Porosity & Permeability
So, I wanted to write about this a couple weeks ago, but when I ran the idea by my partner, I realized that we needed to talk about the nervous system first. Now that we have established how to tell when our nervous system is out of whack, let’s get into the really fun stuff!
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A few weeks ago, I attended the first Satsangam gathering in Santa Fe, and we were talking about porosity and permeability, within the context of Spiritual Maladies and Possession. I won’t dive into all that, but let’s skim the surface of it for a moment. If we think about our subtle or energetic body as something is porous (that contains empty space, like a sponge), and permeable (allows flow through the empty spaces) what happens when something “enters” that subtle body, filling the pores? Is it possible for a spirit or an energy of some kind to possess us in this way? Can the media possess us? Politics? Our cell phones? Our memories? Imagination? Hatred? Social media? You get the idea…
There are forces that are unseen that influence us, and sometimes even exert a power over us. Some of these forces influence us positively, some not so positively. One way to know if you are being “possessed” is that your nervous system feels out of whack. Maybe you’re “up”, maybe you’re “down”, and maybe you don’t know WHY, but something has taken hold of you - something is messing with your vibe, you might say - influencing how you feel, think, and act in the world. You feel “off” or as if you aren’t being true to your highest self.
These two words “porosity” and “permeability” were a huge part of my former career in oil and gas engineering, which was specifically focused on fluid flow through rocks and rock mechanics. When I heard them spoken about in the context of spirituality and energy, I really latched onto them and wanted to revisit them in this new context. You could say that they “possessed” me for a while! Porosity, in the rock world, is a measurement of the amount of pore space a rock contains between the grains. Permeability, on the other hand, is a measurement of how well these pore spaces are connected to one another - a key factor in determining how easily fluids can flow through a rock.
In the context of spiritual and energetic possession, it occurred to me that porosity could indicate how much space is available for outside energies to settle into our subtle bodies. Permeability, then, would indicate how well energies can flow through us, move through us - without grasping on and settling into that pore space.. Then, I thought, is it possibly that our porosity and permeability isn’t fixed? Maybe our health, our digestion, and our psychosomatic and spiritual practices influence how well we process energy - beneficial or otherwise. Maybe we can even INCREASE our permeability to allow things to move through us more efficiently.
And, maybe, there are ways we can FILL OUR PORES with positive energy (DECREASE our porosity) so that there isn’t much space for the not-so-good things to settle in when our permeability is challenged (due to the unpredictable nature of life, this is bound to happen!). I then thought, what can I fill my pores with (and maybe even the pores of the people I love)?
I can fill my pores with mantra, Ayurvedic oils, good vibrations experienced in meditation, joyous song, loving touch, time spent in nature, good company and nourishing food. All of these things seem to soak into my core, into my bones, into my pores. Their vibrations linger, and they nourish my soul. MAYBE my pores can be SO FULL with the good stuff, that the only way disruptive energy can flow into and my being is to move through my digestive system, the pathway with an established means to transform.
And, maybe I am just FULL OF IT!!!
But, I like these ideas, they feel true, so I’m going with this concept for a while - that filling my pores with good vibrations shields me from some of the negative forces and possesses me instead with the divine forces - goodness, love, truth, wisdom, and health. And, by stoking my digestive fire with dinacharya (daily Ayurvedic practices), easily digestible foods, optimal movement, and seasonal living, my body can help me to digest the potentially harmful energy - negative thoughts, memories, pollution, hatred, violence, and STRESS. Because, as hard as we try in embodied life, “Good Vibes Only” may be a fun phrase for sticker on your water bottle, but it isn’t an accurate representation of reality. And, as I was recently reminded by Dr. Robert Svoboda “it’s always best to live with reality, because if you don’t, reality will come to live with you.”
Journaling prompts:
What fills your pores with good vibrations? What nourishes your soul? How can you get more of this in your life?
AND
How easily do you digest negative energy? How can you tell when it isn’t being digested well, when it isn’t moving through you, but has taken hold of you? What are some ways you can work to improve your “permeability”?
