed in the practitioner. Heat, itchiness, static, and magnetic fields are just a few of the common sensations that can be detected through the hands.
The doctrines of both Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong demand constant daily practise from the student. This requires and develops discipline and patience, which both systems acknowledge are vital qualities to cultivate if a person wishes to grow spiritually. Daily practise in both systems also requires one to live a simpler lifestyle that is of a slower pace than the modern world, a pace that is more in accord with nature, and the pace at which living plants grow.
Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong both recognise that the mind has the power to influence the body and produce health and balance among the body's various systems and organs. There are stories of Masters in both systems who were able to heal themselves from serious, even life threatening injuries without herbs or medicines, but solely with the powers of their minds. Both systems contain many stories of Masters who are so proficient in their craft that they live to be 300 and 400 years old. In fact this is common place in Kemetic Culture and Taoist Culture.
Both Ka'at Ibi and Qi Gong are practised equally by women and men. There are Kemetic Priests and Priestesses, and Taoist Priests and Priestesses. In both cultures, both men and women are also encouraged to have families and raise children. The ancestral line and bloodline are of central importance in both Kemetic and Taoist Cultures. At the Earth Center where I learnt Ka'at Ibi and at the Taoist Schools where I learnt Qi Gong, offerings were made at ancestral altars to acknowledge, honour, and validate the Ancestors and the world of the dead.
Both Kemetic Culture and Taoist Culture are full of stories where spirits, whether benevolent or malicious, participate in the lives of humans to create peace or suffering. In both cultures it is the Priesthood that is responsible for preserving the knowledge and skills necessary for humans to interact harmoniously with the spirits of our ancestors and the spirits of the dead.
Both Kemetic and Taoist cultures accept the existence of magic and supernatural forces. The use of amulets, talismans, sacred postures, sacred symbols, and incantations is well documented in Taoist culture. Depending upon the intent of the practitioner, these magical skills can be used to heal or to destroy. This is also common place in Kemetic culture. Jujus and highly sophisticated and varied magical objects are used in abundance to heal, protect, and in some cases to harm others in Meritah (Africa). Magical spells and sacred writing are also common place in the Kemetic Culture. Each culture contains Masters and Chiefs who were considered wizards or mages and who used their supernatural powers to preserve and protect the communities for which they were responsible.
To gain additional perspective, I researched the history of Qi Gong. Below is a passage that is fairly representative of the consensus about the history of Qi Gong:
"Five thousand years ago, a tribal people settled along the shores of the Yellow River in Northern China. ... But they would also talk about how their chiefs pursued the wild animals and fought back the floods. These chieftains possessed unusual power: they had mastery over the elements, the rivers bent to their will, plants and animals yielded their secrets to them, they talked with invisible powers, and travelled across the sky and beneath the earth to gather knowledge that would help the tribe." (Wong, pg. 11)
Upon studying closely the traditional Kingships of Meritah (Africa), we find that stories of the Kings are almost identical to those in the passage above. This spiritual responsibility of the royalty is occurring even in the present day:
"The traditional chiefs and priests of the Gulf prefecture organised on Tuesday to avert the harm caused by flooding in recent weeks. Water mixed with wheat flour, and a ram were sacrificed after incantations. This is a ceremony that is simple but loaded with a deep sense, that these actions have made to ask forgiveness from a God, but at the same time to ward off the bad luck that the prefecture has known.
"Never has the prefecture much less the country experienced a disaster of this magnitude, it behooves us to act and ensure that the spirit of evil goes away from Togo," explains Djidjolé III.
The traditional chiefs and priests are convinced that this tragedy which has caused so much damage and loss of life is not by chance.
Thus, beyond the physical actions which are to bring relief and arrange materials to prevent such tragedy, it is also important to take action spiritually.
They intend to campaign throughout the territory to insure that Togo 'never again falls within the ambit of evil spirits.'"
This article was published on August 20, 2008 on the Republic of Togo's website and is just one modern day examples of the vibrancy of Kemetic Spirituality. It is reproduced here in translation from its original French to illustrate the unmistakable link between the roots of Qi Gong and traditional culture in Meritah.
