Post No. 307 - Non-physical health and strength

As I mentioned in my post on grounding and shielding, I've been working on updating my workshop notes: this post contains the sections from the generic skills part onnon-physical health and non-physical strength . (I've not included the referenced section on assumptions, but you can find that in the grounding and shielding post.)

I hope they may be of some use :)
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr (pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")

2.4 Non-physical health

2.4.1 Concept

As well as having a physical body which can be in good, poor or indifferent health, with consequent effects on our ability to undertake activities with the physical body, our non-physical parts can be considered to have a state of health, be it good, poor or indifferent, which also affects our ability to function in a range of ways that are “non-physical”.

This includes emotional and mental wellbeing.

2.4.2 Objectives

The intention of these notes is to provide some “food for thought” on the vast issue of psychic health.

2.4.3 Desired outcomes

The desired outcome is awareness of some of the basics of this concept.

2.4.4 Assumptions

See 1.7 Assumptions.

In preparing these notes, it has been assumed that the person reading them does not know much about this topic – hence, if you are familiar with the topic, you may care to do little more than simply skim these notes to make sure you know all this.

The techniques to be taught elsewhere will potentially have a beneficial effect on your psychic health as well.

2.4.5 Background

Most people are aware of (although they don’t necessarily do this!) what is required to look after their physical health. As a VERY brief, incomplete summary, you could say what is required is:

Ø meet the input needs of the body (e.g., oxygen, water and nutrition [adequate vitamins and minerals, etc. – enough good food])

Ø make sure the body get rids of potentially harmful materials (these include things produced by the body in the course of existing – such as carbon dioxide [created after the body has used oxygen], and are removed by breathing, the venous circulation system and the lymphatic system) – this could be described as meeting the output needs of the body

Ø meet the activity (exercise[1]) and rest needs of the body.

This mixture (good in, bad out, proper use & rest) can (arguably) also be applied to emotional wellbeing. As a simplistic example:

Ø good in: enjoyable friendships, romantic/intimate relationships, emotional support

Ø bad out: debriefing with friends, counselling,

Ø proper use & rest: winding down/rest, being involved with people

We are more than just a physical body, and our various non-physical and physical aspects can and do interact, and we can take deliberate action (or inaction) to promote our wellbeing both physically and non-physically.

hence, the same principles that were outlined in the context of physical health also apply to psychic health and well-being:

Ø good in: accepting healing when needed and using other ways to receive good energies

Ø bad out: cleansing one’s aura and using adequate psychic protection

Ø proper use & rest: meditation and proper psychic exercise.

2.4.6 Techniques

The techniques already covered (flaming, shielding and grounding) will have a beneficial effect on your psychic health. Other techniques/actions/inactions which may be beneficial include:

• ensuring your physical health is as good as it can be
  (being constantly ill or in pain will drain or undermine the wellbeing of most people – very few have the training and/or willpower to deal with such matters; however, being unwell can also detract from doing your best psychically/spiritually – it’s like constantly having a niggle at the edge of your mind when you’re trying to concentrate: and, after all, our various separate parts are all part of one whole being);
• regular psychic rest
  (not only meditation, but “time out” from the stresses and strains of most people’s lives);
• finding the right type and amount of challenging and/or interesting activities for your psyche
  (which includes hobbies);
• finding the right type and amount of interaction with people
  (i.e. friends);
• not letting things fester, whether that be interpersonal interactions or personal problems (“demons”) that need to be faced;
• developing, refining and acting on your psychic awareness.

Keep in mind that, just as not all medicines are good for all people (some are even dangerous – e.g., penicillin can be fatal for those who are allergic to it), not all psychic health techniques that are beneficial to one or a few or even many, are necessarily of benefit to any others (whether they are simply of no benefit, or actively harmful).

Keep your thinking cap on, be objective, and test techniques for their relevance to you (with due allowance for differing circumstances).

2.4.7 Alternative viewpoints

As with grounding, it is difficult for me to think of alternative viewpoints on the issue of psychic health, but I suspect some people think the issue can be adequately addressed by viewing things from a conventional medicine point of view, in that good conventional medicine covers things like emotional and mental wellbeing.

2.5 Non-physical strength

2.5.1 Concept

Just as some people have greater physical strength than others, there is such a thing as “psychic”, or “non-physical” strength.

