Have you read your energy lately?

Energy. Where to find it, how to grow it, how to conserve it, and how to channel it: that is the spiritual task for this month’s New Moon in the sign of impulsive and life-loving Aries.

As all true magicians know, the secret of magic lies in the skillful use of one’s life energy. How you choose to direct your energy is THE force that shapes your life.

To begin your meditation on energy, settle into a quiet, reflective state of mind.  Watch how your breath slowly finds its own rhythm. Let your mind follow this rhythm, like a boat gently riding on the water. Notice how calm you feel. As you breathe, your usual worries and concerns recede and disappear. From this relaxed and expansive space, observe your energy level.  Tune into your inner space.  Does it feel tired, sluggish, or drained? Is it jumping with enthusiasm? Perhaps you’re somewhere in between, enjoying a stable and consistent level of vitality.

After noting your energy level, consider your recent energy flow. Still following the rhythm of your breath, see yourself in a one-woman boat, traveling on an imaginary river that allows you to return to the events of recent days.  Pick a specific point in time, like yesterday, or a month ago, whatever feels relevant. Imagine flying above yourself, so that you have a bird’s eye view of things.  From this vantage, observe how you’ve been moving through time.

What’s your body been doing? On the banks of your river, see the people and places where you have spent your energy.  There’s the house that you cleaned.  Your kids, who needed your help with their homework. There’s the gym, the garden, the living room couch where you may collapse at night. There’s the office, with the computer screen your eyes stare at for hours.  Notice where your physical energy went.

Where and how has your heart been traveling?  See this in the flowing currents of your river.  Is the water fast-moving, full of twists and turns?  Does it splash over rocks and spill onto the shore?  Or is it just trickling through a narrow groove in the dirt?  What has your emotional level been? Consider now the content of your heart’s attention. Has it been noticing nature’s dance of green vitality? Has it been obsessing about a disappointing relationship? Worried about how much you have to do? Excited about something new?

Still traveling in your boat, seeing yourself from above, now investigate where your mind has been going.  See how the water of your imaginary river can become filled with your recent thoughts. What do you see there?  Gossip?  Work thoughts?  Money worries?  Fantasies?   Does your river of thoughts also hold your prayers, dreams, and reflections?

As you’ve been observing your flow, studying where your energy has been going, you’ve likely noticed that some of your precious vitality has been spent wisely, and some of it has been wasted.  For example, you may be tired, but for a good, creative reason. Or, you may feel lots of energy bubbling inside, but it keeps being funneled into meeting other people’s demands. A healthy use of energy opens up new paths to adventure. Negative energy outlets lead us down a dead end road.

What’s a better vision?  Again take your bird’s eye view, and see yourself again in your one-woman boat, relaxing on the currents of your breath, only now, you are flowing into your future.  On the shore, in the distance ahead, see where you’d like to land 29 days from now.  What changes would you like to see by the Taurus New Moon?

Once you have clarified your destination, see yourself flowing toward it, with confidence and ease. If you want to write a book, see your boat flowing into this activity with love and enthusiasm. You may envision a garden blossoming, a job expanding, understanding deepen, or a relationship flourish. Notice how fresh is the water of your future river. It’s sparkling with vitality and joy. On the banks of your future river, nature is bursting with life force. Feel yourself a part of this energy.  See yourself making the choices that reflect a wiser use of your vitality. Let it take you towards the realization of your dreams.

Remember: you are the magician of your own life. Wherever you choose to put your precious energy, there magic–black or white, positive or negative–will surely happen. With the Aries New Moon, your life begins anew all over again.

 Energy a little wonky?  Give yourself the Bliss treatment:  Check out my  Bliss Tapes.  Each pleasurably passive practice is 22 minutes (20 minutes is the minimum your body needs to shift its rhythm.  Unwind physical tensions, clear energy channels, and refresh your spirit–all while lying in bed!