Seekers of the Healing Energy: Reich, Cayce, the Kahunas, and Other Masters of the Vital Force [Paperback]

Mary Coddington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1991

The search for a mysterious healing energy that has always fascinated the human mind and spirit leads inevitably to an exploration of the true nature of consciousness, and to the awareness that our power to heal is an essential ingredient of the evolution of consciousness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Coddington's original research and masterful writing on healing energy deserves international attention."
(Milton Friedman )

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Healing Arts Press (March 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089281313X
• ISBN-13: 978-0892813131
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Energy Healing
  • #48 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Medicine > Alternative & Holistic > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dissappointing., May 28, 2002

By 

W. Lambdin "Two Bears" (Ellensburg, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seekers of the Healing Energy: Reich, Cayce, the Kahunas, and Other Masters of the Vital Force (Paperback)

I have been around the world of alternative healing for years, and a book like this is very disappointing to me personally.

I bought this book to see what the author would have to say about the four alternative healing methods that I am most involved with (HUNA, Qigong, Reiki, and Seichim).

Chapter 2 is dedicated to to HUNA, and based on what I read; she used two sources for HUNA information "The Secret Science Behind Miracles" Max Freedom Long, and "Huna: A Beginners Guide" Enid Hoffman.

Max Freedom Long (MFL) was a tireless researcher, and he spent the last 52 years of his life trying to reclaim the wisdom of the kahunas. Unfortunately Max had several problems.

1. MFL was a ha'ole, and the Hawaiians would not talk to him for fear of persecution. This was only 97 years after the "christian" missionaries did their good deed of civilizing the "savages", and castigating the beliefs of the hawaiians as Satan worship.

2. MFL was raised "christian", and he allowed his beliefs to influence his perceptions of HUNA. In some of MFL's volumes; he goes so far to say that Jesus was an initiated Kahuna.

3. MFL completely overlooked the role of the Akua(gods and goddesses acknowledged by the Hawaiians. The Hawaiians knew of a single creator; but worked through their Aimakua, Po'e Aumakua, and the Akua. They believed the levels above the Akua was beyond human comprehension. MFL did not acknowledge any levels above the Po'e Aumakua.

Ms. Hoffman took the writings of MFL, and expanded on it to the best of her ability; but unfortunately she was using faulty material as a base.

Ms. Coddington constantly refers to the spiritual beliefs of the Kahunas as "the Huna". HUNA is only a name that was given to this by MFL.

I am unaware of the real name the Hawaiians gave their spiritual beliefs. The Hawaiian word for religion was Ho'omana. If I had done the research that MFL did; I would have called the Hawaiian form of spirituality as Pulemana (which means to pray with mana).

If you are interested in HUNA; please see my two HUNA listmania lists, or my "So you would like to" area about HUNA.

I was very distressed to see her list "Accupuncture" in the "New Age" area on page 143. Accupuncture has been studied for almost 5,000 years (hardly new age in my opinion).

I was surprised to see her list Tai Chi on pages 147-150 but not mention Qigong (ch'i gong or ch'i kung), Reiki, or Seichim at all.

I did find the comments about Mesmer, Wilhelm Reich, Eggar Cayce, Hippocrates, etc interesting.

I only wish she had spent a little more time in research so she could have presented a cogent debate for alternative healing.

E-Mail if you have questions or comments. ...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Healing Energy, December 30, 2008

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Seekers of the Healing Energy: Reich, Cayce, the Kahunas, and Other Masters of the Vital Force (Paperback)

The author chronicles the healing energy from earliest times up to our own day, observing that it is part of consciousness itself. The human body is wave-form energy as much as it is solid-particle mass. More focus is needed on methods that treat the body as energy. The Nei Ching, the most ancient medical work, makes mention of this primordial energy which amongst various cultures & individuals has been called ki, prana, mana, vital force, archaeus, pneuma, élan vital & animal magnetism.

The following features of the healing force are identified:
It can heal, be conducted by media like metal wires and silk threads, be stored within inanimate materials like water, fluctuate with weather conditions, be controlled by mind, be reflected by mirrors, operate at a distance and be used for good or evil. It furthermore penetrates everything, accompanies solar rays, has properties resembling other types of energy but is a distinct force, possesses polarity and emanates from the human body.

In the chapter on Huna healing of Hawaii, the section on the three selves of the individual: subconscious, conscious & superconscious is highly illuminating. Amongst other matters, Coddington discusses the work of William Tufts Brigham, Max Freedom Long and the Hawaiian death prayer.

The founders of holistic medicine in the West were Pythagoras & Hippocrates; their works The Golden Verses & The Hippocratic Collection are briefly analyzed. This chapter includes a passage on the French philosopher Henri Bergson.

The fascinating Paracelsus was a brilliant and original physician of his time who tirelessly exposed the harmful treatments of his contemporaries and who emphasized the two-fold path to knowledge, by experience and intuitive reasoning.

Franz Anton Mesmer, Baron von Reichenbach, Phineas Quimby, Mary Baker Eddy & Edgar Cayce are discussed in one chapter, whilst Samuel Hahnemann & Homeopathy make up an informative chapter that explains the Law of Similars, Theory of Potentization and the 2000 Remedies.

Coddington also looks at Palmer & Chiropractic, Kirlian Photography, the Yogic phenomenon of Kundalini, Acupressure, Acupuncture, Ch'i energy, Reflexology, Biofeedback, Breath Therapy, Kundalini, Androgyny, Wilhelm Reich, Rudolf Steiner, the Chakras, Mantra as well as Music Therapy that works through consonance, dissonance, tempo, pitch, melodic intervals & dynamics.

She assigns them to three categories:
1 Those that use Ch'i energy and the balancing of Yin and Yang principles
2 Those that employ Orgone Energy - Reichian, Bio-energetics, Breath Therapy
3 Those producing meditative states and may use Prana -
Acupuncture, T'ai Chi, Acupressure, Reflexology, Bio-energetics, Breath and Sacred Sounds.

The book makes a vast subject accessible to the lay reader, and concludes with thoughts on a new era of healing. It has an extensive bibliography & index. I highly recommend the book Vibrational Medicine: The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies for further reading.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading material, July 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Seekers of the Healing Energy: Reich, Cayce, the Kahunas, and Other Masters of the Vital Force (Paperback)

This book was extremely insightful. opened my eyes to new alternative means of healthy living. It has given me hope with my existing medical conditions...MUST READ>