In this season of holiday
cheer and Winter chill, many of us relish the
quiet warmth of hearth and home. Being indoors
has its comforts, but being in close indoor
quarters with others has its downside in the
form of colds and infections. We can, of course,
attribute these seasonal illnesses to viruses
going around, but on the causal plane, a virus
is more than a physical anomaly. On the causal
plane, the energetic source from which all
thoughts and physical symptoms arise, a virus is
a rampant thought, a runaway energy. We humans
are not worlds unto ourselves, we exist within
the context of greater worlds, like circles
within circles. Things pass between us, whether
we realize it or not. And in close quarters,
this passing of energy can intensify. Further,
it's not just what we say or what we do. What we
think and what we feel have far more power to
affect ourselves and others than we might
believe.
In Mary Carroll Nelson's
book BEYOND FEAR, medical doctor and Toltec
healer Miguel Ruiz speaks of the power of
emotions. The Toltecs, an ancient Latin American
healing tribe, believe humans are here on Earth
to produce and ultimately to purify emotions.
Emotions can vascillate between the extremes of
tremendously nurturing or hideously virulent.
And while our essential human nature is loving,
day to day conditions in a high-stress culture
make it quite challenging to maintain this
loving center. Daily prayer and/or meditation
can assist us in doing this, but eventually we
must leave our safe harbor and interact with
others who are living their own confused
illusion. Whether this is the clerk at the
grocery store, a partner who has had a bad day,
or a sports announcer on television, another's
emotional imbalance can knock us off center
pretty quickly. It is at such times that our
actual energetic immune system is compromised.
We actually "crack open" to allow another's
virulent emotions to infect our sense of inner
harmony. Without knowing what has just
transpired, we just "caught" a virus. Some of us
have many such encounters in a single day. This
can have a huge impact on the immune system,
making us greater candidates for physical
illness.
In our culture, women and
men are conditioned differently, especially in
the realm of emotional expression. Men are often
afraid of women's need to communicate their
feelings, as they have been taught to repress
their own more vulnerable emotions. Openly
expressing anger is more acceptable for men.
Crying is tolerated better from women. Both
genders, however, are challenged to get in touch
with their deeper feelings. Until we do, we tend
to bounce them off one another, often in
unbalanced ways. In psychology, this is called
PROJECTION. It is almost as if we need a screen
on which to project these strong feelings so we
can OBSERVE them through another's reactions or
responses. And though it may seem easier than
confronting these emotions directly, it can be a
painful process for the person being used as the
projection screen. It can actually weaken that
person's immune system. Whether illness takes
root in the body or not depends on their
response to it.
Healthy minds support
healthy bodies. If we are in touch with our
feelings, if we feel comfortable in our skin, we
are far less likely to be candidates for viruses
or other illnesses. We are also less likely to
"infect" others. Beyond taking supplements
or getting flu shots, we can monitor our
thoughts and feelings to support wellness in
ourselves and others. The energetic immune
system is like a soft boundary which cushions us
from the shock of another's unbalanced emotions.
Learning to set this boundary means we learn how
to accept responsibility for our own feelings as
well as asking others to take responsibility for
theirs. We cannot control another's response to
such a request, but we can maintain our sense of
integrity and wholeness by asking. This is a
slow process for most of us, for in order to do
this, we must honestly evaluate ourselves to
make sure we are not simply projecting our own
insecurities and confusion back onto the other
person's "screen." There is, in essence, no
blaming, but rather we are respecting ourselves
enough to ask others to respect the tender
humanity residing in each of us.
We always have the choice
to participate in this circle of wholeness
rather than withdrawing. Withdrawal may feel
SAFER, for no one likes confrontation. Yet when
we withdraw, by default we accept the emotional
charge another has forced upon us. This is like
accepting another's burden as our own. Each one
of us has unique life lessons which are there to
help our souls mature. Taking on the emotional
burdens of others or forcing others to accept
our own burdens weakens the immune system and
loosens the fragile ties which compassionately
bind us to one another. Since we all must
breathe the same air and viruses are airborne,
we can work to "clear the air" around us in
order to purify the air we must breathe
together, especially in these indoor months.
Breath is as essential to
life as our relationship to one another. May we
strive to create more peace and harmony in our
lives together in this upcoming year.
