Energy Working

[dgirl1986]

I am trying to wrap my head around the concept of energy. What is it meant to be exactly? I find plenty on energy work and that but not on the basics or the details of what it is and how it is meant to work.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Think of it more fundamentally...the fundamental forces or interactions. Energy healers and shamans are not in fact working with some mystical energy, rather they are utilizing and directing those natural forces. Our very own thoughts and intentions are part of those fundamental forces at work...everything is. When you learn to control and direct those thoughts or intentions you can in fact promote that form of interaction which is healing. Visualization is a very powerful form of interaction and can be used even over great distances.

 

[dgirl1986]

Think of it more fundamentally...the fundamental forces or interactions. Energy healers and shamans are not in fact working with some mystical energy, rather they are utilizing and directing those natural forces. Our very own thoughts and intentions are part of those fundamental forces at work...everything is. When you learn to control and direct those thoughts or intentions you can in fact promote that form of interaction which is healing. Visualization is a very powerful form of interaction and can be used even over great distances.

So in a way it is opening yourself to natural processes and then learning how to interact with them? Sorry if that sounds stupid.

 

[Runewolf1973]

So in a way it is opening yourself to natural processes and then learning how to interact with them? Sorry if that sounds stupid.

Not stupid at all. You are exactly right.

 

[dgirl1986]

Not stupid at all. You are exactly right.

Sounds kinda like the electro pulses in the brain and stuff lol

 

[Runewolf1973]

Sounds kinda like the electro pulses in the brain and stuff lol

The thing is to get real world healing potential you need to be able to harness real world forces, not some mystical "energies". Those fundamental forces are the key. Everything that exists is driven by those forces...gravity, electromagentic, strong and weak nuclear. Your very thoughts or intentions are an electromagnetic interaction. Visualize and interact with that which you visualize. With that understanding you can manipulate matter or energy for healing purposes or whatever you wish. It is a real interaction, nothing spiritual.


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[Quintessence]

Hah, I'd asked this question here a year ago or so. In spite of the fact that I've been doing energy work for years and consider it a foundation practice of Witchcraft, I still can't answer that question myself half of the time. I observed precisely what you did - the term is nebulous in the community. I wrote a big file on it for my Book of Shadows around the time I posted that thread, but I don't have access to it right now. I'll have something more enlightening once I can pop that file open. XD

I will say, though, that views on it are non-uniform. Runewolf describes it as non-mystical, but there are definitely those who would disagree with this. I'll also throw out a book recommendation: Real Energy by the Bonewitz' couple. I didn't like everything about it, but it's generally an insightful work and worth a gander.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Many things seem mystical until we realize they are not.

A shaman does not work with the supernatural world, they work with the unseen natural world. The other side of reality.

Science has a pretty clear and defined understanding of what constitutes matter and energy. Matter which can be converted to energy is composed of highly interactive fields. So when one is doing "energy work", what are they really working with? Nothing mystical. They are working with those interactive fields. They are interacting on a fundamental level and manipulating those forms we call matter.

That's just how I see it anyway.

 

[Quintessence]

At this point I have to ask how you're using the word "mystical," because I do not at all regard that word as a synonym for "supernatural." The word "mystical" has more in common with the word "mystery," and typical denotes things related to religious mysticism, of which esoteric practices like energy work almost assuredly fall into by most assessments. Hence, slightly confused.

That aside, the issue of supernaturality is... well, it's semantical. I hate the word myself, but if I'm honest with myself, an outsider looking in is going to call what I'm doing supernaturalism, and they're going to regard the "unseen world" as supernaturalistic.

 

[Quintessence]

Speaking of that Book of Shadows file - which I haven't looked at in a while so who knows if I still agree with what I wrote there (lulz) - I'm at home now. *pops open file* *reads*

Yeah, that still seems pretty much right to me. I revise my BoS continuously as my perspectives change, I learn new things, or have new experiences, but I'd defined energy as:

Energy describes a preternatural, unseen force present in all reality. It is the magical ‘feel‘ of things, and every spirit/object has a distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with it. This distinctive atmosphere is called the aura, and the ability to sense, and guide the flow of energies and auras is a core practice of Witchcraft. Such energy work can be used for a range of purposes, from connecting to our gods to casting spells, from maintaining personal health and wellness to guidance for divination. Witches sense energy in a variety of ways, but for all methods, the process is primarily intuitive.

