CHANNELING

Channeling is usually understood as the communication of information by a spirit or some other supernatural entity through the means of a person (medium or channel).

Channeling is part of the rituals of many religions such as shamanism, voodoo, candomble, etc. Channeling is now part of the New Age culture and there are many books on the subject. The psychologist C.G. Jung wrote theories on channeling. These theories focus on the concept of collective unconscious, an ancient memory preserved for the whole history of humankind in the form of symbols that can appear in dreams, out of body experiences, channeling experiences, etc. The interpretation of these symbols depends on the culture and the person.

The personal aspect of channeling is of interest to us. We will study it in the light of the discoveries in cerebral physiology by Doctor Francis Lefebure, a French physician and researcher.

The works of Doctor Lefebure are based on the systematic use of the phosphenes which are all the subjective sensations of light, i.e. those which are not directly provoked by light stimulating the retina. The phosphenes can be produced by focusing shortly on sources of light.

The systematic study of the phosphenes and their rhythms has allowed Dr Lefebure to design a scientifically improved yoga: Phosphenism. Among the techniques and the exercises he proposes, the ‟horseshoe” head sway is the most appropriate for producing experiences of channeling or encounters with ‟spiritual guides”.

The equipment necessary to practice this technique is:

• Dr Lefebure’s phosphenic lamp.
• The Mantratron designed by Dr Lefebure, or a simple metronome.

Exercise:

The ‟horseshoe” head sway, the most efficient technique to establish communications, should be practiced the following manner:

Set the Mantratron on a beat every three seconds, or a metronome on 20 BPM.
Do a phosphene with the phosphenic lamp.
The starting position of the head recalls the position of Christ on the cross, the cheek set on the collarbone.
Raise your head back in a normal straight position.
Lower your head towards the other shoulder until your other cheek is set on the other collarbone.
The full movement (from one collarbone to the other) takes three seconds.
During the movements of the head, keep in mind the idea that you are trying to contact a guide, or visualize the image of a guide with which you have already had one or several contacts.
Repeat these movements until the phosphene disappears (roughly three minutes).
Do another phosphene and resume the movements.

Practice this exercise once a day during 15 to 45 minutes.
After a certain time of practice, from one week to a month, you will most probably have convincing results in the domain of channeling or contacting spiritual guides.

We will define channeling as the interpretation of profound energies by the brain. It is a way to contact the deepest layers of consciousness, called collective unconscious by Jung or akachic records by the New Age culture. The interpretation of these phenomena remains purely personal and it is important to understand them as an amplification of the thoughts of the individual. In channeling experiences, one finds what one has brought with them.

The Hindu tradition defines the chakras as vortices of energy located on various points of the human body. The term chakra comes from a Sanskrit word meaning ‟wheel”. A similar principle can be found in other traditions: Chinese medicine, tantrism, Tibetan buddhism, the kabbalah or sufism, for example.

Phosphenism, a method of initiatory development designed by Doctor Francis LEFEBURE, a french physician and scientist, also recognizes the existence of the chakras and provides exercises for practicing with them. We will develop about this method later in this article.

There are seven main chakras. They are lined up vertically from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated to a particular color and to certain physiological and psychological functions. The chakras can be considered as the organs of consciousness. They are represented by lotus flowers.

Vital energy (prâna, shakti, ki or chi) circulates throughout the body along channels called meridians. The chakras play a particular role in this network of energy. They function by rotation and garantee the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional health of the individual.

There is a parallel between the main chakras and the endocrinal glandular system. These glands could be the physical counterpart of the chakras.

The seven main chakras

Muladhara or root chakra is related to instincts, survival and basic human functions. This center is located in the perineum area, between the sexual organs and the anus. Though there is no endocrinal gland in this part of the body, certain authors consider that the root chakra is connected to the adrenalin glands, which are responsible of survival responses. Muladhara is represented by a lotus flower with four petals; its color is red.

Swadhisthana or chakra of the sacrum is located roughly three centimeters under the navel. It is related to emotions, sexuality and creativity. This chakra corresponds to the testicules and the ovaries, where the hormones that govern the cycle of reproduction are produced. Its symbol is a lotus with six petals; its color is orange.

Manipura is the chakra of the solar plexus. It is related to energy, as well as digestion and the assimilation of nutriments. It is supposed to correspond to the pancreas, a gland that plays a major role in the conversion of food into energy. Manipura is represented by a lotus flower with ten petal; its color is yellow.

