SPIRITUAL ENERGY

UTILIZATION OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY

In the Daoist, Yogic and Buddhist teachings, one of the core training is to prevent the loss of spiritual energy. Your emotional fluctuations, your likes & dislikes, are the causes of that loss, and your mind and your five senses are the doors leading to the loss. That is why it is taught: seeing as seeing, hearing as hearing, smelling as smelling, tasting as tasting, touching as touching. And thoughts arise and fall.

The Gnostics taught of loosh, which is basically the same concept of energy loss. The loss is said to be due to parasites, which can be taken as literal and/or spiritual, feeding off the emotional fluctuations arising from the 6 sense faculties, and also creating a cycle of addiction so that they can continue feeding off your energy. That is why sometimes thoughts may arise in your mind without you even thinking of it.

Brahmacharya, often mistranslated as celibacy, is one practice specifically for male practitioners. The correct translation should be semen retention, which refers to the proper use of the creative energy of males. It is not limitless, which makes it more valuable in this lifetime.

In modern days, pornography and masturbation waste the creative power of many males, causing them to grow older faster, weaker in health, and shortening their lifespan.

Proper use of the creative energy, as in procreation, should be inline with season, weather and timing, which also come with health benefits.

SPIRITUAL ENERGY

Spiritual energy is known by many names:

"Prakriti / Shakti" or "Prana" in India
"De" or "Qi" in China
"Ki" in Japan, or
"Mana" in Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Oceania.

Mana is a concept found in many cultures, religions, and modern fantasy settings, but its meaning varies by context.

The term "mana" comes from the cultures of the Pacific Islands, particularly in Polynesia and Melanesia. It generally refers to a spiritual force, power, authority, or prestige that can reside in people, objects, places, or even actions.

Anthropologists and later scholars discussed mana as an important religious and social concept in Oceanian societies. In Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Oceania — mana was not something people "used" in the way a video game character spends mana points. Instead, it was understood as a real spiritual power or efficacy that could be possessed, accumulated, transmitted, manifested, or lost.

Mana as Power and Effectiveness

Key ideas include:

It is often viewed as an impersonal supernatural power.
Individuals may gain or lose mana through their deeds, status, lineage, or spiritual practices.
Chiefs, warriors, sacred objects, and important locations may be considered to possess high mana.
Mana is frequently associated with influence, success, and sacred authority.

Mana was often seen as the force behind:

Successful leadership
Military victories
Skill in navigation, fishing, or craftsmanship
Fertility of land and people
Religious authority
Extraordinary achievements

If a chief consistently succeeded in war or governance, people might believe he possessed great mana. If crops flourished or voyages succeeded, mana could be seen as contributing to those outcomes.

Traditionally, mana is a sacred or spiritual power associated with authority, effectiveness, and supernatural influence; in modern fantasy and gaming, it usually means the energy used to perform magic.

In modern fantasy literature, role-playing games, and video games, mana has evolved into a different but related idea:

It represents a resource used to cast spells or perform magical abilities.
Characters typically have a mana pool that is consumed when using magic and replenished over time.
It functions similarly to energy, stamina, or magical fuel.

Fantasy authors and game designers adopted the term because it conveys the idea of an invisible force that empowers extraordinary actions. While inspired by traditional concepts, the gaming version is usually simplified into a measurable resource rather than a complex spiritual and social force.

Sacred Authority

In many Polynesian societies, high-ranking chiefs were believed to possess especially strong mana because of their ancestry and connection to the gods.

For example:

Noble lineage could confer mana.
A chief's commands might carry weight partly because of the mana associated with their office.
Ceremonies and rituals could reinforce or demonstrate mana.

The authority of a leader was often tied not just to political power but to perceived spiritual potency.

Rituals and Religion

Priests, ritual specialists, and sacred practitioners were often regarded as possessing or channeling mana.

Mana could be associated with:

Blessings
Sacred ceremonies
Communication with deities or spirits
Protection from harm
Curses in some traditions

Rituals might be performed to enhance, preserve, or direct spiritual power toward a desired outcome.

Objects and Places

Mana was not limited to people.

It could also be associated with:

Sacred stones
Weapons
Temples and shrines
Ancestral relics
Particular mountains, forests, or islands

These objects and places might be treated with special respect because of their perceived mana.

Relationship with Tapu (Taboo)

In many Polynesian cultures, mana was closely linked with the concept of tapu (often rendered in English as "taboo").

Tapu

A person or object with powerful mana might be subject to tapu restrictions:

Certain people could not touch it.
Access might be restricted.
Special protocols might govern interactions with it.

These restrictions helped protect both the mana-bearing object and the people around it.

Gaining and Losing Mana

Mana was often understood as dynamic rather than fixed.

A person might gain mana through:

Success
Courage
Spiritual accomplishment
Honoring ancestors
Proper ritual conduct

A person might lose mana through:

Failure
Defeat
Violating sacred norms
Dishonorable behavior

Thus mana had both spiritual and social dimensions.

There was no single, uniform "Oceanian" belief about mana. The concept varied significantly between islands, languages, and cultures. The way mana was understood in Hawaii differed from its interpretation in New Zealand among the Maori, and both differed from various Melanesian traditions. Modern scholars therefore emphasize examining mana within specific cultural contexts rather than treating it as one identical belief across the Pacific.

In short, mana in Oceania was generally understood as a sacred power or efficacy that helped explain authority, success, spiritual influence, and the special status of people, objects, and places. It shaped social hierarchy, religious practice, and everyday life in many Pacific cultures.