Tuesday, 1 November 2011

The Alchemy of Energy


For awhile I’ve been thinking about writing on how energy levels influence our behaviour. If used effectively it can also contribute to our well-being and happiness quotient. This concept may not be appealing to the rational amongst us. All I ask is to have an open mind. Any new discovery is first met with skepticism, and so is the case with metaphysical concepts. At the outset I am not an expert in this matter, just have a keen interest in the subject and choose to share my little understanding. 

Guess most of us have had an experience, where a person we have forgiven (could be after ages) or someone we have thought about, amazingly gets in touch. Yeah, we could choose to call this a random occurrence or coincidence. However, an understanding of energy levels opens a different kind of door and knowledge.

Just as we have a physical body, we also have an ‘auric’ or energy body. This energy body changes with the way we think, feel and act. Observe how you feel empowered when your positive or helping another, and depleted when angry or negative. Also, thought is a form of energy. Hence, every time we think about a person or event, we are connecting at an energy level. It explains how a person can be really nice to you at a conscious level but you still don’t feel comfortable (they may not have the same thoughts at the sub-conscious level). If we are constantly annoyed with our family, colleagues and situations, we are feeding them with negative energy. And then we will say, ‘no matter how nice I am or how much I do (overtly of course!), the person is the same or doesn't change. Instead, what we should be attempting is to accept the person for what they are and on a daily basis send positive energy to the person. Then, one can witness an amazing change in the other person’s attitude and behavior. You will also start feeling a lot more positive as you are not dwelling on negativity!

Recall how a toddler learns to walk or talk. If our parents got discouraged with how long it took for us to walk or talk, we would all be immobile dumb creatures! Instead, every attempt, fall or syllable is usually encouraged. This is precisely how we ought to be while dealing with people and situations. The famous saying on motivation comes to mind, ‘treat the person of what he/she is capable of becoming than constantly thinking or criticizing their short-comings’.

In addition, the more negative we feel about a person; we are feeding the person with more of that particular negative energy. Where is the sense in expecting the opposite miraculous result?

In this regard, the ancient Mexican ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ technique can be a useful tool. The story traces its root to Shamanism and has recently become famous when Therapist Dr. Hew Len miraculously cured Psychiatric Patients who were tied or kept in closed wards due to their aggressive nature. In Dr. Len’s words, “I was simply healing the part of me that created them”.

The technique has some basic premises- firstly, ‘total responsibility’ which doesn’t mean only for our actions but also for that of the entire universe since we belong to it. The reason being since we are all connected to each other, we need to take responsibility for what goes wrong even if  we feel we did not make the mistake. Hence, in order to heal the other, we first begin to heal ourselves. Therefore, we can help another, by thinking of the other person and repeating ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ meaning “I am Sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you and I Love You”. It is believed that Dr. Len cured the entire Criminal Ward using this method without having any face-to-face contact, and the inmates who were chained were released and transformed. It does not matter how much of this story one is ready to digest. An open mind to experiment how energy affects us would be a good starting point to begin.

Self-identity through ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ is supposed to have helped and healed many people as the second tenet of this technique is that ‘peace begins within’. Repeating ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ like a Mantra is supposed to help in clearing up negative memories and processes embedded deep within our sub-conscious mind!

I have always wondered how we take an instant liking (and dislike) to some people and places. One such person who has had such an amazing impact on the young budding Psychs at Bangalore University has been Prof. M. S. Thimmappa. Being in his presence was a treat in itself. Of course, all his talks and lectures left everyone inspired. I humbly dedicate this blog article to Thimmappa Sir for being such a wonderful human being and showing us how an individual’s persona can impact an entire University and much beyond.

Hope this article helps readers in empowering their lives and relationships, which in turn will help those around us. Happy Alchemy via ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ or the Energy Principle People!