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Energy Toning
Energy tone is the energy charge that is attached to the elements
in a design. Technically, the energy tone is not an element in its own right. It
is the charge of those thoughts, images, and habits in the design.
Energy tone contains two aspects:
 | Energy. There is a charge associated with each design element, each
thought, image, and action such as the emotional energy of fear when we recall a
visual memory of a car accident. |
| Tone.
At some level, the energy is an undifferentiated entity like
electricity, that is essentially the same whether it is in a computer or a
lightning bolt. In our human experience of this energy, it has a tone, a
texture, a quality. If we try to describe the tone of a given design element, we
could categorize this tone as an emotion or feeling. |
We use various techniques for energy toning.
We combine the aspects of design-work. We use:
| Affirmation. We can associate an energy tone with an affirmation.
While we say, "I am relaxed when speaking in front of groups," we
generate a state of relaxation. |
| Directed imagination. While energy toning, we can add an appropriate
image. If we are creating an energy tone of happiness we visualize something
that helps us to be happy such as an image of a flower or a butterfly.
| Modeling. During energy toning, we can act out the
behavior that is associated with that tone. To facilitate the energy tone of being loved, we
can hug ourselves. |
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We can use directed imagination toward one part of our
situation.
Every situation contains an infinite number of details that can be viewed from an
infinite number of perspectives. This is true for both the material details and
the spiritual designs because spirit is everywhere and it contains all designs.
We can choose to focus our attention on the aspects that elicit the specific
energy tone that we prefer. In the midst of a stressful day at work, we dwell on
our appreciation for one coworker's assistance, or we glance occasionally at the
pretty flowers on our desk. We are not repressing our awareness of unpleasant
facets of the situation. We acknowledge their existence, but we direct our
attention to the pleasant facets as much as possible. This pleasurable energy
tone becomes part of the design elements of our job, and so it extends into the
design field of individual aspects of our job such as the presence of the people
to whom we usually react in a stressed manner. We still have to deal with the
stressors and the designs that they represent, but the task is easier now
because we have implanted an agreeable energy tone into our overall experience
of the job. We can transplant energy tone from one situation to another
Instead of directing our attention toward a present object such as a helpful co-worker, we
generate thoughts and imagery of a non-present object or situation. In the midst
of the stressful workday, we daydream of our fun vacation or our loving spouse.
As with the directed imagination technique, this technique does not release us
from the obligation of coming to terms with the present designs, but the
technique can introduce some pleasant energy tones into the situation while we
explore those present designs.
We can transplant energy tones from various types
of situations:
| A memory. We can dwell upon a memory of something that has happened
in our physical reality. |
| A fantasy. We can dwell upon a fantasy of something that has not
happened in our physical reality. |
| Past experience. We can dwell upon a previous situation that is
similar to the present situation, because they involve some of the same
designs. When we are in a stressful workplace, we can recall stressful
situations in which we succeeded despite the stress. We remember the
specific previous thoughts, images, energy tones, and actions so that we can
dwell on them and build from them in this current circumstance. We say
"this reminds me of ....," and then we proceed on the basis of the
previously implanted elements while intuiting the current factors that
differ from those of the prior design encounter. |
| We experience our true self in the situation. For this technique, we do
not direct our attention toward the people, objects, and general circumstance,
instead, we recognize that the people and objects are manifestations of energy.
