Did you ever see the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know...? It's really good, so I highly recommend it. It's a 'quantum physics for dummies' deal for people like me who fall asleep when they read and need constant entertainment via many senses engaged in order to pay attention and learn. There's one part in the movie about a Dr. Emoto and water crystals that blew my mind... You can look into it in more detail here. But here's a quote from that website for the purposes of this post:
What has put Dr. Emoto at the forefront of the study of water is his proof that thoughts and feelings affect physical reality. By producing different focused intentions through written and spoken words and music and literally presenting it to the same water samples, the water appears to 'change its expression'.
Play Mozart, the crystal looks beautiful. Throw hate at it, the crystal looks sick and warped. The movie and Dr. Emoto's work are many years old and so while all this is nothing new, with meditation practice, fuller awareness, and a paradoxical willingness to relax and ease up on myself and others so that we can all really get a lot accomplished, I'm continually reminded of Dr. Emoto's finding: How we feel literally changes the space we're in - no profound words or obvious actions necessarily needed - our energy conveys subtly in ways we can't imagine, and it has tremendous impact whether we know it or not.
Had an interesting morning relevant to all that today: Woke up a little stressed, with racing thoughts and regrets, and I just kinda hung out with it the way I suggest everybody hang out with their discomfort - give it some space, let things settle, don't act yet, just wait... I let it swirl, cooked a good breakfast, let the discomfort drop through a few levels and assume different versions, did some business stuff, sat still for a few minutes and looked outside as far as I could see, welcomed the insights that eventually bubbled up, conveyed them with good intention, and then leashed up my dogs for a run. I was happy, so I spoke to the boys in that stupid voice I don't allow many people to hear me speak in, saying words to my furry little dudes that aren't really words but noises full of approval and appreciation.
As I did this, every time I spoke happy nonsense to them, their ears turned backward toward me and lay softly down and their gaits slowed and lightened some; they seemed more relaxed and attuned - or was it I who was? When I would cease the sweet nothings talk, they went back to their running and sniffing and pooping, content. When I shared the love again, all the same happened when I spoke to them - they were softer, they literally softened - or was it I who was, and who did?
On the flip side of all this happy-happy, I can attest that when I've been in a hurry, anxious for whatever reason, impatient and not at all stupid-sweet with my words but rather stupid-sharp, the boys get edgy and resistant to whatever it is I'm demanding of them. Nothing works well until I settle down and drop all the antagony going on.
And then there's my office plant... My office has no windows to the natural world outside, but I wanted something with life in there, so I have a plant that lives a mediocre life via irregular watering and plant lights on a timer. It's not in the best shape - brown tips on many leaves indicate it needs better drainage and should be re-potted like now to accomplish this... I keep promising I will. And I will.
But this plant... The way it reacts to good sessions when there are no other obviously changing variables than the client's energy and my energy and the time of day, is amazing. Most sessions go pretty well, and when there is especial insight and connection going on, I swear to you, out of the corner of my eye, I watch that plant perk up. The leaves move upward and the shape of the plant becomes, in my view, really beautiful. The movement of those leaves has nothing to do with light or water because I have plant lights off during sessions and the leaves can lift no matter if or when it's been watered or had light that day.
Starting today, with all predictable hopes and fears around having a "bad session" intact, I intend to start noticing how the plant responds to sessions that are especially challenging or end without ideal resolution.
Out of all this comes the thought that when things look and seem beautiful and full of possibility, perhaps we can take some credit because if we're able to see them that way, we're likely contributing to or at least just supporting the beauty and possibility we're seeing. Likewise the thought that when things look ugly and impossible, we might want to check out how we're feeling in addition to being however occupied we are with how what we're looking at ought to change to make us feel better.
One last thought... When we feel one way and try to mask it with words and actions to the contrary, we would do well to check out the result. Whether I'm white-knuckling it through a conversation full of should-haves and supposed-tos energy, trying to convey something I don't feel, when all I really want to do is cry or say I'm afraid or this isn't ok or I love you... Whether I'm telling one of my dogs he's a good boy when I wish he'd leave me alone or I tell him he's a fat dummy when I'm completely in love with him... The real me is coming through, shaping the space around.