What is Energy
Energy is a vast topic that human beings have been studying for as long as we have existed. Many philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, physicists, quantum physicists, astrophysicists, doctors, astronomers, and theologians over the span of numerous centuries have been curious and explored this mysterious thing we call energy. It’s no big secret that our energy has to do with being in conscious awareness of self, and what we choose in those moments to achieve more balance in well-being, and maintain a sense of harmony with self as we navigate our human journey.
Albert Einstein said, “Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it.” I do believe that what he says does capture the essence of all living things – the essence being the energy within everything, and that everything has energy in it, through it, and around it. Human beings exude energy through their presence, their beliefs, goals, concepts and even notions. Einstein maintained that energy is one of the biggest mysteries of the universe, because it just IS. He spent his entire life focused on how energy works and how to harness it. “Energy cannot die. It just changes form.”
We tend to feel at our best when we have a have sense of alignment between our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of ourselves. When we are aware of Being in this alignment, our being generates energy that exudes positivity, because inside we’ve aligned harmony and love. The result of love of self is being full of loving energy, filled with joy and regard.
Loving energy expands exponentially, allowing for more love to expand within and outwardly for others, regardless of the level of relationship. It’s energy at its finest because we are human, and we strive to feel connected with a sense of well-being. For our own well-being, we may become aware of being accountable for the energy we bring and give to others, whilst still alive. We do have all kinds of energy to manage, and these require constant balancing depending on what we have going on in our lives.
There are two main types of energy: potential and kinetic energy. Potential energy is stored energy, waiting to be used, and kinetic energy is energy in motion. On the physical plane, energy is a vibration that moves at one speed or another all the time. It never rests. Everything we see is vibrating at a particular frequency of energy, including you and me.
Due to the fact that our frequency is different from other frequencies in the universe, we seem separate from the world around us, from other people and nature. We live in an ocean of energy, connected at the lowest level, in what professor and physicist, John Samuel Hagelin, calls, the “Unified Field.” And everything in that Unified Field has its own vibrational frequency. When you look at a table, it appears to be solid. But there are millions and millions of subatomic particles running around and popping all over the place with energy. So, whether we are conscious of it or not, our energy makes an impact on our lives as well as on the lives of others. We can only control the energy we exude.
Physical Energy Body
Our human body is always in some sort of movement, even when we’re asleep. Potential energy has been programmed into every system that functions harmoniously to keep us alive and living. We are not even aware that various energy systems in our physical body to keep it functioning works 24/7, without us having to “do” anything, and many times not even being aware. We take it all for granted. When potential energy becomes kinetic, it actively digests, releases toxins, eliminates waste, and so on. We see how the energy systems of the body are connected, working together. Coming equipped with these systems of energy is like getting a “free ride” in a vehicle that takes us wherever we want to go. And we don’t even have to be conscious of driving (well almost).
Working Energy
When we practice working out our muscles, there is a sense of physical memory that takes place. It’s the same with all our energies – it takes practice. Depending on how we practice managing our energy, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, results in either having heightened energy or depleted energy. The question is, how do we consistently keep our own energy levels elevated? The first step is to build a healthy relationship with all of our energy bodies. The four perspectives, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves all have something to contribute. All want attention and all to be heard. We just need to stop and listen.
In the end, we are our own CEO’s (Chief Energy Officers) of OUR own energy beings. And no one can control our thoughts, feelings, words and behaviors, except us. You might say we are masters of our own energy universe. There is no greater investment in time or money than managing our own energy. Being human, we have so many choices we can make in what we believe, in what we think, in how we interpret what we believe and think, and this results in how we behave, how we feel, what we say, how we say it, and who we become, which results in the energy we generate and project.
Humans and Electromagnetic Energy
Here’s where we begin to break it down from the big picture to the body we inhabit. Have you ever seen a painting or piece of art depicting a halo around the head? Scientifically, this is known as “electromagnetic energy” that can be seen and measured, called an Aura-energy field. It not only surrounds just the head, but also extends all around your body, for about 4-5 feet (in an average healthy body, and less for an unhealthy person). This aura represents your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energies all into one, possibly having a mix of fine colored frequencies where each color is defined by its own nature and characteristics. The aura’s vibration is very fine, and we need fine instruments to detect it.
