Toward A Comprehensive Theory of Subtle Energies Part I. Introduction: From the Great Chain of Being to Postmodernism in Three Easy Steps

The following is an excerpt from the first draft of volume 2 of the Kosmos trilogy, tentatively titled Kosmic Karma (volume 1 of that trilogy was Sex, Ecology, Spirituality). This excerpt suggests a coherent and comprehensive theory of the many approaches to subtle energies, their origin, nature, and development. This particular excerpt comes toward the end of the volume, which means that somebody reading this excerpt will not have the benefit (or the torture) of having read the first part of the book. I will therefore present a brief introduction, followed by an integral approach to subtle energies.