Like the meridians and the chakras, the radiant circuits are an independent energy system with specific functions. First described in the Neijing Suwen ("The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine") some 4,500 years ago, these energies serve to connect all the other energy systems in the body. They are considered more primary than the meridians in the sense that they are present in the embryo before the meridians have differentiated and they are present in simple organisms that do not have a meridian system. People who can see subtle energy describe them as having a radiant quality.

While the program presented to this point already covers the basics of energy psychology, the radiant circuits are a largely neglected yet potentially invaluable topic. The procedures you have so far learned focus on emotional and behavioral problems. The radiant circuits, while they can also be used in healing, emphasize positive potentials. They are important for working with psychological issues because you cannot feel joy if your radiant energies are not flowing, and you cannot move through life in an integrated manner if the radiant energies are not connecting and harmonizing the other energy systems.

The radiant circuits can be used for addressing specific issues or problems, but their primary function is to infuse radiance and harmony into the overall energy system. They can also help a person capture, or recapture, more pervasive feelings of contentment and joy. The implications of learning to keep the radiant system vibrant extend beyond the treatment setting and might be applied in a peer-help manner in families, schools, business, anywhere people can help one another to feel at their best.

At least eight energy systems that affect psychological and physical health have been identified within the field of energy medicine. These include the three whose names are generally familiar to people—the meridians, the chakras, and the aura—plus:

While each system deserves far more thorough discussion, available elsewhere, the following analogies give you a concrete sense of the nature and function of each of the additional 5 systems. If the meridians are energy pathways, the chakras are centers of energy, and the aura is an enveloping energy that connects us with and protects us from the environment, the other 5 systems can be thought of as follows:

The Basic Grid: Like the chassis of a car, all the other energy systems ride on the energy of the basic grid. If its structure is sound, you never notice it is there; if it is damaged, nothing else is quite right.

The Celtic Weave: Like invisible thread that keeps all the energy systems functioning as a single unit, the Celtic weave networks through the body in spiraling figure-8 patterns. The double helix of DNA is this pattern in microcosm. Left hemisphere control of the right side of the body and right hemisphere control of the left side is this pattern writ large.

The 5 Rhythms: Like the background music during a movie, the person's primary rhythm, in combination with the changing rhythms of life's seasons, directs the tone and mood of the entire energy system and sets the stage for the actions that are likely to follow.

The Triple Warmer: Like the army, triple warmer mobilizes during threat or perceived threat, activating the immune response, governing the fight/flight/freeze mechanism, and establishing and maintaining habitual responses to threat within all the other energy systems.

The Radiant Energies: Like hyperlinks on a website, the radiant energies jump instantly to wherever they are needed, bringing vitality, joy, and spiritual connection. If triple warmer is like the army, the radiant energies are, in times of crisis, like the Red Cross, bringing healing energy, providing life-sustaining resources, and uplifting morale.

Among the "strange and extraordinary" qualities of the radiant circuits are:

Because of this last quality, depression is a clinical indicator that the radiant energies need attention.

Signs, in addition to depression, that working with the radiant energies may be clinically indicated:

Four procedures that activate the radiant energies and that were introduced earlier in the program are:

Continue this pattern of pushing in and pulling apart as you move up and over your head, ending at the back of your neck—with your thumbs still firmly positioned on your temples.

1. Blow Out. Stand with your hands on your thighs, fingers spread, take a deep breath in, and then exhale. With your next deep inhalation, make fists and swing your arms up and around until they are high above your head. Then turn your hands so that your knuckles are facing toward you. Bring your fisted hands down swiftly, opening them as you blow out the accumulated stress with force. Repeat as often as feels good. On the last repetition, move your arms down slowly and deliberately on the exhale.
    

2. Zip Up. With a slow deep in-breath, open your hands, move them in front of your thighs, "zip" up the front of your body, to your chin, and on the out-breath, drop your hands back to your thighs. Zip up again. On the third zip-up, continue your hands straight up through your face, reach high, look up and stretch to the heavens. Be open to connecting with the radiant energies of the universe.
    

3. Hook In. Place middle finger of one hand at third eye and of the other hand at navel. Gently press in and pull up. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds.

