Resistance - It's Not a Bad Thing!
The New Age rhetoric can lead one to believe that resistance
is something to be avoided at all cost. Many of the chapters of this book might even seem
to imply this. Resistance, however, is a necessary element for the functioning of a radio.
In technical terms, resistance is the delaying or stopping of energy in a given conductor.
Resistance adds subtlety and granularity to the flow of energy. It directs energy and
slows it down in other places. Specific parts of the radio need at some points to have
energy redirected someplace else to avoid burning out. Also, some parts of the system
might need to be emphasized at times by allowing more energy to flow through them (hence
lessening their resistance while other parts increase it). In short, proper distribution
of resistance throughout the system allows more possibilities of energy distribution and
allows the energy to modulate its intensity by creating shades between a totally
open energy flow and a completely cool, energy-devoid state.
Experiment 1 - "To Talk or Not To
Talk"
- Stand in front of a mirror and look into your own eyes.
- Establish contact with yourself.
- Without speaking it, hear in your mind the words : "I am
here"
- Over several minutes develop an intense desire, pressure or
need to say these words out loud, but don't say them.
- After at least 5 minutes have passed, say them slowly and
carefully.
Make note of what happens as you say them.
Experiment 2 - "The Urge to See"
- Stand in the middle of a room, if possible in front of a
mirror.
- Set your timer to 10 minutes. Start it.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
- Start to imagine that the world around you is changing, that
it has all turned black and that you won't ever be able to see things outside of you
again.
- Intensify this feeling of having lost your ability to see and
go beyond that. It's not just that you can't see... it's that the world as you know it is
no longer there.
- Develop an intense urge to open you eyes, but DON'T!
- Keep on feeling this tension, this deep urge to open your
eyes, without doing so until the timer sounds.
- When it does, don't open your eyes right away. Take 3 deep
breaths, then very slowly open your eyes.
Experiment 3 - "Thou shall not
create!"
Spend a day during which you can't have any creative outlet
at all. You can't play music, paint, write poems or prose, etc. Firmly remind yourself
every hour that you can't do this. If you find yourself imagining things to do, stop
the current of thought and simply return to what you were doing otherwise. Remember that
any creative action, no matter how small, is out of bounds for the day.
The next day write down what you feel as you wake up.
Experiment 4 - Phrase Repetition
- Pick a short sentence. It should be something that doesn't
have that much "charge" for you. Something like "The grass is wet
outside".
- Set your timer to 10 minutes. Start it.
- Now slowly repeat the phrase over and over, out loud, with
your eyes open.
- Pay attention to the waves of reaction that happen within you.
The impulse to stop and the will to continue. Feel the battle raging within as you repeat
and repeat the same phrase.
- When the timer sounds, stop repeating. Take 3 deep breaths
- Write down your impressions in your journal.
As you explore the quality of resistance, ask yourself how
this force can be used for the benefit of your own purposes. Instead of seeing it as a
block or a nuisance, start to observe it as a possible hidden helper which you have been
ignoring. Is there something there, hidden just beneath the surface, that could turn out
to be your hidden key? Observe this same quality in other aspects of your daily life. When
does resistance occur? What effect does it have? On you and on others. Can it be applied
purposefully? Experiment with these ideas and write down your observations and
results.
Experiment 5- Hold up the Wall!
Stand against a wall and set your timer to 10 minutes. Now
close your eyes and place your hands flat against the wall. Start to imagine that the wall
is coming down towards you. You are the only force holding it up, the only thing that
prevents it from crashing down on top of you and anything else that is in the room. Feel
it pressing down, more and more forcefully. As you feel that, apply more and more force
towards holding it in place. Don't open your eyes or let go for a second or the wall may
fall over you! When the timer sounds, slowly start to release the pressure. Do it very
slowly. Feel the wall slowly return to its own foundations. Slowly remove your hands and
stand separate from the wall. Slowly open your eyes.
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