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The Odic force (also called Od [őd], Odyle, Önd, Odes, Odylic, Odyllic, or Odems) is the name given in the mid-19th century to a hypothetical vital energy
Vitalism

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is#a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions...
 or life force
Life force

Life force is a concept of Energy .Life force may also refer to:* Life Force , an arcade game* Lifeforce , a science fiction/horror movie released in 1985...
 by Baron Carl von Reichenbach
Carl Reichenbach

Freiherr Dr. Carl Ludwig von Reichenbach was a notable chemist, geologist, metallurgist, natural history, industrialist and philosopher, and a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences....
. Von Reichenbach coined the name from that of the Norse
Norse mythology

Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the beliefs, myths and legends of the Norse paganism of the North Germanic language people, including those who settled on Faroe Islands and Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled....
 god
God

God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
 Odin
Odin

Odin , is considered the chief ?sir in Norse paganism. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxons Woden and the Old High German Wotan, it is descended from Proto-Germanic *Wodanaz or *Wodanaz....
 in 1845.

History
As von Reichenbach was investigating the manner in which the human nervous system
Nervous system

The nervous system is a Neural network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body....
 could be affected by various substances, he conceived the existence of a new force allied to electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
, magnetism
Magnetism

In physics, magnetism is one of the phenomena by which materials exert attractive or repulsive forces on other materials. Some well-known materials that exhibit easily detectable magnetic properties are nickel, iron, cobalt, and their alloys; however, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic fiel...
, and heat
Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is any transfer of energy from one body or thermodynamic system to another due to a difference in temperature....
, a force which he thought was radiated by most substances, and to the influence of which different persons are variously sensitive
Sensitivity

Sensitivity may refer to:* Allergy* Sensitivity * Sensitivity * Sensitivity * Sensitivity and specificity are related concepts in statistics...
.






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The Odic force (also called Od [őd], Odyle, Önd, Odes, Odylic, Odyllic, or Odems) is the name given in the mid-19th century to a hypothetical vital energy
Vitalism

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is#a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions...
 or life force
Life force

Life force is a concept of Energy .Life force may also refer to:* Life Force , an arcade game* Lifeforce , a science fiction/horror movie released in 1985...
 by Baron Carl von Reichenbach
Carl Reichenbach

Freiherr Dr. Carl Ludwig von Reichenbach was a notable chemist, geologist, metallurgist, natural history, industrialist and philosopher, and a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences....
. Von Reichenbach coined the name from that of the Norse
Norse mythology

Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the beliefs, myths and legends of the Norse paganism of the North Germanic language people, including those who settled on Faroe Islands and Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled....
 god
God

God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
 Odin
Odin

Odin , is considered the chief ?sir in Norse paganism. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxons Woden and the Old High German Wotan, it is descended from Proto-Germanic *Wodanaz or *Wodanaz....
 in 1845.

History


As von Reichenbach was investigating the manner in which the human nervous system
Nervous system

The nervous system is a Neural network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body....
 could be affected by various substances, he conceived the existence of a new force allied to electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
, magnetism
Magnetism

In physics, magnetism is one of the phenomena by which materials exert attractive or repulsive forces on other materials. Some well-known materials that exhibit easily detectable magnetic properties are nickel, iron, cobalt, and their alloys; however, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic fiel...
, and heat
Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is any transfer of energy from one body or thermodynamic system to another due to a difference in temperature....
, a force which he thought was radiated by most substances, and to the influence of which different persons are variously sensitive
Sensitivity

Sensitivity may refer to:* Allergy* Sensitivity * Sensitivity * Sensitivity * Sensitivity and specificity are related concepts in statistics...
. He named this vitalist
Vitalism

Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is#a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions...
 concept Odic force. Proponents say that Odic force permeates all plants, animals, and humans.

Believers in Odic force said that it is visible in total darkness as colored aura
Aura (paranormal)

In parapsychology and many forms of spirituality, an aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation supposedly surrounding a person or object like the Halo or aureola of religious art....
s surrounding living things, crystals, and magnets, but that viewing it requires hours first spent in total darkness, and that not everyone has the ability to see it. They also said that it resembles the eastern concepts prana
Prana

Prana is the Sanskrit for "breath" .It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", Vac "speech", caksus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" ....
 and qi
Qi

In traditional Chinese culture, qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing.It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or ?lan vital as well as the Yoga Pranayama of prana....
. However, they regarded the Odic force, not as associated with breath (like India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
's prana and the qi of Eastern martial arts), but rather mainly with biological electromagnetic
Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism is the physics of the electromagnetic field, a field which exerts a force on Elementary particles with the property of electric charge and which is reciprocally affected by the presence and motion of such particles....
 fields.

Von Reichenbach did not tie Odic force into other vitalist theories. Baron von Reichenbach expounded the concept of Odic force in detail in a book-length article, Researches on Magnetism, Electricity, Heat and Light in their Relations to Vital Forces, which anomalously appeared in a special issue of a respected scientific journal, Annalen der Chemie und Physik. He said that (1) the Odic force had a positive and negative flux
Flux

In the various subfields of physics, there exist two common usages of the term flux, both with rigorous mathematical frameworks.*In the study of transport phenomena , flux is defined as the amount that flows through a unit area per unit time....
, and a light and dark side. (2) Individuals could forcefully "emanate" it, particularly from the hands, mouth, and forehead. (3) Odic force had many possible applications.

The Odic force was conjectured to explain the phenomenon of hypnotism. In Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927....
 an impetus was given to this view of the subject, following the translation of Reichenbach's Researches, by a professor of chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh founded in 1582, is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom....
. These later researches tried to show many of the Odic phenomena to be of the same nature as those described previously by Franz Mesmer
Franz Mesmer

Franz Anton Mesmer was a German physician and astrologist, who discovered what he called magn?tisme animal and others often called mesmerism....
, and even long before Mesmer's time by Swedenborg.