Balancing the polar energies of the triple warmer and spleen helps bring a balance to two of the trickiest systems in the body. It can provide comfort and reduce emotional overwhelm:

1. Place your left hand in the indent above your right elbow.
    

2. Place your right hand under your left arm, resting on your left breast.
    

3. Be still or gently rock yourself. Stay in this position for at least 3 deep breaths and up to 2 minutes.
    

4. Repeat on other side.
    

5. To bolster the effect, activate the radiant imagination (addressed later in this module).

The radiant energies may be activated by:

It is something like taking vitamins. Ideally, the food you eat would provide all the vitamins you need. Ideally, the activities in your life would keep your radiant energies flourishing. For most of us, neither is the case. We can stay healthier by taking vitamin supplements and we can stay happier by attending to our radiant energies.

The subsequent six techniques, like those already presented, are immediate, direct, and always available--nature’s Prozac. Some methods will feel better to you than others, and the ones that feel better work better. That is the nature of the radiant energy system.

It is worth keeping a couple of these techniques in your back pocket for daily doses as well as those moments in the psyche’s weather patterns when your spirit begins to darken.

Additional methods for activating the radiant energies follow. All of the exercises presented here work best if you enjoy them. Enjoyment stimulates the radiant energies. So as with the rest of life, your attitude is of consequence here.

The radiant energies flow naturally, but they can become blocked by tension or stress. Simple physical activities are often enough to revive their movement.

Stand and stretch. Think of a dog or cat after a nap. Think of "making space" for your energies to flow. Stretch in all directions. Breathe deeply. Reach high and low. You can then jump-start your energies by bouncing—jumping up and down on the balls of your feet with the rest of your body loose and relaxed. A trampoline-like bouncer is a great aid for getting your radiant energies moving.

This exercise is a peaceful, relaxing way to further cultivate a more radiant presence.

1. Kneel down on all fours, with your knees on the floor, push back so your butt is resting on your heels, and bring your hands by your sides as you gently lower your head to the ground.
    

2. If, and only if it is comfortable to move your body and your head forward and lay your face to one side so your butt can go higher, do so, resting like a baby.
    

3. Hold this position for two or three minutes. Use the time to meditate, contemplate on a positive thought or image, list appreciations, or just let your mind go.

Just as the head becomes clogged with residue that prevents the radiant energies from linking freely to the mind, energetic residue also tends to accumulate at the midline of the body. The ab stretch clears this residue, allowing the radiant circuits to flow between the top and bottom halves of the body.

Standing straight, grip your hands over the back of a chair for support and lift one leg backwards as far as is comfortable on an inhalation. Lower and lift the other leg. Repeat several times, stretching the abdomen with each leg lift.

You can trace your meridians and activate your radiant energies every day when you bathe or shower, or when you towel off afterward.

1. Beginning with the bottom of one foot, rub the towel or washcloth up the inside of your leg, over the front of your body, up over your shoulder, down the inside of your arm, and off your fingertips.
    

2. Repeat on the other side.
    

3. Then starting at the back of either hand, travel up the fingers, up the outside of your arms to your shoulders.
    

4. Repeat on the other side.
    

5. Then reaching behind with both hands and starting as high on your back as you can, rub down the entire length of your back, then down the outer sides of your legs, and off the top of your feet.
    

6. Finish by toweling your face downward, continuing to the bottom of the neck. Then curl your fingers over the back of your shoulders at the neck and drag them forward and off your body.

Recall the sudden glow you feel when you see someone you find attractive. This is how quickly your radiant energies can spring into action. Your internal images can also give an instantaneous boost to your radiant energies. At any given moment, you may become peaceful or anxious, happy or sad, based on what is playing in the theatre of your mind. By focusing your imagination, you can make that program not only enjoyable but a force that boosts your radiant energies.

Use any of the following suggestions or write your own script:

1. Imagine that someone who makes you feel alive and happy has just greeted you.
    

2. Bring to mind a color you love and imagine the energy of this color infusing every cell of your body.
    

3. Bring to mind something in your life about which you can feel thankful (gratitude is among the most profound spiritual healers and the mascot of the radiant energies).
    

