feeling the connection with ether

Sensing the Connection
As you become more sensitive to the energy surrounding your own body, you will begin to notice the flow of energy all around you. After a while you will begin to notice how these subtle streams of life essence mix and mingle between all living and "non-living" things. Not only will you see the fields of energy around people animals and plants, but you will notice how often it is concentrated around rocks and streams, and how different places in the world seem to be more charged with it. Many peoples and spiritual traditions have recognized this and declared certain areas "sacred places". In truth this energy is everywhere, even though it is stronger in some locations. And it is even possible to augment this energy through sensitivity and continued practice.

To begin to experience the flows of energy and to start utilizing them, you must find the right setting. A fairly secluded, natural spot would be preferred. The disturbances of noise and traffic, or the comings and goings of people -- particularly those who lack sensitivity -- can disrupt the subtle flows and derail your own concentration. The senses must not be distracted. Just as you can't see a candle held up against the sun, the gentle forces which course through the world are drowned out by the rude noises and actions of grosser activities and presences.

For this reason it is also recommended that you begin your efforts at night. The light of day can likewise blind the eye to the delicate variations in tone and hue which are more obvious in twilight or semi-darkness. It may be true as well that excessive light -- light being a form of energy itself -- floods the world during the day and washes away the subtler flows. As you learn to descry the flow of energy, you will see the course it follows during the day. You can even learn to direct and augment it. But it is best to begin at night.

Because anything that comes between you and the world hampers your full experience of the world, you should also be nude if possible while you interact with subtle energies. The absence of clothes allows the body to more directly interact with the environment. It is thought that clothing muffles not only the tactile sense which is needed for this form of perception but also acts as an insulator, dampening the field around us. There are instances of devout and holy practitioners who recognize that nudity is integral to their practice. Pagan ceremonies in pre-Christian Europe were often conducted in the nude. The shame which many people feel while naked is only that which is conditioned by society. Once you experience the subtle energy in a state of nakedness you will understand why it is so important to proceed in this way.


As you stand out in the night and look about you the first thing you may notice is a kind of graininess -- very similar to what you saw between your hands with the first exercise. If you raise your arms so that your palms are flat in front of you there will be a change in nature of the graininess. You will see it swirl around your arms and stream around you like the currents of a river. As you move your arms the ether may flare slightly, growing brighter and then fading. You may notice that it will stream a great distance from your body, sometimes as far as fifty to several hundred feet. It will not be an intense light but rather a kind of distorion of the faint light around you. You musn't expect it to be dazzling and brilliant, though it can be after you've learned to see it and play with it.

And in truth you will at first play with it, just to get a feeling for how it moves and how you affect it. You will see how it almost clings to your body, is drawn off and flows back around you in long filaments or streams. And you will see how if moves around trees and deformations of the land, settling in depressions and rolling over hills. In this way you will learn of its true qualities.

The subtle energy is often charged by moonlight. There are ancient traditions which speak of the moon as a repository of a special kind of dew which is charged with magical power. The light of the moon has been measured as having its own peculiar frequency. And when the moon is full, the energy which flows from it can be taken up by our bodies and channeled in incredible ways. It's recommended that you sample the energy of moonlight for it will speed your learning and help to convince you of the efficacy of the ether.