Anahata or heart chakra is related to higher emotions, compassion, love, balance and well-being. It corresponds to the thymus, the organ of the immune and the endocrinal system that is responsable for combating diseases. Anahata is represented by a lotus flower with twelve petals; its color is green.

Vishuddha or throat chakra is related to growth. Its parallel is the thyroid gland which produces the growth hormone. Vishuddha is represented by a lotus flower with sixteen petals; its color is blue.

Ajna or third eye is the chakra of consciousness, time and light. It is related to the pineal gland which is sentive to light and produces melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep/wake cycle. Ajna is represented by a lotus flower with two petals; its color is indigo.

Sahasrara or crown chakra is the master chakra which controls all the others. It is the seat of spirituality. Its role is similar to the role of the pituitary gland which produces the hormones that control the endocrinal system. Sahasrara is represented by a lotus flower with a thousand petals; its color is purple.

Tantrism describes Kundalini as a coiled snake circling Mulhadara or root chakra three times. The exercises of the tantra are meant to awaken Kundalini, i.e. to let this energy rise from chakra to chakra. When Kundalini reaches Sahasrara or crown chakra, phenomena of illumination are produced.

The discoveries of Dr LEFEBURE on cerebral physiology, based on the systematic use of the phosphenes, bring a better understanding of these mecanisms and permit to reproduce them in a rather simple manner. The phosphenes are all the subjective sensations of light, i.e. those that are not directly provoked by light stimulating the retina.

Dr LEFEBURE discovered that the phenomena of illumination are produced by the synchronization of nervous cells in the brain. These synchronizations produce an electrical potential that diffuses itself into the zones of the brain that are responsible for sight, triggering perceptions of light. It is these perceptions of light that are called illumination.

Understanding these processes in a physiological way, Dr LEFEBURE invented the Gyrascope or Kundalini-triggering machine. Gyroscopic meditation permits a profound action on consciousness and the chakras in particular. Sustained practice can trigger the awakening of Kundalini with all the phenomena that correspond to the classical description of the surge of this force.

Gyroscopic meditation exercise

There is a virtual streaming Gyrascope available on our website. Do a phosphene and project it on the rotating blades of the Gyrascope for roughly three minutes.
Close your eyes, you will notice that the phoshene thus produced is rotational or whirling. (This is the proof of the existence of a mental whirling force, as the behavior of thoughts match the behavior of the phosphenes. Check Dr LEFEBURE’s book Kundalini Volume 1).
Concentrate on a chakra, the Ajna chakra or third eye, for example.
Visualize a dot of light, a star or a comet, for example, that is rotating on this chakra at a rhythm of one lap or half a lap per second. Use a precise beat from music or a metronome.
When the phosphene has disappeared, start the process again.
Pay attention to the sensations coming from this chakra.
Practice this exercise during 15 to 45 minutes.
To produce phenomena of illumination, practice this exercise every day. After two weeks, you will most probably obtain very advanced phenomena. By sustaining this practice, you can produce the awakening of Kundalini.

Carlos Castaneda, a young ethnologist from the University of California, wanted to write a thesis about the hallucinogenic plants of Mexico

CASTANEDA

Carlos Castaneda, a young ethnologist from the University of California, wanted to write a thesis about the hallucinogenic plants of Mexico. During a trip to this country, he met Don Juan, an old Yaqui sorceror who initiated him to the Toltec tradition. Castaneda relates his initiation in a series of very popular books that go way beyond the academic framework of ethnology. Within these books, Castaneda mentions different exercises that his master taught him, and that he later compiled in a method that he called ‟Tensegrity”. In this brief article, we would like to analyse one of these exercises in the light of the discoveries in cerebral physiology of a French researcher, Doctor Francis Lefebure.

In The Second Ring of Power, first published in 1977, Castaneda describes an exercise that he practices with other initiates (La Gorda, Lidia, Rosa and Josefina), as it had been taught by their master, The Nagual Don Juan.

‟She (La Gorda) put her hand on my writing pad and said that we had a terribly busy day ahead of us and we needed to store energy in order to withstand it. We had, therefore, to energize ourselves with the sunlight. She said that the circumstances required that we take the sunlight with the left eye. She began to move her head slowly from side to side as she glanced directly into the sun through her half-closed eyes.

A moment later, Lidia, Rosa and Josefina joined us. Lidia sat to my right, Josefina sat next to her, while Rosa sat next to La Gorda. All of them were resting their backs against the poles. I was in the middle of the row.
It was a clear day. The sun was just above the distant range of mountains. Their started moving their heads in perfect synchronization. I joined them and had the feeling that I too had synchronized my motion with theirs. They kept it up for about a minute and then stopped.

