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The History of Orgone

Take a moment to appreciate the captivating flow and resonance of orgone energy. This energy has intrigued scientists, healers, and enthusiasts for over two centuries. An image of the beautiful rhythmic and natural world and your energetic or biophilic resonance response underpin and illustrate the evolution of orgone research. It began with its early roots in animal magnetism and has since advanced to modern orgonite devices. Delve into the fascinating history below and let this visual representation motivate you to explore the potential of universal energy in your life for orgone activation or vital force stimulation. Discover how visionaries have strived to harness this mysterious force for healing, vitality, and spiritual growth throughout history.

seashore during golden hour
"The discovery of orgone energy was made through consistent, thorough study of energy functions, first in the realm of the psyche, and later in the realm of biological functioning"     - WILHELM REICH -

German physician Franz Anton Mesmer was the first Western scientist to investigate Life Force or Universal energy. More than 200 years ago, he built the first known energy accumulators by filling wooden barrels with metal shavings. He used these barrels to heal his patients and called this energy Animal Magnetism. Mesmer’s related discoveries involving mental processes led to the development of hypnosis, thus the term mesmerizing. Twenty years later, another German, Baron Karl Von Reichenbach, researched Universal Energy extensively. A chemist, geologist, metallurgist, naturalist, and philosopher, his accumulators, built with creosote, formaldehyde, and steel, were also used for healing.


Nearly 100 years later, Dr. Sigmund Freud advanced this research further when he identified a powerful energy released when humans experience an orgasm. Calling this the libido, Freud and his associates attempted to harness this energy to heal both the body and the mind. After years of failure, Freud concluded that the libido was merely a psychological energy, an idea to be pursued only by the path of speculation.

Freud’s associate, Dr. Wilhelm Reich, disagreed and split from Freud, believing that rather than being a simple idea, the libido is a tangible, measurable energy. Through his research, he discovered that certain organisms emit high-frequency radiation that could kill bacteria and cancer cells. For Reich, this finding confirmed the existence of an energy that did not obey any known laws of electricity or magnetism. Because his discovery evolved from the investigation of the human orgasm and because this energy could charge organic materials, Reich named it Orgone.


Narrowly escaping the wrath of Adolph Hitler, Reich moved to New York City in 1940, where he built the first Orgone energy accumulators. They were essentially large boxes created by alternating layers of organic material, such as fiberglass (to radiate the energy), with layers of non-organic material, such as metals, to reflect and amplify the radiation and direct it inward toward the center. The accumulators were eventually expanded to be healing rooms for people with physical and mental diseases. By 1947, Reich's work attracted considerable interest as Orgone's research expanded into new areas of psychiatry, medicine, and biophysics. One of his most significant discoveries was proving the existence of a motor force in Orgone energy pulled from the atmosphere, a scientific breakthrough that presented enormous practical implications.


But all was not safe for Dr. Reich in his new home. A highly inflammatory article appeared in the May 26, 1947 edition of New Republic Magazine entitled 'The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich.' In this article, the author challenged medical authorities to take action against Reich. Within weeks, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began an investigation, charging that the use of Orgone energy accumulators constituted fraudulent activities. After an exhausting series of trials and appeals, Dr. Reich was sent to prison in 1955, where he died in 1957.


While Dr. Reich succeeded in accumulating Orgone energy, another Austrian, Karl Hans Welz, developed the first devices to generate Life Force energy. Calling his discovery Orgonite, Welz continued mixing organic and non-organic matter but found improved success using tiny particles instead of layers.


In recent years, other researchers have improved Welz’s designs, most notably by adding crystals. Operating as amplifiers, crystals make energy flow and radiate. When compressed, an electric charge is generated, creating the piezoelectric effect. By placing organic crystals and inorganic metals together in a resin that shrinks as it dries, pressure is applied to the crystals. This accumulates a charge that is directed from the device through the metals. The more pressure placed on the crystals during the curing process, the more influential the flow of energy that can be generated.


The most advanced Orgone energy generators combine a variety of crystals with other gemstones and add metals such as copper and steel. Since direct sunlight is crucial in curing, superior Orgone protection devices are made where strong sunlight is readily available. Much less cumbersome than Dr. Reich’s original accumulators, modern Orgone devices can be small enough to wear or fit in a pocket or purse.


Orgone Energy - May the Research Continue