Living Energy Blog

Cosmic Consciousness (Photo credit: Rainbow Gryphon)

Our five senses draw our attention to the outer physical world. When we have a predominately outer directed focus we look for our inner needs to be filled through material sources. This is usually a short lived and unsatisfying solution. This orientation also tends to lead to blame, criticism, judgments, and compulsivity (repetitive behaviors expecting a different outcome).

Being outwardly directed tends to produce reliance on a spiritual being external to ourselves. We beseech this Greater Being to bestow favors upon us –and we continue to define ourselves through the physical, roles and material possessions. This way of being is one of limited consciousness. Paradoxically, it is a mind set that both begins and ends in fear. An outer focus leaves us up one day down the next with no center to hold on to.

Life is change. Consciousness that is attached to the outer world does not help us to move with the cycles of change. In addition, it does not help us to increase our capacity to function in the world in a meaningful way that leads to peace, joy & happiness.

Our sixth sense draws our attention inward and assists us to truly find the means to resolve issues, release struggle and longing and receive the true fulfillment of our deepest desires. This inner path allows us to examine thoughts, feelings and beliefs that lead to problems. It opens the way to creative problem solving. Expanding our consciousness beyond the physical and material world awakens you to who you truly are. From there you can transcend limitations, expand creative ability, and step into true power, tolerance, understanding and vitality.

Proper alignment and attunement of the energies of body, mind and spirit provides us with a clear and present awareness. This awareness allows you to know what is good for you, as well as to attract to you those things that assist you to be happy and healthy.

You can become more conscious of what robs you of your natural healthy state and eliminate the sources of your struggles. Instead of learning just another technique or take on another method of learning that feels like a burden, you can identify the roots of your reactions and difficulties and change them permanently.

One of the things I especially like about becoming attuned to our personal energy is that it helps to bring us into a mindful, “present moment space” where we can develop a new relationship with our bodies and minds to create health and happiness from the inside out! Energy work also helps to bring balance to life, and allows purpose, meaning and wisdom to emerge from within–the only place it can truly come from!  Learning to be more in touch with your personal energy can also aid you in riding the waves of life more gracefully. We have an innate capacity for joy, pleasure, harmony and a balanced spiritual toughness that goes largely untapped. These inner capabilities can help us to find pleasure in everyday life.

As a culture it seems that we are grappling with yearning for deeper meaning and that can only really emerge through deeper connection within ourselves, to each other and the world. Learning to quiet our minds, make friends with our inner world through energy and consciousness provides the means and the path.

The Olympic Mountains in morning sunlight (Photo credit: jcolman)

Recognizing and Engaging Spiritual Energy
Making time and space to move into the silence of the inner world (yes, it’s there behind the noise in our heads!) and learning to “hang out” there helps to develop a relationship with Universal/Higher Self/Source energy. Practice makes this stronger and you will be gifted with inspiration and the motivation to begin or to follow through with your goals, dreams and desires.

Being in truly in touch (as opposed to ego fabrication of experience) with our spiritual nature provides uncommon support, guidance and direction for movement on our life path; we are co-creators with our soul. If we wander too far from our spiritual connection, we will try to create solely from the will and ego, and that is laced with struggle and does not serve us very well.

Our spirit Self feels like inspiration or intuition. It is often the initial felt sense of rightness (or wrongness) about a person, place or decision.
We can start to invite our spiritual Self to flex its muscles and grow by noticing how things feel to us.

For now simply get a feeling for how a certain thing feels to that intangible part of you. There are thousands of possibilities in our lives. What truly feels right to you? Notice how your body responds to imagined outcomes. What feels right? What feels good? Try feeling various possibilities. Note the ones that open you and bring you joy. There is valuable information there.

“The fifth chakra is the center of choice and consequence, of spiritual karma.  Every choice we make, every thought and feeling we have, is an act of power that has biological, environmental, social, personal and global consequences.  We are everywhere our thoughts are and thus our personal responsibility includes our energy contributions. Anatomy of the Spirit, Caroline Myss,

Have ever wondered why teenagers are so compelled to be in contact with their peers on an almost constant basis? You are watching the development of the throat chakra in action! Whenever there is active development of a chakra’s energy within a person we see activity related to that chakra in the outer world. Teens are developing their throat chakra so they are very drawn to the expression of the issues regulated by this energy center. In particular they are interested in finding their voice, and exerting their will!   As we know from our own experience as well as from observation, discernment regarding these issues is typically not present! Those are a function of the sixth chakra which has not developed yet (it is next in line). So what we see at this stage is a constant flow of interaction —it is simply an itch that must be scratched!

