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The Five Tibetans Rite No 1 (The Spin ) - Which Direction Should

by Carolinda Witt

Colonel Bradford's book 'The Eye of Revelation' (download it free here) only gives instructions to spin in a clockwise direction.   

…“The first Rite”, continued the Colonel, “is a simple one. It is for the express purpose of speeding up the Vortexes. When we were children we used it in our play.  It is this: Stand erect with arms outstretched, horizontal with the shoulders.  Now spin around until you become slightly dizzy. There is only one caution: you must turn from left to right. In other words, if you were to place a clock or watch on the floor face up, you would turn in the same direction the hands are moving.”… 

Please note that Colonel Bradford defines "clockwise" as being the direction in which the person is turning when facing forwards and turning from left to right; regardless of his/her location on the planet. 

Since Bradford's location was in the Northern Hemisphere when he wrote that 'you should turn from left to right' ( in a clockwise direction) - some people have questioned whether we should change his instructions and spin anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

When I asked them, "Why do you think we should change the direction of the spin?"

The answer is normally along the lines of, "Well water spins anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere and clockwise in the northern hemisphere."  
 
However this concept itself is based on a popular myth, and is therefore not a viable reason as to why we should change our spin direction in the southern hemisphere.

Alistair B. Fraser, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Meteorology, Penn State University, USA, explains in great detail (Reprinted with permission of author) -
..."Compared to the rotations 
that one usually sees (tires on a traveling automobile, a compact disc playing music, or a draining sink), the rotation of the Earth is very small: only one rotation per day. The water in a sink might make a rotation in a few seconds and so have a rotation rate ten thousand times higher than that of the Earth. It should not be surprising, therefore, to learn that the Coriolis force is orders of magnitude smaller than any of the forces involved in these everyday spinning things. The Coriolis force is so small, that it plays no role in determining the direction of rotation of a draining sink anymore than it does the direction of a spinning CD.

The direction of rotation of a draining sink is determined by the way it was filled, or by vortices introduced while washing. The magnitude of these rotations may be small, but they are nevertheless gargantuan by comparison to the rotation of the Earth."...

Furthermore to describe the Coriolis Effect is actually very complicated particularly without resorting to mathematical equations or complicated concepts such as angular mechanics!  First of all there is your frame of reference "What you see depends on where you are."  This assumes that we are on firm ground when in fact we are not as the earth is a spinning disc.  

Coriolis effect
In physics, the Coriolis Effect is an apparent deflection of moving objects when they are viewed from a rotating reference frame. For example, consider two children on opposite sides of a spinning roundabout (carousel), who are throwing a ball to each other (see Figure 1). From the children's point of view, this ball's path is curved sideways by the Coriolis effect. From the thrower's perspective, the deflection is to the right with anticlockwise carousel rotation (viewed from above). Deflection is to the left with clockwise rotation.

Figure 1: In the inertial frame of reference (upper part of the picture), the black object moves in a straight line, without significant friction with the disc. However, the observer (red dot) who is standing in the rotating (non-inertial) frame of reference (lower part of the picture) sees the object as following a curved path.Wikepidia

If you are really keen to have a better explanation of the Coriolis Effect read Dave Van Domelen's article.  

For further information on actual sink experiments to measure the Coriolis Effect see Joe Kissel's article "Taking an Urban Legend For A Spin."

 Spin Direction of The Chakras

Colonel Bradford did not describe the direction of the vortexes (chakras):
The body has seven centers, which, in English, could be called Vortexes. These are kind of magnetic centers. They revolve at great speed in the healthy body, but when slowed down - well that is just another name for old age, ill-health, and senility. The quickest way to regain youth, health, and vitality is to start these energy centers spinning normally again. There are five simple exercises that will accomplish this. Any one of them alone is helpful, but all five are required to get the best results. These five exercises are not really exercises at all. The Lamas call them rites, and so that is how I shall refer to them, too"...  Colonel Bradford -"The Eye of Revelation"
 
I wonder if Bradford deliberately avoided mentioning an anti-clockwise direction?  According to  Barbara Ann Brennan, ex NASA research scientist and noted authority on the human energy field, healthy chakras should spin in a clockwise direction - and closed, unbalanced chakras spin in a counter clockwise direction.

