Qi

Qi

Yesterday’s post ended on perception and how we both perceive and are perceived. Just after I posted that, I went onto an online forum that has one of those live chat rooms where everyone talks over each other and if you aren’t used to following twenty conversations at the same time, you’re pretty much screwed in one of these rooms. Seriously…I think brains might explode. And that’s before all of the arguing can begin. Luckily, the arguing was to a minimum, and the main thread of conversation in that chat room at the moment centered around Qi.

So, what is Qi and how do you say it (especially with no u after the q) – the main focuses of the short time I was in the room. It got even better when some brave soul pointed out that the word can be spelled in different ways. Yep, brains exploded, I’m thinking.

For those of you who are actually wondering, Qi – also spelled Xi and Chi and Ch’i (and those are just the spellings I’ve seen) – is pronounced ‘Chee’ – no, I don’t think it’s supposed to be related to Cheetos, but you can check into it and let me know.

Qi, in as simple of terms as I can use – and I beg pardon if I’m inaccurate in this, as it is a compilation of what different people have told me as well as how I understand it – is in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Philosophy what makes up everything and links it all together. Okay, simpler terms?  Think of the Force from Star Wars and how it links everything together. Combine that with how Neo was able to see how things were made and linked together in The Matrix,  and you’ve got a general idea of the very basics. Qi needs to flow, and in the human body, blocked Qi equals pain and illness and all sorts of icky things.  Qi has duality aspects to it – masculine and feminine, or yang and yin – and is not always understood in Western medicine and society. It is often perceived as a con or something that cannot possibly be – Tai Chi, a martial art form, focuses on using Chi/Qi as part of its forms, and while it is often used as terrific exercise and great for balance (it’s both), I have heard people say that it is a wussy kind or martial art. I’d love for those people to see my Tai Chi instructor from college who threw a former Marine across the room when they were sparring.

Qi can be gentle, and it can be ferocious. It is assertive and receptive. In its ideal situation, it is all of that, and it is balanced. It shows up in many forms under even more names in all kinds of cultures and religions/spiritual paths. It has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and can definitely work well with Western medicine.

Qi also begins with the letter of the day, Q, which fulfilled a need for my writing.

May your Qi be balanced and flow freely,

J