How do we stand up for ourselves and others when we are cowering in fear?
Two days ago, we started a new cycle of our series of Path With Heart classes called “Overcoming Fear,” and we already started experiencing a warm wave of courage and love running through our bodies!
Nelson Mandela said, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears,” and that is what we are actively and daily practicing at Being Energy. May your intention for 2017 be based on your hopes and dreams. If you already wrote your intentions for this year, hold them high up and take steps towards their fulfillment. If you didn’t write your intention yet, then READ BELOW before writing them down:
Fear is the underlying force for procrastination and postponing dreams, not finishing projects, and having meaningful relationships. Our inner fears are being fed by the outside world.
In the world today we are getting more and more negative news—the political representation of our country now seems to want to imbue us with fear, keep us paralyzed and feeling powerless. So, what to do?
This is what we did in class last Sunday:
1-We turned on the light on fear
2-We reminded ourselves of our Warriorship Training
3-We identified top common fears to us all
4- We differentiated between inspiring and paralyzing fears
5- And we courageously stood up, breathed deeply and took an action towards overcoming fear!
We encourage you to do the same!
We are standing up with all, embracing all feelings and facing the oncoming time!
“For a warrior, the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable. A warrior must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous time.” ~ Carlos Castaneda
This is a marvelous time. You have the opportunity to act from intent and create your dreams.
The following ritual is one that Castaneda gave to us many years ago, and it is something that we do at the end of each year without fail. We share it with you now to help you unfold a magical year ahead. It is a ceremony that starts during the last days of December, and finishes when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st. Why not give it a try and see what happens?
We hope that the benefits ripple out through your life, your relationships, your community and the world.
The steps are these:
Clear out the old before the New Year. On December 29 and 30, and even throughout the day on December 31, clear up some space in your home. Remove clutter, donate clothing that you aren’t using anymore, clean out and organize cabinets and drawers, and vacuum your floors; clean your windows and water your plants—all with a feeling of openness and readiness. The aim is to clean your home physically and energetically. There are four essential ways to do this:
Throw things away that are not needed or that are not bringing you joy
Give things away, letting those things bring something to someone while freeing you of any associated history with the objects
Dust off, wipe and wash your home, or at least a selected part of it, such as your bedroom or desk area
Rearrange things; change the placement of furniture, artwork and/or other objects to revitalize the energy flow of your space(s)
On December 31, before midnight, attend to your desk or writing space. Organize bills and papers, and clear space so that you can comfortably sit to write a list of dreams and projects for the New Year.
Next, take a pen or pencil and piece of paper, and get ready to make a list.
Mentally review what dreams and projects you were able to accomplish in 2016. What things stood out? What new relationships have you established? What came to a close? What new things have you learned, or insights have you gained with respect to your:
Health
Emotions
Thoughts
Family and community
Larger global community of planet Earth
Now list all of these on a piece of paper labeled 2016. The idea is to review and distill what 2016 brought to you, and write it down so that you can be consciously aware of these experiences going into the New Year. Notice as you write if new insights or ideas come to you.
Take a second piece of paper to start a new list. Name the list 2017, and write down what you want to accomplish or see unfold in this New Year. It might help to think of the categories of:
Personal development: What new things do I want to learn, what do I want to accept about myself, what do I want to heal in myself?
Family and friends: What relationships do I want to commit to, what relationships do I need to let go of, what relationships do I need to heal?
Work: Am I loving what I do? What can I change in 2017 to thrive?
Health: How do I plann to take better care of myself in 2017, what specific actions will I take to restore my energy?
My legacy and contribution to the larger world: What ONE action can I do to help others in need?
Take a pause. You’ve cleared space, reviewed the year that’s passing and set forth dreams and goals for the year ahead. Now that you have your lists, take a little break to attend to any responsibilities or other commitments.
At around 11:30 p.m., return to your writing space (it’s almost midnight!) Sit in silence for a moment and put your attention on the things on your 2017 list—those things that you want to see unfold in the New Year. You may even want to write an outline of what you would like to do, or draw a picture of yourself getting the job of your dreams, etc. Sit with it as long as you like, making sure you feel connected with it all, with your personal life path, and with the Universe by the time the clock strikes midnight.
