For a number of years, my family invited new Syrian refugee families to our home each Thanksgiving to welcome them to America and our local city. Quickly, I learned that they speak virtually no English. I needed to learn how to convey positive feelings without words. I wondered how I could use not only facial expressions but also spiritual energy to convey the warm sentiments I felt.
As changemakers, we often tend to think our actions (organizing rallies, strikes, and walkouts) and our words (speeches, articles, or poems) are what bring change to the world. Certainly, this is what gets the most attention. But it may be the case that it is our silence that is loudest. The silent energy. Even more than words and actions, it may be the energy that we emanate to others that is the most powerful mechanism to bring about the change we seek.
But then, logically, questions arise about the degrees of energy and their efficacy in assisting our work. Do we give off anxious or calm energy? Do we radiate positive or negative energy? In the way we act, speak, and congregate, is our energy alienating or connecting? Do we come off as cold and rigid, or are we putting out warm spiritual energy? To be sure, the litany of emotions could go on forevermore. More than preparing a simple to-do list before undertaking an action, we need to prepare our to-be list. More than preparing our agendas and speeches and charging our action batteries, we need to prepare and attune the correct energy we wish to emit, so that we are successful in our endeavors.
All of existence can be described as energy. For indeed, if we subscribe to the notion of a higher plane of existence as a guiding force in our activism work, then we cannot be satisfied with the explanations of only what the eye can see. For too many, the tangible surfaces that constitute reality are the ceiling to their view of themselves in the world. Deepak Chopra relates this old but still vibrant spiritual teaching: ‘The material world is infinite, but it is a boring infinity. The really interesting infinity lies beyond.’1 In all we do, we wish to see beyond the material, for it is in this space—call it the hidden holy sparks—that transformation begins to coalesce.
It is not only people that give off energy. Every object comprises vibrating energy fields with particles in motion. It is not only seen objects, but also the invisible that has energy. There is not only energy between objects but also within each object. For example, each person vibrates with the energy that comes from one’s own thoughts, feelings, and prayers.
In moving from surface objects to latent energy, we can emulate the Divine. Consider this Vedic hymn that many in India recite when they wake up to greet the dawn:
In the beginning
There was neither existence nor nonexistence,
All this world was unmanifest energy…
The One breathed, without breath, by Its own power
Nothing else was there…2
A powerful way by which we see our activism is as a quest to turn our latent potential into an actualization of mission here on earth. We are to convert energy—which is neither good nor bad—into serving the good. When we eat and sleep, we do so with the intention of serving. When we meditate and pray, we perform the actions with the intention of carrying that spiritual energy into our relationships. On the flip side, when we encounter others who are angry, anxious, or negative, we should take deep breaths and learn how to deflect or channel, rather than absorb, their darker energy. We should be open to listening deeply and empathically but not be affected or transformed. We can go into dark places while still holding on to the consciousness of light.
When we raise our voices, the deep spiritual energy that resides within us is released for all those around to absorb. That is but one reason why music, chanting, and song are so important at rallies: These elements move us beyond words, from the head directly to the heart. They create the energy that binds us together. All of our organizing, all of our hours on the picket line, all of our days dedicated to connecting people with one another should have the effect of bringing us closer together emotionally and spiritually in ways that expand our movements, strengthen our relationships, and transform us and our communities from the inside out.
Exercise 1: Take a silent retreat, and tap into the world of non-verbal communication and silent energy. Learn to listen within the silence.
Exercise 2: Start your next meeting with a melody. Teach the melody to your colleagues, and invite everyone to close their eyes and engage in song for five minutes. Observe how this affects the rest of the meeting.
Exercise 3: Imagine you have a stick shift next to you, and you can adjust what level you are operating. When you are moving into an intense space, physically shift up and raise your energy. When you are transitioning from that intense space to a calmer one, physically shift down into a lower gear. Experiment with being in control of the energy you’re bringing.