Just as having physical strength is not an indicator of spirituality, neither is psychic strength. However, just as being physically stronger enables one to do more work physically, so being psychically stronger enables one to do more psychic work and may contribute to other benefits such as enhanced resilience.

2.5.2 Objectives

The aim of this section is to promote an awareness of the benefits of psychic strength, and some ways one can possibly work to improve one’s strength.

2.5.3 Desired outcomes

The desired outcomes are:

Ø familiarity with the concept of psychic strength;

Ø having some basic techniques which can be used to improve one’s psychic strength.

2.5.4 Assumptions

See 1.7 Assumptions.

Another key assumption here is that, just as physical exercise can improve physical strength, nonphysical exercise can develop nonphysical strength.

2.5.5 Background

In much the same way that we can, by means of appropriate types of exercises, increase various aspects of our physical "strength" (such as fitness, endurance, strength, etc.), it is also possible, by means of appropriate exercises, to increase various aspects of our PSYCHIC strength.

Note that, in the same way that physical "strength" has various aspects, so too does psychic strength. Things like "strength of character", traits such as persistence, optimism (as long as it doesn't come with naiveté!), commitment to being ethical all count as psychic strength. In other words, psychic strength is NOT only the ability to visualise in great detail, or direct nonphysical energy strongly.

This makes sense when one considers that "nonphysical" covers a whole range of different levels - e.g., lower and upper astral (associated with emotions), lower and upper mental (associated with CONCEPTS - hence the possibility of nonphysical or psychic strength including strength of commitment to CONCEPTS such as ethics, being positive, consideration for others, etc.), lower and upper spiritual, and a whole range of other levels.

With regard to each of these, it is possible for one's application to have strength (e.g., intensity of application of, say, commitment to ethics), endurance (e.g., ability to stay committed to a principle despite a prolonged series of setbacks or tests) and fitness (which would be the ability to recover from each setbacks fairly quickly, and with minimal or no "scarring" or damage).

In the same way that athletes these days do quite considerable studies in how to develop fitness and time their "peaking" to coincide with a particular event, studying each aspect of nonphysical or psychic strength is also likely to be beneficial - provided you do so objectively, and somewhat dispassionately. An elite athlete may have to give up, for instance, much of a social life, and generally does so reasonably willingly for the sake of the potential reward they are seeking. If you notice that a particular belief (e.g., that you should always forgive someone all actions) weakens your psychic strength, you have to be able to admit that. You may decide that your principles are such that you don't want to change it, but in that case, it would be worth aiming to develop other strengths that enable you to keep your principle without it weakening you.

This, by the way, covers attaining knowledge, but knowledge ALWAYS comes with a price: if you sit on it, and fail to use that knowledge for the benefit of yourself and others, you may incur negative karma for failing to take action when you should. It is a bit like failing to help someone who is drowning when you have a rope you can throw them.

Also, as athletes also manage things like food to optimise their physical fitness, so too is it necessary to manage other aspects of oneself and one's life to manage one's psychic strength. For example, you may find red meat weakens you psychically (then again, you may find it has no influence, or is beneficial [the latter is probably more likely to be so for a reconstructionist shaman, for instance]). Or you may find that wearing certain colours helps you, or certain types of music, or getting into nature regularly, or spending time with good friends.

The other issue about nonphysical strength is that it is not physical strength. Someone who is physically differently abled, or perhaps is profoundly ill, MAY still be capable of great nonphysical strength. As an example, the Tibetan State oracle was frequently someone who suffered considerable illness. Someone who has had persistent physical problems MAY have developed considerable strength of character - and someone who has spent a lot of time developing their physical abilities MAY be completely lacking in attributes such as strength of character ... or they may have considerable such strength (as is the case with some ex-football players I know of). You cannot make assumptions about the presence or absence of nonphysical attributes on the basis of the presence or absence of physical attributes: they are separate.

Having said that, however, most people find being free of the drain of poor physical health allows them to manifest better nonphysical states of being, including better psychic strength.

2.5.6 Techniques

Anything which strengthens one’s mental body (i.e., one’s “mind” more or less) is likely to contribute to one being psychically stronger, as one’s mind is what is used to direct and control nonphysical energy. As an introduction, let’s consider a few specific examples.