In her successful book, "Hands of Light" she says,

..."When the chakras are functioning normally, each will be "open", spinning clockwise to metabolize the particular energies needed from the universal field. A clockwise spin draws energy from the UEF (Universal Energy Field) into the chakra, very much like the right-hand rule in electromagnetism, which states that a changing magnetic field around a wire will induce a current in that wire.

When the chakra spins counter clockwise, the current is flowing outward from the body, thus interfering with metabolism. In other words, the energies that are needed and that we experience as psychological reality are not flowing into the chakra when it is spinning counter clockwise. We thus label the chakra as "closed" to incoming energies.”...

 Possible Traditional Influences

(a) Traditional Tibetan 'phrul 'khor Yantra Yoga (pronounced "trul-khor"

Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu one of the great living masters of Dzogchen and Tantra, was born in Tibet in 1938. His book YANTRA YOGA: The Tibetan Yoga of Movement released by Snow Lion Publications
Trul-khor" means "magical wheel," says Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, a teacher associated with the Ligmincha Institute and assistant professor at the University of Texas (U.T) Medical School.

 He says, ..."The distinctive movements of trul khor arose as the result of deep meditation practice by Tibetan yogic adepts. Traditionally practiced in remote Himalayan caves and monasteries, the trul khor movements are now being made accessible to serious Western students. They are a powerful tool for clearing, balancing and harmonizing the subtle aspects of one’s energetic dimension."...

Ryan Parker, a practitioner of The Five Tibetan Rites is currently doing research comparing The Five Tibetan Rites to Tibetan "trul-khor". According to Peter Kelder in "The Eye of Revelation", the Rites like 'trul-knor' are around 2,500 years old.


In his recent "Comparison Chart" he states, ..."Buddhist ‘phrul ‘khor proposes the existence of clockwise spinning energetic centers. ‘phrul ‘khor is sometimes said to cause the centers of the body to spin. Moreover they are caused to spin in unison. Although all the moments can cause this spinning, rotation of the body is specifically linked to causing the centers to rotate. Clockwise rotation is said to be beneficial and is always the assumed direction of rotation in Buddist‘phrul ‘khor."...
 

(b) Pradakshina:



Throughout history Tibet and India have shared ancient knowledge, and it is possible - but unproven - that the first Rite could also have been influenced by the practice of Pradakshina. 


In Hinduism, Pradakshina means the act of worshipful circumambulation (walking clockwise around a holy temple, shrine, or place). Dakshina means right, so you walk to the left keeping the spiritual object on your right.


To perform Pradakshina you walk clockwise around a temple, sacred object, person, mountain, place or even oneself. Hindu temples are designed with special passages, so that people can perform these clockwise movements around them.

The purpose of this clockwise circling is to center or purify oneself, or to honor or bond with the object of devotion.

Circumambulation is so common in fact that it can be found in the Greek, Roman, Druid and Hindu cultures. Usually it had to do with sacrifice or purification processes. Interestingly, in all these cultures the direction was always the same - clockwise! For more information see www.sacred-texts.com

Other Interesting Information On The Clockwise Spin Direction 

During one of my classes, a dance teacher told me that children are initially taught to spin clockwise. Apparently they find it easier (although there are always exceptions). She said it is well known amongst dance teachers - that if you want to calm children down, you get them to spin anti-clockwise. To energize them, you get them to spin clockwise!

This energizing effect is exactly what most people experience doing Rite No 1 as described by Colonel Bradford. In my view, if the lamas gave instructions to Spin clockwise - then clockwise it is!

