Transmutation: The Spiritual Art of Letting Energy Flow | Michael Singer

Quick Overview

Spiritual transmutation is the highest way to deal with internal energy blockages, which involves consciously welcoming stored negative energy—stemming from past suppression—to pass through the consciousness, rather than suppressing it further or expressing it outwardly, ultimately leading to freedom from the mind's neurotic patterns.

Key Points: Mayor Baba advised against meditating when the mind is disturbed, suggesting instead to 'play piano' or 'run' to release the energy rather than focusing consciousness on the fixation and creating a stronger habit. The attempt to solve what one is worrying about is itself a part of worrying, as the mind constantly cogitates over potential future scenarios or past regrets, which keeps it busy and neurotic. The speaker identifies three choices for internal energy: suppression (pushing it away, repression, denial), expression (yelling, sharing/dumping, acting out), or transmutation, which is recognizing the energy as disturbed and welcoming it to pass through. Suppression causes energy to stay down and spread like a virus, while expression only releases temporary energy, causing the underlying cause (the suppressed stuff) to build up and return later, as demonstrated by relationship arguments not solving the root issue. Transmutation is achieved when consciousness is present, and instead of suppressing or expressing the energy, one welcomes it up, saying 'Thank you for releasing this,' because this stored energy is what stands between the individual and their true self (God). When energy is transmuted, it ultimately turns into love or compassion as it passes through higher states, and once internal blocks are cleared, one can engage in 'right action' outside without the interference of the ego's self-protection mechanisms. A master, like Ramakrishna who felt the pain of footsteps on grass, lives in a state where everything touches them without interference; the interference—the resistance to feeling—is what causes suffering and fragmentation of the psyche.