Practising psychic techniques (e.g. visualisation, such as done in colour breathing) are a direct way of obtaining some useful psychic strength. It’s a little like preparing for marathon by running gradually increasing distances.

The colour breathing to which I refer involves:

Ø sitting comfortably, in a place and at a time when one is not likely to be disturbed, then

Ø breathing in comfortably (preferably using what is referred to as a “Complete Breath”) and at the same time visualising a colour flowing in with the air, and then flowing down to one’s Solar Plexus Chakra, and continuing to do so while you hold your breath, gradually building up an intense ball of energy in your Solar Plexus Chakra, then

Ø breathing out comfortably and imagining the energy flowing out through your body and aura, almost as if it is being pushed out by your outgoing breath.

This is typically done with a sequence of colours, and I usually suggest pink-blue-green-gold as a good initial sequence.

Another technique that I have found useful is alternate nostril breathing, which I first came across in the controversial author Lobsang Rampa’s book “Wisdom of the Ancients”. I’ve copied some notes on this from a blog post of mine on the topic to Appendix D.

Looking after your psychic health will automatically contribute towards your psychic strength.

OK, so now let’s look at this topic is a more organised, comprehensive way.

As a first step, try listing psychic strengths – particularly the ones that one has (get friends to check the list!) or wants. You could consider using the following as a guide:

Strength	Extent to which you have this strength	Extent to which you want this strength	Comments (e.g., is your strength power, endurance, fitness, resilience, etc1)
Self discipline	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Commitment to Ethics	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Commitment to Growth	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Self Reliance	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Objectivity	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Love	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Forgiveness	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Optimism	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Ability to Visualise	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Strength of Willpower	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
Knowledge	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
…	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
…	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel
…	None Low Medium High Excel	None Low Medium High Excel

Notes: 1. By this I mean the following:
power – what one would normally consider “strength”
endurance – the ability to persevere or keep using a strength
fitness – the ability to recover after each use of a skill
resilience – the ability to keep working at something despite setbacks

What categories of strength would you use?
……………………..

……………………..

……………………..

OK, so having established both a baseline of your current strengths and where you would like to be, the next step is to work out how to develop those skills, and make a plan to do so. As a first step, it is suggested that you do some research into yourself, and try to find out what other influences (both within yourself, and external) increase, decrease or have no impact on each of your strengths. This is largely a case of paying attention, and for this exercise, the following are a few factors it is suggested you consider:

Ø tiredness;

Ø work stress;

Ø disharmony or worries in home life (e.g., concerns over health of family members);

Ø amount of recreation/rest/relaxation you get;

Ø amount of practice you apply to psychic/spiritual exercises such as flaming, grounding, shielding, colour breathing, etc.;

Ø specific psychic/spiritual exercises (for instance, you may find that grounding frequently improves the resilience of your forgiveness);

Ø passive influences on your psychic state (e.g., colour of clothes).

Look also for situations where the strengths you have identified, or the influences, interact with each other – whether for better or for worse.

Having done this research into yourself for at least a couple of weeks (realistically, such research is likely to be needed over several lifetimes …), you’re well placed to begin planning ways to improve your strength. As an initial step, consider the information you’ve obtained about yourself:

Ø where something is beneficial to your strength, and is not harmful to others, consider ways to increase that influence in your life – without losing balance, or doing so at the expense of something else (for instance, don’t start listening to lots of music at the expense of time spent with family or friends);

Ø as a precautionary measure, also consider meditation or dream state work[2] to find ways to develop strength irrespective of whether or not that beneficial influence is present (as an example, if you find the colours you wear can influence to strength, perhaps develop your ability to visualise and use colour breathing, so that in circumstances where you may not have a choice about the colours of your clothes [for instance, because of a work uniform or an event such as a funeral, where you would cause distress by arriving in bright colours, say], you have another way of obtaining that benefit);

Ø where something is harmful to your strength, consider minimising or avoiding it if possible (that may not be possible – for instance, we’re often “stuck” J with concerns over family members with relation to matters such as health of dependents, but there may well be situations where we take on matters that we don’t need to);

Ø as a common sense matter, also use meditation or dream state work to find ways to become less vulnerable to the influence9s) – which might include matters such as karmic regression-rescue;

Ø as a final precautionary matter, contemplate about ways that influences which are currently neutral could become a factor (whether for the better or the worse), and then meditate on ways of staying ahead of, or even preventing, any tendency for things to become worse, and ways of using as well as possible anything which subsequently becomes a benefit. After all, things always change …

Some specific suggestions for improving the strengths identified above are presented in the table below. You may find some of the suggestions are better suited for you in different applications to those suggested below.

