Energy Work and (vs.?) Equanimity

[Son of Deborah]

It's no secret that putting ourselves through stress helps to raise energy. How many of us have incorporated fasting, sleep deprivation, extreme temperatures, pain, or other bodily stress in order to help us achieve our ends? These are great methods of raising needed energy, although they do require significant discipline and will.

It seems to me as though these methods are "easy", or at least "method of first resort" for many who begin energy work. To share my story briefly: For 7 years, I was, on most days, in excruciating pain from a spinal condition. It was debilitating at times, and certainly undesirable... HOWEVER, it did afford me an almost-never-ending font of energy. I could reach down and grab what I needed for whatever I was doing, pretty much at any time.

Fast forward to 2008, and I have surgery to repair the damage. Now, the pain is gone. Great, wonderful, except now I have lost this on-demand energy. I find energy work (mainly impromptu work) very difficult to complete. It takes the methods delineated above to see results.

Why I mention this background is that I am a very even-tempered person. Not much in the way of highs or lows. I am the very model of a water-dominated soul, and reaching the fire is increasingly difficult. On the other hand, an alternate explanation (and one with a lot of truth behind it, I feel) is that young magick practitioners like myself find raising energy through stress to be "easier" so we use it as a crutch, only exploring other methods once we age and tire of the grind.

Either way, I am hoping to solicit some advice on making this significant transition in my workings. After years of relying on "cheap" energy, how can/should I go about the transition to a practice based in my own (hard-won) equanimity? Both specific techniques and general situational wisdom are welcome :smileroll

[childofbast]

I have no advice to offer because I'm only very new to energy work myself. However I never really thought about this before. There is a woman in my area who has at times visited with my local Pagan group. She is often in sever pain - something to do with her spine, like you. At the same time, she and others who know her well purport that she is very empathetic and psychic and that she can accomplish many great spiritual tasks. It is interesting that discomfort seems to be the sacrifice for such gifts. I remember learning in anthropology about traditional shamans gaining their insight through near-death experiences most often.

I hope that you are able to reconnect with the energies you seek.

Blessings,
Melanie

[brymble]

I think it is a bit unfortunate that you seem to have become dependent on the form of your intangible tools. I think there also may be some confusion as to the function of the pain in energy work: the pain is not causing the energy to be accessed, it is creating or fascilitating conditions in the body which alter consciousness to allow the energy that is already there to be accessed more easily. This is why shamans can use ethnogens for a genuine astral experience: the experience doesn't "come from the drug", rather, the drug encourages certain biochemical conditions in the body and brain to allow the consciousness to shift and access the information in non-ordinary reality.

While it may be an effective way of making practical use of pain in an attempt to cope, you should not allow your practice to depend on the form your tools of consciousness take. (This is one explanation for drug addiction.) The energy does not come from the pain, it comes from you and your connection to the infinite. The pain has merely cleared one path to access it. There are many other, more appropriate paths.

You might want to consider exploring other methods of meeting this need that are more appropriate to your current condition. Deep meditation, ecstatic dance, ethnogens (in proper set and setting and with experienced guidance) drumming, martial arts and kundalini yoga are some other ways of shifting consciousness and conditioning the body to allow for the raising and accessing of your energy.

The pain has shown you that the door is there, and that there is something behind it you can use. You no longer need it now. What perhaps you do need to realize next is that you are in a great hall surrounded by infinite doors, and that which lies beyond them is eternal, and your birthright.

[childofbast]

I like what you had to say, Brymble. :)

~Melanie

[TuathaSidhe]

Usually when im in pain I become a little baby :lol:

Seriously though, ive never used any of that to get energies. I find meditation works best for me, or focusing my thoughts. To me they are different cause with meditating I quiet my mind (or try to, lol) and just things...do whatever they wanna do, but when focusing my thoughts, I have a set goal in mind.

I personally agree with Brymble. Its always been there, you just might have to work a little harder to find it and work with it until you are able to do it easily.

Good luck

[Lunacie]

When I am in pain I have to work much harder to access energy. Funny how people can be so different, eh?

One of the best lessons in energy work I've learned over the years came from taking the Reiki 1 class. I always knew that my own energy was finite and limited, and that using it all up left me in worse shape than before. In Reiki we are taught how to access the Universal energy which is infinite and unlimited.

Actually, anyone can access this energy whether you've had a Reiki attunement or not, and I find it works even better than using my own energy.

[RuneCast]

If you are having energetic issues, focus on your concept of divinity...surely the source of all energy.

If your intention is worthy and you yourself are willing to work, then if it pleases Them, They will lend aid to your endeavours.

[Garm]

It's no secret that putting ourselves through stress helps to raise energy. How many of us have incorporated fasting, sleep deprivation, extreme temperatures, pain, or other bodily stress in order to help us achieve our ends? These are great methods of raising needed energy, although they do require significant discipline and will.

It seems to me as though these methods are "easy", or at least "method of first resort" for many who begin energy work. To share my story briefly: For 7 years, I was, on most days, in excruciating pain from a spinal condition. It was debilitating at times, and certainly undesirable... HOWEVER, it did afford me an almost-never-ending font of energy. I could reach down and grab what I needed for whatever I was doing, pretty much at any time.

Fast forward to 2008, and I have surgery to repair the damage. Now, the pain is gone. Great, wonderful, except now I have lost this on-demand energy. I find energy work (mainly impromptu work) very difficult to complete. It takes the methods delineated above to see results.

Why I mention this background is that I am a very even-tempered person. Not much in the way of highs or lows. I am the very model of a water-dominated soul, and reaching the fire is increasingly difficult. On the other hand, an alternate explanation (and one with a lot of truth behind it, I feel) is that young magick practitioners like myself find raising energy through stress to be "easier" so we use it as a crutch, only exploring other methods once we age and tire of the grind.

Either way, I am hoping to solicit some advice on making this significant transition in my workings. After years of relying on "cheap" energy, how can/should I go about the transition to a practice based in my own (hard-won) equanimity? Both specific techniques and general situational wisdom are welcome :smileroll

Cold turkey nicotine fits

Very interesting source of energy