At midnight, on this first moment of the New Year, let the wave of your dreams wash over you.
Carlos Castaneda would tell us that, at midnight, the light of the Spirit or Universe comes and “watches us”—a force descends upon us, and this is a very powerful moment to be present and aware—to feel it and become acquainted with it.
As we set our collective intentions, we hold best wishes for you all—for your joy and growth; for your freedom; for your daring, for your creation of new, inspiring projects; and for your kindness to all those around you. We celebrate together your becoming!
May our light and love radiate out to our friends, families, communities, and to the whole world.
Energy means vitality. It is an impetus expressed in our bodies, in our moods and in the way we relate to others.
We might say someone has “good energy” or “bad energy” for example, or that we are energized by an idea. This all has a physical expression—as scientific studies continue to reveal. The body’s physiology and one’s particular life experiences in the mind are intricately connected—we could almost say inseparable. In fact, every day in our clinic, we see how our patients’ perceptions of what is happening to them in their lives is expressed by their bodies through symptoms. That is how the body itself communicates our emotional relationships with the world.
This is great news! It means that we have the power to influence our health at all levels with our thoughts and actions, and that each influences the other.
Our thoughts influence our energy instantaneously. Our movement also influences our energy levels and our thoughts. When we move with intention, this has an even more dramatic influence. Moving with intention powerfully affects the state of your mind and your emotions, as well as your physical experience of being in the body.
“Get on stage and give your very best. Follow your body; it knows what to do.” Carlos Castaneda said this to me just before I got on stage in 1996 for the first time to teach —there were 700 participants at his workshop. I felt unprepared and unfit for the occasion, and yet his words vividly resonating within, cleared the path for me to step onto that stage.
“The only way of knowing if you have learned something is by teaching it,” he said. “Share what you practice, share what you love to do.” And I did. That was 20 years ago, and I am still teaching and sharing. I still get butterflies before each class I teach or lecture I give. I review my notes, I prepare, I practice. Each class is a new experience, each person in front of me is unique. I can be guiding the same sequence of movements I taught to that audience back in January 1996, but I do it with wonder and awe.
What is the secret? And why do I do it?
I teach because I like to take risks, to put myself out there. I teach because it makes me vulnerable. I teach because it creates uncertainty within me. I teach because it awakens new resources within me that I didn’t know I had. I teach to learn to fail, to make mistakes, and to revamp myself. I teach to learn about success and to love with whoever is in front of me. I teach knowing that there is nothing to teach, and that whoever is in front of me has all the answers he or she needs. I teach to be reminded of my strengths and my weaknesses. I teach because I practice and because I breathe.
Why do others teach Being Energy? Some of our teachers share their experiences below. Maybe teaching will open up something in you, too? We are offer a comprehensive teacher training program. Learn more about that program.
Why become a Being Energy teacher?
The first question to ask yourself is: Is the practice Being Energy a path with heart for me? If it is, and you have committed yourself to the practice, then teaching others will help you along the path more than you can imagine. When we commit to teaching others, it brings out the best in us; something comes to our aid in spite of all the doubts and hesitations that inevitably arise. The decision and commitment to teach is truly magical. Something else takes over. Not all the time, but even when we find ourselves out of alignment, we learn something and continue working, confident that we are doing the right thing, following our path with heart. Come join us!
Pilar Soro, BE Teacher in Spain:
“I offer the classes as a volunteer and teach Module 1 material. I leave the classes with a lot of energy, I can say that there is a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ with giving the BE classes. I have a new purpose for my projects, strong and sustained, as the fruit of these classes.
“Yesterday, a 65-year-old man who has had fibromyalgia for 15 years told me that he ended the class feeling so well that he went in the ocean for more than five hours, swimming and diving; that he had tried a lot a things before these classes, but this was the thing that worked best for him.
“In my school the other day, I also had two children who were very angry at each other. After talking a little, we did the movements that I called ‘A Shower of Energy’ to get rid of the bad vibes, to clean ourselves. They followed me for five minutes and then left the room laughing and very much friends; I really liked their smiles and loud laughter—they were very happy.”
Erika Gavin, BE Teacher in Mexico:
“Teaching helped me, among other things, to feel and convince myself that I am an instructor. I did not have enough confidence before. What made me change was the consistency, and trying to be there, as I have always been sure that this path is my path and I feel love and passion for it.
