Universal Life Forces - or Prana

An extract from the book Realise Your Inner Potential

Every breath we take, every mouthful of liquid or solid we consume, is charged with that vital force known in the east as prana. In fact, prana is the sum total of all cosmic energy. It is the energy which enables you to bend your little finger; it is the energy which, manifesting as gravitation, causes a passing meteor to be drawn into the orbit of a planetary body. Without prana, there could be no motion of any kind and all cosmic manifestation would fade into its original state of dark, motionless potential; for prana is the energy which brings forth the realisation of the original possibilities into the numerous phases of activated manifestation which constitute the whole of cosmic creation.

Prana is the life of the atom and the vitality of the most elevated inspiration of the enlightened saint. All creation revolves upon an energy axis - prana. Ten thousand words could be written about prana without describing it in its entirety, yet one word is sufficient for the thinking man. Prana is Life.

Although everything contains prana, it is in its most accessible form in the air we breathe. Even though it is neither the oxygen nor the nitrogen, it is the energy which vitalises these, for without prana, neither the oxygen nor the nitrogen atoms could exist but would still be an inert possibility in the mind of the Creator.

If no mental or material thing can exist without the vitalising factor of pranic vibration and this vibration charges every molecule of air we breathe, it can easily be seen how important are correct breathing methods.

In the west, doctors regard the oxygen and nitrogen and their absorption into the blood circulatory system, as the primary function of breathing; but for centuries the occultist has known otherwise. He has admitted that deep breathing of fresh, clean air fills the bloodstream with oxygenated particles which are pumped by the heart to every extremity of the human body, thereby feeding every cell and causing much waste toxic matter to be consumed.

But this is only one aspect of the all-important action of breathing. The yogi calls this the negative aspect. The positive aspect - and the most important one - is the direct absorption of vital pranic energy by the nervous and brain systems, without which they could not exist, never mind function properly.

In case some readers should confuse prana with spirit, a few words about the essential relationship will not be amiss. Imagine a radiant, angelic being, clothed in the dazzling white robes of purity, riding in a chariot pulled by two strong, fleet horses through the golden gates of a magnificent temple. This angelic being, beautiful beyond all description, is symbolic of the Spark of Divinity within you - the spirit. The will he exerts through his hands over his horses represents the part played by your soul; his guiding hands, your mind, and the powerful horses, prana; while the chariot symbolises your physical body and the temple, his destination, represents God, which is the eventual destination of every soul. This is a poor illustration but it is hoped that it may at least serve to explain the part played by the spirit and by prana, which is the vital energy that is used by the Divine Spirit through the will in the journey through evolution.

Even the most conservative thinkers will admit they believe that all creation is passing through a slow, steady stage of evolution. If we believe in the evolution of man, we must go one stage further and admit that, before evolution is possible, involution must have taken place. How can absolute perfection evolve any higher than absolute perfection? God is Absolute Perfection and therefore above any evolutionary necessity or possibility.

The spirit, as an individualised particle of God, must be completely perfect, and therefore beyond the possibility of evolution, unless the Creator had seen fit in the beginning to involve each individualised Divine Spark of Himself. This, then, is what happened. In the beginning, there was silent, motionless perfection, which was God. Then God, as the Creator, saw fit to involve, or wrap up, each specific part of Himself in matter; so we had the great out-breathing, the result of which was all manifestation on every plane of existence - the whole unit of cosmic manifestation.

Next we have the great control (the yogis call it pranayama) of the breath of God, during which time the spirit passed further and further into matter according to the plan of the Divine Architect. Then we have the great in-breathing, during which time the spirit throws off the binding shackles of mind and matter and evolves until it is God again.

This is the logical explanation of how creation was made. No man knows why. For some reason, beyond even the capacity of our deepest meditations, God saw fit to involve Himself and thereby necessitate the system of evolution.

These simple words provide some reasons for the past, present and future existence of everything. There is not a religion on Earth which does not say the same thing in different ways. Christianity speaks of satan and the falling away through temptation. Call it what you like, the truth remains that this wrapping up of the perfect Flame of Divinity did take place and self-conscious man realises, most times dimly, that he has to make the long, tedious journey through countless lives and dimensions back to the Source of all things, which is union, or yoga. Prana is the energy which enables this journey to be made.

Dr. George King

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