Strength	Suggested measures for specific aspects1:	Comments
Self-discipline	Power: the rune Tyr Endurance: consideration of all needs, including rest, relaxation, etc. Fitness: use of a reflective diary to record the consequences of action/inaction/etc. Resilience: self-analysis	These techniques have been suggested from my personal experience. They obviously MUST be adapted to what suits you.
Commitment to Ethics	Power: karmic past life regression-rescue Endurance: developing other strengths such as self-discipline Fitness: developing the habit of always trying to consider the ethical implications of what one is about to do/become involved in Resilience: develop friendships with people (physical and nonphysical) who are committed to being ethical, and consider minimising or cutting involvement with people who are unethical	Karmic past life regression-rescue entails looking at your past mistakes, and the consequences on both yourself and others, with a view to learning not to make that mistake again. We create our habits: we can, therefore, with appropriate effort, “un-create” them or create new habits. Being smart about our efforts may reduce the amount of effort required, but some habits may be the result of several lifetimes of repetition. Research suggests that one of the best ways to make sure you keep exercising, is to have friends who also exercise. The same sort of principle applies to nonphysical matters …
Commitment to Growth	Power: past life regression or proof of survival readings, or whatever else is needed to convince all levels of your being (including at your unconscious level) that we do survive physical death. Endurance: meditate on change, in the sense that everything is impermanent Fitness: research humanism Resilience: develop a (kind) sense of humour	The research into humanism is intended to provide a balance to evidence of survival: even if the evidence is wrong, it may show that there is merit in growth anyway
Self-Reliance	Power: past life regression + master the skill of the “Positive Energy Test” Endurance: develop and maintain one’s emotional and/or mental fitness/health/wellbeing Fitness: develop and maintain one’s physical fitness/health/wellbeing Resilience: (1) meditate on the balance between opportunities for others vs. the importance of being responsible for oneself, one’s actions and one’s life (2) learn how to organise a group ritual	Although the intent of the “Positive Energy Test” is to show when one is being influenced by others, combining that with the development of an awareness of karma can help develop an awareness of the possible influences one can have on others. Developing one’s physical wellbeing is an exercise in practical application of self-reliance. You may use trainers etc, but ultimately, you yourself have to do the exercise. No-one else can run 3 km for you …
Objectivity	Power: (contemplative) meditation Endurance: alternate nostril breathing Fitness: familiarise yourself with the concept of the “Highest Spiritual Good” Resilience: establishing regular, effective communication with one’s guides/Higher Self	There are a range of types of meditation: trying to use meditation to relax won’t be of any use whatsoever. Alternate nostril breathing helps the two halves of the brain to work together better, which has a few benefits. Regular, effective communication with a trusted, good spiritual advisor is a great way to not get caught up in matters. Some friends may be suitable for this purpose.
Love	Power: meditate on: - the types of love (“agape”, familial, romantic, etc.), - the long term (meaning, over multiple lifetimes) advantages / disadvantages / consequences of experiencing or not experiencing these various forms for individuals and various sizes of groups, ranging from families to whole societies, - the ways (i.e., types of lives) that individuals and groups can experience these or not, and - access to one’s Higher Self and/or Deity, and what this means in terms of access to receiving or manifesting love for individuals and groups. Endurance: access sources of love that are not within one’s conscious self, whether that be through other people, one’s Higher Self, Patron Deities, or other sources Fitness: make sure that all interactions with oneself and with others are healthy for all involved or affected Resilience: (1) overcome a major argument with a loved one (not necessarily someone in an intimate relationship); (2) develop patience (meditate on theologian Reinhold Niebuhr’s 1943 “Serenity Prayer” [1], if need be); (3) plan what sort of person you wish to be in 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 years from now [1] God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.
