Energy itself is neither positive or negative. The first time I heard this, it was stated as “there is no such thing as negative energy” and I found it very triggering. Maybe part of that was the lack of nuance in how it was conveyed, but mostly it was the response of the reiki teacher who answered my question by saying that energy can’t hurt us and “we learn a lot spiritually from trauma so it just seems negative.” Which was about all I needed to hear to know she wasn’t the right fit for me as a teacher!
She wasn’t wrong, but we need to first distinguish between energy itself and embodied energy. Because we can absolutely be harmed by energy. Especially when we are very young, and while it’s true that we can learn and grow a lot of traumatic experiences, that doesn’t mean that they don’t effect us negatively.
Energetic expression can be harmful physically and emotionally, sometimes profoundly so; and embodied energy takes on many of the qualities of its vessel, which is usually not neutral. But energy as a quality, takes on positive and negative charge based on context.
Some examples:
A stagnant lake is perhaps considered a negative environmental situation, that does not support certain native plants, animals and fish, or may be toxic to humans too. But if you are an algae bloom, a form of bacteria or mold, or certain fungi, that environment may be ideal for you.
Or the idea of invasive species of plants and animals, which always makes me think about how you could probably say humans are an invasive species.
Or even a tornado— we would all agree that if you are the life form in the path of one and you want to continue existing in your current state then this is a potentially deadly form of energy. But if you are wind, its simply an amplified expression of your own existence. Wind (elemental Air energy) isn’t “negative energy” but it can be destructive in certain contexts.
Fire, an element I have been thinking about a lot lately (as I imagine you have), is perhaps the most potent example of how something may be highly destructive without any “intent” at all. The fire grows, moves, consumes, dies in relationship to other elements. It is not exerting its will. It is as natural as any form of energy and yet the conditions that created this current environmental context are absolutely man-made and avoidable. It is not the fire itself that is a negative.
Similarly, energetic intrusion on a human-to-human level can be a seriously unpleasant experience, or abusive at times. But the energy itself if not; its expression is what is harmful. That same energy channeled into creative contexts but might be deeply powerful in an illuminating way. Anger is not in and of itself destructive, but it can be depending on how it’s expressed or channeled. That same energy may be harming the person who is holding it, which is why they may discharge or project it outwards.
If I were to make a general statement about my overall experience cultivating a consistent energy meditation practice over the last 7 or 8 years it would be that Energy is a teacher in nuance and perspective.
I’ve often found myself conflicted by the language and conversation around masculine and feminine energy. What would make energy gendered? And what would it look like to Queer our understanding of energy?
A bumble bee flies across my line of vision from right to left, with a startling intensity of sound and vibration. A branch extends over the fence into the walkway ahead of me, an abundance of blooming flowers bending it down towards the ground. The bee lands on a cluster of them and the branch bounces slightly under its weight.
It crawls gently over the flowers, dragging its belly, shaking loose fragments of pollen from elsewhere and liberating new ones in its place. The movement is sensual and slow, circular and deliberate.
Does the feeling of a flower on a bee’s belly tickle?
Does it send shivers up its spine?
Is it irritating? Does the bee tolerate this feeling or welcome it?
What is the energy being expressed here?
Many of the pre-Christian, earth honoring spiritual systems included a multi-gender system that acknowledged differences while emphasizing their availability to all. And to hold more than one frequency was considered a considerable gift, one that allowed greater understanding. In my own ancestry the Welsh folk magic practices and their earliest versions in the time of the Druids emphasized the importance of each person balancing these energies within themselves. Prior to colonization a multi-gender understanding was quite prevalent across Turtle Island, along with numerous matrilineal societies including the Lenape of the so-called New York City region.
The spiritual practice of conjuring and channeling often involves connecting with a wide spectrum of energy, it definitely isn’t limited to only connecting with spirits and deities of the same gender identity as you. For that matter, many guides and energies don’t identify with gender at all.
Contemplating the role of gender in your life is a meaningful exercise for everyone, even if there is no conflict between your identity, expression, and perception. It is another layer of our ego identity that can be better understood through examination. And with insight comes capacity to express ourselves even more fully.
Whether you personally identify yourself as falling firmly on one side of a gender binary, or somewhere along a spectrum, you might ask yourself: what is a quality that is completely, uniquely related to gender that is not part a societal context or common association? What exactly makes “receptivity” or “intuition” a Divine Feminine trait? It is related to the shape and appearance of one’s body, or one’s voice, or their prescribed role in a family? What exactly is uniquely Masculine about being “assertive,” or action-oriented, or related to elemental Fire?
These are some of the descriptors I will often see as someone describes the energies of “divine masculine” and “divine feminine” while also saying it’s isn’t about gender. Regardless of intent these words have a context which is gendered. Do they mean that it is actually related to sex? I will concede that biological sex does have some unique physical attributes, technically speaking, but are they energetic attributes??
So much of nature is enormously queer. The variation among species, plant and animal, shows that masculine and feminine qualities don’t really have a claim to a particular sex. Their appearance, habits and behavior, social hierarchies and dominance do not necessarily line up with human societal ideas of gender roles (although some do). There’s a significant influence of colonization and religion in how these ideas are framed too. Especially as it relates to the perceived “evil” of women and those directly aligned with the earth. But that’s a whole other essay…
Energywork is a uniquely powerful tool in deconstructing our own sense of gender. And the reason I think this is important in energy practice is because when we deepen relationship to our core energy we are asked to consider why we make the choices we do, what is possible, and our unique gifts that offer something meaningful to those around is. It creates space to contemplate the difference between core energy, context, and expression.
And it leads to more questions:
Could many of us benefit from describing more explicitly what we mean when we experience something as masculine or feminine, especially energy?
And if we want to refer to the divine feminine or masculine without making it gender exclusive, then shouldn’t we describe it and call it something else?
Could we consider fluid ranges of energy quality from expressive to relative, active to passive, intuitive to interpretive, “hard to “soft,” fire to water, nurturing to assertive…without ascribing it to gender or biological sex?
How can our own energy shift and change if we allow ourselves to explore the full range of our expression, free from needing to define them through our own chosen or imposed identities?
Or if you do experience yourself in a more binary way, what is that relationship for you between identity and energy? How to you feel the nuance of core energy and expression?
What aspects of your core energy have never had a venue for expression, but could if you relieved yourself of the confines of gender norms?
Inward Vision 