Vital Energy
While a
person is still young and in his prime, the issue of vitality doesn’t usually weigh
very heavily on him. However, with middle age behind one and the passing years
seemingly speeding up, one often becomes increasingly sensitive to one’s energy
levels – or more to the point – one’s diminishing reservoir of vital energy. It
seems harder to maintain muscle mass and fitness, and meals that formerly
seemed to translate quickly into replenished vigour, are now more likely
precursors to lethargy, naps and weight gain. And how great the bliss of lying
down in one’s bed at the end of increasingly shorter days: one wise man once
likened the daily struggle and restorative sleep to one’s total life struggle
and subsequent “sleep” of death [as a necessary interlude to again taking on
life].
Several of
the insights drawn from James Redfield’s “The Celestine Prophecy” center
on the issue of vital energy:
Nietzsche
defined the “Will to Power” as essentially the rationale that “if you want it;
if you can do it; and if you are convinced that you are above
retribution for having done it – then WHY NOT”. This credo has
been the standard of all aggressors over all time, not only at the
international level, but also within interpersonal relationships. Napoleon, at
his zenith, was convinced that he could do anything that he wanted because the
Spirit was with him; later, after being frozen out of Russia with the loss of
half of his armies, he felt that anything he put his hand to would be a
failure. Hitler was pretty powerful in his day (had read a lot of Nietzsche’s
“Will to Power”) but also found that his grasp was greater than his capacity to
hold, and hence lost it all. Who can foretell the outcome of to-day’s
crimes against humanity by “the Decider”? And what of the effect of a powerful
one who deeply hates himself, and acts in such a way as to destroy others along
with himself?
At the
psychosocial level, anyone who has ever worked for another is acquainted with
the domination tactics employed whereby one is made to feel diminished whilst
the other’s ego is inflated; and who is so fortunate in their family
relationships that another’s disloyalty and enduring malice has not had to be
endured. Further, despite the admonition in all religions for people to “love
thy neighbour”, it is frequently the case that “beggar thy neighbour” policies
through gossip and focussed malice are the norm, so that the neighbour in his
ignorance can feel better about his own circumstances. As intended, such
tactics as these can have a dispiriting effect on one.
Now, back
to vital energy. We all know how dependent we are on our daily food to sustain
our lives (and no animal – man included – can make its own food, ALL food being
created through plant photosynthesis), and we are aware that in North America
the majority of people get more than enough food to eat, so why are so many
people de-energized and in need of chemical anti-depressants? Again we are
confronted by the physical-psychical dichotomy – if the erosion of vital energy
can’t be laid at the physical (nutrition) door, then what lies behind the
psychic portal? Dreams may yield a hint – for example, who has not eaten well
and had plenty of sleep, but on awakening in the morning is barely able to
stir, let alone enthusiastically arise to the new day’s challenges? Some
mornings it can feel that one has been in a titanic struggle the whole night
long – one’s brain feels numb and one’s needed vital energy is nowhere to be
found, having been depleted by the internal “taking of sides” as one tries to
resolve intractable internal conflicts. Unfortunately, if too many nights pass
like this, there is a danger of core de-vitalization, immune system impairment
and improper communication within the Central Nervous System resulting in
disease. Aside from one’s own guilt processes in such internal dissonance,
perhaps others may have some capacity - though focused ill will – to
disturb a person’s equilibrium (whether awake or asleep) and thereby interfere
with the person’s mind-body autonomic loops of communication with organ
systems, tissues and cells – in other words adversely affect one’s information
transduction in the cybernetic process of adaptive homeostasis and bodily
repair.