 A Practitioner Who Does Spin Anti Clockwise

However, I am in communication with one practitioner “Mary” who spins in an anti-clockwise condition due to a life threatening health condition, which she has and is mastering. She is extraordinarily attuned to the needs of her body as you shall read below:  

…”According to Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), clockwise movement accelerates life by speeding up the chakras until they are all moving at the same speed.  Counter-clockwise movement de-accelerates the chakras.  Most who do the rites want to 'speed-up' chakras that have slowed down with age, weight, etc.  Therefore, it is logical that the spin be clockwise.  However, one morning as I was saying my morning prayers, I understood that, in my case, speeding up all my chakras would have a negative impact as the chakra that impacts my lungs was not capable of speeding up!  It made more sense to slow down my other chakras to match the speed of the lung chakra that impacted my lungs!  Therefore, I began spinning counter-clockwise.  As soon as I did so, I noticed that doing the other rites became easier!"...

To sum up, unless documents or a teacher are found, all attempts at understanding the motive for Rite No 1 therefore can only be speculative – and you must do what feels right for you! 

To Download "The Eye of Revelation" Free - Click Here
 
To Learn T5T - and get your chakras spinning more rapidly - Click Here

If you wish to publish this article on your website you may do so, provided that you assign copyright to the author exactly as written below:  A pdf is available on request.

Copyright (c) 2005 Carolinda Witt - author T5T - The Five Tibetan Exercise Rites (Penguin/Lantern 2005) and The 10-Minute Rejuvenation Plan (Random House/Three Rivers Press 2007)

There Is An Error in “The Eye of Revelation” by Peter Kelder

by Carolinda Witt

 I received this email which said, 'I hope you can help me with some insights regarding my concern. This quote is from the book “The Eye of Revelation”

“When I was in India it amazed me to see the Maulawiyah, or as they are more commonly known, the Whirling Dervishes, almost unceasingly spin around and around in a religious frenzy. Rite Number One recalled to my attention two things in connection with this practice. The first was that these Whirling Dervishes always spun in one direction-from left to right, or clockwise."

To me this is false

My wife is Turkish and the Whirling Dervishes spin counter-clockwise…”

Dr Tim Jaeger, Toronto

Tim, and of course his wife, are correct; the Dervishes do spin anti-clockwise and according to the historical writings they always have.  

Peter Kelder wrote his book in 1939, and then republished it again in 1946, making a few descriptive amendments to the movements as well adding a couple of extra chapters.  His quote about the clockwise spin direction of the Dervishes was not corrected in the reprint, so I can only assume he made a mistake.

I had read Bradford’s description of a clockwise spin direction and it confused me also.  When the Whirling Dervishes visited Sydney, I went to the Opera House to see them perform the Sema (the religious ceremony in which they spin).  All the material I had read on the Dervishes said they spun anti-clockwise so I decided to go and see for myself.  The Dervishes spun in four separate sections and to tell you the truth I got completely confused which way they were spinning.  I thought they went anti-clockwise in the first section, clockwise in the 2^nd, anti-clockwise in the 3^rd and finally clockwise in the 4^th!

So I made an error too, and did not feel certain enough to write this article until now – thanks Tim! In truth, I found the music and the rhythmical twirling were so relaxing that I almost fell asleep! I had a friend with me who knew what I was looking for, but she was as confused as I was. I can emphasise with Colonel Bradford making his observational error.  You’d have to see them to believe me!   

For the record, in the book “The Eye of Revelation” the monks make no comment at all upon the spin direction of the Dervishes – that is Bradford’s observational error alone.  The monks instructed us to spin CLOCKWISE.

…”There is only one caution: you must turn from left to right. In other words, if you were to place a clock or watch on the floor face up, you would turn in the same way the hands are moving…”

For those readers, who believe “The Eye of Revelation” contains the exact words of the monks, Bradford/Kelder’s error is a salient reminder that it was a WESTERNER who interpreted the monks’ teachings and brought them back to the West.

To Download "The Eye of Revelation" Free - Click Here
To Learn T5T - and get your chakras spinning more rapidly - Click Here

If you wish to publish this article on your website you may do so, provided that you assign copyright to the author exactly as written below:  A pdf is available on request.

