Energy

Orgone energy was and is a controversial subject for many reasons. First of all, if it truly existed, why had no one previously detected it? There are historical precedents to energies resembling orgone, however. Chinese and Japanese herbalists, acupuncturists, and martial artists all claim to manipulate a similar energy with the names “chi�? or “ki.�? Yogis in India speak of a similar energy called “kundalini.�? Many other cultures have similar parallels; in parts of Africa and Polynesia they have “mana,�? in some Moslem countries they have “baraka,�? and some of the Plains Indians they have “wakan.�? In the sixteenth century, Paracelsus claimed to observe a similar energy he called “munia,�? in the eighteenth century, Goethe claimed to observe a similar energy he called “Gestaltung.�?24 Numerous other historical examples exist of a similar elusive life energy, such as Franz Mesmer’s “animal magnetism,�? Karl Reichenbach’s “odic force,�? and Walter Kilner’s “human atmosphere.�?25