4. Send this feeling of gratitude through your body. Say thank you to your heart, lungs, kidneys, all your organs, thank your legs for walking you and thank your environment and your loved ones for supporting you.

A great time to use the mind to focus on color, healing rays of light, other healing uses of the imagination, gratitude, or prayer is when you are lying down and deeply relaxed.

This technique is half prayer, half energy work. It connects you with the larger forces that surround you. It is particularly reviving when you are hungering for more meaning in your life or feeling despair or isolation:

1. Step outside under the sky and stand tall.
    

2. Ground yourself by focusing on the sensation of your feet on the earth.
    

3. Inhale deeply and exhale fully.
    

4. Spread your fingers on your thighs.
    

5. With your next inhalation, slowly move your arms out to the sides and upwards, forming a circle with your hands touching, palm to palm, over your head.
    

6. On the exhalation, bring your hands slowly down in front of your face, coming to rest at your chest, hands in a prayer position.
    

7. With another deep breath, extend your arms outward to either side, lifting them slightly, and look to the heavens.
    

8. Sense the vastness above you and the energy around you. Receive the energies of the heavens. Allow yourself to open to a larger story. You are not alone. Feel the energies tingling through your body. Allow your arms to accumulate this energy.
    

9. At the center of your chest is a vortex that is traditionally known as "Heaven Rushing In." When you are ready, scoop the energies you have been accumulating in your hands into this vortex, placing the palms of both hands over the center of your chest. Allow your heart to receive this energy. You can then direct this energy to any part of your body that is tired, hurting, or that needs a boost.

In addition to knowing techniques for strengthening the overall radiant system, it is valuable to understand each of the individual radiant circuits and its functions because:

The 10 Radiant Circuits follow, along with descriptions of each and hyperlinks to the charts that show each radiant circuit and its treatment points, along with instructions for energy testing and correcting each.

The front (yin) and back (yang) regulator circuits influence hormones, chemistry, and circulation as well as the connections among all the systems in the body. They help your body adapt to endless assaults of internal and external changes. Hormonal imbalances and the emotional turmoil that may follow can be addressed by working with the regulator circuits. They also establish harmonies with other people and within the environment.

Checking the Regulator Circuits. When you suspect that working with specific radiant energies may be helpful, you can energy test which ones might need attention. To do the test, you will need a partner. Select an indicator muscle, check for a strong baseline, and then use the following instructions.

For the yin regulator circuit, place your thumb at the bottom of the chin bone and the finger of the other hand in the hollow at the base of the front of the neck. Pull the fingers of one hand upward and of the other downward, stretching the skin over the front of the neck. Energy check before and after.

For the yang regulator circuit, pinch the backs of both heels (below Achilles tendon). Energy check before and after.

Activating the Regulator Circuits. If either regulator circuit tests weak, rub your hands together, place them on the head, and slowly pull them down, "smoothing" over the shoulders and down the arms. Return to the throat area under the chin and smooth the energy down the sides of the body with your full hand. As you come off the ankles, pass your hands over the top of each foot, squeeze the sides of the feet, and then firmly pull the energies off of them. Make at least two passes.

Another technique for activating the regulator circuits is to lie face up with your partner positioned at your feet. The partner places his/her thumbs at the bottom of the ball of each foot, between the big toe and second toe, gradually pressing in and holding for about 10 to 15 seconds. The partner then wraps his/her hands around the top of the feet, pulling them back, with the thumbs still on the same points and gradually releasing the pressure. It is a wavelike movement and can be repeated several times.

With this and the subsequent radiant circuits, if the initial energy check showed a weakness, repeat the test after completing the treatment. If the circuit has not corrected or the correction does not hold over time, apply the "anchor and wander" technique or "trace" the circuit. Find the figure for the circuit you wish to trace and, with the slow, full contact of yours or your partner’s hand, follow the solid lines in the diagram, generally moving from top-to-bottom.

