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The world is a beautiful place. The world is full of fun, happiness, and good jokes. It is bursting with such wonder to the senses. It is amazing that spiritual people can sometimes turn inward and against the physical wonders of earth. There is no balance found by rejecting any part of the triad: Mind, Spirit, and Body. We are here in a physical plane for a reason. Please don’t ignore that.

Balance is very difficult to achieve and often individuals find themselves losing balance as they grow and require a period of adjustment. Some people are born with a capacity to handle great energy but never find a teacher to guide them to the point of developing their skills in a balanced nature. Others have to work at it more and require guidance as well.

Be sure that there is time to balance the body in a physical way. Proper food and water with treats now and then is a very good way to live. Grow the mind; it assists you in grasping so much more and navigating the physical world as well. Energize the spirit to carry you through thick and thin. I have observed that people who have a strong spirituality can make it through the difficult mountain passes in life so much better. There is a strong foundation that they stand on to get them though.

Having a strong spiritual base is a wonderful foundation that always exists within individuals lucky enough to have cultured this in themselves. This foundation is like mother to many. No questions, no words, it just is like being cradled in a loving lap. It accepts us no matter what mistake we have made and always gives us more chances. We can take as many chances as we want, as a matter of fact, as long as we learn. Many find that they get more chances than they are asking for. Some believe that we will be presented with the same lessons over and over again until we get it right. Many believe in trying again in another life.

It is best not to grow too fast and to enjoy periods of rest and contemplation if possible. This represents a different pace for everyone. It is ok to stub your toe now and then and reassess. Just think of it as a nice trip.

Just like working out, learning to harness and use more energy results in growing pains. Frankly, "no pain, no pain" is a good rule, but things still happen. Now I am beginning to assess that perhaps I myself am not as stable as I once believed.

Recently I resigned employment after working way too many hours a week. It was a great career. It was my dream come true. I worked hard for years, then had five months with my new dream position at a new firm. I stopped being able to see friends, work out, and the job seemed to need everything I had. I worked long hours, often until midnight. I never even took a holiday.

Then the flu season struck. I had been working so hard at my new position that it took away the balance and resistance that I would normally have. I took my very first ambulance ride to the hospital. Who cares if I am number 1 anymore? Being number 1 looks awfully small from the view in the ER.

The high points and low points of energy are not just expressed in a spiritual way, even if that is what is being worked on. Being out of balance in one area can affect all of the other areas as well. My overworking affected my spiritual life, my health, and I wonder what I was thinking working until midnight like that?

There are many sources of energy. Some love the warm sun on their face, the feel of the earth below their feet, or listening to the sound of the winds. The feelings of the different energies are very obvious with observations of the surroundings. The loving feel of a rainy day that makes everyone stay in bed. "A soft day," they call it in Ireland. I understand that expression from my cozy bed of unemployment. The restfulness and calmness runs through all it touches. Water energy is healing and peaceful and can be observed on these lazy days when the whole world just appears to stop and grow.

It is helpful to understand the sources of energy to work on balance. The following is a list that can be added to and in some cases. The categories and categorizations are arguable. There are other types of categories as well. The Eastern system for energy, for instance, includes metal and wood as categories. This is intended as a practical working guide to use as a general reference. There are many other good ones.

rain

ocean

rivers

streams

springs

emotions

drinking water

wind

outdoors

breath

communication

candles

fireplace

lightening

sun

actions

ground

stones

trees

plants

moon

physical energies

food

Controlling Energy

Using energy is very much like working out. If too much energy is being channeled, for instance in the case of working out too much, it leaves the body in a state of needing recovery. After a normal workout, there would be a day’s recovery, then another workout. The day off is a rest for the body where rest, water, and food let their body recover. If always working out too much, the body is constantly swinging too widely between the two states of being in deficit and then being overcharged. This is not a very efficient way to work out when taken to extremes. The gain will not be as great as someone taking their time, following good practices, and being consistent with the exercises.

It is observed that the more energy a person is able to harness, the greater the difficulty level in controlling energy. Some compare it to a bubble. The greater the bubble gets, the weaker the walls become. The bubble becomes unstable and wobbly because the walls are still the same thickness despite the greater area that has to be supported.

Gaining energy ideally is like growing a hardwood tree rather than a fast growing, green, willowy one. Instability in energy can be observed in moodiness and changes in behavior and the body. Running around on top of the world one day, not getting out of bed the next. This is often considered going from a state of deficit and then swinging to over-charged.

