To quicken means to
make alive or more alive. Quickening can be described as the manifesting
of a mystical life force that imparts increased mental, spiritual or
physical activity to an object or existing life form. Quickening in
humans is evidenced with a departure from the status quo or from conditioned
behavior and thinking.
First love is an excellent
example of quickening because the increase in life force in both of
the lovers is so noticeable. The lovers take on a vitality and an expanded
interest in life that is in sharp contrast to their previous existence.
They find a special energy to do things that they would not have even
considered doing before, such as staying up all night talking or pursuing
some common challenging goal. Their physical and mental health improves
markedly, and they both take on a radiance that is well-recognized.
This special energy or quickening is not associated with lust or the
simple satisfying of physical desires, but rather is that which is used
to fully meet each moment together so as to not waste one second. Young
lovers have the quickening to constantly reach into the oncoming moment
to further enrich each moment of life together. They become more and
more alive by feeding and being nourished by each other.
Despite their odd
behavior, the lovers are actually more acceptable to the social world
in that they can be more efficient and cheerful in their daily tasks
and interactions with others. It is evident that their world is changed
in that many of the males become more loquacious and perhaps boring
to their friends as their conversations seem to want to center on their
love, but they are seen as more awakened and alive nonetheless. Some
of the females likewise can find the absence from their lovers depressing,
yet first love seems to be as a stimulant to most lovers who become
more alert and alive to their existence. They certainly demonstrate
an opening to the world with an increased quickening to fully meet the
immediate demands of the world.
One surprising aspect
of the energy of first love for virgins is that it is seldom perceived
as leading initially to sexual intercourse. Their energies are placed
into exploring their mutual worlds as a stage of pre-bonding rather
than into enflaming biological urges. Touching, getting close and the
exploring of each other's body and reactions are, of course, exciting
and rewarding, however it is not done for possession or control, but
for sharing, uniting and giving. This desire to share and give requires
quickening in order to increase both the sensitivity to each other as
well as a heightened response back to each other. Quickening stimulates
both the sense organs as well as oneness.
This quickening of
lovers is also similar to the quickening found by individuals who dedicate
themselves to some form of improvement of their lives as will be discussed
later.
There is another type
of quickening that is quite spectacular because of its suddenness and
power that can instantly change an individual. The Bible uses the term
astonied (thunderstruck) to indicate this state of being overpowered
with quickening that leads to the attainment of a revelation or insight.
Being astonied can be compared with the experiences described by the
Eastern Sanskrit term vajra which means a thunderbolt that can transform
an individual. Religious writings tend to credit the sudden rise in
quickening with the sudden influence of a spirit, god, power or of an
inner rising force. The supernatural deed of an individual to save someone's
life or the sudden insight that changes the immediate or future world
can be explained by this sudden increase in quickening.
Many individuals have
found the sudden quickening in facing an imminent danger or excitement
such as your automobile spinning out of control or the sudden awareness
of an answer to a long term problem that must now be solved. The increasing
of quickening is many times described as the experiencing of a rising
excitement, heat, vibration, electricity, tensioning, or warmth from
the sexual region. This feeling is generally quite pleasurable and can
stun you. During these moments of quickening, there is often no fear
or other emotion, time slows or stands still and you have increased
mental capabilities that seem to open your mind to another source of
information.
This form of quickening
must be the result of a combination of complex hormonal release as well
as a unique mental process that directs the sensors and responses of
the body to meet some sudden arising or intense demand. For instance,
the release of adrenaline, which is probably one of the hormones contributing
to quickening, stimulates the muscles such that they can meet special
demands. However, it also increases the sense organs to better detect
the outer world and increases the acuity of the brain to more fully
understand and relate to the outer world.
One very important
consideration of the rising of the quickening is that it is not obtained
by direct conscious effort. This can be compared with your inability
to control the secretion of hormones following some emotional experience.
