What is the Purpose of Intensity?
We could also call it dissatisfaction, frustration, ferociousness - and perhaps just good old anger. It could be felt physically or more as a restlessness. Feeling like we might explode, or that we MUST say or do something.
When intensity arises in the human being, it can be inconvenient and even destructive. In this piece of writing I am pursuing an understanding of this way of being so that we can put it into the proper context.
The big thing that I have realized is that intensity is not a bad thing at all. It is actually one of the human abilities or powers. When properly channeled, intensity is an amazing tool for breaking stagnant situations and our own self imposed limitations.
The Holy Fire
In most spiritual, religious, mystical, and magical traditions we have a certain reverence for fire. It's not by accident that fire is held as a sacred tool for cleansing and transformation. There is also the metaphor of the phoenix, which in it's fiery death is reborn. There are some strong clues here as to what this way of being is about.
The basic metaphor of fire, is that it consumes things and brings a great deal of attention to its self. Let's be super literal - and find our understanding/inner-standing through that. The fire needs fuel to feed on - what is fueling your fire? If you are near a huge bonfire then you will undoubtedly feel it's heat and it's light - on a cold evening it is a very life affirming thing.
In a cold world, fire is life - yet it actually goes beyond that. Fire is transcendent, and we see that in the tendency for the flames to continually rise upward, wisp like and ethereal it is ever shifting and never still. Fire will change things from one state to another, it can not exist without doing so - be prepared for this if you want to work with this energy.
Fire encompasses both life and death, and depending on how it is handled can facilitate either of them. Fire can cook our meals and warm our homes, but fire is also dangerous. At the extreme, fire is death - it will burn the body. It will turn our vessel into ash and dust. There's not a lot of wealth in contemplating this destruction literally - yet on the internal level this is a very valuable tool for transformation.
Renewal - The Cycle of Birth and Death
Just as things in the physical world are born and die, this is exactly the case for our internal world. The organisms that live inside us are primarily thoughts and feelings, subtle imprints. The complexity of thought and feeling, as well as our connection to the collective consciousness bring certain identities and thought forms into existence.
It's living out and connecting to these thought forms which is the basis of life for most people. In truth we are not these thought forms, we are actually a transcendent consciousness which is the playing the game of inhabiting these various personas.
Coming back to fire, and to life and death, we can start to apply this to the internal realm in terms of these thought forms. If you are able to see that you are not your identity or identities, then it becomes possible to put them to the flame so to speak. This in essence is the renewal of the spirit, through cleansing away our false constructs of ourselves.
Directed Intensity & Calm Intensity
When intensity comes - think of it as a golden opportunity to purge things in your life that no longer serve you. Many human beings back away from this energy, because we don't want to hurt anyone or offend anyone. Perhaps we just feel scared or out of control, or slip into some predictable thought loop about how it's life fault, or someone else's fault. Feeling attacked and defensive the fire never reaches critical mass and we never fully combust in cathartic self regenesis.
It's about being open and vulnerable, and facing the feeling of our own death. Its not a real death it is the death of identity and ego. Nevertheless it involves great resistance and fear.
When the fire is directed inward with a keen self awareness, we will find that the fire of intensity becomes the perfect tool for moving through our outdated traits and habits. I am talking about victim-hood, apathy, doubt, fear, co-dependence, and anything that limits our creative force and expression of truth. When directed outward it can power a strong workout session, a devotional practice, or to say something that needs to be said.
Anger has been an attribute of many yogis, zen masters, and realized beings. They use it as a tool to smack us out of our day dream. The dream of identity can be pleasant at times, yet it is also the source of our suffering. True inner fire is the conviction to offer everything up to the supreme consciousness - going completely into the unknown with no guarantee of any outcome.
Fire can be a self sacrifice, we use ourselves as the fuel and generate the necessary light and heat to create miracles. In truth we always have access to that miraculous energy - it was merely impeded by our own doubts and fears, and the belief in our limited ways of being.
