Power can be so dangerous

Power is a terrible concept when it comes to relationships between sentient beings.  It is also a western world idea that has wreaked havoc on our environment and international relations.  

The word itself dates back to around 1300, coming from the French word, pouer, meaning "ability, ability to act or do; strength, vigor, might" especially in battle.    

So, from the beginning it had to do with conquering.  Conquering is not acting in harmony with the energy of the universe, which itself always seeks to balance.  The energy of the universe is always shifting between forms (think of a sun and a supernova).  Energy follows certain laws of physics that play out to create and shift between forms and formless.  It is not about power; it is about laws that may result in powerful transformations.  

I always shudder when someone asks "well, what powers do you have?"  My answer is always none which confuses people given what I teach.  People have the ability to work WITH energy, but they, in and of themselves, have no powers.  When we work with energy, we create a third thing, which may be knowledge/wisdom/insight, healing, movement, or some other change.

While all of these can make you feel very powerful, it is not about us.  It is about us working WITH energy.  For example, anyone who can read a recipe with confidence can bake a cake.  But it is not us baking the cake.  Rather we combine certain ingredients and put them in certain conditions.  The ingredients react according to the laws of physics to produce a cake.  If we do not put these ingredients in the right conditions, we can end up with a sodden mass or a burnt ember.   

Sometimes when we work with energy and do not have the right knowledge (recipe), we can end up with a dangerous situation.

Thinking we have or attempting to use power puts us out of alignment with the natural order of things; and thus, we are eventually doomed to fail.  Power is a thing of the brain, and the brain is concerned with control.  While the brain is wonderful at its job of controlling bodily functions, with everything else, we must have the brain working with whatever we have at hand.  

Practice removing the word power from your vocabulary.  We do not have power over anything outside of ourselves and nothing has real power over us.  Instead, think about how you can work with people and the environment so that everyone wins.  

Also, remember that you are never powerless; but that is a topic for another blog.  
​

​