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Work energy is great to access at the appropriate times but it puts a damper on warm connections with loved ones and can override our personal needs, the true juice of a joyful life. Shifting our lead energy vibration between work and non-work time can be difficult. There is pleasure derived from certain aspects of the work and it takes our focus off of other aspects of life we have less control over. Our focused, productive analytical Self is “on” and were getting things done but how do we change the tone when the work day is done?
Today I was reminded of the unspoken lesson that Mister Rogers reinforced at the beginning of each TV program. He walked in the door of his home, took off his suit jacket and put on a cardigan. Then he changed out of his professional shoes and into sneakers. All while singing! He ritualistically shifted gears as soon as he got home, to a focus on relaxation, connection and playfulness.
In addition to changing our clothes or moving into a new environment, we can consciously change the volume of certain vibrations of energy in our space. Visualizing an imaginary gauge in front of us to make adjustments, like a fuel gauge reads empty to full, the needle can show us how full our space is of a specific energy. Is our analyzer on 75%, decision maker at 50%, income earner and task oriented Self at 100%? What about our creative energy, curiosity, sensuality, adventurousness?
At the start of a work day we turn up those energies that will be helpful to in getting our work done. At the end of the day imagine turning them down and turning up the volume of the vibrations you want to experience while not working. You may also want to visualize the energy from all of your work encounters and activities moving out of your space into a balloon and either tie the string holding that energy balloon somewhere to retrieve later when needed or set it free to move out of your aura field, leaving a cleaner space for your next focus.
I’m applying the Mister Rogers principle to consciously shift my energy from work to personal time… won’t you join me? Turn down the analytical, achievement oriented business vibration and turning up the creative, nurturing, permission to relax vibration at the end of your work day.
Last Friday at our family ranch, I stretched out on the grass in a cow pasture looking up at the pale blue sky. Doing nothing but listening to the sounds of birds, bugs, gurgling water and a breeze gently blowing in the trees. The moment of rest and nothingness penetrated my soul. It dropped me into a place of awareness of all the distractions I’d been carrying in my body and mind from the psychic density of living in the city and the busyness of day-to-day activity. It felt as if the earth instantly absorbed the entire disturbance that had been filling my mind and the tension in my body.
I found a deep inner-peace and gratitude for the beauty, raw ciaos and simplicity of plant and animal life. It made me think of our human tendency to seek purpose. In the desire to find some greater meaning in life, we believe the cultural programming that our purpose is outside of us, something we do, some function we fulfill in the world.
Those things that make us feel joy tend to be attributed the label of our purpose: creative arts, music, writing, activities that have an element of service to others. We want to clearly see what our purpose is and we want it to be fixed, one thing for our entire lifetime. When we experience purpose for awhile through some activity like being a parent, or working on a creative project, then that stage of our life comes to transition or completion; we feel a sense of meaninglessness or lack of purpose again. The self questioning begins.
We struggle with a desire to know our purpose and want a life focus that is guaranteed to give us a sense of fulfillment. We are haunted with a subtle yet chronic dissatisfaction and sense of yearning, feeling unfulfilled, looking for this purpose outside of ourselves. We decide that we are doing the wrong job or in the wrong relationship because we don’t feel satisfied. We give our power to this concept of finding a purpose beyond simply living. We feel disappointment and self-judgment that we haven’t figured it out yet.
It appears from the outside that other people have figured it out. We see the bright light of successful athletes, actors, writers, politicians, healers, musicians. We believe that they have a sense of purpose and are at peace because they are living their dream. Yet it is an illusion. Those in these positions that venture to reveal their humanity will confess they still question their purpose.
We have been sold a collective lie, a belief that if we discover something to do that is our purpose we will feel forever fulfilled and at peace. But the source of fulfillment and inner-peace isn’t a job or a relationship; it’s in our approach to every day activity.
While I sat in the pasture noticing the cattle grazing, birds soaring and little bugs foraging for food, I realized that they were at peace with simply eating, drinking, sleeping and creating a nest. They didn’t experience dissatisfaction. There was no belief that something out in the future, some bit of insight or self-awareness that they hadn’t figured out yet was going to make them perpetually feel better.