Copyright (c) 2005 Carolinda Witt - author T5T - The Five Tibetan Exercise Rites (Penguin/Lantern 2005) and The 10-Minute Rejuvenation Plan (Random House/Three Rivers Press 2007)

Facebook

Do you want to meet other practitioners of The Five Tibetan Rites?  We have a great group going here.  People who've done them for years and people who have only just begun!  http://www.facebook.com/groups/2376208247/

New Five Tibetan Rites Poster

To supercharge your practice - try using these T5T affirmations when you physically practice the The Five Tibetan Rites. They really work. Free Poster Download.

At the time of the development of the Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation, the ancients believed that their world was composed of Five Elements; water, earth, air, fire and spirit (energy).

In psychology the Five Elements are used to personify different human traits, such as the personality types categories by Carl Jung (feeling, sensing, intuiting, and thinking) and those associated with the astrological signs of the zodiac. I experimented with the concept of assigning an element to each of the Rites, and found the results to be amazing.

In each case, the physical movement of the Rite was a metaphor for what we were trying to achieve mentally - awareness in a different aspect of life. For example the Spin takes the element energy, and the vortex that the movements create allows you to replenish your body from the larger energy all around us. The Tabletop takes the element earth, and its movements focus on stability, foundation and balance, giving us a solid base from which to form new ideas.

In holistic exercise it can sometimes be hard to marry the physical state with the mental state, and having a metaphor helps people enormously to align the two, and to present a clear picture of what they are working towards.

Having assigned an element and a modern name to each Rite, I then experimented with creating an affirmation that expressed the 'energy' of each movement. The result is a method of reinforcing and focusing upon the positive benefits of each Rite physically, mentally and spiritually. This has a ripple effect on every area of your life.

• Rite # 1 (Energy) - The Spin -- "I am full of energy"
• Rite # 2 (Air) - The Leg Raise -- "My mind is clear and calm"
• Rite # 3 (Water) - The Kneeling Backbend -- "I am flexible and receptive"
• Rite # 4 (Earth) - The Tabletop -- "I am strong and balanced"
• Rite # 5 (Fire) - The Pendulum -- "I am positive and motivated"

Try using them when you practice next time - they really work!

In T5T emphasis is also placed on the mind/body connection. The physical movement of each Rite is a metaphor for the desired mental state.

FIVE TIBETAN RITES - FREE DOWNLOADS

Here's something nice for you! Our FREE downloads are now available on the website.

1. Eye of Revelation the authentic 1939 AND 1946 editions - e-book (59 pages)
2. Poster of the 5 Rites on one page
3. Poster of Five Rites warm-ups
4. Five Tibetans Brochure/info sheet
5. 7 Undulation to Relieve Office Tension

Possible Detox Effects of The 5 Tibetan Rites

Due to the increased elimination of impurities and wastes, and increased oxygen in your body, you may experience some minor detox effects. You could also experience some unblocking of the human energy system (chi, qi, prana etc). Some people experience no symptoms at all, while others experience one or more of the following:

• slight headache, as if you have given up coffee or fasted for the day
• a metallic taste in the mouth
• achy joints for a day or so
• darker, stronger-smelling urine
• diarrhea or strong bowel movement
• initial constipation
• slight nausea
• initial fatigue as the body balances itself
• cold or flu-like symptoms that last a day
• a runny nose as sinuses clear
• a tic or involuntary muscle movement over one eye
• a mild rash or pimples
• moodiness, either a bit snappy or teary

Consult your physician if these symptoms are severe or if they continue for longer than a few days to a week

To Download "The Eye of Revelation" Free - Click Here

To Learn T5T - and get your chakras spinning more rapidly - Click Here

If you wish to publish this article on your website you may do so, provided that you assign copyright to the author exactly as written below:

Copyright (c) 2005 Carolinda Witt - author T5T - The Five Tibetan Exercise Rites (Penguin/Lantern 2005) and The 10-Minute Rejuvenation Plan (Random House/Three Rivers Press 2007)