We are each familiar with the concept of gravity in the physical world. The size and mass, including density, determine the gravitational pull of a heavenly body, be it planet or star. But here, I will describe another type of gravity that occurs in the world of subtle energies. I will also identify two kinds of vacuums that seem to occur within the realm of subtle energies. Finally, we will find that these identified elements exist along a continuum that reveals our connectedness with Source or God.
It is interesting that both gravity and vacuums can feel similar and yet stem from opposite sources. Gravity and vacuums each exert a kind of pull that we can feel. But the source of the pull in gravity is from the size and density of a body, the mass and internal presence. The pull of a vacuum stems from the absence of any internal substance. Gravity does its’ thing based on presence while a vacuum does its’ thing based on an absence.
In my 33 years of work as a licensed counselor with certificates as a Reiki Master, Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP Master, I work with subtle energies, their principles and dynamics, even before I knew it. I want to share some of what I have noticed about the powerful force of gravity and vacuums within subtle energies and its influence on us.
Gravity and vacuums make up the two subtle energies. While these two energy states seem separate, they actually exist as polar opposites along a continuum. I’ll briefly describe these conditions and then provide details in subsequent paragraphs. The gravity I’m referring to in subtle energies has to do with our sense of life purpose. This gravity resides within us and holds us here on the earth for reasons different than the physical gravity. At a deeper level, subtle gravity allows us to live more fully from God or Source.
This subtle energy gravity relates to what we might call life purpose. What are we here to do and what is the driving force in our life? The clearer our sense of purpose, usually the easier it is to make decisions, accessing, developing and expressing our gifts to the world. Knowing our purpose, or at least feeling a strong sense about it, propels us in life. While a sense of purpose moves us forward in life, purpose seems to also provide a kind of gravity, keeping us here in this life on this planet. Purpose helps us stay grounded, keeps us in life and acts to hold us here, the gravity of purpose. When we connect to purpose we also connect to Source or God as our purpose is part of the Universal Purpose, expressing forms of love. I’ll explain a bit more shortly.
The first kind of vacuum involves the pull of what might be considered negative emotions or uncomfortable emotions. These emotions exert a kind of draw that may feel as though they threaten to consume us. The second type of vacuum occurs between people where one is person is in need, feels empty and draws on others in an attempt to fill the need or the internal void. You could also say that an inverse relationship exists between gravity and vacuums. The less gravity the more a vacuum is created.
The first type of vacuum refers to what we experience when we feel what we’ll call unpleasant emotions. These emotions include the big three of anger, anxiety and sadness along with their variations. Yes, each unpleasant emotion stems from fear but these three seem to form the primary branches of the fear tree. Anger includes variations such as frustration, irritation, rage and others. Anxiety includes worry, panic and others. While sadness contains emotions such as disappointment and depression just to name a few. Each of the big three emotions contain degrees of intensity along a sort of continuum. You get the picture.
These unpleasant emotions are uncomfortable for us to experience. When any of these uncomfortable emotions begin activating, approaching us in a way, we can feel a kind of pull they exert. It seems they possess a gravity, but it’s really the vacuum, that threatens to pull us in and overwhelm us or engulf us at times. An emotional experience may begin with worry, a mild version of anxiety. But if this pulling on us continues, we progress to anxiety or even full blown panic. We may feel lost in the emotion, fearing that we will become consumed in the emotional abyss. The effect here is a bit like a black hole in the realm of astrophysics. The unpleasant emotion threatens to swallow us and we react to this fear at a survival level.
There seems to be two effective responses to this vacuum of unpleasant emotions. The first response that helps is to connect more fully with your inner self, your purpose and therefore, gravity and, ultimately, God. The second effective response is to just let go and allow yourself to be fully pulled into the unpleasant emotion. Do not stop, just keep going in and you will soon find that you are delivered to Source as this Energy resides at the center of everything. This process resembles the Buddhist approach known as “dissolving into emptiness”. You could imagine this as being like using a wormhole to travel through a blackhole into a whitehole. Here, the whitehole is serving as Source of Light.
The second type of vacuum exists within people who are experiencing emotional distress, consciously or unconsciously. The pull of this vacuum is then experienced by other people who interact with the emotionally distressed. Empaths known quite well what I’m talking about here. Again, it can feel like gravity but its’ source is emptiness and need as opposed to that exerted by substance. You have probably noticed how when you are around an emotionally negative person or a forceful personality, there exists a pull from that person. The person in a negative state or the forceful person seems to be pulling you in toward them.
It is as though you are being pulled out of yourself and into them, potentially losing your sense of self and your mastery. In lay terms we may say the forceful person is domineering. The negative state person has the vacuum residing within them might, on the surface, be considered needy. In either case, the vacuum exists due to unmet emotional need. Both the domineering and needy state person come from the same place of absence within. They just respond to it in opposite ways.
Now, what does this all mean and how can we utilize gravity? The clearer we are about our purpose, the easier it is to feel grounded and supplied in a way. Our purpose tends to come with gifts and abilities that enable us to fulfill this reason for being. Our purpose includes any action, subtle or overt that contributes to the greater good for humans, nature or other animals.
Usually our gifts and abilities reveal themselves at an early age through our natural inclinations and interests. Identifying these early forms of our gifts can assist in connecting us to self and purpose as we discover ways to use our gifts in service to our purpose. This connecting leads to the gravity that keeps us here, effective and fulfilled. In some sense, this gravity displays our connection to Source or God in that our purpose stems from Source as we are granted the privilege of expressing Source here on this earth.
Unpleasant emotions exist as such because they are missing something, there is an unmet need. These kinds of emotions are a bit sticky, they are sometimes hard to shake off, precisely because there exists an unmet need. The uncomfortable emotion is sticking around waiting for its need to be satisfied. We each experience periods of emotional distress and unmet needs. When we can interpret this distress as, at least partly, reflecting our degree of connectedness to Source, we can respond effectively. Focusing more deeply within, rather than an external focus on the “problem”, that only moves us further away from our gravity and God, provides relief and empowering perspectives.
As an example of identifying the need beneath the surface of the unpleasant emotion, comparisons of our self to others stems from a sense of insecurity. This state of insecurity means we feel a need for reassurance of our worth. When we reassure our self as to our competence and worth and the unending Source of this, the insecurity is replaced with comfort or a similar peaceful emotion. In other words, the answer is always the same, when feeling a sense of vacuum, go within to find your self in Source, your Eternal Home. This grounds us, reminds us about life purpose and leads to gravity that settles us through reconnecting with God. Compassionate responses follow.
John Burton, EdD LPC maintains a counseling practice in Greenville, SC. His is certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Master and Reiki Master. He provides individual counseling and conducts workshops on healing through Spirituality. His soon to be released book, fourth overall, is The Sacred Sequence; Remembering the One Truth. www.drjohnjburton.com