All of them wore hats and used the brims to protect their faces from the sunlight when they were not bathing their eyes in it. La Gorda had given me my old hat to wear.
We sat there for about half an hour. In that time we repeated the exercise countless times I intended to make a mark on my pad for each time but La Gorda very casually pushed my pad out of reach.”

This exercise, described by Castaneda, is very similar to the exercise of lateral head sway proposed by Dr Lefebure. The main difference being that Castaneda and the other initiates focus on the sun with their left eye, but we will come back to this point later in this article.

Focusing on a bright enough source of light leads to the production of a phosphene. The phosphenes are the patches of changing colors that we can perceive with our eyes closed, after having focused on a source of light. They correspond to what ophtalmologists call images of retinal persistence or after-images. The phosphenes are not only due to the functioning of the retina but, as Dr Lefebure has demonstrated, they actually are an energy that emanates from the brain. It is thanks to the study of the phosphenes that Dr Lefebure has been able to design a set of techniques allowing an efficient development of personal energy.

In 1934, at the age of 18, Francis Lefebure was initiated by a master: Artheme Galip (a Ukranian diplomat), who triggered a series of powerful experiences by laying of hands. Dr Lefebure relates these experiences in his book ‟Initatory Experiences” Vol 1-3. At the same time, Galip taught Francis lefebure a set of exercises meant to maintain and develop the energy transmitted by the laying of hands. These exercises were part of the Zoroastrian tradition, which Galip had studied in a temple of that obedience. These techniques comprised exercises of head sways. Sadly, the mode of operation recommended by Galip did not bring solely beneficial effects. Galip’s way of practicing head sways was wrong enough to trigger harmful effects, thereby creating a paradox between the beneficial effects of his laying of hands and the negative effects of the exercises he taught.
It is only in 1959, when he met the Indonesian mystic Pak Subuh, that Dr Lefebure made a crucial discovery that allowed him to understand scientifically the effects of the various modes of head sways. He called this discovery the Subud Effect.

Extract from Exploring the Brain with the Study of the Oscillations of the Double Phosphenes:

‟On the occasion of Pak Subuh’s visit to Paris, we have studied the movements of the head that he practices and that belong to an ancient Javanese tradition. These exercises resemble the Zoroastrian initiatory practices that were taught to us by our master Artheme Galip, though there are some slight differences. There is no doubt that head sways, practiced regularly, have an effect on the brain and, consequently, on the conscience of the individual. But, out of all the traditional versions, which are favorable? If two modes of operation allow to obtain good results, what are the differences between these results? How can one have a relatively objective understanding of the action of each different types of head sway when electroencephalograms require complete immobility?

Those were the questions that we were pondering at the time.

To answer them, we had the idea to use the phosphenes. We decided to study the action of head sways on the phosphenes.

Straight away, we discovered an absolutely amazing and totally unpredictable phenomenon; as far as we know, it has never been reported before, though a child could have discovered it as a game.
From a distance of two meters, focus for a minute on an ordinary lamp, then turn it off and remain in the dark. After a short phase of latency, the phosphene appears. Now, sway your head laterally (from left to right) at average speed: you see that the phosphene sways at the same pace as your head.

Let us try again the same experiment but, this time, sway your head at a fast rhythm: THE PHOSPHENE SEEMS TO STAY FIXED ON THE MEDIAN AXIS OF THE BODY. Now sway your head very slowly: the phosphene seem to sway a little, BUT LESS THAN THE BODY.

Consequently, there is a rhythm, and a single one, that favors the association of the movements of the phosphene with the movements of the head, the other rhythms reducing or interrupting this association. In rememberance of the circumstances of its discovery, we called SUBUD EFFECT the unexpected opposition between the movements of the phosphene, that depend on the pace of the movements of the head.

The Subud effect is the dissociation of the movements of the phosphene and the movements of the head when the movements of the head are fast.

This simple fact already has a considerable neurological and pedagogical reach. It opens the way for a new branch of humanities: neuro-pedagogy.”

