Elemental Breathing II: Sharing the Wealth
February 8, 2010
by Brad Arnold
In my first article about elemental breathing, we talked about using the power of the forces around us to reinforce our breathing, and thus ourselves, as a way to overcome everyday challenges that we might otherwise feel poorly equipped to handle. This time, we'll take the next step, and learn how to manipulate those same forces to actually engage our environments, and those in it, in a positive, uplifting manner.
Before we proceed, though, there's some groundwork I'd like to lay. First and foremost, we must never "push" our ideas, feelings, or interpretations onto others- it's one thing to help (or to want to), and it's another thing entirely to make decisions on behalf of others; for instance, it's perfectly acceptable to draw up a dose of Fire, and send it along to a co-worker who's low on energy and needs a boost (they can, after all, simply "refuse" the energy if for whatever reason they don't want it), and it's a whole other critter to decide that a co-worker who is overweight needs that same dose of fire to "help them burn calories." The second example is very judgmental, for one thing, and, for another, sometimes people simply need to work through their challenges and issues on their own, as part of their path and learning experience. Trying to "force things" in this manner can do more harm than good, to them AND to you. Intervention is one thing; interference is very different. Lending a hand is fine; strong-arming someone is not... so, before you apply any of these ideas to another person, or to an environment you share with others, be very careful of your motives, and of the free will of those who will be affected. 'Nuff said.
Last time, we learned that by visualizing a needed source of energy, and by using deep breathing while doing so, we can charge ourselves, as it were, with that element, and take on its characteristics to help boost us in an area we feel we're lacking- energy, attentiveness, calm, the list of ways we can energize ourselves is nearly endless. Now, we'll talk about how to "hold" that charge momentarily, and then pass it on to a space, a person, or a group.
Generally, I've found that most people draw energy IN through the left side of the body, and express it through the right side; that said, not everyone operates that way, so to prevent confusion, henceforth I'll refer to the Inductive side and the Expressive side. Additionally, I'll refer to the use of the hands, because that's the way I personally use this technique, but feel free to use whatever approach suits you best- if you draw and channel better with your feet, or eyes, or whatever, then do it that way- energy in, energy out, that's the important part; what path it takes matters almost not at all.
Essentially, the process here is the same: we will visualize the desired element or force, in whatever form is most meaningful and useful to us under the circumstances, and then we will "tap" that energy, drawing it in through our Inductive side. Think of it like a tree, with its root in the ground, drawing water- I use my left hand, and visualize a stream of energy being pulled into it, and thus into me, but whatever method works best is what each individual should use. Once we have a "charge" of the energy we want, we then visualize that charge flowing out of us through the Expressive side- again, I use my right hand, and visualize that same stream flowing outward. Another way to look at this is like a squirt-gun: filling up the reservoir through the tap, and then "squirting" the energy back out in a concentrated and directed stream.
As with Elemental Breathing, the applications of this technique are nearly endless. One of my favorite uses of it concerns cars. Have you ever been in a parking lot, on your way to or from your vehicle, when you heard the tell-tale sound of an engine cranking, over and over, and not -quite- getting there? Worse, have you ever been IN that car, feverishly turning the key, hoping the ol' girl will start? When I'm about my business, and I hear someone's car cranking and cranking and not starting, I usually do a quick visualization of Electricity, draw up a charge, and channel it at their car. Nine times out of ten, it starts on the next crank. As you can see from that example, the ways we can use this approach are limited only by our imaginations, but as long as we approach any given situation with love and compassion, we can leave almost any situation better than we found it.