A more satisfying focus of our energy, than this illusive question of purpose, is identifying what creates a sense of meaningfulness in our lives. Here are some possibilities to contemplate:
- Connecting with others through conversation and touch
- Creative expression and sharing our creations with others
- Having interests that keep us curious to know more
- Setting goals that are attainable
- Teaching, parenting, learning, nurturing
- Knowing we have friends to call on when in need
- Spending time outdoors or creating a beautiful sanctuary in our home
The belief that we haven’t figured out or are not living our purpose, denies our power to create a meaningful life. It leads us to focus on people or activities outside of ourselves that we think are to blame for our lack of satisfaction and to judge ourselves. The deeper need behind the quest to find our life purpose is our desire for fulfillment. Sustainable inner-peace comes from choosing what inspires, expands and energizes us day-to-day.
Energy is everywhere. Each physical space we enter has its own energy signature. This vibration is influenced by the thoughts, actions and emotions of whoever has passed through the building or room. Spiritual energy is like air, invisibly surrounding us at all times. We breathe in air molecules and our body uses the oxygen but expels the other gases we do not need. We don’t think about what is happening. The lungs brilliantly convert the air to feed our blood and fuel every bodily function. At higher altitudes there is less oxygen in the air. Our muscles move slower because it takes more breathes for the lungs to collect the oxygen needed to move. In a similar way, the spiritual energy in a space directly influences our vitality. A room that is clear and in alignment with our vibration will support a sense of ease. One that is not, may generate an lower vibration in the mind and body.
Some buildings or rooms contain negative residual vibrations of grief, depression, jealousy, anger, violence or pain. The spirit wants to crawl up out of the body to escape the energetic pollution. In response we may day-dream, experience physical exhaustion or begin feeling one of the emotions left in the room or building. I’ve walked into offices where there was a blanket of depression and passive aggressive energy, homes where depression or pain meets you at the door, gathering places where the joyous intentions of past groups raised the entire vibration of the building. When we find ourselves in a space that is lowering our energy it is in our best interest to leave or change the experience.
It is easy to clear energy is a space without interfering with the boundaries of others who share that space. Start by visualizing a large rose with a very long stem in the center of the room or building. See the stem of the rose deeply rooted into the earth. Imagine a golden thread from each of the top four corners of the room running down and connecting to the blossom of the rose. Do the same from the bottom four corners. Intend that you own this space while present so that your experience of it will match your vibration, not the other way around. In doing so you will find that you are able to have a deeper peace while you are in the room or building. This exercise is also helpful to use before bed in your bedroom if you are having trouble falling asleep.
Sunlight illuminates the space in between.
The space in between contains some of the most powerful creation energy available to us. It is also pretty uncomfortable to relax into, letting the emptiness resonate with our creative selves. We naturally want to fill the space up with entertainment, getting stuff done or other comforting activities. Peace with the unknown can be a frightening concept. Can you welcome it? Soak in it as if it is the lounge chair on your sunny beach vacation? When you do, the pause opens you up to hear your inner voice. Suddenly you discover a new interest, a desire, an unanswered question that has been lingering in the back of your subconscious draining your energy. In the silence you connect with something deeper that gives your life meaning.
Fresh out of college I was traveling in Kenya with my dad when he taught me a trick to creating connection with the space in between. We were staying at a dairy farm that rented a few rooms and served food. When I sat down beside him for breakfast he said, “Let’s leave a chair between us. It will give us a chance to meet new people. Because we’re traveling together it limits our opportunities to get to know other people. We’re harder to approach.” It worked. Immediately a couple walked in. They sat down in the only two free chairs and we got to know them.
In the next few days we had several adventures together, a jaunt to ruins at a nearby town, collecting cowry shells on the beach and an expedition into caves that housed slaves a hundred years before. A farm hand showed us places only a local kid would know. In the caves we spooked swarms of bats that darted overhead, saw six-foot long monitor lizards, crunched beetles underfoot and found symbols of voodoo. Our new companions added dimension to the adventure and our combined curiosity opened the door to more experiences.
Following the mystery is like that, if you plan every moment and stay rigidly attached to your program there’s less room for the spontaneous to work its magic, less permission to listen to your intuition and change course. The space in between is where pleasure happens. It adds richness to even the mundane act of eating breakfast. Sun filters through to illuminate our lives in those cracks of time that are undefined. Downtime, rest, doing nothing, this is where inspiration is born. It is where we can discover ourselves and what contributes to our happiness.
