Embodiment · “Being Precedes Having”
The Star Exercise
Stand with arms and legs outstretched in a star shape, breathe deeply and hold relaxed attention on a felt sense of vitality flowing in and circulating — a grounding, energizing posture-and-attention practice.
Stand as a five-pointed star: legs apart, arms out, left palm up, right palm down. Relax. Breathe deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Silently affirm “I am one with Universal Life Energy. It is flowing through me now. I feel it,” and rest attention on the felt vitality. 3-5 minutes, building to 10-15.
What it is
The Star Exercise is Eugene Fersen’s signature practice from Science of Being (1923). The student stands with legs apart and arms straight out to the sides so the body forms a five-pointed star (head, two hands, two feet as the five points), then breathes deeply and holds a relaxed, receptive attention on what Fersen describes as “Universal Life Energy” flowing in through the extremities and circulating through the body.
In his frame it is the basic method for making contact with, accumulating and circulating that energy; rendered plainly, it is an open expansive posture + slow breath + steady inward attention practice — a way of deliberately settling into a calm, energized embodied state.
The Method
- Prepare. Stand barefoot in loose clothing, ideally outdoors or near an open window, on a near-empty stomach.
- Take the star posture. Feet a little more than shoulder-width apart; arms straight out to the sides at shoulder level. Hold the left palm up and the right palm down (Fersen’s polarity — receiving on the left, releasing on the right). The whole body, head to hands to feet, forms the five points of a star.
- Relax inside the posture. Keep the frame open but the muscles easy; do not strain or lock the joints.
- Breathe deeply and rhythmically. Breathe in slowly through the nose and out through the mouth, in an even, unhurried rhythm.
- Hold the affirmation. Silently affirm, as taught: “I am one with Universal Life Energy. It is flowing through me now. I feel it.” Rest attention on the felt sense it points to — a quiet tingling or warmth, the sense of vitality entering through hands and feet and gathering in the body.
- Stay for 3-5 minutes. Beginners keep it short, up to twice a day. If the arms tire, lower them while keeping the palm orientation, then raise them again.
- Build gradually. As it becomes comfortable, extend toward 10-15 minutes and make it a steady daily habit. (Sourcing note: the star posture, left-palm-up/right-palm-down orientation, deep nose-in/mouth-out breathing and the “I am one with Universal Life Energy…” affirmation are from Fersen’s teaching; the numbered framing is attributed paraphrase.)
Source & Lineage
Eugene Fersen (c. 1873-1956), a Russian-born teacher who lectured widely in the United States, founded the Lightbearers organization (1921) and published Science of Being in Seven Lessons (1923).
The Star Exercise is the practical centerpiece of that course. It belongs to the early-twentieth-century “Life Force / vital energy” current adjacent to New Thought.
Common refinements
Straining to hold the arms up. It should stay relaxed; lower the arms when they tire rather than gritting through it.
- Forcing the breath. Keep it slow and even; over-breathing or long holds can cause light-headedness.
- Chasing dramatic “energy” sensations. Subtle warmth/tingling is normal embodied feedback; treating its absence as failure misses the point.
- Skipping the attention. The posture and breath are the vehicle; the felt, receptive attention is what makes it more than a stretch.