The front and back bridge circuit connect the front and back of the body as well as the body’s energetic polarities: positive and negative charges, receptive and forceful impulses, male and female qualities, yin and yang influences. Where an energy is stuck, they bridge across to its polarity and get the system back into flow. Inner schisms—alienation of body and mind, head and heart, love and sex—may be addressed by working with the bridge circuits. In the outer world, where regulating channels support harmony between people, the bridge circuits support the exchange of information, particularly the accuracy of intuition about others.

Checking the Yin Bridge (front of the body). Place the middle fingers of each hand between your breasts (at top of thymus) and draw a "heart" by circling your hands up and then around each breast (it is not necessary to touch the body), meeting just below the sternum. Energy check before and after.

Activating the Yin Bridge. Begin with the same heart motion as used in the test. Repeat three times, and then when your hands meet at the sternum after the third trace, go straight down the front of the body very deliberately, continue down the legs, moving toward the inside and wrapping your fingers underneath your feet. Pull your body up and away, stretching your arms. You will feel a stretch in your back. Another effective way to activate the yin bridge is to do sideways figure-8 movements over the face and then down the front of the trunk of the body. The movements extend across the width of the body, making eights that are about four inches tall, and weaving them all the way down to the feet.

Checking the Yang Bridge (back of the body). Stand behind the person and with the fingers of either hand, tap on the outer edge of the person’s left shoulder. Rapidly tap three more points: the outer edge of the right shoulder, the outer edge of the left hipbone, and then of the right hipbone. These four quick taps form a z-shape.. A strong energy check indicates that the energies are bridging between the left and right sides of the back.

Activating the Yang Bridge. Do sideways figure-8 movements on the back of the head and then down the back of the trunk of the body The movements extend across the width of the body, making eights that are about four inches tall, and weaving them all the way down to the feet.

The belt circuit surrounds the waist. It connects the energies of the top part of the body and the bottom part of the body. Distributing the energies up and down is the critical physical health task of the belt circuit. It also helps all of the meridians to move in harmony and orchestrates the chakras. Psychologically and spiritually, the belt circuit is involved with how grounded we are and how inspired we are; how grounded we can stay when reaching to our spiritual heights, and how high we can reach while staying grounded. Much human folly and suffering is a reflection of impairment that keeps us energetically top-heavy or bottom-heavy.

Checking the Belt Circuit. Position the webbed area between the forefinger and the thumb of either hand around your waist on either side of the body. Energy check before and after.

Activating the Belt Circuit. With your fingers spread, circle your hands around the side of the body at the waist. Pull from the back of the body to the front and all the way across the belly to the other side. Pull not only at the waist, but above and below it as well. Do this several times with some pressure and a lifting movement, alternating hands. Then, on the side you are pulling toward, firmly slide both hands down the leg and off your foot. Repeat on other side of the body. With a little improvisation, you can do this one on yourself. It is a wonderful method for reestablishing a top to bottom harmony. Another belt circuit technique also stimulates the penetrating flow and is particularly effective if the energy is cut off at the top of the legs. Lie face-up and place either foot against your partner’s stomach. Grasp your partner’s hands and pull away from one another. Hold this stretch for about 10 seconds. Repeat using the other foot.

If the bridge and belt circuits connect your front & back and up & down energies, the penetrating flow brings energy to your inner depths. When moving freely, it penetrates into the chakras, the muscles, the bones, the genitals, and deep into the cells. In the embryo, according to both traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, the penetrating flow is said to carry the energies of the ancestors and to set the strength of the person’s basic energetic constitution. You know this energy in the flowing warmth of an orgasm. When an orgasm opens into a spiritual experience, it is as if you are the recipient of the penetrating energies of the universe. That is how your cells must feel when they are reached by your penetrating flow. When people feel depressed or empty inside, it is often because the penetrating flow is weak or blocked. To activate the penetrating flows is to connect with an energy that brings a deep sense of purpose and meaning.

Checking the Penetrating Flow (done while sitting or standing). By placing the thumb of one hand on your navel, the fingers and palm rest on the second chakra. Raise the thumb, fingers, and hand at the wrist. Gently and slowly lower your hand, one segment at a time, until the hand is flat; then continue this movement until the fingers are pointing downward and finally lift off your belly. Simultaneously or immediately following, use the other hand to do the same motion on the back, directly opposite the front hand. Energy check before and after.

