Proponents and practitioners of variousesoteric forms ofspirituality andalternative medicine refer to a variety of claimed experiences and phenomena as being due to anenergy orforce that defies measurement orexperimentation, and thus are distinct from uses of the termenergy in science.[1][2]
Claims related to energy therapies are most oftenanecdotal, rather than being based on repeatableempirical evidence, thus not following thescientific method.[3][4][5]
There is noscientific evidence for the existence of such energy,[2][1] and physics educators criticize the use of the termenergy to describe ideas in esotericism and spirituality as unavoidably confusing.[6]
The concept of esoteric energy has appeared in various cultures and spiritual traditions throughout history. Although interpretations differ, many traditions describe it as avital force that animates living beings and permeates the cosmos. These ideas often overlap with religious, medical, and mystical frameworks, influencing practices ranging from healing to spiritual enlightenment.
In ancient civilizations, esoteric energy was frequently associated withbreath,spirit, ordivine power. Theancient Egyptians referred toka, a vital essence that sustained life and represented a person’s spiritual double.[7] Inancient Greece, theStoics developed the concept ofpneuma, a universal breath that pervades all existence, whileAristotle andPlato explored the idea of a world soul, oranima mundi, as the unifying force of nature.[8] The Romans adopted similar notions through the termspiritus, which referred to both breath and an animating principle.[9]
Many indigenous andshamanic traditions also describe energy in ways that influence their spiritual and healing practices.Native American belief systems frequently refer to a medicine energy that connects all living things, often associated with the guidance of spirit beings.[7] Among theYoruba,aṣẹ is regarded as a divine force that animates life and can be channeled through ritual and invocation.[10] Similarly, inPolynesian traditions,mana is seen as a powerful spiritual energy that exists in people, objects, and thenatural world.[9]
Eastern traditions developed complex theories of energy as a subtle force flowing through the human body and the universe. InTaoist philosophy andTraditional Chinese Medicine,qi (气) was understood as a dynamic energy circulating through the body'smeridians, influencing health and vitality.Eastern philosophy also includes the notion of "negativeqi", typically understood as introducing negativemoods like outrightfear or more moderate expressions likesocial anxiety orawkwardness.[11] Deflecting this negativeqi throughgeomancy is a goal offeng shui.[12]
The concept ofqi also appears in the art offeng shui andChinese martial arts. Practices such asacupuncture,tai chi, andqi gong were developed to regulate and cultivate this energy.[13] The traditional explanation of acupuncture states that it works by manipulating the circulation ofqi through a network of meridians.[14] Intai chi, the ancient Chinese martial art, participants aim to concentrate and balance the body'sqi, providing benefits to mental and physical health.[15]
Similarly, inHindu andBuddhist traditions,prana (Sanskrit:प्राण,prāṇa; theSanskrit word for breath, "life force” or "vital principle")[16] was described as the breath-based life force that moves throughnadis, subtle channels that distribute energy throughout the body.[10] In Hindu literature, prāṇa is sometimes described as originating from theSun and connecting theelements.[17] The practice ofpranayama, a form of breath control, was believed to balance and enhance pranic energy. InTibetan Buddhism,lung (རླུང་) refers to a form of wind-energy that plays a key role in meditation, visualization, and tantric yogic practices.[18]
Japan also adopted energy concepts from China, referring toki (気) as a life force that could be harnessed for healing, as seen in the development ofReiki.[19] Practitioners of Reiki believe thatqi is transmitted to the client via the palms of the practitioner’s hands. Inyoga,Ayurveda, andIndian martial arts, it permeates reality on all levels, including inanimate objects.[20]
Western esotericism has incorporated energy concepts into its mystical andoccult traditions. Medieval and Renaissancealchemy often described an inherent vital force that could transmute base materials into gold and refine the human soul.[21] In the 18th century,Franz Mesmer ignited debate with his theory ofanimal magnetism, suggesting that an invisible magnetic fluid pervades living beings and could be manipulated for healing.[22] Attention tovitalism grew in the 18th and 19th centuries.[1][2] In the 19th century, theTheosophical Society introduced theories of etheric energy, theastral plane, andsubtle bodies, which became influential in later esoteric andNew Age movements.[23] In the 20th century, the Austrian physician andpsychoanalystWilhelm Reich, building on his mentorSigmund Freud's core notion oflibido, developed the concept oforgone energy, which he believed was a fundamental cosmic force that plays a role in physical and mental health.[24]