Admittedly, sometimes energy just happens and the overflow must be controlled. Life at times can force one into this situation of having to use too much energy and then recover. Do not worry about what cannot be avoided and work with it.

After reviewing sources of energy and thinking about what they mean, consider signs of being out of balance. If you find yourself going too far too fast, it is ok to slow down. If you are learning and gaining energy at a sustainable rate, keep going!

You may not agree with this list. There may be many signs that are left off. Be sure to make changes that you find are necessary. Please don’t be offended. Having one or two leanings of the deficit or over-energized traits is fine. Possessing these traits to the extreme or many of them may be a chance for some thought. As a good friend once said to me when giving me very personal advice, "Feel free to forget it if you find it really sucks."

People describe you as becoming moody or temperamental

Becoming unpredictable in a not nice way

Full of ideas that you do not carry forward

Obsessing

Dizzy spells

Having accidents

Problem with social skills because of isolation from others

Selfishness and lack of connection to others feelings

A long history of disastrous relationships

A history of destroying groups and organizations

Being thrown out of different groups and organizations

Inability to blend into groups and with people who are less open

Illnesses

Paranoia

Being accident prone

Drug use or addiction

Creating negative attention situations to generate energy from others

Being aggressive and confrontational

Being depressed

Tending to be over empathic absorbing energies from others like a sponge

Some people avoid you because they get an uncomfortable feeling about you

A feeling that the energy is never enough

A thirst for blood

Being a sexual predator such as a "Don Juan" or femme fatal.

Constantly oversleeping

Overacting to the environment such as chemical sensitivities and allergies

Sudden loss of strength

Loss of senses such as not hearing or tasting as well

Feeling like a very emotionally needy person

Feeling too cold often

Loss of interest in life and its activities

Feeling a temporary surge of power such as a sudden onset of God Complex

A feeling of being on top of the world that does not last

Sudden gains in strength

Uncontrollable magickal and psychic experiences

Urges for large amounts of food in an unconscious attempt to stay grounded

Becoming introverted, silent, and withdrawn

Losing the ability to sleep

Losing interest in food

Sudden increase in physical strength

Sudden increase in the senses

Seeing halos around everything

Feeling too warm

Uncomfortable signs of over-stimulation in the body and organs

Others find you overwhelming

People feel a certain positive intensity about you

Being able to concentrate

Controlling magick and healing

Being able to sleep

Feeling well rested

Ability to reach a meditative state

Normal eating patterns

Having healthy diet eating more fresh fruits and vegetables

Naturally moving towards eating less processed foods

Feeling wholeness, awareness, and completeness within yourself

Staying pleasantly warm or refreshing cool in temperature

Possessing a youthful, well rested appearance

Expressions of creativity

Increased awareness including love of others and shared contributions

Balanced transactions of giving and receiving

A balanced feeling towards others with understanding

No need for retribution

Looking forward to a bright future, a pleasant outlook on life

Being forgiving to yourself and others

Not devastated by mistakes but accepting them as learning experiences

Able to accept yourself and others on an honest basis

Taking the time to develop knowledge awareness and control.

Ability to withstand a certain amount of normal stress in style

Adapting to a changing environment

Loving life

Being giving to others but not letting others use you

People tend to gravitate toward their strongest points. It is more fun to work where we have success than work in areas where we are weak. It is probably not a good idea to get a career in something that is a weakness. (I would never take a job driving an armored car containing high-quality Belgian chocolates for example. You can, however, trust that I would never touch the money if that were the cargo.) However, working on the weak part of something makes the structure stronger as a whole.

All day, when employed, I had to be nice to very important people. There is a lot of protocol, laws, manners, speaking a certain way, and eating with the correct utensils going on. Then night comes and with it, a trip to the martial arts studio. Where else in life can anyone fly through the air, screaming, and hit things and people are not impressed in the wrong direction? That is a well-balanced day.

Now is the time to grow awareness of energy. Access energy sources, tendencies, observe and work on them. Do you always use water? Try fire for balance. Experiment. See if practicing fire energies makes water energy work more strongly. Work on your mind, body and spirit. Try to improve your diet just a little bit more. Learn something new.

Has there been something missing? Do you think more than act? Do you eat more than you exercise off? Do you delve into the spirit and have difficulty coming back? Look at it. Learn about it. Eat it? (I will!) Give a balanced life a chance. See and feel if the structural body is moving in concert with the energy and thinking body. Nourish your whole being with the four energy groups.