Then, Dr Lefebure had the idea to study what would happen if he produced a phosphene in each eye, separately. In order to do that, Dr Lefebure designed the following apparatus: the eyes are separated by a field of vision separator (a simple cardboard plate is enough); two lamps are lit in turn at a rhythm of two seconds per side, to produce a double phosphene, i.e. a single phosphene in each eye. The phosphenes thus produced appear in alternation, on average for six seconds on the right and six seconds on the left, and so on,twenty to thirty times. The alternation of the double phosphenes is due to a rhythmic work of the encephalon, more precisely to an alternation of the work of the cerebral hemispheres. Dr Lefebure practiced this experiment at different times of the day and noticed that his cerebral alternation was much more regular in the morning, after a good night’s sleep, than in the evening after a hard day’s work. He concluded that certain conditions improve cerebral alternation, when other conditions disturb it. A regular cerebral alternation being the mark of a good condition of the brain, Dr Lefebure enunciated a new law of cerebral physiology: ‟Everything that facilitates cerebral alternation improves intellectual work and everthing that improves intellectual work facilitates cerebral alternation”. The application of this law led to the designing of a revolutionary technique of cerebral exploration: cerebroscopy.

On a purely medical level, cerebroscopy allows to measure precisely the impact on the brain of various parameters: physical activity, diet or drug treatment, for example. Similarly, cerebroscopy can analyse the effects on the brain of initiatory exercises and their many variations. Examined closely by cerebroscopy, initiatory exercises lose their empiricism and can thus be improved scientifically. This knowledge has allowed Dr Lefebure to precise and correct the exercises that Galip had taught him, as well as other exercises he borrowed from other traditions, resulting in the creation of a scientifically improved yoga: Phosphenism.

Exercises of head sways can be found in many traditions all over the world, a proof of the universality of this practice. The Yaqui tradition described by Castaneda also includes exercises of lateral head sways, with the purpose of accumulating energy or personal power. Like Phosphenism, the Yaqui tradition combines head sways with focusing on sources of light. In the course of his research, Dr Lefebure has proved that it is maintaining a rhythm in thougths and associating it to the phosphene that produces this energy. The relationship between rhythm and light is mysterious, and the study of the phosphenes allowed Dr Lefebure to clarify this relationship.

Extract from Phosphenism, a New Explanation of the Origins of Religion:

‟Religious rites and the rhythms of the phosphenes:
When we observe a phosphene, it seems to present random movements. But in a way, it is possible to do a dissection of the phosphene, and to detect several very regular separated rhythms which interaction give a feeling of disorder at first glance.
This study of the rhythms of the phosphenes is essential for understanding their relationship with religious rites. If we think while observing a phosphene, our thoughts will tend to follow the natural rhythms of the phosphenes.
The rhythm of the solar co-phosphene actually inspires the rhythm of prayers, litanies or mantras and produces currents of energy in the body that are exteriorized in the form of dances and postures. This is why praying while focusing on the sun is the basis of all religious rites.”

Prayer associated to the phosphene is thus at the origin of all religious rites and so it is not surprising that cultures from totally different times and places have achieved very similar results. Empiricism cannot be dissociated from traditional practices, and so it introduces variations in the exercises that are more due to a lack of precision than to genuine fundamental differences. Variations of climate, diet or of primary necessities bring a final touch of ‟local color” to the practices. The production of a phosphene with the left eye only is such an instance and corresponds to a particular goal of the Yaqui sorcerers. Indeed, today’s science understands the different functions of the cerebral hemispheres, which can be summarized in the following table:

LEFT HEMISPHERE
Verbal: uses words
Analytic: dialectic
Rational: mathematical deduction
Temporal: uses space and time
Logical: reason
Deals with: logic, analysis and organisation

RIGHT HEMISPHERE
Non verbal: the conscience of things
Synthetic: functions by simultaneity
Non rational: speculative, abstract
Non temporal: utopian, imaginary
Intuitive and global: dreams and emotions
Deals with: art, imagination, creativity

As this table shows, the right hemisphere is the seat of artistic and creative thinking, but also of initiatory experiences. Let us note that the right part of the body corresponds to the left hemisphere when the left part of the body corresponds to the right hemisphere (consequently, the left eye is linked to the right hemisphere). By producing phosphenes with the left eye the Yaqui sorcerers try to provoke specific effects by stimulating the right brain. Castaneda’s notion of tonal and nagual (tonal = material world / nagual = spiritual world) can be applied to the cerebral hemispheres. The right hemisphere belongs to the realm of the nagual when the left hemisphere belongs to the realm of the tonal. It is the left part which apprehends the tonal when it is the right part which apprehends the nagual. Focusing on the sun with the left eye stimulates the right hemisphere and, consequently, one’s relationship with the spiritual world or nagual. The Yaqui sorcerer’s interest for this practice seems obvious.

