.::Ancient Practices: Trepanning::.

What is trepanation? Trepanation is one of the world's oldest, surgical procedures. It is possibly the oldest. Trepanation is the practice of drilling a hole in the skull as a physical, mental, and/or spiritual treatment. It was practiced by many of the most ancient cultures, ranging from ancient Egypt to Meso-American cultures. Some of the information gathered from ancient cultures indicates they believed that trepanning could cure a number of things, including mental disorders. Trepanning was also performed on infants*. When we are born, we are born with two, soft spots: One at the crown or top of the head and one a little farther back. These soft spots are called fontanels. It is true that the soft spots make it easier for them to pass through the birth canal, but there is other information on the soft spots, or at least some very interesting things to consider.

"...Consider the infant's outlook—the unselfconscious wonder, the joyful spontaneity. This, claims Hughes (who performed self-trepanation), was the natural result of a brain at optimal pulsation, the conditions for which could be pinpointed at the crown of the skull—the fontanel, to be precise, the so-called soft spot enabling the head to squeeze through the birth canal unharmed.

The key to Huges's theory was that when the child aged, the soft spot sealed over, partially suffocating the membranes surrounding the brain and inhibiting what Huges lavishly termed "brainbloodvolume. " Hence the heightened perceptions, the unfettered imagination, the pure joy—all of it duly faded into adolescent oblivion as the egoistic, neurosis-ridden mind of adulthood set in." Now, when trepanation is performed, the bone does grow back. It is just measurably thinner than the bone that was removed, allowing more flow.
 Here is some more interesting information for you. Hopefully, you see the correlations. Chi and prana are the same thing, just different names by different cultures. Prana or Chi is the Life force. This unseen energy exists everywhere in the universe in great quantities.
Prana (प्राण ) is the Sanskrit for "vital life" (from the root "to fill", cognate to Latin plenus "full"). Prana enters the body through the top of our head (this is the reason there is a hole in the skull of unborn embryos).The major Prana flow runs through the center of our body looking like a tube. From there it flows into eight main centers known as Chakras. This is an Indian Sanskrit word meaning "turning wheel", due to the look of these complex energy flows. According to the early Egyptians/Kemites, there are thirteen chakras as they relate to different energy centers. Another definition of prana is the life force that operates the sensory, motor, and physiological mechanisms of the body. When this current is completely withdrawn, the body dies. Partial withdrawal of the life force from the muscles results in relaxation; greater withdrawal, numbness and anesthesia; profound withdrawal, paralysis and immobility; full withdrawal, death.
Chi or qi is the circulating life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things; in traditional Chinese medicine the balance of negative and positive forms in the body is believed to be essential for good health. Another definition is that chi or qi is the primordial energy which is the basis for the universe and everything in it. It is the matrix out of which matter and energy are formed, and is expressed as the life force in all living things. Different from Spirit (Shen), it is an energy field that permeates and nourishes all living things.
When we are children, we have an abundance of prana or chi, and as we age, that diminishes. Could this be, in part, a result of the sealing of our soft spots?
The following quote from Peter Halvorson, who is the founder and director of the International Trepanation Advocacy Group. He has lived with the procedure for over thirty years. He is responsible for initiating the ITAG pilot study at a private Mexican clinic.

"...it's known as 'opening the third eye. With trepanation you can willfully and deliberately accelerate your brain metabolism. You have a higher level of consciousness."

*There is no evidence of any neurological impairment among indigenous groups who practiced cranial deformations in newborns.
*http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15711831
I just wanted to share some information with you that I found quite interesting. More to come.
Peace, Love, and Elevation. http://www.itsmyurls.com/MentalOrgasm