Through various spiritual studies over the years, I learned that the aura of a person is directly connected to their health. The healthier the person, the bigger and brighter the aura. What I also learned is that “matter” (the body) as we “see” it, appears to be solid. But scientists and researchers have confirmed that matter really vibrates at a specific frequency. This frequency gives matter properties such as shape, size, texture, and so on.
Matter is really made up of vibratory energy particles, called electrons, protons, and neutrons. When these particles vibrate in their nucleus, a small electrical impulse is generated in our body. According to the law of physics which states, “When there is an electrical field around a body, a magnetic field gets developed automatically.” The formation of a magnetic field around our body is known as the AURA-electromagnetic field of the body. Since everything in this universe is made up of these same particles, the conclusion is that everything has an aura, that everything in this physical universe is nothing but energy, which connects to everything in the universe, which again supports Einstein’s statements.
Energy’s Laws of the Universe: The Law of Polarity
There are laws that govern the universe. The Law of Polarity teaches us that everything in life has an opposite. Yin has Yang, North has South, East has West, up has down, inside has outside, success has failure, good has bad, expansion has contraction, positive has negative, heat has cold, life has death, and so on and so forth. We live in a world of duality. The difference between the two extremes of one thing is called polarity. And there are degrees of difference between the extremes with no absolutes. This law states that in fact, these opposites are simply different manifestations of the same thing.
Ester Hicks, a channel for a group of energies called, “Abraham” says, “It is in the contrast that we find what we want, by finding out what we don’t want.” Sometimes, we become clear about how we want to be simply by seeing examples of how we don’t want to be. Just look at someone who is miserable, complaining all the time, living in an “I can’t” world. It’s a good example of how we would not want to live our lives.
Tips on How to Increase Your Physical Energy Body
Get more sleep.
When you lack sleep, you may feel lethargic, grumpy and tired. A good idea before bed is to take a relaxing bath and then read a book. Your energy will eventually relax, and you will be able to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Move your body more than you normally do.
When you are sedentary for too long, you actually become more tired than moving around. Maybe take a 10-minute walk or stand up and stretch. It is said that exercising makes you feel happier, and increases brain sensitivity. By the same token, it decreases feelings of depression, anxiety and stress, helping maintain flexibility as we age, enhancing self-esteem, promoting better sex, reducing chronic pain and fatigue.
Eat healthy and reduce your sugar intake.
Whole, healthy foods, like fresh fruits and fiber-rich vegetables, protein and healthy fats will nourish you and not burden your body with processed foods high in sugar and fat. When we are tired, reaching for that something with sugar only gives you a short-term energy boost and will take you down quickly, due to your blood sugar rising and falling quickly from the release of large amounts of insulin, which could also lead you to diabetes.
Drink plenty of water.
Stay hydrated because during the day we lose water through ways we are already aware. So, drinking lots of water to replenish is needed. Dehydration affects your brain function, mood and energy levels. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, drink.
Dance…have sex too.
You can dance around your living room to your favorite music! How could I leave sex out? Sex is a great tension reliever, and promotes a higher positive mood. Sex also lowers blood pressure which allows the body to have more energy. Orgasms release oxytocin (known as the love hormone).
MENTAL ENERGY
Mental Energy Body
As you may have guessed this is where our thoughts, ideas and belief systems are formed and stored. If you use your mental energy to work hard every day, and come home feeling drained, you might want to take a look at what activities you are doing that do not resonate. It may be time to question yourself if you are living your passion and doing something you LOVE. Remember, it’s the quality of the mental energy you bring and where you put that energy that is important, and can determine the quality of your life you desire to live.
Overall, I believe that we, as humans, desire to live a joyful, happy and fulfilling life, which manifests in positive energy. It’s all under our control to make such a life possible – even making small changes can bring about a big difference.
Role of Analytical Psychology and Energy.
Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who founded Analytic Psychology, believed that all humans possess specific patterns of behavior and perception or characteristic polarities, with neither element being right or wrong. He developed the concepts of the extraverted and the introverted personality, archetypes and the collective unconscious. He believed that each of these opposites develops differently with one being more dominant and conscious, causing the other one to be less dominant and more unconscious.
Jung discovered that it was important for people to look at their “shadow” side of their energy to bring it forth and find the gift of that energy. In other words, we all have aspects that we may like less about ourselves. Jung called this, as one’s “dark side”. Jung tells us that it’s important to embrace both sides of ourselves. Sometimes just taking the time to listen and find out what the message is behind our darker energy, we can shift ourselves into a more balanced energy mode.
Energy’s Law of Attraction.
No doubt, you may have heard about the Law of Attraction, the basic tenet is that we attract in our lives whatever we choose to focus on. The power of this energy is one of life’s most interesting mysteries. We don’t realize how much of an impact the Law of Attraction has on our day to day life. We are like magnets sending out thoughts and emotions and attracting back more of what we have put out, whether wanted or unwanted. The Law of Attraction uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and whatever we choose to focus on them into reality.
If you consistently focus on things that are negative doom and gloom (cynicism, over-pragmatism, and constantly looking for the flaws in something or someone), you will most likely remain under that cloud, like Charlie Brown in the rain. When you focus on positive thoughts and catch yourself in any negativity mode, you will enable yourself to focus on goals and carry them through with intentional action. The Law of Attraction states that whatever can be imagined and held in the mind’s eye is achievable, if you take action on a plan to get to where you want to be, creating a cohesive energy flow.
Checking in with Your Thoughts/Beliefs/Patterns of Behavior.
Having natural flowing energy may also depend on the food you eat, your mental and emotional states, and perhaps some of the beliefs you may hold true.
Tips on How to Increase Your Mental Energy Body
Be Social.
Social connections are important in maintaining good healthy energy. Being isolated and alone, especially in older adults robs one’s energy. Finding a support network could be the answer. Using guided imagery can also help. Practicing this takes your mind away to beautiful positive things that are meaningful to you, thus shifting your mind.
Play Games.
Games distract and stimulate the mind. Any type of game that keeps your mind active is good – from cards to Scrabble to Crossword puzzles – anything that keeps your mind active.
Be Creative Using Your Imagination.
Creating something is a great way of stimulating your mind. Collaborate on a project. Volunteer your skills. Use your imagination to tap into what it is that you LOVE to do and do that. There are no rules when it comes to energizing yourself.
EMOTIONAL ENERGY
How Energy is Used Emotionally
Now that we have established the fact that everything in the universe is energy, and there are even laws around it, you would think that energy would be used for the highest good of all. That is not always the case. Energy simply “is”, and we have a “choice” about what energy we are calling forth. I’ve mentioned this point already in different words throughout this article. The bottom line is to realize that negative energy in yourself or in your environment can prove toxic to you. There are bad habits that can produce negative energy – anger is one of them. If it is for you, then be conscious of being slower to anger. Emotional reactions that escalate can quickly get out of hand. And so the chain reaction back and forth might not stop until it’s too late.
When you are standing somewhere next to someone, you can sense if that person is in a bad mood or is seemingly bursting with a negative energy. During a study done by Dr. John Cacioppo, then at Ohio State University, he showed people pictures to arouse positive feelings (like a Ferrari or a pizza), also pictures that stirred up negative feelings (dead cat) and pictures to produce neutral feelings (a plate, hair dryer), as he recorded electrical activity in the brain’s cerebral cortex. He found the brain reacts more strongly to stimuli it deems negative, where a greater surge of electrical activity took place. This makes perfect sense, since we were hard-wired that way to keep us out of harm’s way when we were cave people. We had to really rely on our flight or fight instincts for survival.
The Law of Cause & Effect vs Causing Effect with Energy
Tips on How to Increase Your Emotional Energy Body
Many of the same techniques that are used to increase your physical and mental energy levels can be used for your emotional energy body as well. Here are a few more:
Be aware of your five senses.