One wishes
that others could not have that affect on one, but perhaps life is not that
simple. It is commonly understood by the enlightened and those close to nature
that all sentient beings are interconnected through the web of life, and that
to do harm to any sentient creature is an assault against the “web” itself. If
one believes in the healing power of goodwill towards others, then the power of
its opposite – ill will – would be equally real. Several years ago we spent
considerable time in Virginia Beach at the Association for Research and
Enlightenment (A.R.E.), and in the course of combing their huge esoteric
library, came across an aphorism by the founder (Edgar Cayce) to the effect
that one should not be concerned about malice and ill will projected by
another, as nothing is stronger than one’s personal will to live. This
was good news at the time, and later, when we extensively studied Christian
Science and talked with adherents and practitioners, we were assured that the
power of the projected intentional distant healing processes which Mary Baker
Eddy had discovered and taught to countless others could only be used for
“good” purposes; but then when we perused the organization’s own bylaws we
noted that Mrs. Eddy herself had forbidden anyone else attempting to “treat”
her own person, or for that matter to stand in front of her house and even appear
to be sending good thoughts. I guess that one can believe anything they want to
as to their effect on others, or others’ effect on themselves – but under the
concept of Universal Balance, whatever works in one direction would seem to
have a corresponding effect in the other.
Interestingly,
there is even an undulation in our daily bio-strength, and Ernest L. Rossi and
Brian M. Lippincott in their essay The Wave Nature of Being: Ultradian Rhythms and Mind-Body Communication report their findings in applied hypnotism - that
we all go through approximate 90-120 minute cycles of high-low energy states
throughout the whole day and night, and accordingly we are actually weaker and
more vulnerable during the cyclical low points of the undulations. It has also
been determined that chronic stress engendered by individuals who override and
disrupt their own ultradian rhythms (by ignoring their natural periodic need
for rest in any extended performance situation) can set in motion processes of
illness. There is a 20 minute ultradian rest period between cycles which
provides a "healing state" during which cybernetic/ autonomic
functions can normalize (reset or synchronize) themselves and thus undercut the
process of illness at source. The importance of periodic relaxation “time-outs”
is seen.
So the
issue is not whether or not there is a vital energy ebb and flow
in our lives nor even what is the culprit – there is an
undulation in life force: yet what to do about it?? How to accept with
detachment not just the times “when the Spirit is with me and nothing can stop
me” (Napoleon’s hubris) but also the counter-swing when all seems to be against
us and we feel abandoned, devitalized and about to reach for one’s soma of
choice? How to naturally restore one’s waning vital energy?? Perhaps the
following thoughts may help:
·
One of
the most famous insights of psychic Edgar Cayce was “Spirit
is the Life.…Mind is the Builder.…and Physical is the result.” According
to his son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, an intuitive, Edgar later refined the second item
(Mind), by observing “Thoughts are the
functional Builder. The thinking process is like a spider constantly spinning,
constantly adding to its web. Every moment of our lives we are creating the
images and patterns that give our future its energy and shape.” From
this it can be construed how important it is that we be aware of the quality of
our thoughts – and how these thoughts impact our lives – and for us to be
honest within ourselves as to our feelings concerning those we come in contact
with.
·
Concerning
the sense of feeling energetically depleted by the internal “taking of sides”
as one tries to resolve intractable internal conflicts, some find peace in the
Middle Path of “centering” – refusing to take sides or to be limited by making
choices. And so as to not divide oneself, to be authentic (if in anger,
DO anger rather than repressing); and try to be beyond the love-hate
polarities, accepting all.
·
The importance
of periodic relaxation and rest for healing self-restoration is underscored by
the Rossi findings. It is good to have moments of retreat during the course of
a day. Meditation – even simple day-dreaming of a favourite nature location
[not of competition nor revenge for some slight by another] – provides a
restorative time-out battery recharge.
·
Inspirational writings have restorative powers. As
indicated in Remedy’s Homepage, quite early on in our quest for truth,
we became aware that certain findings tended to center and enlighten us, as
opposed to other pursuits that in a sense left us feeling depleted. Focusing
more on the former, we commenced recording such findings that made us feel
stronger and more connected with the vital force of our world. Through formally
recording our key findings we crystallized deeper understandings which further
sustained and strengthened us in coping with ongoing challenges. In time, some
of this material was converted into electronic format, and later was paged into
the our website “Gleanings” section with its
Questers’ Journals;
·
Avoid becoming
exhausted at all costs. Do not let your ego drive you into taking on too many
commitments, nor let greed (easily instilled in us by media advertising
specialists) drive you into becoming so run down that you cannot enjoy the
fruits of your hard labour.
