Everyone lives in the often difficult aura of the world, in the aura of nations, groups, families, associates, and friends. Some helping professions, such as counseling, by their nature expose the helper to often horrifically difficult auras of troubled people.
People vary considerably in their sensitivity to these auras, some more “open hearted” people are especially prone to absorb energies from the surrounding ocean of human emotions. Many of us are mediumistic, psychically sensitive, or resonant to this surround. In general, it is is the “heart type” that is most subject to the collective and individual auras that make up their personal surround. The devote, the artists, and certain types of educators and “people persons” are especially sensitive. Such sensitive people can become debilitated, disrupted, or weighted down by the heaviness of what comes upon them in the normal course of life. By contrast, it is the “head type” that is less subject to the auras of other persons—the active mind provides a measure of insulation that makes them less vulnerable. Yet even head types sensitive to the surround, just not as keenly as their brothers of the heart.
One must remain sympathetically in touch with others and compassionate toward the world, so it is not advisable to attempt to isolate ones self completely—an impossible task in any case. Nevertheless, there are certain actions that can be taken to soften the impacts and help us stay in a more healthy state, despite the difficulties of the world and people.
To render this memorable, let us call it “SAM,” that being an acronym for Saturation, Affirmation, and Mentation. Let us elaborate these three.
SATURATION
“Saturation” is both the nature of the problem and, at the same time, a solution. When sensitive, we become saturated with the surrounding energies of persons and circumstances—we absorb them like a sponge. That is, we are apt to do so if we are not already saturated with something better—something benevolent and deliberately chosen by us. One way of attaining the necessary saturation is reading. For instance, if we fill ourselves with inspirational reading, with something that is attractive, uplifting, enlightening, then that “fullness” will tend to prevent us from absorbing too much of the world and persons. For this to be effective, the reading should be frequent, persisted and over a considerable period of time—it should be something that we want to make a part of us, something that we will then carry with us at a subconscious and sometimes conscious level.
AFFIRMATION
Affirmation is one of the most powerful forms of meditation. Find, memorize, and take to heart a brief and bold formula that begins with phrase “I am…” This should be brief, because that makes its use more powerful and when brief is easier to use frequently. This should be a metaphysical formula. An example is:
“I am a point of light within the mind of God, I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of love divine.”
Needless to say, the effective use of such a formula requires feeling, one must put ones full self into it, speaking with conviction. Speak it from the deepest level you can meditatively access. Act as if what you are affirming is a realized fact in your personal consciousness. Used often, and well, such a formula will tend to dissipate the lower energies that we may have absorbed.
MENTATION
There are two parts to mentation– we could call them Limited and Unlimited.
Limited: Use more of your head and less of your emotions. It is on the emotional level that we are most vulnerable. The mental level can and should be a quieter and more illuminated place. For example, you are assisting someone who is in trouble. The scientist in you actively seeks clear understanding and is thinking about how best to handle the situation. There is a challenge here, and you are mentally intent on rising to meet it. You are not to be a mere dumping grounds for the others woes—instead you are mentally and spiritually present and full of solutions. You are the remedy, the health, and the cure and it is this that your mind will be vibrant with.
Unlimited: I’ve suggested above that the mind should be a quiet and illuminated place. The light of the mind descends from the intuitive realm which is, in fact, a great world of light. One of the basic revelations in that light is the fact of the unlimited nature of life and of the soul, and there also is the knowledge that Good will inevitability triumph. No matter how horrific the person or circumstance is that confronts you, the fact is that they will be transformed toward the good and ultimately attain the well being that waits for them. It may not be soon, and you may or may not be the one who turns the key for them—but it will come. This last “remedy” is the most difficult to appreciate and apply. I’ve defined the “Unlimited” here, somewhat in the abstract. I will close with a passage from Walt Whitman who offers us a definition of the same in more concrete terms.
“I saw the face of the most smeared and slobbering
idiot they had at the asylum,
And I knew for my consolation what they knew not,
I knew of the agents that emptied and broke my brother,
The same wait to clear the rubbish from the fallen tenement,
And I shall look again in a score or two of ages,
And I shall meet the real landlord perfect
and unharmed, every inch as good as myself.
The Lord advances, and yet advances!
Always the shadow in front! always the reached
hand bringing up the laggards!
Out of this face emerge banners and horses—
O superb! I see what is coming,
I see the high pioneer-caps—
I see the staves of runners clearing the way,
I hear victorious drums.”
Mystic Muse 