Yes, this is rooted in the body, but each sense gives you a sensation, a feeling that can elevate your emotions. Focus individually on your eyes, your ears, your sense of smell (nose), mouth (taste) and hands. Your eyes help you “see” what others may not even see. The harmony among these senses is quite something, which only inspires gratitude. Even those who are handicapped may express gratitude for what they do have, rather for what they don’t. Gratitude exudes positive energy, if you consider these to be gifts.
Gift for the eyes: Notice your environment. Look up at the sky or at a flower and see the qualities of versatility, resilience, strength, fragility and beauty it represents.
Gift for the ears: Pause for a brief moment and listen to the beauty of silence. Listen to your favorite music that soothes your soul.
Gift for the mouth: Indulge your sense of taste by putting something delicious in your mouth and allow yourself to savor every swirl of its taste. Chew slower.
Gift for the hands: Pick up an orange and feel the texture of its crater-like peel. Touch things that make you feel good.
Gift for the nose: Pick up some of your favorite incense that soothes your sense of well-being. Spray rose water in the air and on your face to get present.
The Law of Cause and Effect states that whatever you send into the universe comes back. Action and re-action are equal and opposite. Every cause has its effect; every effect, its cause. The French philosopher, Voltaire-Francois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778) said, “words like luck, chance and coincidence were invented to express the known effects of the unknown causes.” By focusing on the cause, the effect will automatically take care of itself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson called this Law, “The Law of Laws,” because it’s such a powerful energy. You get back what you put out, like a boomerang, you throw it out and it comes back. If you send negative energy out, you will get negative energy back. When you put positive energy out, you will get positive energy back, maybe not right away, but it will come. Very simple concept. The Law of Cause and Effect is also referred to as Karma. Because you reap whatever you sow, you get back what you put out, as we have been talking about throughout this entire article. The choices and decisions you make will set in motion a chain of reactions and give you back a result corresponding to whatever that decision triggered.
SPIRITUAL ENERGY
The Spiritual Energy Body
Looking through the lens of the Spiritual Energy body is the final layer. It is the place where our “consciousness” or “higher awareness” resides. This layer connects us to our past lives and also to universal consciousness, because different religions, philosophies, traditions, and cultures, define spiritual energy in different ways. We are going to mention a few types of spiritual energy that may be familiar to you: Whatever your faith may be, whatever your own created credo may be, is attached to a higher “divine” that is a love energy that is pure and cannot be minimized or dismissed. Whatever your belief, can be a meaningful source for loving with gratitude.
Spirituality Derived from Divine Love Energy (Multi Faiths)
Judaism, Christianity and other religions of the world define spiritual energy as coming from the divine love of God. According to this perspective, this kind of love energy is pure. When someone prays, they’re giving energy to a higher force that instills an inner love that is felt deeply.
When we love and allow ourselves to love, then WE get to FEEL that love within. It doesn’t matter whether you are giving or receiving it, and that’s the point. When you feel love, your life “looks” and “feels” differently, because it is an energy that is also contagious… when you give it, you have more of it to give. We sometimes think it’s the opposite. We look to receive love, instead of giving it… and it’s in the giving (and receiving, of course) that feels so wonderful. I call it a yummy delicious feeling. Many of us may tend to rob ourselves of experiencing the ultimate feeling of joy because we jump in our heads and spend time “figuring it out”. Sometimes feelings cannot be figured out, they just need to be felt.
Spirituality Derived from Mother Earth (Native American)
Studying the Peruvian Indian Medicine Wheel in the 80’s, and later the Toltec system in Mexico, revering the energy of all things in nature. Total respect for Mother Earth is the breath of this spiritual energy, believing that even the four directions have a say-so in how one lives his or her own life. Native Americans derive their definitions from nature itself. Each nation and tribe have their own specific belief system that generates from the perspective as earth being the mother, and sky as the father. We are the center of those two polarities. It all goes back to energy.
Spirituality Derived from Prana (Hindu)
Prana means “breath” in the ancient Hindu language of Sanskrit and identifies this prana as an energy that also thrives in all things, even something as intangible as human thoughts. If you are familiar with Hindu teachings, they believe this life sustaining force survives the death of the human body and can return through reincarnation. 27
The basis of all body health/mind energy stemmed from Prana, or breath. Being consciously aware of breath and breathing are powerful tools in consciously controlling every part of our bodies, spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally, while we are alive. The belief and practice of this tenet impacts the quality of life, while living, whether it is to prepare for the next life by doing good deeds or by increasing the quality of this life by doing good deeds.