The exercise of lateral head sways provoke synchronizations between the cerebral hemispheres, creating extra energy in the brain that the will of the individual can direct towards the direction he/she chooses. The exercise practiced by Castaneda and Don Juan’s initiates has the same purpose: acquiring extra energy to perform a particular type of work (in this case, magic).

The exercise of lateral sway, as described by Castaneda, has at least another point in common with Dr Lefebure’s version: the regularity of the rhythm. Indeed, Castaneda seems to judge that it is beneficial that all the members of the group practice sways in a synchronous fashion. Again, the discoveries of Dr Lefebure will help us understand the purpose of such a practice in a scientific manner.

The schema published in Dr Lefebure’s book: Cerebral Development with Alternating Hearing cleverly illustrates the effects of practicing synchronous head sways in a group.

The precision of the rhythm employed will increase the efficiency of this practice; that is why Dr Lefebure recommends using a metronome for practicing all rhythmic thinking exercises. In this perspective, he designed the Mantratron, a metronome specialized for initiatory exercises that improves significantly the practice of head sways or any other rhythmic thinking exercise (breathing, mantras, etc.).

Another interesting point in Castaneda’s story is that Don Juan’s initiates use hats. Indeed, focusing on the sun should not be continuous, it should be alternated with periods of internalization, eyes closed. Wearing a hat or an eye patch creates conditions of darkness that are favorable for internalization. The initiates of Don Juan do not use headgear to simply protect themselves from the powerful mexican sun, but to create the necessary conditions for internalization and the observation of the phosphene.

To conclude this analysis, we would like to raise a subject that might be particularly useful to the persons who want to follow in Castaneda’s footsteps.

In The Second Ring of Power, Castaneda exchanges informations about power plants (or psychotropic plants) with Las Hermanitas (the initiates of Don Juan). Together, they compare their experiences on the subject:
‟La Gorda explained that power plants were used only by sorcerers who had mastered their art. Those plants were such a powerful affair that in order to be properly handed, the most impeccable attention was needed on the part of the sorcerer. It took a lifetime to train one’s attention to the degree needed. La Gorda said that complete people do not need power plants, and that neither the little sisters nor the Genaros had ever taken them, but that someday when they had perfected their art as dreamers, they would use them to get a final and total boost, a boost of such magnitude that it would be impossible for us to understand…

…I considered the issue for a moment. The effect of psychotropic plants had indeed been terrifying for me. They seemed to reach a vast reservoir in me, and extract from it a total world. The drawback in taking them had been the toll they took on my physical well-being and the impossibility to control their effect. The world they plunged me into was enamenable and chaotic. I lacked the control, the power, in Don Juan’s terms, to make use of such a world. If I would have the control, however, the possibilities would be staggering to the mind…

(…) (La Gorda speaking) And this brings me to the next thing the Nagual asked me to tell you. He said that because you were empty he had to gather your second attention of the nagual, in a different way than ours. We gathered that attention through dreaming and you did it with his power plants. The Nagual said that his power plants gathered the menacing side of your second attention in one clump, and that’s the shape that came out of your head. He said that that’s what happens to sorcerers when they are given power plants. If they don’t die, the power plants spin their second attention into that awful shape that comes out of their heads.

Now we’re coming to what he wanted you to do. He said that you must change directions now and begin gathering your second attention in another way, more like us. You can’t keep on the path of knowledge unless you balance your second attention. So far, that attention of yours has been riding on the Nagual’s power, but now you are alone. That’s what he wanted me to tell you.
– How do I balance my second attention?
– You have to do dreaming the way we do it. Dreaming is the only way to gather the second attention without injuring it, without making it menacing and awesome. Your second attention is fixed on the awful side of the world; ours is on the beauty of it. You have to change sides and come with us. That’s what you chose last night when you decided to go with us.”

Several points in this story require explanations: the terms ‟empty” and ‟full” are related to a particular condition of the energy of human beings. The ‟empty” state appears as a hole in the person’s ‟luminosity” (or aura). According to Castaneda, several factors can make a human being ‟empty”. Most Westeners, cut off from the world of energy, end up being empty when they reach adulthood. It then becomes almost impossible for them to move what Castaneda calls their ‟assembly point”, i.e. to change their level of consciousness. In the beginning of his initiation, Don Juan gives power plants to Carlos Castaneda to move his ‟assembly point”, allowing him to contact his ‟second attention”, i.e. to enter the invisible worlds of the nagual or spiritual planes. Without this manipulation Castaneda, being a Westerner, would not even be aware of the existence of such planes of consciousness. Nevertheless, using power plants has several major drawbacks: their negative effects on the well-being of the physical body, the impossibility to control their effect, and the fact that they gather the menacing side of one’s ‟second attention”, thus focusing it on the savage and terrifying aspect of the world, when the ‟art of dreaming” focuses it on the beauty of the world.

