Mapping the Energy Body

Unit 2 - Master Your Energy E-course.

In this chapter, we map the human energy system, focusing on the main energy currents, vortex centres, and channels of light within the body. By examining their core symbolism, we aim to provide a broad overview of the archetypal forces that influence our personality and Soul.

Recording: Heart Centre Meditation

THE CENTRE OF THE ENERGY BODY

The energy body is a combination of different qualities of energy, which we need to embody and master as an integrated harmonious whole.

Everything is energy, as science confirms. Our energy body vibrates at varying frequencies, with the physical body's energy vibrating at the slowest rate, while our emotions and thoughts vibrate increasingly faster. Ultimately, we are only one energy, Consciousness, manifesting in different forms within the world of creation.

We have seen that energy flows in a two-way system with the Upward and the Downward currents running through the central channel of the body. We are, in fact, on a journey where the Personality Self ascends to merge with the Infinite Field of light, and Divine Consciousness descends to manifest as the Individual Self.

The chakra system is a map of the 7 main energy centres in the body. The system moves from the dense vibration of the first chakra (Root Chakra) at the base of the spine, to the light vibration of the seventh chakra at the top of the head (Crown chakra). All seven chakras need to be in harmony for our well-being, as they hold the basic elements of the universal energy. For example, balance and harmony needs to be achieved between the first four elemental Earth Chakras (earth, water, fire, air) and the three higher vibrational Soul Chakras (ether, light, consciousness).

The centre of the energy body and the chakra system is the Heart. The Heart is the place where all energies converge as One. The earthy ascending energy meets here with the light of the Soul streaming down into the body. From the heart, the entire spectrum of energies radiates outwards. In the Heart, as the centre of our Being, we embrace Wholeness. Here, the energies of the Lower Chakras (Root, Sacral and Solar plexus) merge with those of the Upper Chakras (Throat, Third Eye, Crown) to become one core essence. In the heart, our Personality Chakras (1-2-3) become one with our Soul Chakras (5-6-7) to anchor the Self in the centre of our Being.

Whilst moving through the chakra system, energy takes on different frequencies and forms.

Imagine being a tree, your roots deeply grounded in the earth, you are drawing up water for your nourishment, your branches are soaking in sunlight, and your leaves are literally breathing in oxygen. Earth, water, fire and air are creating your life. Similarly, the four elemental chakras represent the main building blocks of our chemistry. Earth in the first chakra (Root) transforms into Water in the second chakra (Sacral), into Fire in the third chakra (Solar plexus) and into Air in the fourth chakra (Heart).

The three upper chakras hold more refined frequencies of energy. Ether in the fifth chakra (Throat) represents the vibrational field holding everything together, Light is the frequency of the sixth chakra (Third eye), and Consciousness is the energy of the seventh chakra (Crown).

The first three chakras anchor us in the human dimension of life: the physical body in the Root chakra, the emotional body in the Sacral chakra, and the active mental body in the Solar Plexus chakra. The upper chakras are connected to our Soul's manifesting power: through language (Throat chakra), vision (Third Eye), and thought (Crown chakra). In the heart, we hold the clear presence of Awareness.

The chakras move as vortexes of energy and are positioned along the central axis of the body. Through these vortexes, energy is breathed in and out of the body, and moved along the spine. Through the chakras, we also link to the quantum field of energy all around.

CONNECT TO YOUR HEART CENTRE - MEDITATION

As a first step to develop awareness of the energy body, we invite you to connect to your Heart Centre.

We are going to feel our heart centre by first anchoring in our lower belly. The practice of anchoring in the belly is called “Dropped Attention”, from the Reclaiming shamanic tradition. The belly is a power centre in the body, also called ‘Hara’.

Take a deep breath and drop your attention into the lower belly, below the navel.  Breathe slowly and deeply, in and out from your belly. As you breathe in and out from your belly, imagine releasing any tension upwards. Stay anchored in your belly and with your breath, send the energy up your body, to discharge any tension from from the upper body and crown, like a fountain.

Release any physical, emotional, or mental tension in your upper body and notice how your heart naturally opens. Notice how the heart spontaneously opens whilst you sit relaxed in your belly, breathing slowly and releasing any tension upwards.

Now centre in your heart: breathe in and out from there. In the heart, feel the stillness, feel the peace. Feel how all your energy becomes harmonious when you breathe from your heart, in silent awareness. Sit in your centre of light, in your sacred space and notice the stillness arising.

You may want to put one hand on your belly and one on the heart, to entrain the energies of the two centres, the sacral chakra and the heart.

