One of the main purposes of living consciously is to “build the vessel to hold more spiritual energy," as my teacher Gabriel Cousens explains. He teaches that to receive and hold the spiritual energy that is required for spiritual growth, our vessels, or body-mind complex, must be built and strengthened. As we build the vessel, we sometimes encounter periods of feeling ungrounded or uncomfortable as we adjust and root within the more intense energy in our system. Anyone else noticed that?In my own process of living the 6 Foundations and doing the activities of ‘building the vessel’, I’ve observed that eating and food are a tempting way to ground ourselves when the energy feels like too much. In a saatvic, conscious life where much of the common vices of the world, such as alcohol, drugs, junk food, television, and so on, have been renounced or minimized, food is often a last frontier. Even on a plant-based-only, live food diet, food can be a way for us to deal with the intensified energy.
When we feel unstable or uncomfortable in the intensified energy, as the Kundalini is moving through our body and being, the way to deal with intensified energy is to meditate. Other activities can also help center and ground us, such as going out in nature, doing pranayama (deep breathing exercises), yoga, engaging in conscious music or dance. Creative outlets such as writing or creating art can also help, as can moderate exercise.Sometimes the energy will feel too much and we’ll choose to ground ourselves with eating, and we must make peace with that choice, where we are, and continue to persist. Spiritual perseverance is key for success on the spiritual path. We must progress at the pace that allows us to persist our whole lives, to not burn out by forcing ourselves too fast, and is still slightly outside our comfort zone.
Patience and non-judgement is crucial in the process of building the vessel. We must be patient with ourselves as we let go of activities that hinder our spiritual evolution, knowing that ultimately we are moving towards being free from them, yet knowing also that there is nowhere to go, and there is no rush. Gabriel also teaches that “We never receive more than we can handle” as regards to spiritual energy. We must remember in times of intense energy that we can surrender to the flow of consciousness awakening, and trust that we are being challenged at the level that we are indeed ready for.
As we continue to show up for our spiritual life, engage consistently in our spiritual practices, and as we choose supportive activities to ground us as we build our vessel to hold the Light, we steadily move towards the evolutionary destiny of enlightenment.