Ah the crucible! Fire is such a necessary part of any self transformation.
I know you are probably familiar with tapas and it's etymological root to heat/ burn..but also to suffer or do penance to burn away karmic crap. It's not meant to be easy.. there's only growth with such fiery suffering, a disciplined practice. I was reading somewhere the other day about fire or warmth as origin of life... the warmed egg, the sun, sexual energy. Stands to reason transformation only can come from fire.
I love how gum trees regenerate after fire. The ultimate Aussie metaphor...
Would love input of @metametheus and @thetreeoflife 💚
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Awesome insights! Yes the forest fire cycle, so very Australian 😛 What is life without a burn here and there? Yes there is a seriousness about the whole business, it's not a game is it
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@phillyc, use #naturalmedicine so we can find it easily and share it, this is a worthy post indeed!
Definitely serious work! But there is some play in fire, a dangerous game but I have known some fire dancers (literally and figuratively) and rarely do you meet such dynamic souls. :DD
As I was reading the post, it reminded me weirdly of thermophilic organisms and how miraculous they are... (I'm currently reading up on composting poop, just so you know where my mind is at lol)... The fact that organisms can not only live but literally thrive in conditions like this for the sake of the bigger picture and their own health and the health of the world is just so beautiful to me. They are phoenix energy embodied, burn it down to cleanse and build anew.
@riverflows we get lots of fires in Colorado too, every year there are fires, and the first trees to grow back are quaking aspen due to their vast underground root network (like bamboo, or mint in the garden). But even before the aspen pop up, there are morels galore in burn areas. They are part of the transformation process, not shocking as mushrooms are forever embodying purification energies. But it's amazing how I can visit an area in Colorado one year, then go back 5 years later and even the views from the mountainsides have changed, as now suddenly, there are trees. (another greta thing about fire energy is after some time, you are always offered some new perspective on the world ;))
Another thing I love about aspen is that they just love showing off their origins in the fall as the leaves change. If you've never seen an aspen forest in autumn, wow, I really recommend it, they literally glisten with fire energy. I'll post a pic if I can find one.
Sorry it's a tangent, but the shaman in me dives straight to nature whenever energies are talked about. Haha
Of course this would apply to all purification practices, but especially Taijiquan comes to mind.
Tai chi also has tons of fire energy, right from the get go of training in basic standing posture. We call it riding the dragon, you basically sit and ride until your legs give out. Best practiced with someone who can correct your posture because I'm sure you can infer that with such energies as that you best have decent alignment haha but even 10 minutes a day of this exercise you notice transformation in a week or two. And it is deeper of course than just strengthening muscle, it affects your connective tissue on a deep level, opens your pelvis to allow suppleness (thereby increasing usable sexual energies, as you mentioned another fiery thing), and of course "steaming the rice" aka chi flow and cultivation, which is part of the basis of Taoist alchemy :) I could literally go on forever but those are the thoughts that come to mind!
... Fire also needs oxygen, aka space, in order to do its work. I've learned a lot from fire especially in my personal relationships. (metamoos comment below got me thinking too) as often the best thing in a relationship of any kind (but especially with self) is allowing for space. If you don't give space to transformation, it will take it eventually anyway, and burn the whole works down.
Your comment is one of my favorites ever, super insightful and so spot on.
@phillyc this is a terrific post, I'm resteeming!
Xx ToL
aspen remind us of their fiery origins in the autumn as they show us their true nature as purifying and rejuvenating spirits of the natural world. They also like to remind us of the grounding current that runs through the nature of impermanence. Change is scary, it's devastating, but they say, no worries people folk, it's going to be OK, develop your root system and allow the tongues of flame to burn your old shell down.
... I love this pic, you can almost see the shadow of the flames that created it. Ugh. Nature!!