The throat chakra is most often thought about in terms of communication, but it is so much more than that in actuality. It has to do with a sense of rhythm and timing, feeling that we have a choice as well as awareness and attunement to where that choice   originates, higher level creativity, self expression and listening.

All the chakras continue to develop throughout our lifetime– if we do not resist— with specific times when they are ‘ripe’ for growth from a higher level than the previous time. The throat center is up for more development in midlife as we seek to find a new or lost voice that is more deeply grounded in who we have become through our life experience. In midlife the spiritual imperative or task of this chakra, aligning our will with a higher will comes into view. The creative impulse of this chakra has to do with bringing through manifestations that carry the vibration of the Divine and integrating them with our humanity.

Sphere of influence of the Throat Chakra
The Throat Chakra is located in the front of the neck in the same area as the Adam’s Apple and the Pharyngeal Nerve Plexus.

Physically this chakra governs the Thyroid, Parathyroid, Trachea, Esophagus, Hypothalamus, Neck, Mouth, and Jaw. Physical problems in this energy center can manifest as trouble with any of those related structures, as well as with an inability to release or express, a block in the creative flow, or in stiffness of the neck and shoulders.

The main functions of the throat chakra are: communication, maturation of will, power of choice, metabolism, growth, and the regulation of calcium

The element of the throat chakra is akasha which means ether or limitless space or sky. Every chakra contains this element, but in combination with the other elements that are embodied within them. The throat chakra is pure ether and thus it is more clearly linked to pure consciousness.

The sense related to the throat chakra is hearing. Opening your throat chakra means not only hearing others and developing empathy; it also involves listening to yourself through attuning to your heart in silence. In doing so, you realize that silence can hold a great deal of information, wisdom and guidance. On the other hand commands to be silent can contribute to blockages in the throat.

 Tomorrow: Identifying Blocks and Balancing Your Throat Chakra

Image via Wikipedia

Affirmations are a common technique used to try to create change.  Before using them however, there are some things to consider in order for your efforts to be successful.

Words and language can be powerful. If we look more deeply though, we find that it is actually the feelings that are evoked by words that hold the power… that and the intent behind the words. For instance, have you ever had a conversation with someone who professes one thing verbally, but you feel another in your heart or gut?  This is a good example that demonstrates that it is not the words themselves that hold so much power as it is the motives and inner intention of the person speaking.

In addition to that matter there is also the issue that words can have unintended effects based on the association or interpretation we make. Words may also inadvertently trigger difficult memories and unresolved issues –we may or may not be aware of the full extent or effect of this in any given conversation. So there are several things to consider when looking to words, language and affirmations as vehicles for change.  Self awareness, honesty and a willingness to receive information from your inner being is the key to being able to use language effectively for your own health and healing, as well as for that of our relationships.

Points to remember when using affirmations:
Affirmations can be effective when words are used as a first step to create feeling
The resonance of emotion is necessary to register within your system to create change
A common block in the use of affirmations is unconscious belief
Unconscious beliefs trump conscious intent every time
Remain open to receive information that needs to be released so you may be successful

 If you are not aware of it, beware of it!
What is held in the unconscious hurts you far more than what is in your awareness.

Using Affirmations
Take a few minutes before you get out of bed in the morning to let your intention and desire settle deep within you. Use an index card and carry the affirmation(s) with you, keep it handy and repeat throughout the day. Even better schedule a couple 10 minute meditations throughout the day: relax, breathe, let go of stressful thoughts and feelings and “install” your new emotion (energy in motion).

Examples of Heartfelt Affirmations

1. I deserve love because I AM.
2. Resting in my heart with a quiet mind allows me to know all I need to know.
3. I choose today to receive the higher energies of Love to heal and strengthen me.
4. I forgive myself for mistakes. True forgiveness opens the way to health, healing and freedom.
5. My heart registers pain as well as love and happiness. I choose to release pain making more room for love and happiness.
6. Developing the energy of my heart helps to deepen my awareness and experience of life in a remarkable way. I relax and remain open to the possibilities.

