Energy work?

[Xirian]

I have noticed the phrase "energy work" in a couple of threads and I was wondering what that term actually means to you all?

I personally feel that witchcraft (spells and magic) are the manipulation of energy and don't see what I believe you all are referring to as "energy work" separate from witchcraft at all or my spirituality for that matter and have never really called it that. Which may be the reason why my answer to the question about herbs and energy work was so long. It could also mean that I run my mouth constantly. Only I really know that, I guess. lol

So what is the meaning of "energy work" to you?

[Teresa]

I think of things like :Meditation, Grounding ,Centering, Shielding, Seeing and sensing energies and their colors, raising energies,influencing and directing energies, controling energies, draining energies,and charging. I suspect Astral Projection would fall under this as well. I do think they are related to magic workings. I use energy work when doing healing sessions. Hope this helps a bit!

[Zephyrstorm]

Personally, I tend to think of Energy Work as the practice of seeing, sensing, raising, influencing, cleansing, grounding, centering, and charging energy. And I tend to think of it as being more of the things you do in order to learn how to do Spells, which include Energy Work in them.
:) So I guess my definition is a lot like Shalaye's.

[Xirian]

I think of things like :Meditation, Grounding ,Centering, Shielding, Seeing and sensing energies and their colors, raising energies,influencing and directing energies, controling energies, draining energies,and charging. I suspect Astral Projection would fall under this as well. I do think they are related to magic workings. I use "energy work" when doing healing sessions. Hope this helps a bit!
I think of all of these things as well. I guess there is really no separation between what you all think energy work is and what I think of as magic and the pursuits of understanding how magic works. I too would agree that Astral Projection and OBE's fall into that category as well. I guess anything that is focused on changing or manipulating energy is what I would consider "energy work". But I never thought of them really as a separate thing from my spirituality and the molding, understanding and focus on that.

I think trying to understand my spirituality has pushed me to focus on these things, but I see much of it as magic, which seems to be what you all are referring to as "energy work".

Does that make any sense at all? lol

[~Owl~]

Energy work means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Just as witchcraft does.
As a witch myself, I believe that "energy work" is the manipulation of energy, whether practicing witchcraft, etc...

Kailen is a self professed "Energy Weaver". I don't say this in a derogatory fashion at all, for I'm actully quite fond of him. He has a lot of very good views on the subject.

Have you looked into some of his posts and read them, such as in the CoT classes on Energy manipulation? I would suggest it. Kaylara and him are both teaching a class on it.

Myself, I've been practicing for over 20 years now, so I'm pretty set in my ways...LOL.

But it's always nice to look at something in a new light.

[Xirian]

Energy work means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Just as witchcraft does.
As a witch myself, I believe that "energy work" is the manipulation of energy, whether practicing witchcraft, etc...

Kailen is a self professed "Energy Weaver". I don't say this in a derogatory fashion at all, for I'm actully quite fond of him. He has a lot of very good views on the subject.

Have you looked into some of his posts and read them, such as in the CoT classes on Energy manipulation? I would suggest it. Kaylara and him are both teaching a class on it.

Myself, I've been practicing for over 20 years now, so I'm pretty set in my ways...LOL.

But it's always nice to look at something in a new light.
I will do as you suggest. Thank you so much for the information. I think you are right. I do like trying to see things from other perspectives.

[Teresa]

I think of all of these things as well. I guess there is really no separation between what you all think energy work is and what I think of as magic and the pursuits of understanding how magic works. I too would agree that Astral Projection and OBE's fall into that category as well. I guess anything that is focused on changing or manipulating energy is what I would consider "energy work". But I never thought of them really as a separate thing from my spirituality and the molding, understanding and focus on that.

I think trying to understand my spirituality has pushed me to focus on these things, but I see much of it as magic, which seems to be what you all are referring to as "energy work".

Does that make any sense at all? lol

It makes sense to me . :)

[Xirian]

It makes sense to me . :)
Cool, I'm glad I made a bit of sense.

[Teresa]

Cool, I'm glad I made a bit of sense.

IMO, there are alot of things I am personally doing that I am just now finding terms or proper names for. Much of what I know was taught to me and did not come from books. It was not until the last maybe 10 years that I discovered books on such things. I grew up in the mountains of N.C. and moved to the city well over 20+ years ago to attend college. Perhaps I am still what most would term "country" just living in the city. I find something new to me on a regular basis. I never even dreamed of finding a place like this site until someone was teaching me how to use computers and I stumbled on it.

I can say I am loving this journey I have embarked upon and hope to learn much much more. It is nice learning that there are more people out in this huge world that are similar to myself. Titles of the practices I learned and my kind of religion were never spoken in our home. It was just how we did things.

[Xirian]

IMO, there are alot of things I am personally doing that I am just now finding terms or proper names for. Much of what I know was taught to me and did not come from books. It was not until the last maybe 10 years that I discovered books on such things. I grew up in the mountains of N.C. and moved to the city well over 20+ years ago to attend college. Perhaps I am still what most would term "country" just living in the city. I find something new to me on a regular basis. I never even dreamed of finding a place like this site until someone was teaching me how to use computers and I stumbled on it.

I can say I am loving this journey I have embarked upon and hope to learn much much more. It is nice learning that there are more people out in this huge world that are similar to myself. Titles of the practices I learned and my kind of religion were never spoken in our home. It was just how we did things.
I have to say this sounds similar to what's been going on with me for the past 6 years. I steered clear of computers for the most part until my roommate got one and then I didn't really want to chat with people. I didn't know that there were any forums that catered to pagans, I just sort of set out on my own with a book by Rae Beth, which I sort of read through, but then decided to pursue another path. It's only until lately that I realized that my path is my own and I sort of got the feeling from her book that that's what she was saying. I've come full circle and find her book much easier to apply to my path now.

I too am enjoying my journey and finding that there are a lot of things that I was taught in my dealings with nonpagans, that have names and are related as well. lol It's weird to think you're doing something unique, but then find out you're not. But it's also refreshing to know that you can go to others with your experiences and they can give you information or opinions that are helpful, especially when you've come to a place of stagnation.

I was raised in a town in Iowa with 30,000 people as a Jehovah's witness on the white side of town. And being black in a town like that, I felt rather limited. I sort of kept that same mindset for a long time. It's only lately that I realize that that mindset is getting me no where and that if I want to learn and continue on my journey that I have to make challenges for myself, ask questions, really pay attention to my personal experiences and focus on what is important to me.

It does truly sound like we led a similar sort of life, in how we were raised and our family's religion. See, once again, I've found something about someone that I can connect to personally and that I know will pay off on my path in the future.

I'm rambling now, but thank you for your comments. They really made me think.