(source: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/aspen/ecology.shtml )
Such a great response. This thread is going bananas 🍌
I definitely agree that stance work brings a lot of heat! Sounds like your training certainly doesn't skimp. Can't say I've ever done horse stance until I fell down, I would probably just go until shaking a lot then waddle around for the next while. Doing intense asanas and stances has a really refreshing effect on the mind!
I would like to see these trees, and smell them. In NZ we don't naturally have many deciduous types (Im hoping that means the ones that change seasonally).
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Haha I stood till I fell only once, then once I felt my threshold, I didn't push myself that far ever again. Tbh I thought it was a bit extreme but a classmate of mine used to stand till she fell all the time. She's a fantastic practitioner now tho, I don't know many people stronger than her so ::shrug:: maybe it is the way to go?
You will feel the dragon as soon as you start to shake! That's awesome. Does the heat ever come out of your palms? That's when I know I'm doing it right!
Oh my gosh you write the best comments ever! @phillyc, love how this post created real dialogue - the best think about steemit!
those aspens - beautiful.
YOu are so quotable, my dear!!
Oh gosh, yes, compost!!! In the spring my compost is BOILING hot, all those microbes breaking it down to create what I call brown GOLD! Which in turn helps the plants grow again - a constant cycle!
Ugh I can't wait to start composting on a regular basis! Do you guys throw your poops in there? It's supposed to make it even more efficient.
I'm starting to think that composting is a form of alchemy. But I'm also starting to think... What kind of change isn't? I need to start reading more of @alchemage.
It's hilarious cos I think the same about your stuff. It's quotable AF!
Ive been trying to meditate daily for a few weeks now, but managing more like 4 days a week, and no matter where i start out in my mind, sometimes i want to be on the beach, in the forest etc, i always end up sitting next to a very tall fire. It's just where my mind takes me. After reading this it's so very clear why!!! Ive been asking and setting mantra's as to how to work on my self, not be so reactive and sensitive, how to be more balanced, and i end up next to a fire! I had realised that yes i need to stop ignoring this rage and discomfort inside, it's not because there is something wrong with me, it's because it's like the guiding post, it's trying to direct me another way, these feelings are letting me know im on the wrong path etc. But only just now did i realise that this is most likely why im always placed in front of a fire in meditation land. Great read, thankyou!
So awesome that you do some journeying with your meditations. This is a perfect example of how we can journey through our inner self, and we don't need to follow any kind of formula to do it. Your Insight and intuitive nature is so cool to witness here on steemit.
Ha, ill blog about some crazy meditations at some point. That's very kind of you to say :) I feel like i've unleashed a monster! HAHA! I am just not in a position to discuss these topics in my social/family setting without totally alienating my self and making for awkward conversations. It was a big factor in my depression i think, not just that. But Steemit is helping me for sure serving as an outlet, but more importantly a learning tool. There are so many amazing people on here which i am learning new things from, bridging gaps in my understanding, you guys in natural medicine being one example. I love it, i love that we can all talk together and share guidance :D
Amazing. You are so intuitive and visual in your meditation. But that's cool, isn't it - you can now go, well, this fire is GOOD THING!
I didn't think it was a bad thing, i just thought it was a comfort thing because I like to be warm!! Ha. This is the beauty of steemit, so many amazing people with different insights and knowledge helping eachother bridge the gaps. I love it!!
Ah the crucible! Fire is such a necessary part of any self transformation.
I know you are probably familiar with tapas and it's etymological root to heat/ burn..but also to suffer or do penance to burn away karmic crap. It's not meant to be easy.. there's only growth with such fiery suffering, a disciplined practice. I was reading somewhere the other day about fire or warmth as origin of life... the warmed egg, the sun, sexual energy. Stands to reason transformation only can come from fire.
I love how gum trees regenerate after fire. The ultimate Aussie metaphor...
Would love input of @metametheus and @thetreeoflife 💚
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Just acknowledging this so I can come back to it later when I have head/heart space to contemplate and share 🙏🏽
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