by Débora Nunes

(translated by Ruby Collins)

If this question resonates with you, you are probably already aware of the power of the energy field that connects and surrounds us, as well as the material field that manifests itself in objective reality. Reality is not just matter, it is also energy and information. We are bathed in this subtle, energetic and informational field, and like a fish in water, we do not see the water. To feel and sense this subtle field, we need to open up, to reconnect, to ourselves, to others, and to living things, human and non-human. Here are some simple practices to open ourselves to the subtle field. Like any practice, their effects may take more or less time, and require training. We can count on the group's enthusiasm, on the egregore, to train us.

1 - Becoming aware of our intuition

Let's start by slowing down, taking the time to observe our intuition, this privileged way of getting in touch with immaterial reality. Although it is a more than proven human potentiality, most people have not yet developed it sufficiently, or do not trust it, probably because the dominant vision of the world is materialistic, focused on the rational, which does not encourage us to develop our intuition. Let's take the time to observe our relationship with our intuition, when was the last time it helped us, saved us from an unfavourable situation, or gave us clues to better understand a concrete problem, a concrete situation? When was the last time we regretted ignoring it? By paying more attention to our intuition, day after day, we open up a pathway to the immaterial world. The more we pay attention to our intuition, the more we have access to the subtle field.

2 - Practice meditation

This ancient technique sharpens our intuition, calms our mind and allows access to other intelligences. Through these other intelligences, we can penetrate more deeply into our understanding of the world, we can re-unite with the world, within us and around us. Our intelligence expresses itself in many ways, but the culture in which we live privileges the mental, rational, logical intelligence. Without knowing it, without realising it, we cut ourselves off from our intuition, from our creativity, from all our resourceful capacities and subtle potentials. Reduced to the rational mind, our spirit is diminished. When you practice meditation regularly, if possible every day, even if it is only for a few minutes at first, choosing the meditation techniques that seem most appealing to you, you open yourself to the subtle field. To begin with, you can simply re-centre yourself, concentrating on something specific, such as the rhythm of your breathing, an auditory guide, the beating of your heart, a mantra... Of course, your mind will not stop. This is not bad: when you realise that you have attached yourself to a thought, you can refocus on your breathing or your auditory guide.... Just by being aware that you have lost focus, you have developed your ability to concentrate. Gradually, you will learn to clear your mind: you pay less and less attention to the thoughts that cross your mind, and more and more to the subtle field. This state allows you to sharpen your creativity and listen more clearly to the messages of the Universe.

3 – Regularly connect with Nature

Nature absorbs disturbed energies and releases them as positive energy. Nature soothes the mind and senses and renews health. From and in Nature, through its immense abundance, we receive everything we need and thus open ourselves more easily to Gratitude, a powerful portal to joy. The contemplation of Nature in its infinite beauty, from the microscopic dimension to the majestic mountains, rivers, forests, skies and seas, and ourselves, brings the perception of the force of Life, of the sacred. The four elements are present in Nature - fire, water, air and earth - and they constitute everything and reveal the deep meaning of this whole (mind, emotions, thoughts and physical body), giving meaning to the paths we take. In Nature, with the richness and mysteries of the mineral, plant, animal and human kingdoms, we can only but honour the subtle force that animates it and feel the enchantment of the Living.

4 - Open your mind to new paradigms

In the dominant vision of the world, we think of ourselves as separate, denatured. We focus on having, on material possessions, and on doing: doing well, giving pleasure... In an integrative vision of the world, confirmed by recent discoveries in quantum physics, evolutionary biology, complexity, integral history.... The new paradigms - which can be called holistic, ecological, systemic, integrative, quantum - understand the world as a great network of matter, energy and information in which everything is interconnected. When your mind goes beyond the separating, distorting view that sees only what can be measured, it realises that the energy field is as real as the material field, and is composed of vibrations and information, sometimes formalised, sometimes informal. When your mind grasps matter and energy simultaneously, to the Yin and Yang, you are connected to the Web of Life. You can then realise that thoughts, emotions and intentions are powerful vibrations and information that interfere with the material world. When your mind opens to the perception of the subtle field it integrates the mental intelligence (objective and intuitive) with the intelligence of the heart (subjective and emotional) and the body (which informs us, even when we don't know how to listen to it). Unconsciously, our mind has always known that everything is One. With a little practice, this perception becomes conscious and begins to guide our lives.