Drop your attention in the belly many times during the day and entrain your heart into openness and aware stillness.

In the audio recording ‘Heart Centre Meditation’, we are going to add another dimension of working with the Heart centre. The heart open and nourished with the energy of the Earth and of the Soul star, will reveal itself as a Well of Light. A well of outpouring energy able to harmonise the whole of our energy body. Heart radiating out energy to soothe, fill and heal any tension in our Body and Being.

THE CHAKRA SYSTEM AS A MAP FOR AWAKENING

We will explore different interpretations of the chakra system; however, rather than focusing solely on intellectual understanding, we encourage you to experience these energy frequencies directly. Moreover, remember that there is no hierarchy of importance in the way Source energy manifests itself, and as human beings, we are called to embody and master all the chakras' energies.

We will refer to a simple process to work with energy and the chakra system.

The process has 3 steps = EMPTY + RECEIVE + TRANSMIT

• We empty energy, to release blocks to the energy flow in the body.

  
  

• We receive energy, to embody those qualities of energy we need in the moment.

  
  

• We transmit energy, to express and manifest our presence in the environment.

We hold the power consciously empty, receive, and transmit energy. At the same time, we are spontaneously moved by the power of the universe flowing through us.

Many traditions and models describe the chakra system, offering a variety of symbols, images, and myths that help us understand the different qualities and frequencies of energy. Each chakra corresponds to an element, a stage of life, a psychological challenge, a deity, an animal, a mythical archetype, a crystal, a yoga position and more.

The chakras are connected to the body and, in all traditions, are located along the spine at the central nervous ganglia. This is no coincidence; through the nervous system, all information is transmitted from the brain to the body and vice versa. Similarly, light is encoded with different information in each chakra. Specific body systems are linked to each chakra, and we will explore this further later in the course.

Chakras do not exist in a strictly physical sense. They are intangible, much like thoughts are intangible while the brain has a physical reality. However, we can say that chakras exist in a subtle realm, because we can feel them as physical sensations and emotions in our body; for example, we may feel grief or joy in the heart, anxiety or warm vitality in our belly, mental tension or clarity in our head, and more.

The chakras can be defined as the interface between the body and more subtle dimensions of consciousness, and ultimately are a useful map to develop Awareness and Well-Being.

As A. Judith explains in her book ‘Charge and the energy body’, chakras exist as a storage system for programs, like software uploaded in the hard drive of a computer. The body is the hardware, the chakras are the software, and energy is the electricity.

According to many traditions and scientific studies, we carry the imprints of all our experiences in our energy body. These energy imprints come from memories, beliefs, and emotions that get encoded at a cellular level (see Bruce Lipton, Candice Pert). Negative thoughts and emotions are stored in the body like programmes that, when activated, cause us to behave reactively rather than from a conscious state.

Negative software can disrupt the flow of energy in our body and hamper the connection to our true Self. As the Light of Consciousness, we can clear our negative programming through awareness, intention and energy work.

One day, whilst I was in the process of buying a property, I woke up in a state of fear and anxiety. It was a big decision, raising many emotions and doubts. My chest was contracted, and I was feeling tearful and vulnerable. No breathing technique or attempt to relax would work. But suddenly a thought hit me:  “Fear is just a program, IT IS NOT REAL”. A program is not who I am. I am light. In an instant, all my anxiety and physical contraction were gone! A sense of Trust had arisen instead, and the right decision became very clear.

Knowing that thoughts and experiences are encoded in the body, we need to add one more step to the process of working with energy and the chakras.

From:

EMPTY + RECEIVE + TRANSMIT

To:

EMPTY + RECEIVE + STORE + TRANSMIT

We store programs in our bodies and in our chakras, derived from our life experiences and belief systems. These programs influence how we perceive the world and how we receive and transmit energy. With awareness and choice, we can consciously transform negative energy imprints and awaken to our natural state of Presence, Wisdom and Harmony.

THE PRINCIPLE OF WHOLENESS: BALANCING ALL ENERGIES IN THE BODY

The world of archetypal energies is indeed vast, as complex as we can imagine the qualities of being.

To map the energy body, we have identified a few basic energy types, such as the Upward and Downward Currents and the 5 Elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. We also distinguished between the Lower Earth chakras (root, sacral, and solar plexus) and the Upper Soul chakras (throat, third eye, and crown), considering the flow of energy from lower density to higher vibration. We then individuated our centre within the Heart Chakra.

Let’s add a few more variables to the mapping.