Quickening is generally only found with surrendering to an outside power
or situation or in searching for some knowledge. Religious and success
stories abound with individuals who find quickening to change their
worlds.
The nearly universal
description of the source of quickening is that it starts deep within
your body. It seems somehow to come from your very center of being and
has a power over your entire body and mind. The word 'heart' was used
to describe its location that had the meaning of being the very center
of something. Your heart was therefore the center of your being and
contained the source of quickening and was universally described as
residing in the lower abdomen, belly or sexual region by the majority
of the early religious writings. The Jewish writings used the Hebrew
words leb and meah to refer to the heart that was located within the
intestines, belly, or bowels.
Within this lower heart the Spirit of the individual was assumed to
dwell whose mystical powers were believed to be stimulated with the
deep breathing experienced during the overcoming of life's obstacles
and challenges. The correspondence of breath and Spirit was so strong
that the word for Spirit in ancient Greek and Hebrew texts was 'deep
exhalation' (pneuma in Greek and ruwach in Hebrew). This explains the
importance of the use of the strong exhalation of the breath in early
religious rituals as well as its usage in martial arts. In contrast,
the Soul was identified with the word for 'light breathing' (psuche
in Greek and nephesh in Hebrew) and was associated with the animal sentient
principle located in the chest.
The location of the
heart was later changed to the chest where it became identified with
the blood-pumping organ. This may have been due in part to the old usage
of the Greek word kardia that meant an organ with two orifices and hence
could be either the stomach or the upper pumping organ. The shift in
location can also be briefly explained with the Christian belief in
the blood atonement of Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God, which replaced
the earlier Jewish blood rituals using animal sacrifice. The 'Sacred
Heart' of the risen Jesus, as the source of the redeeming blood, became
the center for the inspiration and power source for believers. This
belief in the power of blood then became the reason for the change of
inner power from the lower abdomen to the chest. To further increase
the importance of blood and pumping heart, worshippers also engaged
in the ritual of drinking the sacred blood of Jesus that would further
unite their blood, body and purpose with that of Jesus.
With the shifting
of what was believed to be the individual's center of being up into
the chest and its pumping heart, some of the old religious disciplines
no longer were understandable. The disciplines that applied pressure
to the perineum or lower sexual area, for instance, were no longer considered
to be of value. One such discipline was the simple act of sitting that
was advocated worldwide. This practice can be seen as activating the
lower heart, and hence quickening.
There are two entirely
different physical methods of sitting. One fits the modern concept of
being comfortable and relaxed, generally with the back supported and
reclined to some degree, and with a soft pad under the buttocks and
perineum. The other method, used for stimulation or increasing the quickening
rather than relaxation, has the back unsupported and upright, tummy
relaxed and protruding, and the perineum in contact with the support
of the seat. Much of the world also sits cross-legged which has the
advantage of stretching and providing more pressure on the perineum
that is able, in turn, to apply direct pressure and stimulation to the
lower center.
The perineum is one
of the sensitive areas of the body that a child loves to stimulate or
have stimulated. Adults learn to let a child sit on the knee or foot
and then bounce the child up and down with obvious enjoyment from the
child. Children, in playing, love to fall or bounce on their buttocks
or apply direct pressure to the perineum with such activities as straddling
and then sliding along a tree limb or bars on the playground. The older
children learn how to bounce on a teeter-totter or how to enjoy sledding
down a bumpy slope which also stimulates the perineum and inner center.
Pressure or pounding
on the perineum puts pressure on or massages the inner lower glands
as well as changes the pressure within the spinal fluid. The sacred
bone, or the sacrum, has holes along its length that may couple the
pressure arising from the perineum to the fluid within the spine. The
change in pressure of the lower spinal fluid is then transmitted upwards
to the base of the brain thereby also providing some stimulation to
the glands in the head.
Rocking on the perineum
is known to change the body and mind. As for instance, a wonderful therapy
for autistic or severely depressed children is obtained with bareback
riding on a horse, which results in the direct massaging of the perineum.