Related articles

• Using Inspirational Affirmations as a Tool (todayspositivethought.wordpress.com)

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Most people have an awareness that stress affects the heart. There is however less awareness of how this actually occurs. Changes Happen in our energy field first in response to life events and interactions. The energetic changes travel from the energy system into  the nervous, circulatory and hormonal systems where physical imbalances begin to occur. In addition to issues of grief, loss and disappointment, changes to the heart’s energy are also profoundly affected by our feelings of self love, self acceptance and relationships with others. Conversely, the state of our heart energy contributes to our capacity to feel these qualities.  The condition of heart energy also influences the level of our spiritual capacity and connection. In short, our heart’s energy is a major player in every facet of our lives! Some care and positive attention to this part of ourselves can have enormous impact on the quality of our lives.

The heart chakra takes the denser energy from the lower chakras and converts it into a subtler form so the energy can move upward where it takes the form of thoughts, ideas and inspiration. In addition, the heart chakra transforms the energy from the upper chakras into a lower frequency so it can flow to the lower chakras and be used to manifest ideas, inspiration and desires on the physical plane. Our heart plays a major role in bringing our ideas from the realm of thought into the material world. And of course this can happen in a positive or a negative way.

While the elements associated with the previous chakras are tangible, the element of the heart chakra is air and thus invisible. The heart chakra is home to Prana or life force ….the unseen energy we take in with every breath.

Psychologically the heart is involved in the shift from average everyday consciousness, external focus and ego to a deeper, broader awareness that encompasses self and other as well as spiritual realms.

Our hearts are keenly involved in our daily lives and especially in the major events we encounter in our journey.  Who has not known the feeling of the heart chakra shutting down to protect itself, or the sense of a “jam or blockage” as we try heal and shift our experience ? We may not have associated the feeling with energy or a chakra but we all recognize the sensation!

Issues involving the heart such as death, divorce, loss, abandonment and betrayal may all be part of our human experience at one time or another. Closing of the heart chakra creates numbness in an attempt to protect ourselves from unbearable pain. Unfortunately this generally has the effect of making things worse as communication with other chakras is shut off and a feeling of emptiness results. This is why knowing how to process difficult emotions is so vitally important to our well being.

On a more positive note the heart carries within it the power to transmute our negative feelings. Guilt, fear, shame and anger can all be transformed through the loving power of the heart.

When the heart chakra is in balance and energy is freely flowing, a person is self accepting, trusting, forgiving, compassionate, charged with positive emotions and fueled by hope. As always the issue is to take charge of our inner states and create more of what we truly desire on the inside so that energy can flow out into the outer world and bring more of what we truly desire to manifest in our world.  Love heals and we can always choose to focus on it rather than fear or negativity…but learning to choose love is a process so self compassion and patience with a learning curve are necessary.

Next: Signs of balance and imbalance of Heart Chakra energies

Related articles

• Chakra + Immune System Health (chakralivingroomaz.com)

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We all have fears and anxieties, real and imagined. They seem to be part of our human journey and perhaps are present to help us grow as souls. There was a time when I believed that knowledge alone could quell the fires of fear and quiet the anxieties that agitate the mind, breed turbulent emotions and disturb sleep. I found that not to be the case! Information can be a great first step, but by itself knowledge and the everyday mind are not equipped for the task of quieting the fears and anxieties that shake our foundations on our walk through life.

The discovery that it is necessary to have methods to transform knowledge into inner knowing, a felt experience that amends our default patterns, was a doorway to freedom for me. The most effective approaches I found were those that included personal energy work and the map of consciousness that the chakra system provides. Once I began to work with my energy system, I found life and living to become much more manageable… and even better—enjoyable and happy! In my opinion, understanding and knowing how to address our personal energy system  offers both a means to remove what agitates and troubles us, as well as the means to build in new self sustaining, nourishing and life enhancing energies.

Any journey toward healing or rebalancing necessarily begins with the root chakra as it is the foundation of our physical and psychological being. It is also the primary mover and shaker concerning fear and anxiety! Strong root chakra energies allow you to face life without being overtaken by unnecessary anxiety and to respond from a grounded strength to difficult, stress filled situations.

ROOT CHAKRA: Your Secret Ally
The root chakra is located at the base of your spine and is the first to develop after birth. This energy center is the foundation of your energy system, the seat of your physical vitality (Kundalini), and a cornerstone of psychological and spiritual well being.

Physically the root correlates with the adrenal glands and all bony structures….It provides support and a framework for both the physical and psychological body. We learn to crawl, walk and stand as the root chakra expands and comes online. In addition, first chakra energy also assists us with putting down roots in the world and standing on our own two feet.

