The walls that serve to keep my emotions suppressed also block reception of external energies. While I have been working more on feeling and communicating my emotions, being able to receive is as important as being able to give. Receptivity is a key role in the ever-flowing energy exchange between people, between ideas, between bodies. Without receiving from others, we are each wholly separate and therefore perpetually lonely. And yet, receptivity is so demonized, so belittled in US culture as weak, inferior, or indecisive. As I aim to become a part of the flow of energ
y, the flow of life, around me, I am working to open this channel of my being more purposefully. I am starting with sensations by consciously receiving the sensations of my breath, my heart beat, the feeling of my clothes on my skin, and the sounds around me. I can only do this for a short time before my mind wanders off into thinking again. I will continue to work on it though, because wisdom comes from being receptive, from taking in information from all six senses, without judgment or the need to control. It is only when I receive neutrally, passively, that I gain accurate information. Being receptive also means slowing down, listening deeply, with no distractions. Living in the first decades of the Information Age, it appears that we are all receiving more information than ever before. And yet, most of what we are receiving is static, garbage, distractions. It is mediated information, and therefore we are not truly in a state of receptivity. We get information when and how we want, from sources that will confirm our own biases. Real receptivity is being open to information at any time, from any source, with any message. I am a long way off from actually being this receptive, but at the moment I am practicing in small ways. I am also working to embrace the idea of receptivity as a desired and crucial trait rather than as a weakness or flaw. Have you worked to grow your ability to receive? What have you done that has worked? Any thoughts or advice would be helpful!
I am a generous giver and an EXCELLENT receiver! -from the Millionaire Mind intensive. Been taking this into my being... getting back to my hypnotherapy has also proven wonderful.:-)
ReplyDeleteActive Listening is what we call this in acting circles. Not that I'm an actor... This takes practice and discipline. There are lots of improv games to help you to listen better and filter through that anxiety-fog. One is called "add-info-lineup" where you have to build on the story or a character from waht the last person said... Another is called "Attitude Party" which teaches you to suss out emotions from others and why they feel that way. The Groundlings may be the best cognitive therapy I've ever had. (Cuz they made you practice.)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to re-read this 10 years later. How I would articulate this has shifted significantly over the past 10 years. One thing I've learned is the connection between boundaries and receptivity. My goal is to be in an ongoing consent process about what energies / information / sensations I do or do not receive. For me, this began from a strong No and a turned-off channel of receptivity, upheld by rigid boundaries and learning to soften into the possibility of a Maybe or Yes. For others, there is a porousness that lacks discernment, and the process of learning to question if they are a Maybe or a No is the place of growth. Regardless of our starting place, I believe the goal is developing flexibility and a better internal awareness of what we are consenting to receive, vs. just opening up to receiving more input.
ReplyDeleteBecause I started from such a small channel for receptivity, this nuance was not clear to me when I began opening up 10 years ago. As I've gotten more capacity to take in energetic information and physical sensation from the outside world, this piece around developing discernment in my receptivity has become an important piece of the picture as well.