Activating the Penetrating Flow. Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees, and cross your feet at the ankles.. With your right hand, grasp your left foot and with your left hand, your right foot. Pull your feet above your head, keeping your arms straight, and rock so your butt comes off the ground. Continue for at least a minute. If a partner is available, lie face-down and have your partner place one hand on your sacrum, the other at the top of the your back, and then rock you for 3 to 5 minutes. When completed, the partner lifts off both hands simultaneously. Bask in the feelings for another minute. This method activates both governing and the penetrating flows.

Four of the body’s radiant circuits are also meridians. They carry radiant energy and are capable of instantly moving this energy to anywhere it is needed.

But unlike the other radiant circuits, their energy is also transported along a fixed pathway and accessible through points on the surface of the skin that show decreased electrical resistance, called acupuncture points. The pathway of the central meridian/radiant circuit flows up the front center of the body, feeding energy to the brain. The pathway of the governing meridian/radiant circuit flows up the back center of the body, feeding energy to the spine and much of the nervous system.

The two pathways meet at the back of the throat, creating a single force field, and this is where they begin to behave like radiant circuits. That force field radiates inwardly and outwardly, bringing strength and vitality to the meridians, the chakras, and the aura.

When a person is filled with confusion or self-doubt, activating central and governing can pull the cerebrospinal fluid up to the brain and calm the nervous system, eliciting clarity and confidence. When a person is over-sensitive to other people or the energies in the environment, activating central and governing often lends protection by strengthening the aura.

Checking Central and Governing. Push in on ("smash") the nose for about a second. Energy check before and after. This determines if the energies that run up the front center of the body and through the chakras are connecting with the energies that run up the spinal column. When these energies connect, they create a resilient force field.

Activating Central and Governing. First do a front "hook-up" by placing the middle finger of one hand into the navel and the middle finger of the other hand at the third eye point. Push in both fingers and pull them upward toward head. Hold for a couple of minutes. The back hook-up requires a partner. Lay face down. Partner places the palm of one hand on the spine, with fingers pointing toward your feet. The other hand points in the opposite direction. The hands cross at the wrists so that as they push apart, the spine is stretched. Continue to move the hands in opposite directions until the middle finger of the hand facing upward reaches the indent at the top of the neck and the middle fingers of the other hand reaches the sacrum. Hold there for at least 15 seconds. Energy test before and after.

The two other radiant circuits that carry the properties of meridians are also paired polarities—triple warmer and spleen.

Triple warmer’s fixed pathway goes directly from the back brain to the front brain. The back brain is more primal, carrying the survival strategies of millions of years of evolution. Triple warmer feeds the back brain while moving primal survival information into the front brain. It can conscript energy from every other meridian (except heart) to insure the body’s survival. This is a very serious assignment, and triple warmer is the single radiant circuit whose "personality" is more like a general in combat than an upbeat mom.

Meanwhile, the mother of upbeat mom energy, the spleen meridian/radiant circuit, radiates the life force itself. Running through the pancreas, which metabolizes carbohydrates and sugars, this is the energy system that metabolizes thought, experience, and emotion, as well as food. Spleen energy, in fact, resonates with and metabolizes all the other energies in the body, bringing them into harmony with one another.

Together spleen and triple warmer govern the immune system through an interplay of military and family values, and when you can keep their energies in balance, they become a powerful team for keeping your life in balance.

Testing Spleen. Rather than using the general indicator test, check the spleen meridian directly. Stand with your arms hanging straight down the side of the body, thumbs next to the legs and palm facing back. Partner places two or three fingers above your wrist, between the arm and the body, and pulls straight out, away from the body, for about one and a half seconds.

Activating Spleen. Do the "spleen tap" by bunching the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger and tapping at the point on the bottom of the breast (one rib below the bra line on women) at the side of the rib cage Alternatively, hold the acupuncture strengthening points for spleen (see Energy Medicine, pp. 118-120).

Checking Triple Warmer. Cup either hand slightly with fingers spread and place around the ear, fingers about an inch above and behind the ear. Energy check before and after.