We concentrate on our true self, our perfect spiritual essence regardless of our
human situation. In the book, Vivation, Jim Leonard says that our natural state
is ecstasy and awe at the miracle of existence. This can be our energy tone in
all design situations. We experience ecstasy internally in our sheer delight in
being alive, and we also experience ecstasy in relation to others, in
recognizing our common essence. The tone of this relationship may be
characterized in our human world as a type of light affection, playfulness, and
sharing. |
We can use the energy tones of the objects in our life.
| We can use objects that evoke the energy tone we want. Like Linus with
his security blanket, we can select objects for our home and office such as
particular paintings, sentimental items, particular clothing that makes us feel
snug, or a cozy fire in our fireplace. |
| We can put an energy tone into the objects. When we enter some homes, we
feel the love and warmth. This is the energy tone that the residents have put
into their house and possessions. To install an energy tone in an object, we can
hold it in our hands, and feel, and visualize our warm human energy flowing into
it, while we say an affirmation such as "I enjoy and appreciate this part
of my life." We all put energy tones into the objects of our life when we
hug a friend, or when we pamper a pet or a house plant, or when we
affectionately scrub our new car. We can install this energy even if we are not
touching the object, but the technique is more effective if we are touching it.
The energy will linger in the object, and it will slowly radiate back to us, to
enhance the general energy tone of our home or office. |
| We can use energy toning in the body. In a design field, the energy is
not just a psychological phenomenon such as an emotion or a feeling, it also
corresponds to physical sensations such as relaxation or muscular tension. In
our body, the natural energy tone is warmth and comfort and vitality and a
friendliness toward other people's bodies. If we are not experiencing that tone,
it is usually because our thoughts and images and actions and psychological
energy tones are interfering with the body's basic state. To implant pleasant
energy tones, we can use the following techniques:
 | Physical posturing. |
| Body work. In addition to the short term changes that occur when we
smile we can change the baseline of our body's energy so that its enhanced
energy tone will improve the overall energy tone in all design situations. We
can create these long term enhancements through any practice that improves the
strength and health of the body such as exercise, massage, and hatha yoga. |
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| We can take advantage of our high energy moments. Whenever we are
experiencing a large amount of energy, we can make a point of doing design-work
such as saying affirmations, generating visual imagery and specific energy
tones, and performing actions that we want to habituate. These elements,
including the thoughts, images, and habits, will acquire some of the energy that
is occurring, so they will have a particularly strong presence in our design
field. A few points:
| Our implanted elements will have the tone of the energy that we are
experiencing, unless we consciously change the tone. We can change the
tone because it is separate from the energy itself. If we are experiencing
fear, we are indulging fearful thoughts and images. We substitute those
elements with thoughts and images of courage and success, while using the
energy both internally to charge our thoughts and images and externally to
give us some extra power to counteract whatever is frightening us. |
| This principle occurs whether our elements are constructive or destructive. |
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We can use all types of energy:
| We can schedule our design-work to concur with the periodic upswings in our
energy level. Design-work can be more effective during the peaks, because
the additional energy will be implanted into our designs. |
| The excess energy we implant into designs is the force that will recreate the
situation in the future. When these high energy moments do occur, we may as
well create good energy so that the future situations will be pleasant. Our long
term goal is to not create residual energy in our designs. We can pursue this goal by:
| Learning to use all of our energy in a design situation so that we do not
experience residual energy in our designs. When we are experiencing an
emotion such as fear or anger, the emotional energy has been generated for the
specific purpose of confronting a challenge. The residual energy is the energy
that we did not use in our previous encounter with that design and it may
cause us to overreact. |
| Dismantling the cause of the residual energy. If we have an excess of
anger, this excess is due to our perspective on the situation such as our
inflammatory thoughts, images, energy tones, and actions. As we implant design
elements that do not amplify our emotion, we will experience less residual
energy. |
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We can develop our general capacity for emotion and feeling.
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We can use sound.
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Music. Whether we listen attentively, or we use the music as a
background, it alters our energy tone. Smooth jazz is likely to evoke an
energy tone of calmness. |
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Sound effects. We can buy recordings of nature sounds. A cassette of
ocean surf is very soothing. |
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Our own musical
instruments. Many people play musical instruments to
generate an energy tone. We can play a guitar for the energy tone of excitement
or relaxation. |
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Our voice. When we are singing or whistling, we change our energy tone. |
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Next topic: Affirmations
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