5 - Listen to your heart

A few times a week you can stop and simply observe your heartbeat. This physical voice of the heart stimulates you, connects you to the vibratory waves and energy within you, and allows you to connect to what your inner voice is saying, in the intimacy of your Being. In time, you will become aware of the inner conflicts between mental logic, the reasons of the heart and the information of the body. Gradually you will realise that even when the mind doubts, the heart and body know. This does not mean that rationality is of little use, only that it is limited because it is less integrative. In some complex situations, the heart knows definitively, even without logical reasoning. It is a subtle and superior knowledge, integrated and integrative, aligned with the wisdom of the Universe. From this practice of listening, both physically and subtly to the heart and body, it will be more and more natural for you to follow what you feel, what you sense to be the best way. It will be possible to overcome the contempt that materialistic society has for the wisdom of the soul that expresses itself through the heart and intuition, regarding them as naive or idealistic. No great evolutionary change in human history has been made without the intelligence of the heart.

6 - Take care of your verticality, align your spine straight

 In the physical realm, our spine is the vertical structure of the body. When you keep it aligned and flexible, you promote the functioning of all your organs, as well as the proper flow of air and blood. Furthermore, in the subtle field, your spine is your axis of connection with Earth and Heaven, with the sacred feminine and masculine. Maintaining your axis, your verticality, your alignment, your flexibility, starting with your spine, is to allow you to adapt to the ups and downs of life. It is also to allow your chakras, those subtle energy centres located in its axis, to function freely, without blockages or pressure, thus allowing the cosmic energies to communicate with us through the voices of the soul. An aligned and supple spine contributes to elegance and longevity and allows the life force, the Chi, to flow. This freely flowing life force supports our healing power through the energy of our hands, gives clarity to our thoughts and openness to our heart, and supports the vigour of our aura, which at the same time protects us and energises our influence in the world. Everything flows better with an aligned spine, whether in the energetic or the material realm.

7 - Cultivate self-discipline, practice with vigour

Practices of all kinds require time and regular practice. Rituals are useful for this. They allow you to build new habits, new skills...

This is also the case for spiritual practices. The less you are used to them, the more helpful the rituals are, and the more you practice them, the more powerful they become. Whether it is the prayers and candles of Catholicism's holy days, the festivals, sacred feasts and forbidden foods of Judaism, the reading of the Qur'an and the fasting of Ramadan in Islam, the eating of sacred plants and vision seeking in shamanism, or the dances and songs of Candomblé, every spiritual practice recommends precepts that facilitate access to the subtle world. In our practices, which are spiritual and secular, i.e. without dogma or religious structures, each of us is responsible for our own discipline, our own self-discipline. The more regular your practices, the more anchored your rituals are, the more you open up to the subtle world. This is also true for a community: it strengthens itself by creating common rituals, by synchronising practices, thus nourishing an egregore, a common and subtle whole in which personal energies reinforce each other. Without regular practice, each person can experience occasional flashes of understanding of the subtle world, but not access, in an evolutionary and perennial way, to an ever greater consciousness.

8- Let yourself be open to the subtle and realise that all that is to be, is and will be.

Our verticality, alignment, flexibility, and states of relaxation and contemplation promote connection with that which transcends us. This transcendence allows a state of unconditional acceptance and access to a greater wisdom, the universal wisdom, which cannot be clearly manifested when we are in a state of anxiety, tension or accelerated mental activity. To open to the subtle is to feel and sense that life has its evolutionary reasons, even when we cannot yet perceive them.

Say "Yes to Life", by observing and welcoming what is happening, in and around you, by surrendering completely. The more you are grateful for what is, the more you do what is in your power to make things happen as you wish - the more you let go of things, the more you mobilise the Universe to make every situation, every event, every being work for you. Wishing, taking action and letting be that which must be is a sign of maturity that welcomes Universal Wisdom. And she knows how to give back what we give her. Asking, giving, receiving and giving back is sharing the abundance that the universe and life offers us.

How to access the subtle field?

1. Slow down, take the time to resynchronise, to observe what is
2. Open your body, align your spine
3. Open your heart, welcome your emotions, appreciate the information they offer us about our needs and our deepest intentions
4. Open your mind, let your thoughts pass, welcome and appreciate your intuitions
5. Open your mind: everything is already there, in the making. What do I want to nourish and develop, what nourishes and develops me
6. Opening up to oneself, opening up to others, opening up to life, human and non-human