Activating Triple Warmer. Don’t. It is probably already over-activated by virtue of the culture in which you live. The goal is to reprogram it so its energies will be available when there is real threat, whether to health, safety, or state of mind. If the test shows a weakness, then the triple warmer needs to be harmonized. Place one hand on your forehead and the other hand on and above the navel (over the solar plexus). Hold for a minute or two. Alternatively, hold the acupuncture sedating points for triple warmer (see Eden, 1998, pp. 122).

Even though various presentations (including this one) provide charts for the location of the radiant circuits, these are ultimately misleading. The radiant energies do indeed concentrate on specific lines along the body, but that is while they are relatively dormant. When they are active—and that is where the action is—they may go anywhere, and their paths cannot be reliably charted.

Several books also attempt to "connect the dots," showing which points to hold to activate the radiant circuits. While this can turn on the radiant circuits, linear formulas tend to go against the flow of this energy. Still, a value of the charts is that if you hold one of the power points identified as an "anchor point" and then intuitively touch other points on the chart, you "hyperlink" the energies between the points, strengthening the circuit so it can begin to radiate. This technique is called anchor and wander. Instead of directing the flows by following some hypothesized linear pattern, using your intuition in a dance with a radiant energy circuit beckons it on its own terms.

If you have not been able to activate a specific radiant circuit using the methods presented earlier, or if one circuit continues to test as a weak link, use the Anchor and Wander technique. Even though it will take a bit longer and requires greater reliance on your intuition, it is a powerful method for repairing the weakest links.

1. Find the diagram for the radiant circuit you want to work with and choose one of its anchor points (for points that are paired right and left, the diagrams identify only one side, but either side can be used).
    

2. When possible cross over so you "wander" to a point that is on the opposite side from the anchor point.
    

3. Place the fingers of one hand on the anchor point and intuit which of the remaining points on the diagram draws your other hand to it.
    

4. Tapping that point sends a pulse.
    

5. If you hold the point, your fingers create an electromagnetic charge between that point and the anchor point, jump-starting the flow of the radiant energies.

The length of time you need to hold is, again, determined by your intuition, but the average is 3 to 5 minutes. Holding positive images or stating positive affirmations (e.g., "I am filled with joy," or gratitude, or peace, or love; "My heart is opening") can amplify the benefits. As your intuition becomes more attuned to the radiant energies, you can rely less on the charts. Simply sense which points to hold, and you will find that sometimes the best points for a given individual at a given moment are not the ones identified on the chart.

The procedure is similar to the way the meridians and chakras can be re-conditioned to maintain balance in the presence of a previously disturbing thought, image, memory, or event. The basic strategy, familiar by now, is to, after appropriate preliminaries, have the client:

1. Access and lock in ("third eye up" or "leg lock") a problem state.
    

2. Rate the amount of distress it causes (SUD and MUD ratings).
    

3. Correct neurological disorganization before and throughout the treatment sequence.
    

4. Correct psychological reversals before and throughout the treatment sequence.
    

5. Shift the energies related to the problem state using appropriate energy treatments.
    

6. Integrate into this process additional procedures that lower the SUD level (e.g. 9 Gamut, Eye Roll, Connecting Heaven and Earth), anchor in the results when the SUD has reached zero or near-zero, and bridge the gains into back home situations.

At point 5, rather than checking for disturbances in the meridians or the chakras, you would work with the individual radiant circuits, using the procedures you have learned in this module to assess which radiant circuits become disturbed when the problem state is accessed and bringing them back into balance.

The system or combination of systems you would actually use depends upon personal preference and clinical intuition. You can also "ask the body" if the meridians, chakras, or radiant system need attention and obtain answers using energy checking (some practitioners believe the energy check will reveal direct information about the energy systems in question; others believe it is an ideomotor device for attuning to a visceral knowledge that is outside the client’s conscious awareness).

If one of the earlier practice treatment sessions did not lead to a full resolution of the presenting problem, return to the treatment, this time working with the radiant circuits.

Alternatively, choose a new problem area and conduct a session using the protocols you have learned in this program, this time, however, working with the radiant circuits rather than the meridians or chakras.

At the end of the session, solicit feedback from your partner and then reverse roles.

