Energy in Shamanic Martial Arts
· Ki, Qi, Ashe, Sekhem

The term "energy" is difficult in the West. It is either scientifically defined — joules per second — or vaguely shifted into the esoterica corner. Neither does justice to what the old traditions meant when they spoke of Ki, Qi, Ashe, or Sekhem. It was not about a measurable quantity, nor a pious imagination. It was about something third — an experienceable reality that shows up reliably in certain practice contexts.

This article is a spoke to the hub "The spiritual warrior in shamanism". It describes the energy concepts of the great warrior traditions and shows where the images overlap and where they actually mean different aspects.

Ki · the Japanese breath concept

The Japanese Ki (氣 or 気) literally means breath, vapour, life-breath. It stands for the fine layer through which body and mind are connected. In martial art Ki is what makes the difference between a technically correct movement and a movement that lands. Whoever works with Ki sends their intention through the movement — technique becomes a conductor, not an end.

In the shamanic lineage of Japan Ki is understood more broadly: it is also the contact with Kami, the carrier of prayer and ritual, the energy flowing through Kuji Kiri syllables. A ninja working with their breath on a sign is working with Ki. A Shugendō practitioner standing under a waterfall and speaking the Ōharae purification formulas is working with Ki.

Qi · the Chinese current

The Chinese Qi is the same concept with an older and deeper elaboration. In Daoist body teaching Qi is differentiated into several levels: Jing (the essential, bodily root force), Qi (the moving force flowing through the meridians), and Shen (the spiritual, consciousness-near force). These three are called San Bao, the "three treasures" in the inner alchemy system.

Martial arts like Bagua Zhang, Tai Chi, and the Daoist-flavoured parts of Qigong work with all three treasures. Whoever works in these traditions only at the Qi level stays on the surface. The actual depth opens when Jing is consciously gathered and transformed into Qi — and when Qi is in turn refined into Shen. That is the classical Daoist formula: Lian Jing Hua Qi · Lian Qi Hua Shen · Lian Shen Huan Xu — "Jing into Qi, Qi into Shen, Shen into emptiness".

Qi is not a substance you have. Qi is a relationship pattern — between body, breath, intention, and world. Whoever tries to isolate it loses it.

Ashe · the West African force of efficacy

In Yoruba-based voodoo the force is called Ashe or Ase. The concept is accented differently from Ki or Qi. Ashe is the capacity for words to become reality — the effectiveness of an action, prayer, ritual, gesture. Whoever has much Ashe is not simply "full of energy". They are someone in whom the things they speak come about.

That is a very practical category. Ashe is built in voodoo traditions through rituals, through relationship with the Loa, through ancestor work, through life in integrity. A warrior Loa like Ogou carries especially much Ashe in the area of decision, cut, follow-through. Whoever works with Ogou borrows something of that Ashe — and must earn it through their own practice, or the connection will not hold.

Sekhem · the Egyptian force of power

In ancient Egyptian Sekhem — the same word that lives in "Sekhmet", the lion-headed warrior goddess — power is framed once more differently. Sekhem is power in the sense of authoritative presence. Gods have Sekhem. Pharaohs have Sekhem. Certain rituals confer or confirm Sekhem. In ritual contexts Sekhem is described as the force necessary for shamanic work to actually "carry".

The parallel to Ashe is clear: both concepts emphasise efficacy, not only substance. A healer without Sekhem can act technically rightly without anything happening. A healer with Sekhem touches, and something moves. The same goes for the warrior. Horus has Sekhem. Anubis has Sekhem. Sekhmet is Sekhem.

What these terms share

For all their difference, the four terms share three core features:

• Body–mind continuum: None of these traditions splits body and mind into two worlds. The force works in the transition between them.
• Relationship not possession: Ki, Qi, Ashe, Sekhem are not things you have like property. They arise in relationships — to breath, ritual, spiritual beings, the land, ancestors.
• Practice builds them up: They can be strengthened by practice. Meditation, breath, martial art, ritual, prayer are the paths in every tradition.

These three commonalities are why people deeply practised in one tradition quickly find access in another. The forms differ, the structure is related.

What distinguishes them

The differences are not trivial. They concern the accentuation:

• Ki emphasises breath and the subtle
• Qi emphasises flow in a differentiated body system
• Ashe emphasises efficacy in social and ritual acts
• Sekhem emphasises authoritative presence, especially in the hands of those who work with gods

Whoever carries all four within has a richer warrior concept than whoever knows only one. This is not syncretic mixing — it is a form of inner polyglottism. You speak the languages without confusing them.

Energy in the Shamanic Worlds practice

Mark Hosak works in practice simultaneously with Ki (from the Shingon and ninjutsu lineage), with Qi (from Bagua and Qigong), with Ashe (from voodoo initiation), and touches Sekhem (from the Egyptian current). This is not pieced together — these are paths that have grown over more than 25 years of practice into a body understanding that proves itself in encounter with people and in ritual work.

For the path at Shamanic Worlds this means: the energy concepts are not introduced as theory but as different doors into an experienceable reality. Whoever truly walks through one door recognises the others when they meet them.