How to take control of your energetic narrative.
An “impression” or imprint is an energetic frequency or message that enters our auric field and makes its way to the nervous system, where it can become a part of us. It leaves an imprint.
This energy form is full of information, emotion, sensation, and meaning. We can think of it as the dance of experiential information that is passed along and picked up through interaction or simply by being in a shared environment. In abusive dynamics, it leaves a negative impression or creates a negative quality of feeling or being that stays with you.
The impressions created, projected, and passed along help co-create our experience of reality. They form and inform your identity. We are constantly in this process, whether we do it consciously or not. Most of us aren’t aware of the process and don’t believe we have any control over it. But, we do. We have a choice on both ends of the dynamic, as the one who both projects and receives the impression.
The question to ask is: What do I want my life story to be and how can I shape it?
The answer: Use compassion as your North star.
Whether given or received, we can align each impression, projection, and event in our lives with love and beauty (since that's where the real magic and power exist). Compassion is the greatest tool for shaping your life. And, at the core of compassion is love. It's the key to uncovering your deepest desires, and to dictating your own energetic story.
Presence is key to being at choice in this dynamic.
Being present means having an awareness of ourselves, the other, and the relational field we share. The more conscious we are as an impression is being given, the more choice we have about how it shapes us. In my imagination, I sometimes see it as someone offering me something to wear or put in my field, which in turn affects the organization of everything that’s already there.
If I’m aware of the gift being given, I can decide if and how I want to hold it within myself. If I’m not awake and present, then I have no choice. This is akin to choosing to be the storyteller of your own life. By being present to and aware of the impressions I am consciously receiving and giving, I get to choose the meaning I assign to those impressions and how they shape me. I’m also able to be responsible for how mine may shape another and be more intentional about the reality we co-create.
The key to getting present is noticing when you’re not.
Anytime you’re spaced out, dissociated, or distracted, you’re not in the present moment. Unhealed wounds keep us from being present. You keep replaying the hurt in your life, bringing the past into the present, and defining what’s possible or real based on the traumatic event. Unhealed wounds take away our ability to choose. They limit our imagination. If you have any questions about whether it’s worthwhile to do the work of healing, I hope this drives home the answer.
For me, lack of sensation and foggy eyesight are some telltale signs of not being present. What are yours? The more present I am, the more aware I am of what is happening within me, my environment, with the people around me. Presence doesn’t deny or resist what is; it accepts and recognizes it without judgment.
Using compassion as my guiding principle, I align myself with the greatest good.
Compassion allows for kindness and self-protection. It is a grounded love that recognizes that both good and bad exist, and can hold both in a way that creates beauty and harmony.
There are always influences impacting our story. Some of them are helpful and others are not. That is simply a fact. We don’t live in a world where all is good. It’s a lie to tell ourselves that we do and it always endangers us. At the same time, seeing the world as all bad is not true and is detrimental.
In summary, the ingredients for navigating your energetic narrative successfully are:
cultivation of presence;
building the skill of awareness;
using compassion as your guiding principle or North Star when assigning meaning to your perceptions and experiences.
I hope this knowing invites some new openings for you. Don't hesitate to share questions about anything that's unclear. Once you've put this into practice, feel free to share any insights and impacts you're seeing for yourself.