·
One
shouldn’t be overly dependent on – and trapped within – other people’s
opinions. After all, it is only yourself with whom you have to spend all of
your time – the other and his opinions may have to go.
·
All things can be sources of depletion or
energization, for example:
·
Natural
anger can be a source of energy, if one is focussed or “centered”: then anger
is transformed into energy – it becomes good. Everything natural is holy,
divine and a source of life, energy. If allowed to be only pervasive and
unfocussed, anger can deplete one’s force;
·
Ill
will projected by another can – as it is intended to – dispirit and depress us.
However if we are sure of our ethical positioning (even if we can’t explain
the obvious to the impervious) we will be strengthened and rise above others’ projected agendas;
·
Work
and strenuous exercise can strengthen one for greater future efforts or – with
the wrong attitude – bring on fatigue and burnout;
·
Nutrition
can strengthen or over-burden our systems, depending on our intake
choices;
·
In the
Dance of Life, sex can be either celebration or dissipation, depending on one’s
love for one’s partner;
·
How
one meets challenges and obstacles can define a person, or crush him;
- - - - - - - - - -
During a
particularly debilitating time a few years ago we came across the writings of
Jos Slabbert, a Taoist teacher from Namibia, Africa The Way is Tao
and Thinking:
Winning the Battle of the Mind are two examples
of Slabbert’s Taoist approach to sustaining balance
in life through accepting the reality of impermanence, honouring one’s Inner
Guide, and following the Taoist Way of non-attachment, humility, and
equanimity. From the former is excerpted:
The ignorant
are guided
by their egos and ambition,
the righteous
by their principles and laws,
the wise
by their wisdom.
The sage in harmony with Tao
needs no guidance,
for she lives in emptiness,
from where
compassion and wisdom
flow
like pure water
from an eternal spring.
Now I
confess that all this exploration of the topic of Vital Energy has tuckered me
out, and thus I shall rest for a while.
Addendum:
Earlier in this essay there was reference to the
negative effect on vital energy restoration that occurs from dreamtime internal
conflicts – there is a similar effect on us when our waking lives are
conflicted by the loss of a guiding “dream” or vision. After all, it is our
personal mythic “dream” of our own life and its meaning to us which inspires us
to push on. The powers of our mind, our will and our imagination are the keys
to empowering our whole lives. I would like to close by quoting a passage from
the marvellous Ebook EARTHDANCE: Living Systems in Evolution
by the gifted bioscientist/cosmologist Elisabet Sahtouris:
Many people wonder how long we
have to turn things around. It is really not a question of some critical
turning point, but of nurturing more viable systems even as the old ones decay.
One metaphor for our changing world is Norie Huddle's story of a caterpillar's
metamorphosis into a butterfly. After consuming hundreds of times its own
weight daily as it munches its way through its ecosystem, the bloated
caterpillar forms its chrysalis. Inside its body, new biological entities
called imaginal discs arise, at first destroyed by its immune
system. But as they grow more in number and begin to link up, they begin to
survive. Eventually the caterpillar's immune system fails, its body goes into
meltdown and the imaginal discs become the cells that build the butterfly from
the spent materials that had held the blueprint for the butterfly all along. In
just this way, a healthy new world, based on the principles of living systems,
can emerge through today's chaotic transformation.
There are as many ways to build
a new world of living systems as there are creative people who want to do it! Remember
that we have seen all evolution as an improvisational dance. Each person, as an
imaginal disc, can contribute to the process of today's metamorphosis in some
unique way. What matters is that we all understand the Earthdance and the
healthy features of living systems at their best. From there we need only the
will and
the love to create a better future for all living beings.
To you Gentle Readers of Remedy, we send our
best wishes for boundless vitality, great health and purposeful lives.
Posted
11-06-06
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