Forgiveness	Power: work through all the issues you can think of around justice, karmic, retribution in whatever way best suits you – film, books, regressions, discussions, and the concept of “Highest Spiritual Good”. As you do so, begin the Tibetan practice of tonglen[3]. Endurance: work through all the issues you can think of relating to justice, responsibility for others and responsibility for self, and develop the skill of assertiveness. Fitness: read Ingrid Poulson’s book “Rise” (pub. Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4050-3863-8) Resilience: research human rights and the history of their implementation, particularly the work of: - Martin Luther King Jr., - Nelson Mandela and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, - reparative justice (which extends back to the Celtic civilisations a couple of millennia ago), and - Mohandas K. Gandhi and “satyagraha”.	Some people find forgiveness easier than others: it has been a sticking point for me, largely because of the endless discrimination I have encountered in many areas of life – which I have sought to address so others will not have to put up with that, by campaigning for human rights. Of course, the benefit of having problems with something, is that you get a better grip on all the aspects of the issue …
Optimism	Power: meditate on the advantages and disadvantages of having a “glass half-full” approach vs. a “glass half-empty” approach Endurance: develop the ability to usefully apply affirmations, and develop the habit of using them for issues and states of being that crop up over longer periods of time (more than one week at least, preferably more than one month) Fitness: write a diary solely of the good things which have happened (this can be in addition to other diaries). Resilience: face and integrate your “shadow self”	I have used the “diary of good things” (which may be a “simple” as a pleasant scene one passes by, or a favourite song, or as fundamental as having access to food, shelter and clothing) when overcoming past problems with depression (which is one of many techniques – it is not always appropriate for managing depression; sometimes other actions/remedies are needed). The shadow self is a concept from Wicca: it is all those parts of oneself that one is afraid of, or considers undesirable. Rather than suppressing it, which gives it power, one needs to be able to face all that calmly, which then enables you to (a) manage that in whatever way you wish to, and (b) better cope with problems and imperfections in other people.
Ability to Visualise	Power: practice, practice, more practice and then some variety in that practice but basically more practice Endurance: alternate nostril breathing Fitness: looking after psychic health generally Resilience: try using non-visual ways of working, such as using sounds or scents rather than colours	Variety in practice may include things as simple as stand with your back facing outwards, rather than your front, when establishing protection.
Strength of Willpower	Power: improving self-confidence, self-belief and assertiveness Endurance: alternate nostril breathing Fitness: aiming to develop a sense of equanimity/objectivity Resilience: realistic planning, including recuperation/renewal	Self-confidence may need to be developed by means such as public speaking.
Knowledge	Power: study – particularly doing active learning, such as workshops, but make sure one follows through and puts learning into practice Endurance: establish habits of study Fitness: regularly review material to make sure one is not trying to learn something which is inappropriate, incompatible or just downright wrong Resilience: have adequate rest and contemplation	If knowledge is not properly digested, one can become a sponge that is overfull of what has become rubbish. The aim here is not just to acquire knowledge, but to transform that knowledge into a wisdom that is an integral part of your being. Also, it is often more important to know where to get knowledge, rather than necessarily trying to know everything oneself – knowing a good library and a really GREAT librarian can be the most valuable pieces of knowledge you ever acquire.

Notes: 1. Remember my definition of these aspects is as follows:
power – what one would normally consider “strength”
endurance – the ability to persevere or keep using a strength
fitness – the ability to recover after each use of a skill
resilience – the ability to keep working at something despite setbacks

Finally, plan to review all of this from time to time. Around the time of your birthday each year is not a bad idea.

2.5.7 Alternative viewpoints

The only alternative viewpoint I can think of is that the notion of having a nonphysical strength is nonsense.

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[1] There is a movement which suggests people should walk 10,000 steps each day. Usually this is presented in terms of weight loss, but exercise has benefits for physical AND EMOTIONAL wellbeing – see http://walking.about.com/od/measure/f/10000steps.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise

[2] Dream state work refers to going to sleep with specific intention that you will work on something while your nonphysical component is away from the physical (i.e., while you are astral travelling), with the help of your guides/helpers/Patron Deities/Higher Self. You may or may not remember any of this, but it should start to trickle through and have an influence at a unconscious level at the very least.

[3] For more on this practice, see http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/tonglen1.php and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonglen

Tags: energy work, past lives, death, reincarnation, past life regression, regression, psychic health, mental ill health, health, strength,
First published: Wodensdagr, 31st August, 2011
Last edited: Wednesday, 31st August, 2011