Seeing the Qi: Awakening Your Subtle Vision

So far in this Course we have been focusing on feeling the Qi through various exercises. This is an important place to start because ultimately, Qi is something we need to feel in order to work with.

However, it is also possible to see Qi visually. 

The exercise provided below may assist you to witness the ubiquitous Qi field that surrounds, penetrates and animates all things.

While many people may not have considered the possibility of perceiving Qi visually, this ability is actually quite natural. In fact, as children, many of us witnessed the ever-pulsating field of energy around us. We saw flickering particles, shifting colours, and vibrant waves of movement in the air. However, because this phenomenon was not commonly spoken about or named in daily vocabulary, most of us gradually stopped paying attention to it, allowing it to fade from conscious perception.

Through practice, we can reawaken this ability to see the Qi field that surrounds, penetrates, and animates all things. This practice of seeing Qi is not just an esoteric curiosity — it deepens our connection to energy work, enhances our ability to move and direct Qi, and strengthens our spiritual awareness.

The following exercise is designed to help you witness this universal energy field directly.

Exercise: Seeing the Etheric Qi Field

This exercise is best carried out, at first, at twilight, or in a dimly lit room – it is simply easier to see the Qi in low light, though with practice, you will be able to see it at any time equally as well.

Step 1: Adjusting Your Vision

• Stand facing a blank wall about 1-3 metres away from you.
• Let your eyes rest on the wall, but bring your focus point halfway between the wall and your eyes.
• Simply watch that space in between yourself and the wall. It is as if you are looking at the space between yourself and the wall, rather than through it.

Step 2: Observing the Subtle Field

• As your vision adjusts, you will begin to notice that the space is not truly empty. Instead, you will see a dynamic interplay of tiny points of light, specks of blackness, and shifting patterns of movement.
• These points may resemble tiny flickering sparks, subtle waves, or shifting clouds of translucency. Some may appear as pinpricks of light that flash intermittently, while others form interconnected, vibrating patterns.
• If you continue observing, you will see how this field pulses, swirls, and moves both on a micro-level (individual points of light shifting) and on a macro-level (larger flows of movement).

Step 3: Exploring the Interactive Nature of Qi

• Once you have established a clear view of the Qi field, slowly move your hand through the air in front of you. Observe how the field reacts.
• Notice how the energy moves around your hand, similar to the way water moves around a stone in a stream.
• Play with this movement — draw shapes in the air, push energy in one direction, or scoop it toward your body.

Step 4: Listening to the Energy

• As you observe the Qi visually, try to sense whether it has a sound. Some practitioners report hearing a subtle humming, buzzing, or soft ringing when deeply engaged with Qi perception.
• You may also begin to feel a shift in bodily awareness — some experience tingling, warmth, or a gentle sense of expansion as they gaze into the Qi field.

As you spend more time witnessing this etheric field, you may also come to see mandalas, bodies, spirit beings and other spiritual phenomena.

One thing to be aware of when witnessing this field is that you are not separate from it – it is through you too! It is part of your skin, tissues, organs and mind.  You are just a feature of it, that is capable of witnessing it. Also be aware that is sentient! It is as alive as you are, and as capable of responding to living stimuli as you are. It has awareness, but no “will” as such. It is placid, but powerful, in much the same way as water. It is the ultimate ally because it responds to your will and can be directed with purpose.

You can work with this field in much the same way as we have practiced in other parts of this manual – smile to it, address it, use your hands to bring the energy into your tan tien to compress and store it there for vitality and well-being.

A Word of Caution: The Ethics of Working with Qi

Since the Qi field is highly responsive to intent, it is important to cultivate a clear and compassionate mindset when working with it. Whatever you direct into the field — whether positive or negative — will return to you in some form. This is why many ancient traditions emphasise ethical conduct, purity of intention, and wisdom when working with energy.

If you approach this practice with curiosity, gratitude, and respect, it will unfold as a powerful tool for personal growth, spiritual connection, and profound healing.

(Indigenous dot paintings could be seen as representation of the particles of energy you can see everywhere if you look.)