Also, some other observations that I think are pertinent to this discussion:

Energy work is challenging to learn because the idea of subtle, preternatural energies in the world around us is absent from our dominant cultural worldview. Other cultures have a richer vocabulary for describing these forces than ours, and our clumsy attempts to find a language creates challenges for the learning Witch.

The word ‘energy’ itself has a specific scientific meaning and it is common to see arcane practitioners drawing upon the scientific understanding of energy when discussing the topic. Insightful and useful comparisons to preternatural energy can be made by studying the sciences, but one should never allow this to derail into pseudoscience. Science is one thing, and Witchcraft is another. Energy in Witchcraft is usually akin to magic, or divine/spiritual essences and powers; it not a scientific concept and is sensed intuitively, not empirically. To avoid confusing energy in Witchcraft with that of sciences, some prefer to adopt terms from other cultures, such as mana, ch’i, prana, or the Force.

It goes on from there, but I think these parts of the file most directly address the questions in the OP. And I still agree with what I wrote a year ago, so that's refreshing. Some of these files I have I've revised... four or five times. This file is v3 on the subject of energy work as it is. It's a lot of work. XD

 

[Gjallarhorn]

I always just thought of "energy working" as shorthand for implement-less, wordless, ritual-less magick: gut-based faith healing and such.

 

[Quintessence]

I always just thought of "energy working" as shorthand for implement-less, wordless, ritual-less magick: gut-based faith healing and such.

It can definitely mean that in some contexts when it's intended to refer to a stand-alone practice. I know that in various Pagan and Witchy traditions, though, energy work is incorporated directly into spells and rituals that utilize other components or methods. For example, every time I do a candle spell, I'll charge the candle and do quite a bit of raising and redirecting energy flows in general. That's energy work, but the entire affair of candle spells is not just energy work. There are words, physical objects involved, and so on.

 

[Runewolf1973]

At this point I have to ask how you're using the word "mystical," because I do not at all regard that word as a synonym for "supernatural." The word "mystical" has more in common with the word "mystery," and typical denotes things related to religious mysticism, of which esoteric practices like energy work almost assuredly fall into by most assessments. Hence, slightly confused.

That aside, the issue of supernaturality is... well, it's semantical. I hate the word myself, but if I'm honest with myself, an outsider looking in is going to call what I'm doing supernaturalism, and they're going to regard the "unseen world" as supernaturalistic.

I see what you are saying and I agree. I am merely explaining these things in a different way. To one not familiar with shamanism or energy work these things might come across as some kind of phony "fluffy" magic. They are real existing forces of nature not something unreal or unnatural.

 

[Quintessence]

I see what you are saying and I agree. I am merely explaining these things in a different way. To one not familiar with shamanism or energy work these things might come across as some kind of phony "fluffy" magic. They are real existing forces of nature not something unreal or unnatural.

I hear you. These kinds of things are disregarded by most, either because they're totally off the radar or condemned as woo-woo. Over the years I've learned to be careful about such condemnations, because there is wisdom to be gained from everything. I thought astrology was a bunch of rubbish until I actually bothered to study it. XD

 

[dgirl1986]

Wow seems like I missed a good discussion while I was sick this past week.

I have an inquistive mind that has this obsessive need to find out who what when were why and ensure there is logic lol. I do not tend to thing of things in magical or mystical terms anymore. Hens my need to understand what energy is

 

[Quintessence]

I hear you. I tend to take an analytical approach to my path as well, and on more than one occasion I have to tell myself to cut it out with the overanalysis. It serves well, but only to a point. When stuffing things into boxes starts robbing experiences of their richness, that's bad.