“After three years, I felt increasingly confident and creative in preparing a class and incorporate everything I need to do, movements, books, what pops into my life. I am very grateful and honored to share that with others.
“I want to tell you about a student called Thamara. A few years ago, she had pain throughout her body; she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Now since taking Being Energy classes since August, it is better. She is very attracted by the philosophy and is very motivated to generate a change in her life, especially regarding the relationship with her body.”
Crisólogo Chavez, BE Teacher in Mexico:
“After several years of thinking, in late September 2014, I decided to jump off to start teaching BE movements, with great excitement, even though I did not feel sufficiently prepared. Now I teach a regular group of 10 to 12 people each Saturday for about an hour and a half. It has been steady, constant. It seems incredible to look back—I gained confidence to do the movements; teaching has put greater demand on my personal practice and a result I perceive in my physical and energetic body. Most gratifying, however, are the comments I hear from student practitioners about their pleasure in doing the movements.”
Tom Reavley, BE Teacher in Mexico:
“When I guide Being Energy classes or teach it to others, my only option is to suspend my own story—which includes plenty of self doubts about handling something that can’t be reduced to logic or reason—and let the spirit channel through me, even if only for a while. Under the pressure of my commitment to present something, I have to relax at some point and let ideas flow—what to emphasize, how to express it, what sequences of movements to do—and then connect to the energetic feeling that the movements and practices create.
“By deciding to teach, you are committing yourself. You are choosing to put yourself on the line and rally your energy each time you lead others, even though you have no guarantees that you will succeed. When a class approaches and you feel lost, the commitment comes to your aid. It focuses your attention and activates your intent so that you can genuinely connect to the inexhaustible source of life and creativity. You stand before others not knowing exactly what you will say, but with a feeling of certainty that expresses itself in your voice, your eyes and your movements. And in that moment you have changed your story—you are someone or something else, an expression of the infinite.
“What a great gift is this opportunity to share beauty of spirit with others!”
Pavel Pavlov, BE Teacher in Bulgaria:
Pavel recounts how powerful it was to teach a Being Energy workshop recently in Bulgaria:
“At the end of the workshop we left some time for everyone to ask questions or just to say how he/she felt. Most people shared that they now had a new vision for their lives. One of the newcomers explained that she was expecting to practice yoga, since we also announced the event through our yoga teacher friends. At first the movements confused her. She was astonished when we spoke about Carlos Castaneda, as she had recently begun reading Castaneda’s books. Upon making that connection, between reading the books and this event, she realized that she was not here by chance.”
Research shows that our thoughts and feelings impact our physicality, from increased cortisol levels when we’re stressed to lowered immunity if we’re feeling depressed. Most of the time, we don’t consciously direct our thoughts for the benefit of our health, but we do have the power to do just that.
Visualization is a practical tool we can use at any time to deliberately and positively influence our immune system. When we say “visualization,” we really mean much more than seeing with internal eyes. Some of us are not visually oriented, and may not connect to the idea of seeing images with our eyes closed. Instead, let’s think of visualization as image-feeling. The feeling, whether we can cognize images or not, is really what we’re after. The emotion is what has the greatest influence on our health. (For more on that, see Dr. Reid’s blog post: The Power of Words.)
For example, visualize a tree. If you can’t see the trunk, branches, etc. in your mind’s eye, then cognize the feeling of a tree. In either case, when we imagine a tree, there is a feeling that we likely associate with concept of tree. This is what we mean here by visualization. So even if you can’t see that tree, you can still use visualization techniques for your benefit.
How does visualization impact us physically? It becomes part of the chemical conversation going on in our body, creating a blueprint that influences our neuro- and immunotransmitters.
From our earliest moments of life, the brain and immune system are engaged in a constant dialogue. Each influences the other by means of chemical messengers. In fact, the immune system has neurotransmitter receptor sites in white blood cells, lymph nodes and elsewhere, and the brain has receptor sites for immunotransmitters called cytokines.
Three important cytokines are:
Interferons
Interleukins
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
Examples of neurotransmitters include:
Seratonin
Norepinephrine
Dopamine
Neurotransmitters circulate throughout the body with specific immune system receptor sites, as mentioned. Emotions impact neurotransmitters and thus affect immunity specifically, and our health generally.