Spirituality Derived from Chi (Chinese)
In the ancient Chinese tradition, Chi (can also be spelled Qi, pronounced as “chee”) is believed to be the life force of the world, containing both the female (yin) and male (yang) energies with the goal of achieving perfect balance between the two opposites, accomplished by opening the Chakras (7 energy centers in the body), so the chi energy can flow through the body into all of those energy centers.
Spirituality Derived Through the Seven Chakras
The Sanskrit word Chakra means wheel or disk. In Hindi, it means “Wheel of spinning energy”. There are seven main Chakras that start at the base of the spine and go up through the crown of the head, along the spine. Chakras are defined as invisible energy wheels tied to the glandular and nervous systems of the body.
The first four chakras are more physical in nature, and the subsequent three are more spiritual in nature. These centers keep us vibrant and healthy. When a chakra is blocked, stagnate energy builds up. It is important to keep our chakras open in order to balance our body, mind and spirit.
A chakra is like a whirling powerhouse of energy, like rechargeable batteries that are charged and recharged, through a stream of cosmic energy in the atmosphere (somewhat resembling your home that is connected to a central power source within a city). Think of the chakra system as a vertical power current that runs up and down the spine from the top of the head to the base of the spine. You can consider this as your main source of energy, where the chakras are aligned with this vertical “power line” regulating the flow of energy throughout the electrical network (meridians) that run through the physical body. You can equate this to your electrical wiring in a house, allowing electrical current to be sent to every part and is ready for use when needed.
When chakras are blocked, due to stress, emotional or physical problems, the body’s energy systems cannot flow freely, and may result in physical illness and discomfort or a sense of being emotionally and mentally out of balance.
First Chakra
The first chakra is red, and located at the perineum, base of our spine, known as the root chakra, which helps to ground us in stability, security and our basic needs, as it is closest to the earth, helping us to stay grounded, associated with our legs, feet, bones, large intestine and adrenal glands, controlling our fight or flight response. When this chakra is open and spinning clockwise, we feel safe and fearless.
Second Chakra
The second chakra is orange, located right above the pubic bone, between the base of our spine and our navel, associated with our lower abdomen, kidneys, bladder, circulatory system and our reproductive organs and glands. This chakra is known as our creativity and sexual center and is responsible for our creative expression.
Third Chakra
The third chakra is yellow and is located in the area from the navel to the breastbone, known as the solar plexus area, the source of personal power. It is concerned with our digestive system, muscles, pancreas and adrenals and is the seat of our emotional life.
Fourth Chakra
The fourth chakra is green, and is known as the connection between matter and spirit, which is the center of love, compassion, harmony and peace, otherwise known as the heart chakra in the middle of the seven, uniting the lower chakras of matter and the upper chakras of spirit, serving as a bridge between the body, mind, emotions and spirit. It is also our source of love and connection.
Fifth Chakra
The fifth chakra is blue or turquoise and is located in the throat, is considered the source of verbal expression and the ability to speak our highest truth. It involves the neck, thyroid, and parathyroid glands, jaw, mouth, ears and tongue, where we synthesize our ideas, healing, transformation and purification.
Sixth Chakra
The sixth chakra is Indigo and is located between our eyebrows, in the center of our forehead, otherwise known as the “third eye” chakra, our center of intuition. It is concerned with inner vision, intuition and wisdom. We all have a sense of intuition, but we don’t always listen to it or take note of its warnings.
Seventh Chakra
The seventh chakra, otherwise known as the “thousand petal lotus” chakra, is located at the crown of the head and is violet in color. Even though this chakra is associated with the cerebral cortex, central nervous system and the pituitary gland, it is our spiritual connection to our higher selves, others and ultimately to the divine.
When you feel out of balance, you can adjust and realign your chakras by bringing an awareness to the particular place in your body/mind and pay more attention to the signals your body/mind/emotions are sending you.