As biologists studiedembryology anddevelopmental biology, particularly before the discovery of genes, a variety of organisational forces were posited to account for their observations. German biologistHans Driesch (1867–1941), proposedentelechy, an energy which he believed controlled organic processes.[25] However, such ideas are discredited and modernscience has all but abandoned the attempt to associate additional energetic properties withlife.[25]
It is not the scientific concept of energy that is being referred to in the context of spirituality and alternative medicine. AsBrian Dunning writes:
That's all that energy is: a measurement of work capability. But in popular culture, 'energy' has somehow become a noun. "Energy" is often spoken of as if it is a thing unto itself, like a region of glowing power, that can be contained and used. Here's a good test. When you hear the word "energy" used, substitute the phrase "measurable work capability". Does the usage still make sense? Remember, energy itself is not the thing being measured: energy is the measurement of work performed or of potential... Thus, this New Age concept of the body having an "energy field" is fatally doomed. There is no such thing as an energy field; they are two unrelated concepts.[26]
Despite the lack of scientific support, spiritual writers and thinkers have maintained ideas about energy and continue to promote them either as useful allegories or as fact.[27] The field ofenergy medicine purports to manipulate energy, but there is no credible evidence to support this.[3]
Esoteric traditions have developed various conceptual models to describe the nature, flow, and function of energy within the human body, the natural world, and the cosmos. These frameworks often includesubtle bodies,energy centers, and channels through which energy is believed to move. Many of these ideas are found in religious, mystical, and alternative healing traditions, forming the foundation for practices such as yoga, meditation, alchemy, and energy healing.
The concept of subtle bodies appears across many traditions, referring to layers of existence beyond the physical body. In Hindu and Buddhist thought, theastral body (sūkṣma śarīra) and thecausal body (kāraṇa śarīra) are described as non-material sheaths that house consciousness and energy.[10]Theosophy expands on this idea, describing multiple energetic layers such as theetheric body, which is said to interface between the physical andastral realms.[23] Theaura, often depicted as a luminous field surrounding the body, is another widely recognized concept in spiritual traditions, believed to reflect an individual’s emotional, mental, and spiritual state.[19]
Energy is often thought to flow through structured pathways within the body. Hindu and Buddhist traditions describenadis, subtle channels through whichprana moves, whileTraditional Chinese Medicine speaks ofmeridians, pathways that distributeqi and regulate bodily functions.[7] Tibetan Buddhism similarly identifies a system oftsa (channels), which directlung (wind energy) throughout the body.[18] InWestern esotericism,alchemists andHermeticists developed related ideas, proposing that spiritual energy circulates through subtle currents within the humanmicrocosm, mirroring celestial movements.[21]
Energy centers, often referred to aschakras, are believed to serve as focal points where energy gathers and transforms.Hindu andTantric Buddhist traditions describe a system of seven primary chakras, each corresponding to different aspects of human consciousness and physiology, from theMuladhara (root) chakra at the base of the spine to theSahasrara (crown) chakra at the top of the head.[10] Each chakra is associated with specific elements, colors, and vibrational frequencies, and practices such asmantra recitation, visualization, andbreath control are used to balance these centers. Westernoccultists, including figures from the Theosophical and Hermetic traditions, have adapted the chakra system into their mystical frameworks.[23]
The role of breath is emphasized in many traditions as a means of controlling and directing energy. Inpranayama, controlled breathing techniques regulate prana to cultivate spiritual and physical well-being.[28] Similarly,qi gong andtai chi involveintentional breathwork to guide Qi and harmonize the body’s energy.[29] These practices often intersect withmeditation and visualization, creating a bridge between physical exercises and mystical states of awareness.
Another key aspect of esoteric energy frameworks is their connection to consciousness and transformation. Many traditions describe spiritual progress as a refinement of energy, where lower, denser energies are transmuted into higher states of awareness. Alchemical traditions, for example, speak of refiningvital energy through symbolic processes likecalcination,dissolution, andsublimation, ultimately leading to enlightenment.[21] InWestern occultism, energy manipulation is a key principle inceremonial magic, where the practitioner directs subtle forces through will and intention.[30]
There are varioussacred natural sites that people of different belief systems findnuminous or have an "energy" with significance to humans.[31] The idea that some kind of "negative energy" is responsible for creating or attractingghosts ordemons appears in contemporary paranormal culture and beliefs as exemplified in the TV showsParanormal State andGhost Hunters.[32]
Vitalism has fallen out of favour, though it had advocates even into the twentieth century.
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