All the Westeners who have used psychotropic plants should understand the problem raised by Castaneda.

‟The art of dreaming” is the Yaqui name for out of body experiences or astral projection. Don Juan recommends this method for gathering the ‟second attention” without harming it. Nevertheless, how could it be done if a person cannot practice ‟the art of dreaming” or astral projection? In fact, the delicate clockwork of the etheric (energy) body of Westeners, atrophied by years of neglect, or even wrecked by the abuse of alcohol, is completely jammed, resulting in the impossibility to move the ‟assembly point” without the potent but traumatizing help of power plants. Fortunately, the works of Dr Lefebure offer an alternative to the use of these plants. Fast mantras or exercises of thinking at a rhythm of 1/6th of a second, all the more if they are practiced in a group, can favorably replace power plants and produce quick and intense effects. The rhythm of six beats per seconds is particularly efficient as it is one of the main rhythms of the phosphene. It is the rhythm at which the muscles tremble when they are contracted. Dr Lefebure describes it the following way:

‟The trembling of the phosphene at a rhythm of 1/6th of a second can sometimes be perceived when you focus on the sun and that it seems to shake. The main interest of this rhythm is that it can resonate with the electrical oscillations of the muscles which actually follow the same rhythm. It can trigger beautiful inner phenomena.”

In The Development of the Supranormal Powers of the Mind by Thinking at a Rhythm of 1/6th of a Second, Dr Lefebure describes the effects of this rhythm on consciousness. Daniel Stiennon developed this technique thanks to an encounter in the astral plane with Master Ueshiba Morihei, the inventor of aïkido. This particular way of practicing fast mantras come from the japanese Go-shinto tradition, i.e. Shinto hermetism. It is called ‟furitama furihondo” (literally: ‟shaking the soul”), and consists in making the muscles of the arms vibrate while tending them downwards, hands joined together, in a standing position. The vibration of the muscles thus produced serves as a base for the vibration of the etheric (energy) body, litterally projecting consciousness into the higher planes. In a group, the mode of operation consists in placing a circle of transmitting subjects around a receiving subject, preferably laying down in the center of the circle. This exercise has been practiced many times in workshops organized by the School of Doctor Lefebure, with sometimes more than a hundred participants.

This technique can be substituted to the use of power plants and constitutes a fast and safe way to access astral projection or ‟the art of dreaming”. Once the ‟assembly point” (consciousness) of the individual has been shifted by such a practice, it will be much easier to reproduce this kind of experience with simple exercises of contemplation or harmonization with the energies of nature and the cosmos.

WARNING: NEVER FOCUS ON THE SUN FOR MORE THAN ONE OR TWO SECONDS. ALWAYS REMOVE GLASSES, SUNGLASSES OR CONTACTS. DRINK A LOT OF WATER.

There is no living without breathing! Breathing is one of the most important of our vital functions. It is through breathing that the blood and the brain are oxygenated. We can consciously control our breathing. A full, relaxed breathing is very beneficial for the body and the mind. Breathing can slow the rhythm of the heart, improve the oxygen levels in the blood, increase exchanges between cells. On a mental level, it calms the mind, helps controling emotions, increases concentration.

Breathing techniques go back thousands of years ago. One of the eight principles of Patanjali’s yoga is pranayama, from the sankrit prâna ‟breath” and yama ‟mastery”. The exercises of pranayama send extra energy into the brain bringing an ever increasing mental self-control.

We would like to analyse the effects rhythmic breathing in the light of the discoveries in cerebral physiology of Doctor Francis Lefebure, a French physician and researcher. Thanks to the systematic use of the phosphenes, Dr Lefebure designed a protocol of exploration of the brain: cerebroscopy, which allowed him to measure precisely the action of breathing exercises on the brain, and to create a scientifically improved yoga: Phosphenism.

