Awareness Series Part I
Learning To Work With Energy
I have spoken before about developing ones awareness and sensitivity to energy and that with this knowledge we can start to work with energy more actively. We already do so as a matter of course whether we are aware of it or not and we can take a more active role in working with energy. In this first part on this topic I will simply discuss the ideas at a higher level. In the subsequent pieces I will go into more detail about specific things one can do to develop these skills. I will reference essays on The Twin Powers website or past TOD's. I will try to avoid material that is available only to members of the site as these Notes are not intended to "force" people to join the site in order to learn (not that all are not welcome there:)....
In general, to learn to work with energy we must:
- Increasing our ability to focus or concentrate
- Work on noticing and eliminating beliefs or thoughts that prevent us from perceiving energy
- Develop our awareness of and our sensitivity to energy
We must realize that all that we perceive, indeed all that is consists energy in various relationships. These energies are not all of the same type, but the differences between them are not of kind, they are of degree. All energies interact with energies of a similar or related degree, some can even have an impact on energy of other "planes". I use the term "planes of energy", you may have heard that there are such things and that these correspond to the 7 planes of matter which are refered to as the 7 great Circles (there are 7 Circles and 12 Rays within the Cosmos). The matter of each of the Circles is different, again a difference of degree for all "things" are simply movement in relationships.
If you would like to learn more about the Circles and Rays (amongst other things about the nature of the Cosmos) I recommend you pick up a copy of The Cosmic Doctrine by Dion Fortune, it is one of the best references I have ever found and well worth the read. Should you decide to get a copy do not try to read like you would a novel or a reference manual for the concepts it contains take time to understand and even longer to grasp at any significant level.
Also, you may want to read the following two pieces (both from my TOD) to get additional background on this topic for they contain some information that I will not repeat here. Namely, I touch on ones state of mind and how it can affect our attention, which significantly affects our ability to work with energy.
http://thetwinpowers.com/ab/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66:consciousness-and-awareness&catid=41:general-writings&Itemid=62
http://thetwinpowers.com/ab/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:active-awareness&catid=41:general-writings&Itemid=62
You may wonder how consciously working with energy is possible and also, if one can do this, how it can be of benefit. This is related to our beliefs and indirectly to our sensitivity. First, as I've stated we all work with energy already, though our degree of conscious awareness of the affect our thoughts and feelings have is generally low. We think thoughts and have feelings though we generally do not see the outcomes of them, most often because our focus is low, the affects are subtle, the results not directly apparent and our attention is on the physical world. This does not change the fact that our thoughts and feelings do have an affect.
Remember that everything is energy and all things are energy in relationships then so too are we, as are all of our thoughts and emotions. And hence, what we think and feel has an affect on the energies that exist. Every thought or feeling we have radiates out and interacts with the energies they encounter. The way they interact is dependent upon the power and nature of the energies we manifest and that of the energies they encounter. The power of our acts (and a thought is an act) is directly dependent on the type of thought and our focus at that point in time.
Besides our awareness or ability to perceive energy, there are two fundamental laws that govern our ability to work with energy and they are the Law of Limitation and the Law of Action/Reaction (LoA/R). I will not delve into the Law of Action/Reaction at this time as it is not required for basic energy work and the discussion really is not suitable for general consumption; however, we will look at Law of Limitation (LoL) as it governs our ability to focus or concentrate. As I have stated before, energy follows attention so our attention is where we start. I introduce these laws here because they are keys to working with energy. The LoL can be stated as:
In order to achieve an end you must outline that end and limit yourself to it, rejecting all this is irrelevant; and note this point, the first process in the invocation of power is the rejection of all that is irrelevent. This is another name for concentration. The Law of Limitation means the concentraion of power by rejection of the irrelevent. In all undertakings the prime requisite for success is to know what you cannot do. This is discriminaton.
and
When it is desire to put through an enterprise, first proceed to think the matter out in all its detail, clearly outlining the end it is designed to achieve. Next consider the means whereby that end may be achieved. Next proceed to eliminate all desire for anything unconnected with that aim. This is a most important point. In other words you render yourself one-pointed.
From The Cosmic Doctrine
As this quote indicates, the challenge lies in training our mind to focus for we already know how to work with energy even if we are not conscious of it. It has been suggested that people have 7 +/- 2 thoughts per second, but these are conscious thoughts and we have many times that many non-conscious thoughts per second. Our desires and interests are many and each of these has a portion of our awareness. In order to successfully work with energy we must be able to limit these to only what it is we intend to do. All other considerations must be secondary. Realize that you will deal with them in due course and then proceed with utter ruthlessness to limit yourself to the matter in hands so that you have but one desire and all else is subordinate to it.
You must circumspect all other desires to limit the content of your consciousness. If you want to remove negative energy, for example, you cannot be concerned about whether it will work, what you plan to do the rest of the day, be frightened about what you are intending to do or be distracted in any way. Every bit of distraction would significantly reduce the power of your intent hence you ability to clear energy. Also, our non-conscious thoughts take away our focus so we must become aware of more of these to increase our effectiveness. I know this may seem "impossible", it is not.
