Freedom Friiiiday meets Natural Medicine! :D
I was inspired to write about this topic from a Discord thread started by that spun off into talking about positive energies, GOOD news (as opposed to the sensationalist mess that is mainstream media), and generally embodying an empathic way of being, and how difficult that can be for many people in this modern world.
LOTS of folks here are insightful, empathic, energetic beings... I can feel it through your writing, and in the way people communicate with each other on the platform, the way we all support one another. It's an empathic world on Steemit, and that's just the facts. When it comes to being empathic, here are my thoughts on it. EVERY person is an empath, to varying degrees, whether we know it or not. We all feel the energetic spectrum all around, but in the modern Western world, we are basically programmed to be out of touch to energetics, so often we don't even realize what these energies are, let alone how to deal with them, which ones we want to allow in, which we want to keep out, or even which ones we want to change our minds about.
One great thing I've learned in energetic and quantum healing is this simple basic lesson: Just because we have allowed an energy in in the past, doesn't mean we are required to continue to allow it into our personal energy field in the present moment, or ever again.
As a challenge, I am going to ask, right here and now, for everyone who reads this post to really consider what that statement means in our lives. Our individual, personal lives.
Where have we allowed an energy in to our own field when it did not serve us? Or when it was destructive to us?
Many of you may want to know, how do we even know when an energy is potentially damaging to our personal field?
This is where some mindfulness practices come in. The beautiful thing about energetics and how they relate to personal freedom is this simple fact... It is entirely a choice for each individual to make as far as which energies we allow in to our own sphere. Have you ever been yelled at by a "negative" coworker? Or verbally abused in some way by a partner? Have you ever had an encounter with a "mean girl"? How about when we've been in the middle of an anxiety attack, how does that feel to you?
All these things are examples of ways that heavy and/or potentially damaging energies affect us on a daily basis. You can feel when these energies are making a difference to your energy field by feeling the way your body and mind feel as it's happening in the moment. Sometimes it feels like a tingling in your forehead, or like a heat that creeps up your neck toward your face. You might ball your fists, or start to feel tension in your chest, or like a clenching feeling in the gut. You might feel embarrassment, or anger, or frustration, or like you want to cry. These are all indicators of an energetic shift. I am really resisting calling it an "energetic assault", though one could consider it that. I resist using the word "assault" because to me, that implies a victimizing nature to the situation, and when it comes to energetics, there really is no victim, because your energetics are ultimately your responsibility. I say responsibility intentionally here, as responsibility is very different than fault or blame. No one is to blame, no one at fault. But every person has the responsibility to care for and cultivate energies in their body-mind, in their energy field, and the choice and freedom to do so. It is the beauty and power inherent in the practice of energetics, as it puts all the responsibility as well as the empowerment in the individual who is experiencing and co-creating reality and life.
So, let's go back to the concept of allowing energies into our field. Now that we have a pretty good idea of what energies feel like, at least the heavier and more anxiety inducing ones, the ones that create resistance within us. What can we do about these feelings, and energies?
You got it, it's where more mindfulness comes in. A great tool I have used once I've started to feel a pattern of resistance in my body or feelings or thoughts is conscious breath (another thing we have freedom of on a daily basis... the freedom to choose to breathe with our minds and hearts). Conscious breath is an amazing thing to practice because it allows for space within the individual. It literally takes that restrictive feeling of resistance and, with a little practice, transforms it into usable, breathable space. Those of you who practice yoga or meditation know what this feeling is, and how different it is from the restrictive energies of anxiety and frustration. Think of your internal vision during anxiety. Go ahead and put yourself in that space for just a moment. How does it feel? What kinds of choices do you have during anxiety? How narrow or wide is your inner vision?
Chances are, it feels pretty restrictive. Now, take a few breaths. Don't force them, don't control them in any way. Just take those breaths and feel them moving through your mouth and nose, the way your chest moves, the way your belly feels. Now take a few more, and feel it all again. This exercise is not a forced thing, rather an attention thing, where we are simply aware of our own breath in the moment. Now, take a few more.
How does it feel? Consider your internal vision. What kinds of choices do you have now? How narrow or wide is your inner vision?
Chances are, with practice, each person will feel more spacious, and have more choices available to them.
Practicing conscious breath is a fantastic way to begin to learn about energetics. It gives us options and immediate feedback on our current state of being... emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual. It allows a nice, wide open space for us to experience the present moment without judgement of self or others (or if we are feeling judgement, it can show us our own patterns of judgmental thinking), in order for us to make better choices in the present moment. This is a good time to mention that if we "catch" ourselves in judgmental patterns, it's OK. It really is. Please, we should not be so hard on ourselves anymore. We are humans, and have the tendencies of all humans, and judgement is NOT a bad thing. It's just... a thing!
Practicing conscious breath in a moment of "energetic assault" for lack of a better word at the moment is amazing because when our energetic field is threatened in some way, which we now know will give us plenty of indicators, now we have the space and freedom to choose whether we want to allow those energies into our field. In the here and now, in the present, this gives us the option to allow or disallow whichever energies we choose.
I personally think that's a pretty remarkable gift. It is certainly a different way of looking at the world, but in my practice of this on a daily basis, I can share with you that it makes a huge difference in the way the world is experienced in the here and now, in the present.
To wrap up, Freedom of Energetics is our ultimate passport to Freedom in Life, to being able to choose a response rather than a reaction (our literal Response-ability, if you will), and the beginning of the pathway to Source, and to becoming a conscious co-creator of the present world.
Cultivate away, my good friends. I would LOVE to hear some stories as to how you have experienced energy in your own life! Please feel free to comment, this is a subject I am freakishly passionate about and always would love to learn more about my fellow co-creators and how you all experience life in an energetic sense. :-)
In the energy of Peace and Freedom,
Xx Tree of Life
Image Sources:
"Frosty Breath" - consciouslifestylemag.com
"Just Breathe" - tinybuddha.com
"Energy Field" - yourvibration.com
*This post is part of the #freedomfriday initiative created by and
. Thank you for your hard work and enthusiasm!
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