The phosphenes are all the sensations of light which are not directly produced by light stimulating the retina. They can be produced by focusing shortly on sources of light.
Dr Lefebure has demonstrated that the phosphene is a reversal of the sense of sight towards the inner part of the individual. Similarly, the acouphene is a reversal of the sense of audition. Actually, there is an inner equivalent of every physical sense, forming together a second sensory system: the phenic system. Mixing thoughts with a phene is the basic exercise of Phosphenism and probably constitutes the true meaning of Prayahara or reversal of sensory activity towards the inside. There is also a phene related to breathing, it is called ‟pneumophene”, and it can be stimulated by maintaining a slight ‟thirst for air” or lack of air in the lungs.

In his 1966 book, Rhythmic Breathing and Mental Concentration, Dr Lefebure shows how breathing is related to our environement. The rhythm of our breathing is always changing, according to our environement: slow and regular when we sleep, it accelerates under the influence of emotions and, in some cases, it can even stop completely under the stressful influence of bad news. Dr Lefebure the notices that ‟of all our vegetative vital functions, breathing is the only one that we can consciously control”. Consequently, breathing establishes a connection between our psyche and the outside environement.
Insisting on the importance of rhythm, he demonstrates that rhythms amplify thoughts: ‟rhythmic breathing is the physiological state that is most favorable to certain mental activities”. By synchronizing the rhythm of thinking and the rhythm of breathing, we can transform physical energy into psychic energy.

As a physician, Dr Lefebure’s first interest was the effects of this psychic energy on illnesses. He describes a case of recovery from multiple sclerosis thanks to this method. But quickly, he started to show interest in the initiatory effects of rhythmic breathing. When it is associated to a thought, the phosphene powers it with a remarkable intensity, so does rhythmic breathing which fills thoughts with prâna, giving them an amazing density. Thanks to cerebroscopy and synchrophony, Dr Lefebure discovered the importance of the rhythm of two seconds and the role it plays in the awakening of higher abilities: intellectual, moral, psychic and spiritual.

An exercise of rhythmic breathing: square breathing

Set your metronome on 60 BPM, i.e. one beat per second.
Do a phosphene.
Breathe in for 6 seconds.
Maintain the air in your lungs for 6 seconds (Retention with lungs full).
Breathe out for 6 seconds.
Maintain your lungs empty for 6 seconds (Retention with lungs empty) .
Continue this cycle until the phosphene disappears (roughly three minutes) .
Do another phosphene and start the cycle again.
Visualize a dot of light rotating in your lungs during the phases of retention.
This value of 6 seconds is only a guideline, other values can be used, depending on the capacity of one’s lungs. It is the precise regularity of the phases that is important.

Circular breathing

Similar to square breathing, circular breathing does not, however, contain phases of retention. It is a kind of square breathing which angles would have been rounded off.
Set your metronome on 60 BPM, i.e. one beat per second.
Do a phosphene.
Breathe in for 4 seconds, starting by breathing very little and progressively increasing the flow of air.
Keep breathing in for 4 more seconds but, this time, progressively reduce the flow of air until you barely breathe in.
Breathe out for 4 seconds, starting by breathing very little and progressively incresing the flow of air that comes out of your lungs.
Keep breathing out for 4 more seconds but, this time, progressively reduce the flow of air until you barely breathe out.
During circular breathing, visualize a dot of light rotating inside your lungs or around your head, or around your body. The dot of light can follow the rhythm of breathing (one full circle in 16 seconds).
Maintain this breathing cycle until the phosphene has disappeared (approximately three minutes).
Do another phosphene and start the cycle again.
The value of 4 seconds is only a guideline, other values can be used, depending on the capacity of your lungs.
Nevertheless, we advise you to start practicing with these values as increasing the length of the phases is not the purpose of this exercise. The purpose of this exercise is to breathe with a slight lack of air.

BLACKSMITHS, ALCHEMISTS… AND THE PHOSPHENES.

A few years ago, an anthropological essay was written by Mircea Eliade, under the title of Blacksmiths and Alchemists.

A blacksmith is a person who transforms iron or steel, or any other metals into tools and weapons, using fire and metalwork.

So, the smith is an alchemist, a transformer, that uses primary materials provided by the earth, works on them, manipulates them, imprints them with his energy. With help of the fire, of the anvil and the hammer, blacksmiths materialize their ideas in the shape of tools, weapons or any other type of objects.
This capacity to transform the materials that the earth provides into tools for humanity is an alchemy. That is one of the causes why blacksmiths have always been considered as alchemists and mystics, according to Eliade’s book.

When I was 18 years old and I just finished my studies in college, my father, who was dedicated to breeding horses, proposed me an idea: now that I had finished my studies and that I had to work, I should prepare myself to be a horseshoer, because it seem to have good prospects.