This chapter presents energy medicine techniques for "turning up the volume" on your radiant energies. If your radiant circuits are not flowing, you cannot feel joy. It is that simple. And if they are not doing their essential task of connecting and harmonizing among all your energy systems, you will be disjointed as you move through your life. This chapter offers tools so you may be infused—body, mind, and soul—with greater radiance and joy.

A man came for a session with his two little boys because it was his turn to take care of them. He was the pastor of a large progressive church in town, but his ministerial persona was crumbling. He was desperate inside, and he had become harsh and brittle with others. His temper was easily provoked, particularly by those closest to him. This was his first session. A story emerged. He had a son who had died at 2. He was separated from his wife and they were deciding whether to divorce. He was trying to get his spirit back and to get relief from the pain and anger he was carrying. He knew it was hurting the boys. He did not think there was a chance for his marriage.

He was talking a mile a minute. When energy goes out like that, the person isn’t able to receive. Incoming energies are literally being blocked by the pressured speech. Usually in a situation like this, I (DE) begin by "unscrambling" the force fields. But I had an instinct to go right to his radiant energies. I began holding points that stimulate the radiant circuits and connect them with one another so the entire radiant system is activated. He immediately fell silent and began to relax. It was as if he were taking in the most soothing nourishment. After a time, he began to cry and cry.

The boys came in concerned that I was hurting their daddy. But he was so soft when they came in, which was such a relief from the harshness they’d been living with, that they started laughing and laughing and laughing. And it made him laugh as well. I was just holding points. That’s all I was doing. All three of them became relaxed. I got the boys to go back into the other room. Then the man began to shake. His tremors were so violent that it was one of those rare times I wanted to intervene in a natural process. I began to make him stop. He said, "No," so I let him be. He just kept shaking and releasing. Then he became still, and it looked like he was in bliss.

We worked with the radiant energies in each of his next several sessions, but from that first session, his demeanor changed, particularly with his wife. He had never realized why he was so angry at her. But as he softened and they began to communicate, he discovered that he had (irrationally) been holding her responsible for the death of their son. He’d never uttered this thought, even to himself, and this unacknowledged blame/rage was the domino that resulted in his retreat into a brittle shell.

Your emotions, thoughts, and beliefs are not just ethereal events. They exist in your energy system and their energies permeate your cells. Some beliefs become so fully embodied that they seem to carry the weight and structure of absolute truth, settling into your deepest perspectives about life. Even if they are clearly dysfunctional, initiating shifts in these deep habits and states of mind can be deceptively difficult. The radiant energies can be directed to impact them more profoundly than any of the other energy systems.

In addition to the reasons everyone can benefit from keeping their radiant energies strong and flowing, working with these energies can be particularly helpful for specific conditions, such as depression. It may be necessary to focus upon other energy systems as well, but often enough, when the radiant energies are given a powerful boost, all the systems are affected. Consider giving special attention to the radiant energies:

Working with the radiant circuits can itself set off waves of energy that feel good. At the same time, they connect the meridian lines, help the chakras spin, and engage all of the other energies. But they do not lend themselves easily to formulas. The "formula" is to model yourself after the radiant energy itself, which is to be absolutely spontaneous. Think of a surge of excitement, falling in love, becoming enchanted. The radiant circuits are literally and figuratively the polarity of "staying on track."

Many things you do naturally and spontaneously activate the radiant circuits. Joy begets joy. A natural, spontaneous smile sends joy all the way down to your psychic core and up again. A deep smile is not an ornament or a mask. It engages your radiant energies. So does listening to music you love, being overtaken by beauty, reveling in nature, laughing uncontrollably, abandoning yourself in play, love, or dance; as does anything that moves out negative thoughts, painful emotions, or stagnant energies, including exercise, laughter, or energy techniques such as those found in the Basic Energy Routine. But it is also the case that "if you don’t use it," you really do lose it. The radiant energies can become stagnant and unable to easily move to where they are needed. This is the plight of many of us today where work, computer screens, and passive entertainment have taken precedence over deeper pleasures. The more the radiant energies are exercised, the more available they are to you. Some simple ways of turning on the radiant energies . . .