Qi Gong has its roots in Shamanism and has a 5,000 year history, but what we understand as Shamanism in the modern day has been slightly distorted. In the indigenous world, it is readily understood that different Neteru (Gods) exist in different locations on Earth. Each of these Neteru has specific qualities; and much of the diversity seen throughout different indigenous cultures is based upon the different preferences of the Neter (God) in each location. This diversity can also be seen in the countless Qi Gong schools that exist throughout the world today, each practising different exercises but all belonging to the same body of knowledge.
There is a culture, however, that (with respect to the differences of the Neteru), honours them all; and this is Kemetic Culture. This is why there is such cooperation and community among different indigenous groups that live on opposite sides of the world. Ka'at Ibi is the original meditation system taught in the initiation camps in Meritah; and it has a history of over 75,000 years. Ka'at Ibi is part of a larger school of Kemetic Wisdom and Spirituality known as M'TAM. It is this system that is now inappropriately termed Shamanism, which is the original model upon which modern forms of martial arts, internal arts, meditation, and spirituality are based.
It is important that links and bridges are built to reconnect the histories of different peoples and traditions because the similarities among traditional cultures expose the truth that we are all one people with a shared past. The separations and divisions that appear insurmountable in the present day are artificial when the facts are exposed.
At M'TAM, we teach that there is a universal dialogue of energies called the Bayuali-Yenu. It is a celestial dialogue in which the energies of planets, suns, and other heavenly bodies radiate out into the universe and interact with each other. The dialogue is central to life because it is this dialogue that determines the quality of existence for everything on the surfaces of planets.
The Bayuali is the energy of the Earth which radiates up from the ground through humans into the universe. It is when this energy flow is obstructed that humans exhibit self destructive behaviour, get sick, or die. The teachings of modern Qi Gong are almost identical in this regard. Wenwei Ou, a prominent Master in the field of Qi Gong, writes that Qi Gong "involves absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon and the positive energy of the universe, then using them to suppress evil and to raise the good in everyone, and to cure illness and save patients." (Ou, pg. 13) Channels of energy called meridians circulate energy throughout the body. In Qi Gong, the human body is considered an energetic circuit between heaven and earth. When the energy flow is obstructed, we exhibit self destructive behaviour, get sick, and may die.
The suppression and containment of evil is central in Kemetic Culture. In fact the Great Book of Divine Ordinances, considered the most sacred book in humanity, is focused exclusively on teaching humans how to contain evil. Fighting evil in both Kemetic Spirituality and Taoism is not a matter of confronting external enemies. Both systems tell us that starting wars and fighting the ideologies and politics of other people, are not the way to conduct the spiritual warfare that fosters the spiritual growth.
Master Heg, a modern day Qi Gong Master, instructed me on the dangers of using Qi Gong to advance political ideologies. He pointed out to me an example of Qi Gong Masters living today, who have led thousands of their students into death and torture because they chose to fight an external battle, instead of the more difficult internal one. Herpw Bikbaye, my Ka'at Ibi instructor, constantly lectures on the dangers of playing into politics. He also stresses to his students that fighting evil means self control, it s means struggling with oneself to control one's own behaviour. Spirituality and politics don't mix and this lesson is also present in both Kemetic and Taoist Culture.
From this example and many others, we can see that the modern philosophies of Qi Gong are rooted in the most ancient traditions of Meritah (Africa). Other examples of this can be seen in the Bayuali Readings, the Kemetic divination system, and the I Ching -- a Taoist divination system. The Bayuali Reading is the oldest system of divination known to mankind. A Priest reads the energy of the Earth and is able to ask questions on behalf of himself or others. The Bayuali Readings are not psychic; they do not come from the Priest's personality; they come directly from the Earth. There is no limit to what can be asked; and the Bayuali Readings are very specific and accurate in regards to the courses of action that they give. Unlike many other systems, the Bayuali is not designed to tell a person what they want to hear; they are designed to tell a person what needs to be done in any given situation. The Bayuali is consulted extensively in Kemetic Culture for everything from the naming of children to decisions that the Pharaohs must make to preserve the stability of the planet.
