Qi Gong, Tai Chi and the Holographic Universe

The Holographic Universe

A hologram is a three-dimensional photograph made with the aid of a laser. An object, reflected by the light from two laser beams, is captured on film. When the film is developed, it looks like a meaningless swirl of light and dark lines. But as soon as the developed film is illuminated from the back by another laser beam, a three-dimensional image of the original object appears.
The three-dimensionality of such images is not the only remarkable characteristic of holograms. If a hologram of a rose is cut in half and then illuminated by a laser, each half will still be found to contain the entire image of the rose. Indeed, even if the halves are divided again, each snippet of film will always be found to contain a smaller but intact version of the original image.
Unlike normal photographs, every part of a hologram contains all the information possessed by the whole. The "whole in every part" nature of a hologram provides us with an entirely new way of understanding organization and order.
Similarly, a Fractal is fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole (a property called self-similarity). Because fractals appear nearly identical at all levels of magnification, they are often considered to be infinitely complex.
Natural objects that approximate fractals include trees, ferns, clouds, mountain ranges, lightning bolts, coastlines, snow flakes and people (if you’ve seen one you’ve seen ‘em all).
Although holographic imagery and fractals are a fairly modern concept, similar concepts have been in existence elsewhere in the world for thousands of years.
In China, France and Korea there exists a medical concept based on embryology called the homunculus. The homunculus is a microcosmic representation of the macrocosm of the body. Parts of the human body, the ear, hands, eyes, feet and tongue are said to represent the whole of the body and this theory states that alterations made to an aspect of the microcosmic representation affect the macrocosmic whole.
For instance, in Chinese medicine, the human ear is seen as representational of an inverted fetus. In the treatment of nausea we can stimulate the site on the ear that corresponds to the fetal stomach and the nausea stops.
In the Rig-Veda, Indira's Net is a celestial net with a jewel at each intersection of the cosmic twine (karma), where a knot would be. Each jewel reflects all of the other jewels of the net and the jewels are infinite in number. Every jewel represents an individual life form, atom, cell or unit of consciousness. Each jewel, in turn, is intrinsically and intimately connected to all of the other jewels; thus, a change in one jewel is reflected in all the other jewels.
The moral of Indira's net is that you cannot damage one strand of the web that makes up the universe without damaging the others or setting off a cascade effect of destruction. By the same token the compassionate and the constructive interventions and actions a person makes or does can also produce a ripple effect of beneficial action.
Holographs, homunculi, fractals and Indira’s Net are only parts of the general theory of the holographic universe.
In Tai Chi movement, we learn that the opening set (from “beginning wave” to “apparent closure”), contains the essence of the entire Tai Chi form. As we mature in our practice we come to understand that every transition and posture is a microcosm of the whole form. And that by the time one reaches mastery one may need only perform a single motion to realize all of the benefits of Tai Chi.
But what fun would that be. The greater benefit to realizing the holographic nature of Tai Chi is in the daily practice of the form in its entirety and the understanding over time that Tai Chi movement is a microcosm of the movement of the universe.
As we move into “single whip” we are following the same motion that all of the spinning, spiraling galaxies in the universe are making at the same time. By following the physical and moral precepts of Tai Chi we become bright jewels on the shining strands of the cosmic web of life and karma and reflect back the essential energy of the cosmic “grand ultimate movement”.

Robert Kienitz, D.Ac.
www.acupuncture-wilmington.com