Reptile & Amphibian Forums

, but I have somtimes noticed that when I gently pet or run my finger along the body of a snake that a very subtle electrical humm can be felt??

I am not saying that the snake shocks ya or anything, but if you listen real closely to the humm of a floresent light tube bulb(when it's on of course),....that's kind of how the "humm" feels. I have only noticed it very rarely, but my brother also noticed it last night.

I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this....and what causes it. could it possibly be electrical jolts or impulses caused by their nervous system???

Or, If I am plain nuts, just let me know.

Thanks!!

What you are feeling is snake energy; chi; lifeforce--there are many expressions. Sometimes I just sit in my herp room and perhaps take out one of my favorites--many times my Trinket Ratsnake, Jem. When I stroke him, I wouldn't say it's an electrical hum, but there's definately an energy state that is different from my own that calms and energizes me at the same time. I like the "feel" (energy) in my herp room, and it is my sanctuary. Native American, Japanese, Aborigine--cultures all over the world--recognize mystical/metaphysical snake energy as part of their belief systems. It's very cool that you've experienced it--may it continue.

rgds,
althea

Thanks for informing me what I was feeling. I was about to commit myself to the insanity ward...lol j/k

Is this energy something that everybody can feel, or is it limited to sensitivity of the snake and/or the individual person??

Just recently, I felt it from a Racer with an injury that I caught. and my twin brother felt it while holding our Rubber Boa. I have experienced it before in the past rarely, but was unsure what caused it. It's good to know that somebody else has experienced it as well.

Thanks again for clearing it up.

BTW, Nice comic Clydesdale...lol

What you are feeling is snake energy; chi; lifeforce

I teach anatomy and physiology at the community college level and every semester or two, this issue comes up while we are discussing electrical potentials and membrane depolarization.

My response to my students is this - show me one shred of credible evidence that this "lifeforce" or "chi" or "----- energy" exists. No, you can't use "aura" photos, you have to use real scientific means, like a potentiometer, voltmeter, electocardiogram, etc. The funny thing about "chi" is that it always comes up when we are discussing EKGs. I have some bad news....if Chi really existed, EKGs wouldn't work as this "energy" would certainly drown out the depolarization and repolarization of the heart muscle that an EKG detects.

I'm not saying I know that it doesn't exist, I'm just saying show me that it does. There are people that believe in ghosts as well, but that doesn't make them real.

When I stroke him, I wouldn't say it's an electrical hum, but there's definately an energy state that is different from my own that calms and energizes me at the same time.

That appears to the trick to "chi". It can't be measured, but it "exists" all the same.

Here's an interesting test. Take a freshly dead snake and hold it in one hand. Then take a completely anesthetized snake and hold it in the other hand. Can you tell which one is which by detecting the "chi" from the live one? My money says no.

Native American, Japanese, Aborigine--cultures all over the world--recognize mystical/metaphysical snake energy as part of their belief systems.

Ahh, there's the rub. It is a "metaphysical" energy, therefore it evades any attempt to show that it really exists.

Clump, clump, clump.(steps off soapbox).
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Too funny Chris

That whole "oh it exists, you just can't prove it" sounds alot like the standard religious arguments us educators have to worry about, huh?

Wasn't there some sixth grader who came up with an actual test for a science project a few years back? She found people who said they could detect that energy with their hands, had them place both hands in a box and secretly placed one of her own hands under one of their hands and asked them which one her hand was uner...or something like that...

Chris,

Maybe the chi she is speaking of isnt an electrical energy. In that case it would have no effect on membrane depolarization and ECGs. I am a science teacher also. Your challenge to provide proof using the scientific method assumes that we currently have the technology to detect such a force if it indeed exists. You well know science evolves as new info and tech becomes available. Before the microscope, cell theory would have been ridiculed also.

I know there are still things out there science has yet to be able to explain. That doesnt mean they dont exist...just that we havent explained them. I have seen dead humans, unconcious ones, and anesthetized ones. You can definitely see a difference between alive and dead. I dont know about "feeling" a difference, but there is some sort of life energy that pervades a living organism, and is markedly absent after death.

Finally, this post was not an argument for or against chi...but rather a reminder as a scientist not to ridicule or totally discount something just because it isnt quantifiable.
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5.4 Variable Kings
1.4 Kunasir Island Rats
1.1 Albino Japanese Rats
1.1 Everglades Rats
0.1 White Oak Gray Rat
0.1 Speckled King
0.1 Tarahumara Mtn King
0.1 Amelanistic Corn

But there is a problem with that assessment as well...what you are arguing is the same thing creationists use.

Just because we CAN'T prove it, doesn't mean it DOES exist.

I personally don't see how there could be an energy form that life somehow creates that our instruments and theories have somehow 'missed'. Unless we're talking about 'Dark Energy'...and even that is just a wild hypothesis at the moment in the science of astronomy...not biology. And even then I don't think it holds much weight...

As for knowing when someone is dead or just unconscious, are you telling us humans have some sort of energy detecting device that tells us if something is dead or not?
Are you sure you're not picking up on sub-conscious clues? Lets face it, a living thing (even unconscious) STILL has biological processes going on. Even anesthetized people are going to have muscle groups still working...facial muscles, eyelids, erector pili, lungs, heart, etc.
As humans, we take alot of things for granted when it could be as simple as the more primal and sub-conscious parts of our brains picking up subtle clues as the the health of the person.
Heck, we already tend to pick up on subtle facial expressions that tell us how other people feel at the moment, right?

And to tell you the truth, its GOOD that people scoff at certain hypotheses. Because then it moves those who DO believe to work that much harder to prove it.

I was definitely not arguing from a creationist point of view. I am a science teacher, but do not conform to narrow views. Those are the things that have delayed scientific advancement in the past. My point was not to simply dismiss the possibility due to the fact that it does not lend itself to be easily proved via the scientific method.

As for dead vs unconcious, you agree with me. There is a noticable difference between something alive and unconcious or anesthetized and something that is dead. As our tech improves we may be able to detect a different type of "energy". Who knows....but Im not willing to laugh at it and dismiss it so easily just yet.
-----
5.4 Variable Kings
1.4 Kunasir Island Rats
1.1 Albino Japanese Rats
1.1 Everglades Rats
0.1 White Oak Gray Rat
0.1 Speckled King
0.1 Tarahumara Mtn King
0.1 Amelanistic Corn

...as another science teacher, I know that science is based on evidence, not conjecture.
Sure, maybe something like Chi does exist and we just can't detect it yet. BUT, you can't use it as a concrete answer until it IS proven.

Also, define 'narrow views' for me. Where exactly do you toe the line for a narrow view?
I think its actually the exact opposite that holds science back. The need for people to believe in the fantastic and supernatural, and the unreasonable need to hold on to those beliefs as absolute no matter what people are shown. THAT sounds like a narrow view to me.

Scientific method may have a 'narrow view', but you'll also notice that science can actually step back and say, "Ok, you were right, I was wrong."
Show me any supernatural believer that can say that. You won't find many, thats for sure.