Tending the Energy Body in the Age of Information Overload
Happy New Year! However you feel about the ritual of resolutions, this time of year is excellent for considering how you are what you need in order to meet 2022.
It feels as though this year started abruptly, like tripping on a crack in the sidewalk and launching into a jog that was unplanned. Certainly the pace of the new viral variant, and the return to more pandemic restrictions are contributing to a feeling of pressure and intensity for many of us at the start of this year. However, I’m not certain that it’s doing something, in particular, that is creating this sense. In the process of following the news related to Omicron, and to other major issues we currently face as a world community, it occurred to me that the flood of information we have at our fingertips is far greater than what we are built to absorb. We are able to track so much of what happens in the world, as well as within our extended families, and circles of friends and acquaintances. We collect stories, and the feeling of responsibility and concern keeps us returning for new nuances and updates. Yet, as we reach out energetically, intellectually, and emotionally, it is very easy to forget to return all the way home again, leaving us scattered, drained, or even amplified with the desire to act, when no clear way to respond is available to us. This can, of course, create anxiety, and lead us to its close cousins escapism and denial. But, there is a lot more happening on the unseen and unconscious levels.
The energy body is a complex topic, and though it is described differently by different cultures there is a lot of common ground. It is the energy surrounding the physical body, which never the less holds a piece of our unconscious and emotional information, sense of vitality, and inner force needed to create in life and endure what comes our way. When it is strong and bright, we feel better, more alert, grounded, capable, and clear minded. When it becomes diffuse, or compromised, we aren’t at our best. We become more vulnerable to intrusions, whether that be from stress, illness, other peoples’ will, or other problems and unwanted energies. The energy body, or auric field around us, acts as a protective shield, as well as a reflection of our inner state and capacity to hold or move power. The ancient Toltecs described it as strands of light in the general shape of an egg around us. When these strands are compact around our physical bodies, and their light is bright and even, we have more energy to use in whatever manner we choose to direct it, in the everyday world and in the realms of dreaming, magic, and spiritual growth. We are less vulnerable to the strong emotions and issues of others around us. We have a higher capacity to navigate the uncertainties of life without becoming overwhelmed.
Yet, when our own energetic strands are stretching out to other people, places, and situations we have been attached to, or when they become so widely spread that they feel like a general haze that reaches far from our bodies, then we are both losing our vital energies and absorbing more than we intend to from what is around us. This happens when we have unhealthy attachments that have not been resolved with people from our past and present, particularly those with which we have had intimacy. It happens when we travel quickly from one place to another, or when we are longing to return somewhere and never entirely left. And it happens when we are so empathic that we cannot easily perceive the difference between our emotions and those of others. It can both cause feelings of overwhelm, and be a result of an overwhelm of emotional, psychic, and intellectual information. In any of these situations, we become more vulnerable to issues like anxiety, depression, addiction, illness, and other forms of imbalance, because we have spread ourselves too thin, literally, and don’t have the all the resources we should have for taking care of ourselves. This doesn’t mean we should abandon feeling for others or ignore what’s around us. It means that we need to take stock of what is happening to us on the unseen levels, as we interact with the world, to track how much awareness and intentionality we have when it comes to the use of our precious energy. When we are overwhelmed, worrying, and feeling depleted, we aren’t at our most effective for anyone, and the practices we may be engaging to help ourselves through it may not be as effective either, if we have allowed too many holes in our energy field to develop, or too many strands to stretch us thin, both of which may leak, draw, or send energy elsewhere. The level of energy one has is the key not only to personal vitality, but to how far one can develop the skill for arts like lucid dreaming, manifestation magic, and integrating the knowledge we encounter. It is an important place to start when on the path of spiritual development, but no matter where we are in that journey, it needs to be tended. There will always be challenges, temptations, and intrusions to potentially compromise our store of energy, and the effects of these will be felt, even if we don’t perceive what is at the root of the discomfort.
The system of Chakras, or Totonalcayos in the ancient Mexican lineage, is another aspect of energetic health and spiritual capacity, a topic for future inquiry. These work like channels, each of which must be met, possibly healed or balanced, and strengthened, so that energy can move upwards through them to unlock our potential for true knowledge, growth, and special talents. These can also become blocked and need some attention, but this system is distinct from the strands of the energy body or aura. When we are considering the unseen, the picture of what we are and what effects us for better or worse is complex. It is a mystery worth our investigation, especially since what we experience isn’t only esoteric.
