Metaphysical Monday: Center and Be

Every day, we pass through an ever-changing sea of energy.

Some of it is common and well-known. Electromagnetic fields from household appliances, power lines and the field generated by the Earth itself. Static electricity from dragging your feet on a rug when it’s dry out. The all too familiar kinetic energy of stubbing your toe on the end table. We know very well how to deal with those types of energy. We’re taught from the time we are young not to lick light sockets and we learn quickly that stubbing our toe hurts.

But then there are other kinds of energy. Kinds that we’re not often told about. Kinds that, in all honesty, remains undetectable to science. Ask any psychic or sorcerer and they will swear that there’s something there, though. Some unseen force that, in conjunction or apart from all of those other types of energy impacts our lives whether we know about it or not.

Some people are more sensitive to this kind of energy. We are never taught how to deal with it. If you are one of those who is more sensitive–or has become more “tuned in” to it through solo spiritual or psychic development work–you learn by trial and error what works. If you’re lucky, you learn quickly and relatively painlessly.

Most people aren’t lucky.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be talking about the handful of lessons I’ve learned regarding that energy that’s out there. These are the basics as I see and practice them. As everyone is built a little differently, you may find the specifics of visualizations may differ for you. The basic concept, though, should be the same.

The first and most important thing to know–the thing that makes every future step possible and sure–is to find your own Center.

Your Center is not as much a physical thing (like the center of mass or the center of balance) as it is a feeling. Your Center is the eye of your own personal storm. It is a place where all your thoughts, fears and passions, fade to a dull roar in the background. A place where the internal sky above you is clear and the metaphorical ground beneath your feet is solid.

We all have a Center. No matter how chaotic your mind or environment is, it is there beneath all the noise and churn. Very often, we lose sight of it and feel like we are falling head over heels through space. Vertigo can ensue and paralyze us–both mentally and physically. Being able to cut through that initial panic is a skill best honed through practice. The good and bad news is, in our world there are plenty of opportunities to practice.

But before you can find your way back to your Center you have to find your way to it first.

We all have a path that will lead us to our Center. For some, it comes from quiet meditation. For others, it requires had physical activity. It may be triggered by a familiar scent or a sound ranging from a favorite tune to the crashing of ocean waves.

Think back through your life. When were you most at peace? When were you most happy? When did you feel safest? The answers to these questions may not all yield the same answer, but they should all elicit a similar feeling.

That feeling is what you are seeking.

For me, the path was quiet meditation. I’d never been an exceptionally loud person. Many hours were spent outside, as often alone as with other people. Nothing quite compared to the dim cool of the woods at twilight during Spring or Fall. The sounds of the leaves rustling above or animals moving off through the edges of my perception were comforting sounds. Just being there–surrounded by nature, separate yet still a part of it all–always left me feeling at my best.

And so, whenever things get crazy around me, that is the first place I go. Not physically, of course, but in my mind. The landscape is often slightly different, but the feeling is always the same. It allows me to switch my mode of thinking, it allows me to feel–if only for a moment–whole and stable and safe.

It allows me to briefly get away from all the noise and turbulence spinning around me in the “real” world.

Breathing helps, too.

When we get agitated, our breathing changes. It becomes shorter, shallow and fast. Our chests and throats tighten up. Our heart rate speeds up. For some, those changes are severe, for others barely noticeable. But those changes impact how our minds and bodies work. It’s just the way we’re built–part of our fight or flight response. Panic, anxiety and fear can very quickly short circuit our minds. This either allows instinct to take over (something too many of us don’t have a lot of these days) or just leaves us in a dull blur of thoughts.

A few good, deep breaths can help get that response back under your own control.

Breathing is an integral part of many things. Finding your Center is one of them. Good breathing comes not from your chest, but from your diaphragm (located just below your lungs, at the lower edge of your ribcage). A “correct” breath will not move your chest a tremendous amount. Instead, it will move your abdomen a bit. Try a few breaths–slowly… there’s no need to hyperventilate–of each type, first from your chest and then from your diaphragm. You should feel a difference.

A deep breath, done with purpose and effort, can get your mind and body back on track.

When you exercise your breathing technique with some visualization of your “safe place” you can cultivate an air of calm. When it clicks, you’ll know it. This is your Center.

At different times during the day, in different circumstances, try to put yourself in that place. During good times, draw from them to more fully flesh out your mental image of your Center. During rough times, try to get there despite the other feelings you have.

After some practice, you should be able to just drop in to your Center with a few deep breaths (if not just throwing a mental “switch”).

From your Center, you have a clear image of yourself. You know where you stand, with your feet firmly on the ground and the sky clearly above you. You will feel safe there and, after a while, you will feel the deep connection that exists between yourself and all things.

It is from this place–your Center–that the next lessons take place.