Finding
Power Places
Ultimately, all places are power places,
and one could argue that the most powerful
are within your own mind. But to stick
to the physical for now, recognizing a
power place requires sensitivity (unless
of course you have a good map). This sensitivity
is developed by practices, such as meditation,
that still the noise we call thinking
and allows us to "feel" beyond the boundaries
of the physical body. This is not about
learning a new skill. The ability already
exists, it merely suffers due to a lack
of exercise and a polluted environment.
In an ideal situation, an enlightened
teacher, or one well along the path to
enlightenment would demonstrate this.
Unfortunately, these sorts can be thin
on the ground when you need them, so patience,
perseverance and improvisation will often
go a long way.
Scouting
Missions
By now it would probably have become apparent
that there is more to visiting Places
of Power than whipping out a MasterCard
and booking a Greyhound bus tour of the
Grand Canyon. I hasten to add that there
is nothing wrong with seeing the Grand
Canyon via a commercial bus tour, and
in Tantra, all experience is "grist for
the mill" right!
But we are specifically talking about
a personal spiritual journey here. The
cute guy or gal sitting across from you
who keeps admiring your energy with those
bedroom eyes, or the old guy in front
who keeps farting ... well, they just
might prove to be a distraction that you
don't need (or perhaps it would be better
to say, don't want).
In the end it will be a matter of choice
and a question of how well you can stay
focussed when there are distractions around.
The bus trip may be a useful reconnaissance
mission to discover a location to return
to privately (or with selected company)
at a later date. So scouting missions
are good if you are paying attention.
Clues
to Power Place Locations
High Energy Sites
If a power place exists in an inhabited
and accessible region of the world, there
will quite likely be a trail leading to
it. Many of the world's major religious
sites are built over, around or close
to, places of power. These also include
American Indian, Australian Aboriginal
and other sacred sites. Perhaps you thought
I was joking earlier when I mentioned
having a good map? ;-)
[ Please Note: Many native cultures
have strict taboos relating to who may
visit their sacred sites. For example,
in many cases women are strictly NOT allowed.
No judgement is implied or intended here.
Cultural diversity suggests that we will
encounter practices that we may find disagreeable
or even unfair. Each of us will have to
deal with that in our own way. But in
all cases, when stepping into some one
else's sacred territory, permission should
be sought from the relevant guardian or
elder. See also the section on etiquette
a little further on.]
Water, and in particular moving water,
has a great deal of energy. This makes
beaches, rivers, streams, lakes etc. some
of the easiest power places to find (unless
of course you are living in a desert,
even one of snow and ice).
The art of dowsing can be used to trace
underground water (ore bodies and other
features). Dowsers can also locate energy
lines (generally referred to as Ley-lines)
and their intersections. There are still
communities where these abilities are
respected. It pays to ask, in a discreet
fashion of course, as any anomalies may
be just what you're looking for. Animal
trials will often follow ley-lines.
Low Energy Sites
Low energy areas can be seen as taking
two main forms. One is an area of depletion
or exhaustion. This can result from human
habitation and the attendant overpopulation
and pollution that often follows. The
second are regions where the native energy
is of a kind that is simply hostile to
life. An example of this may be natural
bald spots.
When you encounter a region with sickly
looking growth or lacking in vegetation,
in an otherwise well vegetated area, avoid
this. If any visible animal trials also
detour around this region, you probably
don't want to go there either.
Just as there are places that are geologically
toxic (due to mineral and trace elements),
there are also places that are psychically
toxic. They won't necessarily be labelled,
so it will be up to you or your guide
to know and/or sense this.
It should also be noted that this can
vary from person to person. Your energy
level at a particular time may make a
location potentially hostile, while at
another time and a different personal
energy level, the same location will be
more or less harmless.
Cycles
Just in case you may be thinking that
you are starting to get a handle on this,
keep in mind that all energy moves in
cycles. Our personal energy naturally
ebbs and flows like the tides and so do
Places of Power. The cycles may be daily,
seasonal, or take millennia depending
on the nature and/or source of the energy
present.
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