Spiritual people, particularly those involved in what’s termed “spiritual arts,” use the word energy to explain the metaphysical, whether it’s healing, intuitive work, or shifting consciousness.
To the novice, it may seem an amorphous term, an umbrella of sorts to depict anything that happens on an unseen level, and to the skeptic, well, it is certainly the vocab of the New Age con artist.
If we can’t see it, and we can’t feel it, does it exist?
Renowned mythological scholar Joseph Campbell emphasised humankind’s historical dependence upon that invisible world, stating very clearly in The Power of Myth, “The invisible plane supports the physical plane….What we don’t see supports we do know,” a theory which applies to everything from ancient Neanderthal burial rites to Cinderella’s transformation into ball spectacle.
Translating that into our ordinary lives doesn’t require magic or shamanic manifestation. All it takes is a couple of very simple physical exercises to lead doubters to recognize and respect those unseen elements. Opened and exercised, it is the palpable “ki” in Reiki, the “chi” in t’ai chi, flow of not just the life force but the spirit, and most deeply, that spark igniting the imagistic visions of our third eye.
BASIC FEELING ENERGY EXERCISE
Understanding energy as the core of all things becomes easier with hands-on energy experience. I always ask my students if they can see energy, the answer most usually “no.” We can see the effects of energy, feel energy, and comprehend energy on subtle levels. For example, we can’t see the wind but we certainly see the consequences of strong gusts on a tree with fallen branches and leaves as evidence. Or we feel the cooling effects of an ocean breeze on a hot, humid day. Likewise, we can feel the patterns of energy by exploring our own energy centre.
This basic feeling energy exercise will allow you to feel and control your own energy:
1. Sit in a relaxed position with your feet on the floor.
2. Place your hands together in Gassho position and gradually move them apart. That apparently empty space between your hands is energy,
3. Now bring your hands back together and rub them vigorously for a minute or two as if you were trying to make fire with sticks.
4. Slowly, very slowly pull your hands apart. What do you feel? Bring your hands back in and out gradually, stretching them and closing the space between them as if you were playing an invisible accordion. What sensation do you feel? If you feel nothing, try again. Relax. Even the slightest tingle or buzzing is the sensation of your own energy.
FEELING AN ENERGY CENTRE
The Chakra identifies seven major energy centres at the core of our being, the spinal column, that regulate our physical, emotional, and spiritual conditions. These centers are depicted as spinning disks, each with a corresponding color and sound used for healing. Yogis, Buddhist monks, indigenous people, and metaphysicians meditate on the chakra system to gain clarity and well being. When we begin exploring meditation and alternative healing we here. In addition to the major centers, the body has minor chakra centers, including centers in the palm of the hand and soles of the feet. Often we absorb energy through our hands and release energy through our feet. This exercise will acquaint you with the energy centres in the palm of your hand.
All reiki healing is conducted through the palms of the hand as is auric sweeping and smoothing.
PULLING ENERGY FROM YOUR PALM
Sit comfortably with both feet on the floor.
Open your left hand and face your palm upward.
Position the thumb and forefinger of your right hand so that they touch, but instead of holding your hand palm up, hold it palm down. Your thumb and forefinger position will serve as an imaginary “pen.”
Hold this “pen” about an inch above the centre of your left palm. Begin making rapid but very tight circular movements as if you were drawing tiny circles in the centre of your hand.
Do this for close to a minute.
Now keeping your “pen” close to your palm, imagine it is attached to a taut string that runs through the center of your palm. Gradually pull upwards as if you were pulling the string. Do you feel the tension? Now bring your “pen” closer to the hand. Alternative pulling up and down, each time pulling a little farther away from the palm and then returning to the center. Keep repeating this, noting the strengthening of the magnetic pull you feel in the center of your palm.
This sensation is energy and your manipulation of it.
Again, if you don’t feel anything, it might be due to tension and anxiety or even fear.
Relax.
Take some deep breaths.
Try again.
You will feel your own energy.
Once you have identified your energy, you can begin working with it to discover its potency on many levels from healing to developing intuitive insight. If you take a yoga or meditation class, you will become even more energetically flexible.
Do this, and expect miraculous journeys!