According to the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of Hinduism, there are three main channels of energy in our body, running from the base of the spine to the crown: the Sushumna Nadi flows along the central axis, while the Ida and the Pingala Nadi run along the sides in a spiral dance. The Ida and Pingala currents represent the Feminine and Masculine principles. The Ida Nadi, the Moon feminine channel, influences the left side of the body, whilst the Pingala Nadi, the masculine channel, is connected to the right side of the body. In a balanced energy body, female and male energies are balanced and integrated.

Many traditions also map our mind-body system, focusing on the Three Selves, core archetypes of our Psyche. In Huna shamanism, these are called the Basic Self, the Conscious Self and the Higher Self, whose energies can be correlated to the Lower chakras (Basic Self), Upper chakras (Conscious Self) and Heart (Higher Self). Psychologists search for the integration of the Subconscious, Conscious and Superconscious. Metaphysical teacher D.J. Stone speaks about the Subconscious Power, the Personal Power and the God Power. In Reclaiming Wicca, the same archetypes are called Younger Self, Talking Self and the Deep Self.

The developmentalmodel of A. Judith, as described in her book ‘Western Mind, Eastern Body’, identifies different age stages for each chakra, from birth to adulthood, each characterised by its own psychological features, challenges, and gifts.

We will explore the chakras more deeply by incorporating additional symbolism from mythology, shamanism, and other metaphysical systems, such as the map of the 12 Rays of Light and more. The way Spirit manifests itself in the world is vast, and many traditions map our psyche, energy body, and the energy field around us. However, without oversimplifying, we aim to create a straightforward map that provides major signposts to guide our personal journey towards awakening and well-being.,

To summarise we are going to explore the following energies:

2 currents: Upward and Downward current

5 elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether

Male/Female Archetypes

3 Selves: Body Self/Conscious Self/Higher Self

Lower Earth chakras 1-2-3

Heart chakra, as the balancing centre

Upper Soul chakras 5-6-7

The main aim of mapping the energy body is to learn how to experience an overall sense of balance, embodying all energies as a harmonious whole. From a spiritual perspective, the purpose is to awaken to Self-realisation, a process of mastering union and co-creation with Spirit.

Although Wholeness is our natural state, we often disown certain archetypes because of conditioning and trauma, therefore blocking the access to their energy and power. When this happens, these energies remain unexpressed in the shadow of our Psyche.

For example, some people are too earthy, too grounded and attached to material possessions; therefore, they cannot open to new ideas and a more expanded spiritual vision of life. In this case, there will be an overload of energy in the lower chakras. Other people, instead, are polarised in their upper chakras, either too much in their mind or too open psychically, making it difficult to make things happen in a grounded way. In this case, there will be an energy overload in the upper chakras.

Another energy imbalance happens when the Feminine and Masculine principles are over-played or under-played in our psyche and life. My journey involved reclaiming my feminine self, in her magical, intuitive, emotionally open and loving aspect, in a society that values more the masculine qualities of logic and focused action. In the process, however, I had to re-integrate my masculine side as well, which I had disowned because I judged it as aggressive and dominant. Ultimately, we need to embody both archetypes: the feminine for her perception and openness and the masculine for his determination and focused ability to manifest.

Some thought-behavioural patterns related to giving and receiving energy can also cause disharmony. My habitual pattern is to love too much, subconsciously expecting to be liked and loved in return. I am too generous with my energy towards others, and I end up depleted because I am not recharging through self-love and self-care. Other people do the same when they overdo power and action, by working hard and controlling everything, often out of low self-esteem and need for validation, only to dissipate a lot of energy and end up feeling burnt out.

Often, we observe shadow patterns when we experience the energies of the Elements. For example, are you grounded and rooted in your life? Are you watery enough to flow and yield in the face of challenges? Are you expressing your fire and passion? Are you spreading your wings and following your dreams?

Wholeness is achieved when we balance the relationship among our 3 Selves: the Basic Self, the Adult Self, and the Higher Self. For example, is your inner child being heard in their needs and desires? Does your adult protect your inner child? Do both your Basic and Adult Selves feel the unconditional love and guidance from your Higher Self?

The core aim of mastering our energy is to achieve our wholeness by embracing all our unloved parts and releasing suffering from our energy body, so that universal Consciousness can express itself freely through us and according to what is needed at each moment.

The Inka shamans say: ‘I am the Wind and the Fire, I am the Mountains, the Rivers and the Stars’.

We are both physical and light beings; we are human and divine. We are Source Energy, enjoying the creation of life in infinite forms.