Energy
High
“Jung
points out that psychic energy cannot be measured quantitatively; we can still
only measure it with our feeling impressions.”
Marie
Louise von Franz (On Divination and Synchronicity, p.67; Inner City Books,
1980)
In
original cultures, such as Native American and Aboriginal, something that has palpable
energy is said to be mana, or mungu, meaning it is enormously
impressive, and has impact. When we enter a space like the canyon lands of
Utah, we are aware of that energy—it is timeless, ancient; it feels sacred, and
it impacts us in an unusual way. We cannot reach it with our five senses, but
we know the reality of it because we feel it.
Our
typical response is both physiological and psychological—we know we’re on holy
ground and we grow silent and alert. It “stops us in our tracks.” From time to
time, we also enter spaces that feel malevolent. Our immediate response is
mammalian—the hair stands up on our neck, as if we still had a ruff like a dog
or a lion. Again, there may be no visible threat, but energetically, we feel
danger.
There
are a million ways that energy is felt and expressed. It alerts us and it
informs us. It can be numinous or laced with darkness. We have senses that are
not physiological but are psychic. This is not the work of the devil! We, like
all animals, are equipped with intuition and instinct.
The oldest part of our
brain is still operative, still our best defense against harm. We have, as do
all animals, a small, almond-shaped mass of grey matter in the center of our
brains called the amygdala, which functions as our first alert system. It’s
kind of crude in that it responds to imagined as well as real threats. Then it relays
a signal to our prefrontal cortex to let us know there may be a threat. This
sense of danger activates our parasympathetic system to bump up our adrenaline
supply, so that we can run away fast.
Awe, on the other hand,
is experienced when we are in the presence of something vast and beautiful. When
we simply stop and stare and melt into the moment. It’s called by
psychologists, “a peak experience” caused by a big dopamine release in our
brains. These experiences are individual in nature, and also essential to
mental health. Fortunately, they can be generated by mundane things—a beautiful
piece of music, an autumn tree of golden leaves with sun shining through, the
smile of a precious child.
We are magnificently made
for living in balance. We are energetic beings with flesh and blood bodies, our
feet in the soil of the earth, and our souls in flight. I hope you appreciate
your body/mind for the excellent instrument of awe and delight that it is. May
your day bring many peak experiences.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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