Often when people are first learning about energy, they get very excited about discovering the non-physical parts of themselves. Chakras, intuition, and connection with the higher self are fascinating subjects and are areas of endless potential wisdom. A person could spend eight hours a day for all of their life exploring the different aspects of energy and never run out of new understandings to absorb and contemplate. It is one of the wonderful facets of delving into who and what we are as energetic and spiritual beings. There is always more to grasp, to understand, to open up to. The energetic and spiritual journey is limitless and there are as many paths to follow as there are different individuals.
As delightful as it may be to stay focused in the energetic and spiritual realms, there can be a serious downside to not recognizing the equally important need to also focus on the physical part of our being. After all, this physical body is what houses the heart, mind, and connection to higher self. We are here on Planet Earth in a physical form and, surely, there must be a good reason for that. Ignoring or eschewing the physical means that we are ignoring part of ourselves and not understanding the reason for existing in the physical plane. Why would we even have a body if there was no purpose to it?
Our bodies anchor us to this planet. We can have corporal knowledge of the interconnectedness that we are part of in a truly visceral sense. This is something that we would have no experience of if we were in a non-embodied existence. Becoming embodied means that our souls or higher selves have an additional way to realize the interrelatedness of all that exists. It is sometimes confusing to bring the spiritual us into the physical us – it could be compared to squashing an unbounded substance into a small clearly defined container. Sometimes the wonder of the physical packaging is so overwhelming that we forget our spiritual and energetic parts and think we are just the container. We see with eyes, hear with ears, taste with tongues, smell with noses, and touch with our hands and skin. It is a glorious adventure being in our physical packaging!
However, if we stay just in our bodies, we miss out on the beauty and wonder of our energetic and spiritual selves. All of us have observed those around us who may be fully inhabiting their physical bodies but seem to not recognize the energetic connectiveness we enjoy with other humans, the earth, and the universe. This purely physical orientation can lead to people feeling separate from others and therefore more materialistic in how they live. For these people, physical sensation is all that matters and it can become a vicious circle of ‘I want this, I want that, and I am going to get it no matter what’. The meaning of their lives is about purely physical gratification in whatever material form is most pleasing to them. If these people were to be asked “what is the meaning of your life?”, they would perhaps not understand the question. They might answer that they have acquired a house, a car, a job, and lots of money in the bank. Things are important to them and they may view their spouses, children, family, and friends as so many possessions.
In an attempt to not become one of these materialistic humans, those following a more energetic and spiritual path may decide to disregard the body, disdain material acquisition, and almost forget to engage in the physical world. In extreme cases, this type of person may be perceived as spacey, seem to never really grasp human concepts of time and space, and to ignore the body’s needs for sustenance, sleep, and visceral connection with others. This type of person can be easily manipulated and taken advantage of by unscrupulous others because they are not anchoring into the physical reality of the moment.
Obviously, the above descriptions are extremes – the outliers on both sides of the continuum of human behaviors. We have a physical component in addition to an emotional life, a thinking and conceptualizing mind, an energetic body that envelops the denser physical body, and we have a connection to all that surrounds us which has been variously called the Collective Unconscious, All That Is, Source, various names for God, and even Nature. All five components are essential to fully benefit from this life experience we are having. Each impacts the whole and disconnection with one part will negatively influence the functioning of the other parts. Discounting any one of these five different parts of ourselves leads to a diminished life experience.
At different points along our life journey, we may find that one of the five component parts of ourselves needs more attention than the others or perhaps a combination of two or three together are our focus. Perhaps our spiritual growth has moved farther along the path than our emotional component. Rather than disregard the emotional part of ourselves because it isn’t “keeping up”, we need to recognize and appreciate whatever the roadblock is and begin to burrow into it. Ignoring the roadblock will only impede the furtherance of the other four parts of ourselves. Although each of these five components of ourselves may not move forward at the same speed, we must be aware of each one of them and help them move in concert and relationship with the others. Don’t leave part of the whole behind.