The human spirit possesses a form of energy that can be activated and developed. This type of spiritual energy is responsible for our creativity, desire, sexuality and morality.
Everyone has a unique energy, whether it is calm and peaceful or passionate and intense. It is these energies that give people a sense of wonder and fascination when they interact with others.
Meditation
Spiritual energy is a higher field of consciousness that joins your holistic energy with the holistic energy of others. This energy is called qi in Chinese philosophy and medicine, prana in yoga meditation, and mana in some Hawaiian traditions. You can strengthen and cultivate your spiritual energy by practicing mindfulness, or conscious living.
Cultivate mindfulness by observing your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment or attachment. Try to remain with your breath and body as you witness these experiences, letting them pass through you like clouds drifting by.
Spiritual meditation involves releasing ego to connect with spirit, which isn’t easy for many of us. When you feel ready to end your spiritual mediation, pause and express gratitude for the experience and wisdom that you cultivated. This will deepen your connection and encourage you to carry the peace and guidance of your meditation into daily life. It will also help you keep your focus on your intentions.
Kindness
Spiritual energy is produced when you act with higher aspirations like caring, compassion, charity, humility, generosity and kindness. You can produce this energy for yourself and others, including transferring it to your body for healing.
One form of this energy is expressing empathy, which means seeing things from another person’s perspective and recognizing their needs. This can be as simple as holding a door for someone or smiling at a stranger.
Another form of this energy is loving-kindness meditation, which is a Buddhist practice where you wish others well—including friends and family, strangers, people you find difficult to love, and yourself. Brantley, who is now a psychiatrist and teaches mindfulness-based stress reduction at Duke Integrative Medicine, started this practice begrudgingly at that retreat decades ago, but quickly realized it was helping him improve his mood and calm his anger. He also found that it was fostering more compassionate interactions with others. This is a good thing.
Community
Spiritual energy is the ability to connect with others. It comes from the feeling side of your personality and is best cultivated through community-building. It also grows when you help people, so donating your time is a great way to cultivate your spiritual energy.
Often, spiritual energy is confused with physical energy. However, the two are distinct. Physical energy is bound by the laws of physics and can be seen and quantified with modern science. Spirit, on the other hand, is a concept that transcends physical reality and is not subject to the same laws.
Some people believe that spiritual energy can be created or destroyed, but this is incorrect. Energy can be transformed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed in the same sense that matter can. The difference is a semantic one, similar to the distinction between “ki” and “spirit” energy.
Gratitude
Practicing gratitude shifts your focus from the negative aspects of life to the positive. For example, when you get a flat tire, you can focus on how fortunate you are to have a job that pays for car repairs or close friends who offer rides. Gratitude can also help you feel more resilient and increase your ability to cope with negative experiences.
Several studies have found that people who regularly practice gratitude experience higher well-being than others. For instance, in one study of heart failure patients who wrote daily about things they were grateful for experienced greater relief from their symptoms than a control group that simply journaled about their daily irritations.
Some ways to cultivate gratitude include volunteering or donating to help those in need, making it a habit to express thanks to others, and practicing mindfulness meditation with a focus on the positive aspects of your day. Gratitude can also strengthen relationships, so be sure to express your appreciation often.
