Living in the Energy of Christ
Spiritual Energy Part 1
“The energy of universal evolution, which, in the form of an innate pull toward being . . . an energy, the feeding and development of which is to some degree our responsibility.”
In our WeSpace groups, much of the focus of the practice is on the energetic dynamic of the experience. We talk about energy fields, the radiant heart center, strong feelings of love and bliss, the frequency and coherence of the group energy, and more. An unsuspecting participant might wonder how they got themselves into such a new age, woo woo experience. I thought these were Christian groups, after all!
In fact, dynamic energy is written all over the pages of the New Testament and seen in the life of Jesus and the early church. Actually, it’s not just seen, but in many ways is the central defining characteristic of what marked the early church gatherings and the ministry of Jesus: being in spirit (awakened consciousness).
“Power Has Gone Out from Me”
One day when Jesus was walking through a crowd, a woman touched the hem of his garment and was healed. Jesus knew that something had happened—he had felt a “the power” go out of him. Though many people were touching him, one touch connected on a much stronger level.
This “power” that Jesus felt is the Greek word δύναμις, or dýnamis, which is used all over the New Testament—not just for Jesus but also for the spirit and the early believers. It has most often been translated as “power,” “miracles,” or even sometimes “mighty deeds.” These translations reflect a different stage of consciousness that was much more concerned with power struggles and the need to show strength.
In today’s language and consciousness, it is much more closely connected to what we would call “spiritual energy.”
Spiritual Energy
“There is no concept more familiar to us than that of spiritual energy, yet there is none that is more opaque scientifically . . . the nature of this inner power is so intangible that the whole description of the universe in mechanical terms has had no need to take account of it.”
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Some are much more familiar with spiritual energy through practices like reiki, energy healing, chakra work, kundalini, and more. Awareness of spiritual energy tends to be higher in Eastern traditions, though it is certainly present in the Christian tradition—often under different words like “filled with the spirt,” “ecstatic experience,” and the like. More recently in Western Christianity, it has largely been ignored or dismissed by the scientific materialism so prevalent in this post-industrial age. Even as many in the West have sought to grow beyond these worldviews, the underlying assumptions and associations run deep and are often difficult to fully recognize in ourselves.
“In the modern Western Christian tradition, a strong wind of objectivity has swept away the mystical consciousness, pushing it to the margins of Christian life.”
For instance, many are still greatly affected by the common perception of the body as a machine that needs fuel in the form of calories (or coffee) and regular exercise to maintain optimal operational function. Emotional and spiritual dynamics are attributed to imbalances in the system, with the methods of repair often seeking to grease the wheels of chemical releases. While there is certainly truth to these chemical and physical components of our bodies, the reduction of our function down to only these considerations is tragically destructive.
How this has affected the Western Christian tradition is often seen in a disembodying of spirituality and practice. The soul is separate from the body. The body is an “earth-suit” that simply holds our spirit until it is time to die and go to heaven. So keep the machine in good condition, but the spirit is separate and the most important thing.
What a dreadful perspective from the religion of incarnation!
Even in its less pernicious and obvious forms, this disassociation from spirit and matter has permeated Western Christianity to a staggering degree, both in the functional activities of most churches and the spiritual practice of many individuals and groups. Just think of the Christian practice and form you’ve experienced in your life, and how much of it could have been done by a disembodied head! That may be a funny mental image, but how true is it? It is why we put so much emphasis on the whole body in our mystical practice.
One of the primary consequences of this perspective that has been destructive is the shutting off of the tap. When we lose touch with our bodies and the vital energy found in full embodiment, we slowly start to feel drained. Drip by drip the days take it out of us, and no matter how busily and actively our minds churn, we find no source of renewal there.
Especially these days, we may feel scattered with our thoughts and emotions all over the place in response to the global situation. We try our various egoic strategies to regain control, but these rarely leave us satisfied for long. Without connection or engagement with our underlying spiritual energy embodied within us, we are somewhat at the mercy of the force of our internal compulsions and external disruptions.
Turning the Tap Back On
As you’re reading this, you’re probably primarily in your head space. If you feel any stirring, do you feel that in your head? No, it’s in your heart space or maybe even deeper in your body. If you’re not feeling anything, pause right now, place both of your hands over your heart and be present to yourself. Gaze at the image next to these words. Can you move into your Deep Heart? Into the radiant center that emanates loving energy?
We’re not just talking about emotions and feelings here—though they are a part of it. We’re connecting into the source, the wellspring, the nourishing and vitalizing divine presence that is within. We experience this most easily in our heart. But it is within your entire body. In the quantum fibers of the depths of your cells. In the flow of life that courses through your deepest being.
We experience spiritual energy in the contact point between spirit and matter. That is to say, in the experience of awakened consciousness in tune with the embodied presence of our physical being. We can sense this energy naturally if we’re not too blocked, but handling it also takes attunement, cultivation, and practice.
Our Whole-Body Mystical Awakening practice seeks to lead us into just such an awareness and flow. It can be practiced individually, or collectively, with the WeSpace form being a way to be drawn into a greater current from the group itself.
Jesus lived and operated from this flow of “power” or spiritual energy. And he offered it to his followers as well. “You will receive energy when spirit (consciousness) comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). You can open yourself to receive and participate in this energy of the spirit any time you want. Even right now if you like.
Next week we’ll explore how this spiritual energy manifests in our hearts as an ecstatic bliss that is sustaining and empowering.
You can cultivate this spiritual energy through practice in community by joining a WeSpace group. Enrollment is now open!