| Using Energy to overcome
Depression by Barbara Shipka The human energy field seeks a natural state of equilibrium in its healthy state. When we attempt to depress our "negative" emotions, we are also attempting to defy the physics of this dynamic energy. When we depress this field, it becomes dense, heavy, tight, overly agitated. Many of us do not physically see this field, but then most of us do not see heat from a fire either. The "heat" from our energy bodies is no less real than heat from a fire. Imagine water molecules in a pressure cooker as it heats up. Try as you might to keep them contained or depressed, there must be a release. For myself, I see a direct connection between depression and an illusory need to control life rather than letting life guide me. One image that occurs to me is of being in a river that is moving swiftly and with great power. I want to stay right where I am. I use the rocks to steady myself. I tie my legs to tree limbs. I put river rocks in my pockets to weigh myself down, hoping to better stay in place. I claw at the riverbanks. I sit on the riverbank for a time to rest before getting back in. But there is no let up to the effort. The river is relentless. As with the pressure cooker, eventually something's got to give -- and it isn't the river! Release from depression To surrender to the river seems counterintuitive as long as I connect surrender to gravity -- thinking that when I surrender, I will fall and eventually hit bottom. I will drown! In truth, when we surrender we float up; we actually rise up rather than fall down. And, when that happens, the entire river of Life becomes our support and power rather than an enemy to be fought and conquered. And it is not just our physical body that rises up. Surrender lifts our energy and our rate of vibration, as well. In the Disney movie Finding Nemo, Marlin and Dory find themselves sloshing around in the mouth of a whale. That's depressing for sure! Dory is portrayed as something of a "flake" so Marlin does not believe her when she says she speaks and understands "Whale." However, his disbelief does not make her ability any less real or effective. Dory is willing to trust when the whale says it's time to let go and to fall even further into its belly. Marlin is terrified. But then, what are his options? So he, too, lets go. Together they find that after falling deep into the abyss, they are lifted higher than ever before as they are shot out of the whale's spout and into the freedom of the ocean. Consciously orienting our energy "But practically speaking," you might say, "how can I release the pressure in my cooker; how can I disengage myself from my self-imposed restraints in the river?" How can one release oneself from the cycles of fear, exhaustion and resulting depression? Energetically there are many ways. I will merely suggest one way. It is to "go vertical." When our energy is primarily or solely horizontal, we are less able to discern between what is supportive and unsupportive in our lives. We are more susceptible to unsupportive power, feelings, and will of the collective. We are also more susceptible to our unsupportive inner conversations -- like wanting what others have that we do not have, like our grievances toward others from the past, like our fears of what might happen in the future.... Conversely, taking a walk in the woods renews and refreshes us. That's because it assists us in going vertical by grounding us down into the solidness of the earth. Likewise, looking at a sunset or gazing at the stars assists in going vertical, because it reconnects us to our essential nature and to the cosmos. It can be challenging to maintain a vertical connection and live in the modern world. When we put shoes on and moved into modern spaces, we literally lost "touch" with the earth at some fundamental level. And with the coming of electricity, we also lost an intimacy with the cosmos. However, these "losses" are temporary and illusory. Our essential connections to heaven and earth are far more powerful than shoes or light bulbs. What we need are some conscious and simple ways of remembering and maintaining our vertical connections. Surrendering into the belly is first. Only after surrendering does the unexpected spout occur. A tool to assist us And, for me, a truly unexpected gift of the spout is my developing relationship with crystals -- beautiful gifts of Mother Earth that originate in the stars. How did that happen? I am mystified. I was a management consultant and had never put a bead to string. Now I find I have become the steward of a sacred collection of crystal jewelry designs that combine beauty and healing. However, I do not necessarily "need" crystals to orient my energy -- just like I don't really need a car to go to the store. I could walk. Nonetheless, both assist me in speeding up the process, as well as amplifying and supporting the results. Consciousness, listening, Trust "Going vertical" is one example of how we can support ourselves energetically -- not only to benefit our own personal health but also the health of the collective. It is only one of many "subtle secrets" that are available in aiding us to move from depression, darkness and despair into health, light and fulfillment. The true and deeper resource behind any of the subtle secrets is consciousness -- awareness and choice, openness and surrender. It is our means out when we find ourselves locked in a hopeless depression, in the mouth of a whale. Consciousness -- acting "as if" whether we feel it or not, meditating, seeking help -- gives us the ability, somehow, some way, to know that we comprehend Whale. With that ability, we can trust what we hear and let go, falling deeply into the belly only to be lifted up higher than we had ever thought possible. Barbara Shipka is an eclectic life coach, spiritually inspired graphic artist, and designer of healing jewelry. Her work assists you to more powerfully tap into mystery and synchronicity and into allowing the waters of life coach you. She draws on her many years of pragmatic experience as a coach for Fortune 500 executives, as well as her deep intuitive and metaphysical gifts. She is a 3rd degree Reiki master, a meditator, and she has a profound relationship with the subtle energies of crystals, the chakras and the archetypes of the Tarot. She currently lives in Golden Valley, MN. You can reach her at barbara@lightrivers.com or (763) 521-4062. View some of her stone creations at www.stonecirclesbyariana.com Copyright © 2004 Barbara Shipka |
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Feb 2004 |
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