Our lack of focus is what blocks us from being able to do constructive energy work. Whether one is clearing negative energy or is a Reiki Master, a Healer or even a Teacher they must be very aware of the Law of Limitation if not in word then certainly in action. For example, when I want to help someone come to understand a concept or to share one with others I must focus on that and that alone. All other thoughts must be put aside, further, I must be very clear within my mind of what it is I am trying to convey to them, what factors could affect my conveyance of this information and so on. All else must be put aside. I cannot get out what I need to in order to help someone without doing so. This applies to my writing of this piece that you are reading now and is why so many find the topics directly relevent to their lives at the time they read it.
When I write my TOD, the first step is to cleary define what I intend to write about. Since I "channel" much of what I write my initial focus is not on the topic itself, it is on my intent to provide what would be of the most benefit to those that may read the piece, including people I do not know who might read it since I no longer restrict these to Friends of Friends. I imagine people reading it and that what they read is helpful and/or useful in some manner. It could be they need the information itself or that they need to be exposed to the idea, it could even be that they need to react to what I write in order to move to place that will aid them and it doesn't have to be in terms of personal or spiritual growth.
The next step, once I have done this, is to look for and notice all thoughts, energies and feelings I have that are not related as these will distract me and reduce my ability to communicate clearly on the topic at hand. I do this first by pausing and then by noticing what I am thinking about. Doing so does not diminish the importance of whatever is on my mind, just it's relevence for the time being. If they are that important to me I should be doing them first and not putting them off until later.
For instance, as I write this our cat, Shrek, is in here "whining" at me. My concern for what he wants, needs or is trying to communicate is reducing my focus and partially scatters my thoughts. Where a thought or feeling is not related to what I am trying to do, as Shrek's actions have me doing now, I must put them aside, do what I need to do so I can focus. Beyond that I tell myself I will get to whatever else he may need in due course. Of course, I must be able to know if I have been able to remove thoughts of him and can do this by the same process: I pay attention to my thoughts and find that Shrek is no longer on my mind. With this done the information is starting to flow and does so without resistance.
The Reiki Master cannot be concerned about anything save the work they are doing with the person they are helping. If they do so their effectiveness suffers and the end results are not achieved. Not being a Reiki Master I cannot tell you what processes they go through to achieve this, though I am sure they must do so in some fashion if they are to be successful. Same with the Healer. They cannot be concerned with whether or not they will be successful this too is irrelevant to the task at hand.
As challenging as this can be little can be done with energy if one is not sensitive to or aware of it. This is made more difficult by our having become accustomed to only thinking of our awareness in terms of words and things. An intuition does not start as words it starts as a vibration that our mind then translates. If we are distracted or worried about outcomes the intuitive thought will be lost in our waffling thoughts and subsequent emotions. As I mentioned, all other thoughts must be secondary and in the case of an intuitive impulse I must only be concerned about allowing the impulse and not questioning, doubting or denying it.
A good example would be when I look out and perceive people. If I am have too many thoughts going on, being subjective or judgmental then what I see will be based on those notions rather than what is actually there to be perceived. I made this statement the other day:
When you are out and about today take a little time to just accept what you see, try to not judge anything or anyone regardless of what they are doing or how you perceive it or them. It's not easy to do; however, taking time to suspend judgment is one of the most freeing and cathartic things one can do for themselves.
This is precisely what I am referring to. When we use our mind to see the world it will interpret it for us based on its programming and not solely on what is perceived. We want to get beyond our interpretations of what we perceive and simply allow the awareness to be there. We ignore the Law of Limitation when we allow other thoughts or judgments and interpretations. Those who are empathic or telepathic do not do this as often, they simply allow the awareness to be there. It is not that they don't have issues themselves, it is that when they get an intuitive thought they trust it rather than rush to judgment, they do not have the need for what they get intuitively to be explained nor do they question it's truth. They simply know the feeling and go with it.
For instance, if I am somewhere and I notice that I am feeling agitated I do not assume that the agitation is from something I am thinking about or is simply how I feel at the moment. This is the subjective approach. The first thing I do is accept that I have perceived agitation and do not jump to conclusions about it. If I pause for a moment and clear my mind I can then explore the energy by various means to learn where it is coming, whereas if I jump to conclusions that it is me who is agitated then I make that true for me regardless of whether it is or not.
If you want to notice the energy around you it is imperative that you cease trying to analyze it. Sensitivity will come if and only if you let go of the thoughts and feelings you have that prevent you from being open to the idea, they distract you from what you are trying to do. As Obi-Wan-Kenobi stated in the first Star wars film "Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them". The same goes for your thoughts and feelings.
End of Part I
© 2011 Allan Beveridge
© 2011 Allan Beveridge