Scientific basis

Von Reichenbach hoped to develop a scientific proof for a universal life force, however his experiments relied not on scientific instruments but on perceptions reported by individuals claimed to be psychically
Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance is the apparent ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception....
 sensitive or psycho-kinetically
Psychokinesis

The term psychokinesis , also known as telekinesis , sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term coined by Henry Holt to refer to the direct influence of mind on a physical system that cannot be entirely accounted for by the mediation of any known physical energy....
 adept. The "sensitives," young women recruited from the poorer social classes, worked in total or near-total darkness, and were forerunners of the Spirit Mediums
Mediumship

Mediumship is believed by its adherents to be a form of communication with spirits.It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism , Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candombl?, Louisiana Voodoo, and Umbanda....
 who appeared all over Europe 10 years later, in the 1850s.

The Odic force found no favor among mainstream scientists, and belief in it survives today as one among many concepts of spiritual energies associated with living things. The Odic force has been mentioned frequently in European books on dowsing
Dowsing

Dowsing, sometimes called divining, doodlebugging , or water finding or water witching, is a practice that attempts to locate hidden water wells, buried metals or ores, gemstones, or other objects as well as currents of earth radiation without the use of scientific apparatus....
, such as Reveal the Power of the Pendulum
Reveal the Power of the Pendulum

Reveal the Power of the Pendulum: Secrets of the Sidereal Pendulum, A Complete Survey of Pendulum Dowsing is a book by Karl Spiesberger.It was first published in 1962 under its original German title, Der erfolgreiche Pendel-Praktiker....
, by Karl Spiesberger
Karl Spiesberger

Karl Spiesberger , also formerly known as Frater Eratus or Fra Eratus , is a German Mysticism, occultist and Germanic Neopaganism. He is most well known for his revivalism and usage of the Sidereal Dowsing#Pendulums for divination and dowsing and Armanen Runes....
.

Popular culture


  • The power of Od is the focal point of an episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater
    CBS Radio Mystery Theater

    CBS Radio Mystery Theater was an ambitious and sustained attempt during the 1970s to revive the great drama of old-time radio. The series was created by Himan Brown, a radio legend due to his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries and other shows dating back to the 1930s....
     about von Reichenbach.
  • Od is used in Fate/Stay Night
    Fate/stay night

    is a Japanese eroge visual novel game created by Type-Moon, which was originally released on January 30, 2004, for the IBM PC compatible. It has been adapted into an anime Television program, which was animated by Studio Deen and aired between January 6, 2006, through June 16, 2006....
     as magical energy humans can produce.
  • The Odyll force is a small focal point of Hollow People by Brian Keaney.
  • The magic used by Schierke in the manga Berserk
    Berserk (manga)

    |} is a long-running dark fantasy manga by mangaka Kentaro Miura.Berserks setting is inspired by medieval Europe. It centers around the life of Guts , an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith , the leader of a mercenary band called the ....
     is called Od.


See also

  • Aether (classical element)
    Aether (classical element)

    According to ancient and History of science in the Middle Ages, aether , also spelled ?ther or ether, is the material that fills the region of the Universe above the Sublunary sphere....
  • Aether theories
    Aether theories

    Alchemy, natural philosophy, and early modern physics proposed the existence of a medium of the ?ther , a space-filling substance or field, thought to be necessary as a transmission medium....
  • Energy (spiritual)
  • Etheric body
    Etheric body

    The etheric body, ether-body, ?ther body, a name given by neo-Theosophy to a supposed vital body propounded in esoteric philosophies as the first or lowest layer in the "human energy field" or aura ....
     (Spirituality)
  • Etheric plane
    Etheric plane

    The etheric plane is a term introduced into Theosophy by Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant to represent one of the plane in neo-Theosophical and Rosicrucian cosmology....
     (Spirituality)
  • Kirlian photography
    Kirlian photography

    Kirlian photography refers to a form of photogram made with a high voltage. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a source of high voltage, small corona discharges create an image on the photographic plate....
  • Magic
    Magic

    Magic may refer to:* Magic , anything that is not explainable by any present laws of science.** Magical thinking** Folk magic, traditional systems of magic...
  • Mana
    Mana

    Mana is the concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The concept is common to many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian languages, Polynesian languages, and Micronesian languages....
  • Manna
    Manna

    Manna , sometimes or archaically spelt mana, is the name of a food which, according to the Bible, was eaten by the Israelites during their travels in the desert....
  • Orgone
    Orgone

    Orgone energy is a hypothetical and largely disputed extrapolation of the Freudian concept of libido first proposed and promoted in the 1930s by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich....
  • Phlogiston
  • Prana
    Prana

    Prana is the Sanskrit for "breath" .It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", Vac "speech", caksus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" ....
  • Qi
    Qi

    In traditional Chinese culture, qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing.It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or ?lan vital as well as the Yoga Pranayama of prana....
  • Seid
  • The Force
    Force (Star Wars)

    The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional Star Wars fictional universe, created by George Lucas. First mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, it is integral in all subsequent films in the series, as well as the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" of comic books, novels, and video games....
    , in the Star Wars fiction
  • Vitalism
    Vitalism

    Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is#a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions...
  • Vril
    Vril

    The Coming Race , also reprinted as Vril: The Power of the Coming Race, is a novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, first published in 1871....


External links

  • in An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural
    An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural

    An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural is a 1995 book by James Randi and Arthur C. Clarke. It serves as a reference for various pseudoscience and paranormal subjects....