The I Ching is similar in many ways to the Bayuali Readings. Consulting the I Ching is not a matter of psychic abilities; Masters are properly instructed in how to use this divination system which is based upon the Yin/Yang energy in the universe. According to Taoist's teachings, this duality gives birth to the four elements. This forms the basis of the energy described in each reading. As the energies of the four elements combine, they create the eight directions or trigrams. These trigrams then create the 64 hexagrams that are together called the I Ching. Chinese Emperors would often consult the I Ching to make critical decisions about the welfare of the people. People would also consult the I Ching about any issues they faced to improve their quality of life. There is no limit to what can be asked of the I Ching; and the readings given are also not designed to tell a person what they wish to hear. Both Bayuali Reading and the I Ching are designed to bring humanity into closer alignment and harmony with existence through interrogating the Cosmic Dialogue of Energies.
Central to both Kemetic Culture and Taoist Culture is the principle of the dual nature of existence. The Heru/Set is the oldest known conception of the principle of duality which governs the universe. Heru is the Neter (God) associated with the dynamic aspect of all things jzr (good, pure). Set is the Neter associated with all things bent (evil, corrupt). These two fundamental elements, jzr and bent, are present in all things in existence. It is when these two elements are in balance that life flourishes. If there is too much of the jzr or too much bent, destruction is the result.
Both of these aspects are necessary for the harmony and stability of the universe. Humanity's struggle is to maintain the balance between these Heru/Set forces. Heru is associated with water, and its cool life giving properties. Set is associated with fire and its dynamic, consuming, and destructive properties. Heru is associated with fragility and weakness, the same fragility and weakness in the human race. Set is associated with power and invincibility and is the more dynamic of the two forces.
The Heru/Set can be seen in all aspects of existence, hot and cold, day and night, female and male, up and down, right and wrong, the list of correspondences is as long and diverse as existence itself.
The Yin/Yang in the Taoist tradition is the fundamental defining principle of duality in the universe. Yin and Yang energy compose every part of the universe, from the smallest particles to the largest suns, from the most still and stable matter to the most dynamic energy. Yin is never present without Yang, nor is Yang ever present without Yin. Yin is cold, dark, still, soft, slow, and female. Yang is hot, light, dynamic, hard, fast, and male. Taoists spend their entire lives studying this ultimate principle of balance in nature, to change their actions and create internal balance, and ultimately live in perfect harmony with all of existence. The Yin/Yang is the oldest and most fundamental principle in Taoist culture. Knowledge of it is considered the most sublime and penultimate wisdom in nature.
In section 8 of the Tao De Ching, Lao Tzu the great Taoist sage who wrote that, "The supreme good is like water...." Heru, the Neter of supreme good in Kemetic Culture is, as mentioned above, also associated with water. Heru/Set and Yin/Yang are the core of Kemetic and Taoist culture. Heru's attributes are also Yin's attributes. Set's attributes are also Yang's attributes. The similarities of the principles of duality which define these two cultures is evidence of our common history.
The day that I spoke with Herpw Bikdeni, he lectured us in class on an important concept which I will reiterate here. He said that 75%- 85% of the problems we face in our lives, even in our relationships are caused by an external agenda, in other words caused by the system. At some point we must acknowledge that humanity has been split on purpose to create division and conflict among the people of the world. It is in the interests of those in power to create conflict, division, and suffering between people to maintain their power and spread their influence. As people of the Earth, we must do all we can to unite and remove the artificial barriers we have been conditioned by the system to adhere to. The only way for us to create a good world for our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren is to do the hard uncomfortable work necessary to lay the foundation for a harmonious future. Constant exposition of these similarities is needed to break through the generations of the conditioning that has divided humanity. Alliances between the sacred traditions of humanity must be strengthened to ensure our survival and prosperity.
