The Human Experience

Originally published in 2012 on cosmometry.net website

The human experience of cosmometry is as vast as the innumerable volumes of books we've written over the millenia describing what it's like to live in this universe of constant change and epic proportions. Our bodies and the environment in which we live are synergetically united in a continuous interchange of energy and consciousness — "reality" and our "perception" of it. And as with all things in the cosmos, our bodies and awareness of life within us and without us have the same fundamental relationship to the source and to each other, as is natural in a holographic cosmos. What follows is a simple introduction to the human experience of cosmometry.

The One Point
One of the greatest offerings to humankind has come from the insight of a man who achieved mastery in body, mind and spirit — Morihei Ueshiba, commonly known as O'Sensei, who is the founder of the martial art of Aikido. Translated from the Japanese kanji (seen to the right) generally as The Way ("do") of Harmony ("ai") with Life Energy ("ki), Aikido is a profoundly simple yet powerful way to come into a direct experience of the universal dynamics represented in cosmometry.

At the heart of Aikido is the active awareness of what is often called the "one point", or tan t'ien in Chinese energy systems. As illustrated in the image above, this point is in the center of the body, just below the belly button. It is essentially the center point of our physical presence; the most fundamental pivot point around which all the motion within our bodies as well as the relationship of our movement in the world revolves — the One Point of our physical-energetic existence in spacetime. What is most important about this point, though, is that it is truly an energetic phenomenon, meaning that there isn't a particular physical organ or bone present there, but rather an energetic point of focus of the life force, or "ki", itself.

Ki energy permeates the entire cosmos. There is no thing that is devoid of ki energy, as fundamentally there is only one energy animating all of existence that can "clothe" itself in a myriad of outer expressions. As a basic principle, energy articulates into various forms, and moves and transforms in a constant exchange from one form to another. In Aikido (and other Asian energy arts) we learn through direct experience that it is possible to consciously and purposefully direct the articulation of ki energy with our minds, and that in fact we are doing this at all times but generally are unaware of it. Becoming conscious of this fact and engaging in the daily practice of it offers one of the most powerful and stabilizing activities we have available to us.

In the cosmometry of the human experience, the One Point is the center of the torus of our energetic presence embodied. It is the still-point singularity that connects our physical-energetic being with the entirety of the universe, into the Unified Field itself (there are other such centers as well, which we'll explore below). As such, through conscious connection with the One Point we have access to the infinite energy potential of the source field and the ability to engage that energy creatively and powerfully.

In Aikido we learn four basic principles:

  • Be in your One Point (keep your attention focused and move from there)
  • Extend Ki energy (radiate from the source)
  • Relax your body, mind and emotions (allows maximum flow of life force unimpeded)
  • Feel your weight on the underside of your body (natural gravitational grounding)

Simply put, through consciously engaging in these principles we connect ourselves with the center of our physical presence, tap the source energy and imagine it radiating out from our One Point through our arms, legs and entire bodies, and move in a relaxed and grounded manner within all experiences of life. This practice is one of the most empowering we can engage, and it is simple enough that anyone at any age can easily learn and apply it. By doing so, we become quite literally like the eye of a hurricane — a powerful force centered by a stillness and calm inherent at the center of all existence. As O'Sensei himself put it:

"Move like a beam of light:
Fly like lightning,
Strike like thunder,
Whirl in circles around
A stable center."


- from The Art of Peace, a collection of quotes by O'Sensei 
translated by John Stevens

The Hara Line

The One Point is one of three primary energy centers that align on a central axis of the toroidal energy system of our beings. This energy line is at a more basic level than the seven chakra energy centers (of course they're ultimately all interconnected into one unified energetic). In some teachings it is called the Hara Line. Imagine a laser-like line of energy running vertically through your head, neck and torso, connecting you outwardly to the celestial and inwardly to the earth. This is the axis of spin and stabilizing central shaft of our personal toroidal energy field.

Along with the One Point are two more energy centers, or tan t'ien, on this line. Whereas the One Point (or lower tan t'ien) connects our physical being to our energetic central source, these two centers connect us with our higher emotional and mental centers and are located in our "higher heart" (middle tan t'ien) and "center of the head" (higher tan t'ien) respectively. These three centers comprise a core stabilizing and harmonizing trinity that is foundational to our energetic experience in life. By bringing conscious awareness to all three of these centers in a manner similar to what is described above for the One Point, we can become deeply integrated in our presence as physical, emotional and mental beings. Starting in the One Point, we drop our attention into the central core of the physical experience of being human, tap into the infinite source of ki energy, and then lift this energy upward into our Higher Heart and Higher Mind centers. What's most powerful and compelling about this is that we are providing both a solid and stable physical foundation, and a strong and radiant emotional foundation, upon which our mental activity can engage with the knowing that the thoughts and perceptions that arise are informed directly by and integrated with a solid, calm and empowered body-heart-mind wholeness.

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