Trauma, family stress and a lack of appropriate nurturing during the first few years of life can unbalance root chakra energies. Early disruption of this energy is recorded within the system and has the result of amplifying reactions to later losses or upsets such as loss of a job, living situation or person in your life. Who among us in the first five years of life did NOT have some circumstance that left its mark on our ability to feel totally safe and secure within the world? My experience is that it is part of the human condition and simply needs to be addressed and not denied or battled with ceaselessly

My Mother, My Self
The positive archetype for the root chakra is the Earth Mother. A person with strong, positive root energy honors and cares for the body as a sacred vessel that carries them in the material world. Physical needs are well cared for which results in healthy vitality as well as abundant energy to flow upward to nurture the higher chakras. The higher chakras help to expand your inner world, and open up greater creative manifestation and expanded spiritual experience.

Physically the root chakra governs the immune, skeletal and lower digestive systems. When root energies are out of balance the physical issues that present are: poor balance, sciatica, chronic fatigue, bowel disorders knee, and leg or foot problems.

Emotionally a lack of first chakra energy manifests as being too rigid and not being open to options for change…change can also be difficult if you are overly grounded —-this is evidenced through being overly controlling, or lacking in imagination or initiative.

If root energy is steady and balanced you can transcend fear—thoughts of loss do not disturb your inner peace, sap your strength or drain your vitality. Fear does not always show up as an outright anxiety disorder or phobia. It can also appear as shyness, dread or fear of criticism. Many people feel fear as an absence of security or as difficulty experiencing inner stability, safety and comfort.

Strong balanced Root Chakra energy enables you to:
 Be open to opportunities that can emerge from the unknown
Experience an inner source of comfort, soothing and ease
Tolerate ambiguity, paradox and not knowing
Move through change with more fluidity
Feel inner security, stability and safety
Care for self in healthy ways

For Root Chakra Balancing Meditations:

Chakra Guided Meditiatons http://bit.ly/wWnQ2J

Energy Aerobics http://bit.ly/w1D4sN

Related articles

• The Root Chakra (blissreturned.wordpress.com)

Smart_Hymn21_Generosity (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The October 25th, 2011 Daily Good” brought us a very inspirational story about generosity and an anonymous project called 52times52.com.  Giving for the sake of giving is very good for your heart and soul. Giving freely to others … without expectation of anything in return is even better.

Giving to others is an expansive energy. When we freely give to others, the energy returns to the giver multi-fold, in untold ways. The project 52times52.com was established to give 52 dollars anonymously to a different recipient or cause each week of 2011. This unique idea is gaining momentum. You can join the movement if you’d like or consciously incorporate generosity into your own life and those you touch in whatever way works best for you.

There are many ways to give to others, including good deeds, kind words, extending compassion and forgiveness, thank yous and acknowledgements, charitable actions, money and more. Think how different your life could be if you freely and consciously gave something of value to another person every day. If that sounds like too much of a stretch, consider doing something out of the ordinary once a week, performing 52: good deeds, acts of kindness, thank you notes, random donations … you decide.

I often hear that it takes at least 21 days to create a new habit. As we approach the beginning of November, the month of traditionally giving thanks, there is time to amplify and solidify this concept of giving for the sake of giving. There is time to make it a habit.

We are living through an evolutionary shift in consciousness on this planet and giving to others is a simple way to contribute. Whatever you do, give from your heart and soul in ways that bring you joy. Energetically, Joy is a high vibration (higher than love, according to David Hawkins in  his book Power vs. Force) that counterbalances a wider circle of low energy. So as more and more Joy coexists with the chaos that see and experience in today’s world, we are bound to see a visible shift in the collective. We are bound to see a happier, more loving and generous world around us.

There is a bit of controversy at Harvard University about the voluntary “Kindness Pledge” the institution has asked incoming students to sign this year. Some of those in opposition have indicated that kindness conflicts with intellectual freedom and that the pledge does not have a place at Harvard.

The Kindness Bus

I can understand this perspective. Kindness is a virtue that emanates from the heart, not the mind or the intellect. In my opinion, kindness is an automatic response when we cultivate love within our hearts, within ourselves. I can see where too much thinking about kindness might get you all mixed up inside. If you are arguing a point, the rational mind might suggest tossing aside civility and going for the jugular … win your argument at all costs.

What is “kindness” anyway and why is it important? The dictionary defines kindness as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Wikipedia indicates that kindness is the act or the state of being kind —marked by goodness and charitable behaviour, mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions. In his book “Rhetoric,” Aristotle wrote that kindness is an emotion that is defined as being helpful to someone in need, not in exchange for anything or for an advantage to the helper. Kindness is about caring. Kindness is important because it holds the possibility of all of us creating a better world. We are all human and we are one global community. What we do to one another, we do to ourselves.