The immune system responds to messages from the brain formed by images or emotions. We can deliberately create mental images or encourage emotions to impact our immune systems in a positive way. Instead of letting our unconscious thoughts steer our health, we can consciously direct thoughts and feelings for greater energy and vitality.
You can use visualization in any moment to influence your experience, or you can use guided visualization for a different and often deeper effect. One of the simplest approaches is to use a counterbalancing visualization. Let’s say, for example, that you feel nervous—you can imagine yourself being calm and strong. Or maybe you feel tired—consciously imagine yourself being active, feeling what it feels like to have more energy. If you’re cold, you can imagine sitting in the sun on a tropical beach, or if you have high blood pressure, you can visualize your blood pressure going down.
If a person is dealing with cancer and thinks “I’m doomed,” it certainly doesn’t help the immune system. Indeed, fear may be the most weakening emotion for immunity.
If we let negative thoughts run unchecked, they can weaken us, versus consciously visualizing life and vitality. We can use the tool of directed visualization on the spur of the moment when there is a need or when we notice an unhelpful thought.
We can also use guided imagery to potent effect. Being Energy, our educational program on health on vitality, recently released the CD Into Your Heart, a guided visualization from Dr. Reid.
The visualization is designed to help you regulate the flow of your hormones and neurotransmitters in a way that reduces stress in your body and increases happiness. Dr. Reid guides you to opening yourself to the energy of your heart, to heal emotional hurts and find out what really matters to you.
In addition, you can try this guided visualization, or “recapitulation” for resolving past hurts. It guides you to evoking the feeling of safety and nourishment that one experiences in the mother’s womb for greater energy and vitality in daily life: Remember that you can use visualization to benefit your life any time you like, whether it’s a quick image that you form in your mind to help you manage a situation, or whether you sit down.
During our apprenticeship, Carlos Castaneda emphasized practicing sequences of movements to regain focus and alertness.
“When paying attention, not only to what movement comes next in the sequence, but even more importantly to ‘how’ you are practicing each movement,” he said during a class break, “you align your mind and body, working in unison with a clear purpose. That is what don Juan called energy redeployment— bringing back one’s energy flow to the center of the mind-body unit.”
It was a hot, dry summer evening in LA; my mind was meandering and inner thoughts jumping while I watched myself performing movements in the mirror, trying to not mess up the sequence. For several months, I had followed the practice of not watching myself in the mirror, even when brushing my teeth or applying facial lotion. It was Castaneda’s suggestion, and I found it very liberating. Looking at myself in the mirror had become torture—I couldn’t stop judging myself. However, in the yoga studio in Santa Monica were Castaneda used to teach his classes, there was a long mirror and it was difficult to avoid watching myself as I practiced and getting lost in thoughts such as, “I am good at this move,” or “Oh, I can’t get this move like he is doing it”—an endless comparison.
“Energy redeployment is required to meet It,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “LO Infinito,” he added, with piercing eyes looking towards me. A shiver ran through my sweaty spine.
He went on to say that seers of his lineage described “Infinity” as a field of infinite energy where we can expand and evolve as beings of awareness. Infinity, the universe or source, as named by other traditions, is where our lives originate, and where we return after our journey of awareness on earth has ended.
Castaneda came closer and almost whispered in my ear, “redeployment of energy beings about your energy body.” I didn’t understand it and felt a bit spooked by the idea of another body that resembles me, but is not really me.
He then continued telling the rest of the class that there are caches of energy that exist within the self. Don Juan told him that these caches are composed of energy that originates in the body itself and becomes displaced, pushed out of reach by the circumstances—the wear and tear—of daily life. In this sense, the practice of movement sequences with focus, precision and alertness, gives us a means for redeploying our unused energy.
“In the alignment of mind and movement, pay attention to your breath,” he said to all. “That is when Spiritwhispers you.”
In Being Energy’s upcoming workshop in Amsterdam, we will practice the same movement sequences that Carlos Castaneda taught to me (Aerin Alexander) and Miles Reid. Redeploy your energy to bring daring and purpose to your actions and allow the Spirit to speak through you.