Simple sitting and rocking is also found therapeutic to both children
and adults who may find relief in emotional problems such as grief or
apprehension.
Even greater stimulation
can be obtained for the lower center or lower heart with inner movement
of the lower abdominal muscles. Examples of this motion is found with
crying or laughing, both of which are known to change the mind, body
and view of the outer world. Deep exhalations, with the lungs emptied,
press on the lower abdomen with surprising results. One interesting
example of the change in breathing is found when you become demanding
or authoritative. You breathe out forcibly using a lower lung capacity
rather than the filled lungs. Using the downward deep exhalation changes
your voice such that others react to it giving you more attention and
respect. This deep exhalation is fundamental to mastering the martial
arts as well as loosening the source of quickening. You may have noticed
that when you are startled, you make a sudden gasp of exhalation or
inhalation which stimulates the lower abdominal breathing muscles to
ready or quicken the body to meet an emergency. If you wish to increase
your inner energy, exhale strongly and let your lungs fill (without
forced inhalation) to half capacity and repeat. You have, however, been
taught the reverse of taking a deep breath and then breathing out slowly
without effort. (Children must be conditioned to breathe this way to
make them easier to control and able to learn.)
The value of quickening
is illustrated in a story about the origin of the martial arts when
a group of yogis in ancient India were suddenly set upon by bandits.
The yogis, who had mastered the breath and churning of the abdomen,
found that they could easily vanquish the bandits because they could
move faster as well as anticipate the moves of the bandits. In order
to verify this power of quickening, a group of middle-aged adults with
increased quickening were measured as they clapped their hands in response
to a sound. Their speed of response was then compared to a group of
12-13 year old children as well as a middle-aged control group of adults.
The results are quite surprising, and do support the ancient story as
well as modern claims of increased reaction times in emergencies. The
children responded on the average 30% faster than the adult control
group, as normally expected; however, the quickened group responded
27% faster than the young children with a man of nearly 70 years beating
the time of the fastest child.
Some Chinese martial
art systems list the lower abdomen as the source of chi or quickening
and teach that this lower center must be stimulated with various breathing
exercises and motions of the body. The early Indian systems were more
descriptive of the lower center (svadishthana, place of standing of
the self) and even the West used the term of 'solar plexus' (place of
connections to the sun) in a similar manner. (This term is understandable
if the usage of the word sun is recognized as the center for interacting
with the outer world. )
The ancient system
of alchemy was developed, in part, to convert the latent bio-energy
of the body into a higher form of energy. The alchemical process began
in the lower chambers of the athanor (body) with heat and mixing in
the presence of a special catalyst (the stone of the philosopher) and
is many times depicted in sexual terms and symbolic scenes such as the
nude embrace of a prepubescent boy and girl, the union of god and goddess,
or the union of the sun and moon.
There is an optimum
standing posture for supporting quickening as well as a posture that
suppresses quickening. Modern society teaches and supports the latter
which has the tummy and buttocks pulled in, making the lower body become
straight, tight and flat. You are taught, starting in elementary school,
that you look fit and healthy with this posture. Quickening, however,
demands a relaxed and expanded lower abdomen such as found in young
children with the buttocks and stomach protruding outwards such that
the perineum can be stimulated with the pressure from the movement of
the thighs. This relaxed posture is also the correct posture for many
of the early martial arts.
The early religious
writings of many of the major religions taught that sexual intercourse
diminishes quickening and hence sex should be used only for procreation.
Almost all ancient philosophies assumed that the creative energy of
the body is limited and, if used for sexual orgasm or the creation of
a new life, will be lost for quickening. To support this concept, consider
how you have experienced that your world opens and your senses increase
with an extended period of absence from sexual release. You are also
very much aware of how your world closes down with reduced vitality
after sexual gratification. Modern society and its institutions know
that individuals who have frequent sexual intercourse are more easily
managed and hence encourage frequent sex. Consider for instance, how
society lauds sexual prowess, teaches sexual techniques and contraceptives
in public schools, and promotes conjugal prison visits.