While Harvard debates kindness, the rest of us can model kindness. Act according to your heart. Do what feels right. To learn more, check out Random Acts of Kindness, One Million Acts of Kindness, Carry Out Kindness. They’ll take you to even more resources and sites.

Be kind to yourself today and be kind to everyone you meet.

Related articles

• Harvard’s ‘Kindness’ Pledge: (huffingtonpost.com)
• Harvard Pledge Values ‘Kindness’ Over Learning: Virginia Postrel (businessweek.com)

It’s official, we live in an ever-expanding universe! First reported in 1998, the discovery earned three scientists the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Half of the prize was awarded to Saul Perlmutter, from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley. The other half was awarded to Brian P. Schmidt of Australian National University and Adam G. Riess of Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

No longer can the concept of an ever-expanding universe be considered new age “bunk.” Measuring light coming from exploding stars, the scientists set out to prove that the expansion of the universe was slowing down and they found just the opposite. Their independent discoveries indicate that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. Apparently there is some sort of mysterious and invisible form of energy that counteracts gravity and is pushing matter apart. Imagine that! Reiss says that 74 percent of the universe consists of this dark energy.

So what does all this mean? Everything is possible! When we say something is true, it really means that that’s what is commonly accepted right now either because it has been said over and over for a very long time or we simply don’t know any different.

So everything and anything is possible! This is great news. Consider how this applies to your own life …your long held beliefs, thoughts, feelings, habits, ways of being, doing and living. If something is not working for you, change it. Adopt a different set of thoughts or beliefs about the situation. Try something new. Take different action. Expand your possibilities and create new energy. Step into some of the new and exciting energy of the universe.

Stepping into the unknown can be daunting. Among other things, it requires strength and courage. Strength to carve a new path and courage to withstand the naysayers or anyone who doubts new possibilities. Just because something hasn’t happened does not mean it is not possible. Everything is possible. Twelve years ago I left a well-paying corporate career because it felt right. I was ready to do something else. I was excited about the possibility of what was coming next, although I didn’t know what that would be. I just knew it would be worthwhile. Even though I was the family “breadwinner,” I consciously followed my passion and delved deeply into topics that interested me. Professionally, I entered a new field, launched my own business, co-authored a book, collaborated with like-minded partners, co-wrote a newspaper column for 4 years and kept pace with the explosion of technology and the birth of social media. On the personal side, along with my husband, we raised our daughter and became a meaningful presence in her life, led a Girl Scout Troop for 12 years, assisted my parents for 10 years, took more time for pleasure, did some traveling, read an amazing assortment of books, stayed healthy and much more. Now that our daughter is happily settling into college, I’m ready to expand again. The possibilities are endless.

Long ago I realized that we do live in an ever-expanding universe and that everything is possible. It is here for us to claim. It is our birthright. If you aren’t already doing so, experience it directly. Make new and conscious choices for yourself. You may be amazed with what is possible. Isn’t yesterday’s Nobel Prize in Physics proof enough?

Related articles

• Does the Multiverse Really Exist? (preview) (scientificamerican.com)

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Mangaia's Milky Way, by Tunç Tezel.

This stunning view of the Milky Way reminds me of how each of us is a tiny spec within our ever-expanding universe. When our problems seem insurmountable I find it helpful to keep this in mind. Discovering peace from within is fundamental to living a healthy and happy life.

There is a flow of energy or consciousness, a way of BEING that we all have experienced from time to time— a state where everything flows together and feels in sync. We move easily from one moment to the next with a sense of meaning and purpose. We feel peace, joy, a sense of well being. This state has been called flow, living from center or simply– BLISS. It feels magical when we find it.

Our personal energy system holds the keys to enter into this state of flow as well as to access our inner wisdom and truth. Contact with these deeper aspects of ourselves provides inner peace, freedom of expression, and facilitates health on all levels.

Each of us can learn to manage our energy to generate greater health, peace, joy, meaning and purpose in our lives. Developing this ability helps eliminate much of the conflict, turmoil, feelings of emptiness and instability that create unnecessary difficulty on our journey. Through this broader consciousness we also develop greater resources of serenity and balance to deal with that which cannot be altered.

Meditation is one of the tools that helps us tap into the vast source of energy and limitless power that is available to all.

About the photo: This image holds the distinction of being selected as winner in the Royal Greenwich Observatory’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition in the Earth and Space category.

Related articles

• How the Milky Way got its spiral (eurekalert.org)