And so I did. I studied in several schools and as the apprentice of several Blacksmiths until I got a good formation.

But to be good in that line of work, I needed the knowledge the knowledge of forge. So I studied the forge to complete my education.

I had several forge teachers and I learned not only to make horseshoes of many types, but tools, ornaments and artwork, and I was lucky to have a forge teacher that was an alchemist.

His name was Turley, he lived in the desert in New Mexico, USA, in a trailer next to his workshop. He was an American Indian and he practiced Tai Chi. Besides teaching me to forge, he used to tell me stories of the early blacksmiths of many cultures. And always compared the act to forge iron with the act to forge one’s own soul.

Although I was too young to understand many things, the experience impressed me deeply and I will never forget my days at Frank Turley‘s workshop, who began his morning routine of forge with American Indian‘s singings and who practiced breathing exercises of Tai Chi while hitting the hot iron on the anvil, with a brutal energy.

Back at my house, I had my own workshop during many years, my forge and my anvil, to practice the profession of blacksmith and horseshoer which I quit years after for back problems. Although I still have my workshop.

More than 15 years after that I discovered Phosphenism, and its entire paradigm, concepts, ideas and results.

This is when I understood Mircea Eliade’s book about the mystic abilities of the blacksmiths.

So, let’s enter a forge workshop. They are always dark, without much light, because is very important to be able to see the color of the iron when it is heated. It goes from an almost white, pale red to a dark cherry. The different tints are very important for the blacksmith.

And in a corner, protected from the light, there is the forge. Its center, used for heating the charcoal forms a kind of volcano, a crater that directs all the heat produced by the fire… an intense white light indicates that the forge is really hot.

Normally the anvil is situated in front of the forge, in such a way that when the smith extracts the hot iron of the forge, turns his back to the fire and checks the color of the hot iron. Thanks to the color, he knows the temperature.

And so, we are beginning to see certain common factors between Phosphenism and the forge: after watching an intense and almost white light, the fire of the forge, the smith collects the iron and turns around towards the dark area where the anvil is, to hammer it. Thus producing a phosphene.

Forging, hitting the metal on the anvil, can be done by up to three persons. But it always has to be done in a very specific way: with rhythm. When there is a single person working, the rhythm is more or less one beat per second (a physiological rhythm). But one other thing is important: when hitting the iron, the smith observes the piece to give it the appropriate form. This process is similar to Phosphenism: mixing rhythmic thinking and focusing on a source of light.
After a while, the metal cools down and it is necessary to heat it again. This produces an alternation, another of the basic elements of Phosphenism.

The sways are produced in an instinctive way. If hitting is always done with arm only, it is very tiring. So in an instinctive way, little by little, one learns to hit using one’s center of gravity, the Hara. So anterioposterior sways occur in a spontaneous way when hitting with the hammer. You can easily observe this if you have the chance to see a master forging.

What about the mantras? Obviously, they can be found in the sound of the hits. In the end, the sounds of hitting with the hammer repeat themselves in a rhythmic and constant way. Nevertheless, it is also very probable that most smiths recite or chant songs or prayers while they work, as my master used to do.

In Japan, the sword smiths are extremely spiritual, because they engrave their own character into their work. The majority of them wish that their swords would be used not to give death but to protect life. They used to dress in white, as a symbol of purity, and they carry out rituals of purification before and during the forge. So, without knowing it, they practice Phosphenism while working.

There is a legend that relates the story of two Japanese sword smiths who used to make the best swords in Japan. One with the intention of defending the life and one with the intention to kill.

One day, to distinguish their swords, a samurai placed them in a river with the blade in the water. The floating leaves would be cut in two by the blade. The best steel. The best blade.

He did the same thing with the second sword but when the leaves were about to touch the blade, they were slightly deviated. The leaves did not avoid the sword, it is the sword that avoided the leaves the sword, because it was created for protecting life. The best intention.

Is it be possible to imprint one’s spirit into the matter, not only by forging and wishing that the sword protects life, but by amplify and purify one’s thoughts with a conscious or unconscious practice of Phosphenism?

It is interesting to observe that blacksmiths can perfectly be mystic, initiates, or alchemists. Not simply because of their capacity to transform nature, the minerals, into tools for human use, but also because of their constant and unconscious practice of Phosphenism, the basis of all religions.
Today, we have lost much of this traditional work.

The industrial revolution, that mechanized many of these activities, has been an evolution and a social and economic revolution, but it has also has been an involution and a delay for the spiritual development of humanity.

Daniel Fernandez Ruano (Spain)