The early writings,
however, taught the necessity of a special form of union between a male
and a female and the merger of their two distinct characteristics that
increased quickening. Some of the writings pointed to a higher form
of a male/female coupling that because of its extremely ecstatic and
transformational power has suffered suppression over the centuries.
This coupling was without penetration or orgasm and increased quickening,
voluptuousness and ecstasy, but which is beyond the scope of this book.
Quickening is often
considered to be a feminine or feminizing force, which may explain the
sex of the universal great 'Quickener', i.e. 'Mother Nature'. The feminine
sexual-like feelings encountered within the lower center can many times
become very strong with the sense of inner female-like responses. It
is this strong feminine inner feeling that, no doubt, led to many religions
describing the inner controlling power as an indwelling feminine spirit.
It is easy to postulate that the feminine form of religious garb around
the world is a result of the feminine feelings arising from quickening.
There is an opposite
masculine force associated with quickening that is related to the outer
creations or changes that are evidenced coming from a quickened person.
The creative and innovative actions are generally described as coming
from an inner masculine force. Later the quickening and the driving
forces will be described as coming forth from an inner center that contains
both. Many religions describe this combined sexual experience as having
an androgynous nature and many ancient gods were depicted with both
masculine and feminine characteristics.
The increase of quickening
and the resulting opening and sharing with others is first experienced
in the imaginary games of childhood during which a child must fully
respond to the imaginary characters or roles that everyone puts on.
As children are able to fully find the oneness with each other and the
necessary energy or quickening to fully play their roles, they step
into the magical world of oneness and ecstasy that quickly overpowers
all of the players.
This sense of quickening
is found many times as an adult where there is no fear of repercussions
from your statements or actions or judgement of others. One familiar
example of this quickening is experienced during a trip where you find
yourself bored and looking for something of interest. Many times you
can easily initiate a conversation with the person next to you and find
that both of you quickly get pulled into the resulting discussion. Many
times it seems that you are both of one mind and you become quite quickened
as you compare stories or anecdotes. You both become aware of the direction
of the discussion and are anxious to assist in its unfolding. The discussion
becomes as an exciting game where you both know the rules and the assumed
roles that you both play. During this time together you sense a oneness
as time seems to pass ever so quickly or has no meaning. There is only
complete acceptance of the other person without any judgement. It is
as if you have known and played with each other for much of your lifetimes.
That you exhibited quickening during this process is evidenced by you
becoming fully awake and alert, whereas initially you felt fatigued,
bored and enervated. You have probably also seen the same vitalization
in a child who was sitting dejected and doing very little until he is
pulled into a game with other children.
Quickening initiates
the development of another power within the body that is associated
with providing creativity, intuition and what can be called guidance.
For instance, many individuals who find quickening in facing an emergency
also find an opening of the mind that provides an insight into what
they should do. Some individuals find that under some strong demand
which quickens them, they can become quite creative. The creative conversation
above can be credited in part to this power. Many practices that can
be called religious or spiritual can likewise produce a quickened state
in which philosophical, scientific or religious questions may be answered.
This creative inner
guiding power is called by many names from the Holy Spirit to indwelling
gods to kundalini by various groups and religions. This book will attempt
to avoid the use of such names because of the conditioned interpretation
given to them. Instead the simple name of 'inner power' will be used
in the following chapters.
1. Glossary
2. Glossary
3. Glossary
4. Glossary
5. Reference 16, Chapter 4
6. See Glossary
7. Chapter 9
8. Reference 15, Appendix
9. Reference 4
10. Reference 11, 24
11. Chapter 9, Reference 13, 15
12. Reference 13, 15
13. Reference 15.
14. Reference 14, Chapter 19
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