What lies behind us and what lies before us are
tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Most days, upon waking and showering, I notice a lingering low-grade dread. It is often accompanied by thoughts of things to do that begin competing with each other. At times it’s overwhelming, an example of the magnetic pull of conditioned thinking.
As I have become more settled with my expanding awareness of Source Energy, I still notice that pull, with its unpleasant distraction. Using the Source Energy–enhancing tools offered in this article, I’m able to prevent the destructive aspects of linear, and often counterproductive, conditioned thinking.
Using this simple embodiment ritual, conflicting thoughts diminish then fade away, as does the dread. I met Masaru Emoto, best known for his work on the effects our consciousness can have on water, and author of The Power of Water: Healing and Discovering Ourselves, at a conference in Toronto. He was my inspiration for the following ritual that takes place in the shower:
While under the streaming water, I remember my body is comprised of more than 70% water, as is the planet we inhabit. I soften my knees and begin to imagine floating in this water, feeling its calming wisdom, and informing me to not worry about a thing. I’m reminded to meet the flow of existing realities with ease and acceptance.
I cup my hands to meet the water as it runs through them, watching as I take a deep, conscious breath. I thank the water and express my love for giving life and making the world possible. After a few moments in the water’s flow I begin to slowly open my hands out from my center, inviting my heart and being to open to this Source Energy. Then I lift my hands up over my head, bring them together and draw them slowly down my torso, visualizing the water’s energy that has just touched me will infuse my own self-care and protection. The final gesture is to raise my hands to the sky, offering the same Source Energy to everyone and everything on our planet. It leaves me with a grounded feeling of oneness that allows me to anchor my day.
While I am not suggesting this ritual is for everyone, I offer it as an illustration. I encourage anyone for whom this story resonates to vary my ritual, or create your own.
Embodiment, or hosting Source Energy, could be defined as the mind being conscious of the role that the body plays in shaping the mind and our moment-to-moment experience. It allows a subtle shift from feeling with the senses to feeling with awareness. When we direct our minds to be aware and notice subtlety, we can often feel options that may make better choices than ones we can only access with our five senses.
Practice is the key, when we give ourselves a quiet pause, to gain flexibility in shifting between the outwardly focused mind and the subtler mind that uses felt awareness. When this skill is developed, we can use both levels of awareness fluidly and begin simultaneously to have an inner knowing that is tangible and fresh.
Hosting Source Energy can be as simple as taking a deep breath. For a deeper experience, take the time to do a full-body drop:
In a comfortable setting, suspend the voices in your head that judge, speak of criticism, cynicism, or even fear. Let those voices go on vacation, while you bring your attention to your body. First, bring awareness to your feet, while you notice them connecting to the floor. Notice your awareness of gravity holding them like a gentle magnet. Slowly bring your attention to your lower legs, then knees and thighs. Gradually move up to your pelvis, then torso, arms, shoulders, neck, and head. Now that you have a better connection to your body, shift your awareness to your breath, noticing in that moment it is effortless. Nature is breathing for you, and through you; just let that be. Then take a moment for a conscious deep breath into your heart, and welcome it.
After this peaceful exercise, scan your whole body and simply be aware, without judgment or agenda, of whatever you happen to notice. It might be tension or calmness; you may get mental images that are unexpected. Let whatever you notice in that moment simply be. Imagine giving it all the space it wants to express itself.
This practice can unify the imaginary separation of body, mind, and spirit and enliven Source Energy to offer its guidance. In this embodied state, our experience of time collapses, allowing for imagery and perceptions that are often deeply informative.
The previous articles have explored how Source Energy can be activated. To sustain it, come to rely on it, or host it, we need to infuse it with gratitude. When we lack gratitude for simply being alive, it’s because we have been unwittingly separated from the presence of Source Energy. When we gradually release our attachment to a predefined identity, we can gently return to the awareness of being Source Energy.
Embodiment, or hosting it, will allow Source Energy to influence our choices and experiences, making for happier, more playful lives.
Related articles:
Part I: Source Energy Optimizes Life – Finding Source Energy
Part 2: Source Energy Optimizes Life – Soul Energy Exchange (S.E.X.)
Part 3: Source Energy Optimizes Life—Escalating Source Energy Through Trauma Resolution
© Copyright 2012 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by Michael Picucci, PhD, MAC, SEP, therapist in New York City, New York
The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.