Luckily the manner in which we can perceive and repair the health of our energy body is relatively simple. We start by noticing when we are overwhelmed, depleted, or not all the way in our own skin. The first thing to do is to stop doing, and stop taking in outside stimulation. Find a quiet space to look within. What is at the root of your discomfort? Notice if the answer comes to you. Trust your first impressions and write a brief note so you can return to this later. There may be a specific problem that needs addressing or a pattern of behavior that you find you need to shift. Close your eyes and try to perceive the strands of your own energy body. Deep and rhythmic breathing will help you open your subtle senses. Is your energy field compact, bright and close to your body? That is the goal, but if this is not what you see, notice how far you feel your energy is reaching beyond your physical body, and pay attention to the following nuances:
Are the strands of your energy body generally diffuse and spread too thin?
You may be empathic or perhaps just over stretched, but in this state you will certainly be feeling too much of the emotions of others around you, and vulnerable to taking in what is not yours to handle. This is not an unsolvable problem, however. It requires checking in with yourself now and then and doing a practice to bring your energy in to be more compact around you again. Sit with your legs crossed, in the general shape of a triangle or pyramid. Inhale through your nose, with the intention to draw your energy back home. Exhale through your mouth, allowing the air to echo in the chamber in the back of your throat, and making a sound like “Hooooo.” This is best done during the full moon, though any time is good. It is an indigenous technique, and quite effective.
Are there holes and dark areas?
Holes and dark spots in our energy body can be caused by trauma or self destructive patterns, like addiction. If you have trouble perceiving this on your own, a crystal can be helpful. Many varieties will work, but smoky quartz, for example is a good choice, and sweeping the stone over your auric field will help you notice cold spots, an indication that a hole is present. These areas leave us vulnerable to intrusions and our own energy may be depleted or violated when they are left unresolved. If you notice this, self care is in order, not judgement. Visualize yourself whole and imagine sewing up and strengthening these compromised spots. Interactions, memories, and impressions may come to you while you do this. They are likely to point towards areas where you need healing or support, or where a change of lifestyle is in order. The more you trust your ability to perceive, the more you are able to address these things on your own. However, everyone needs help sometimes. Seeking out healing support, cleansing rituals, and therapy may be helpful. Whether you decide to seek guidance or not, you can keep working on the psychic level to repair and brighten your aura. Call on the power of the Sun as well. It is the source of life and energy for all of us, and even without tremendous effort we can call on it to nourish us. Spend time in the sun. Drink in its light, literally. Using this Toltec practice, you can consume its energy and direct it to your aura. Take 13 breaths in the following manner: Inhale through your mouth. Hold the breath and swallow. While your breath is still held, direct the energy to your energy field, strengthening it and repairing damage. Exhale just the air through your nose. This is done 13 times.
Are some strands reaching out to something, someone, some place?
Sometime it is our own attachments that are draining us and leaving us not fully present. It may be as simple as having traveled in a manner that is very fast for our system, and our energy body is struggling to keep up. This happens, for example, when we travel by plane, or over great distances in a car. It’s part of what we experience as jet lag. It can also happen when there is somewhere we didn’t truly want to leave, and so part of us remains. This can also apply to people we long to be with, or to whom we have an unconscious attachment. It is one very good reason for taking care to cut the energy cords that tie us to former lovers, particularly when those relationships ended badly or involve a lot of unresolved feelings. It doesn’t really help either person to continue to hold a piece of someone’s energy. We can love them, without allowing energy to be drained in that manner. Use your breath and intention to send back what doesn’t belong to you. Then, as if sucking in air through a straw, draw back your own strands of energy, from wherever they are lingering. Do this until you feel back to yourself and perceive that you are more compact.
Of course, you can also enlist the help of some tools of divination in this process, to better understand the root of the issue, or how to address it, and to check in on your psychic and energetic health. However, the tools you need to listen to yourself and rebalance your energy body are mostly within you and in the natural world. There are many ways in which the generous plant, mineral, and elemental realms can help. Forest bathing, sun bathing, lying on the earth, spending time under the stars and the moon, observing the seasons, visiting a waterfall, and swimming in natural waters all have profound balancing effects on us energetically. In fact, it may be that the less connected we are to these elements, the more vulnerable we are to being pulled too far by the stresses we must meet each day.
May we all meet the new year with inner balance, resilience, and potential, no matter what challenges we face in the world outside.
Ometoetl.
-This blog was written by Melusina Gomez, originally for publication with the eleventh house.