Читать книгу Chi Kung. The Art of Mastering the Unseen Life Force онлайн

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Primitive man had a very limited knowledge of physical laws or cause and effect. He was in the very first stages of understanding the workings of Nature. The only way for him to explain things was to personify them. He attributed to all inanimate objects his own sentiments and passions, fancying them to be influenced by the same things in the same ways. This tendency to personify or animate everything is universal among primitive peoples.

Primitive man considered natural phenomena to be alive and to have human characteristics. He was frightened by lightning, thunder, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and eclipses. He was in awe of the sun, the moon, and the stars. To him all things were the outward manifestations of the gods, demons, and other powerful forces of the universe.

Primitive man thought that health and disease were controlled by these forces. Disease, in particular, was regarded as the work of devils or spirits in possession of the body. The possessed could only be cured of infirmity when the intruders were evicted by the application of appropriate incantations. Charms and other psycho-spiritual practices were used as well as martial exercises for health. In the early stages of Ch'i Kung development, the art was once a faith-and-nature healer as well as a martial art.