Hour 23 Meditation – The Dance of Energy: From Suppression to Sublimation

The Dance of Energy: From Suppression to Sublimation

Introduction: The Nature of Human Energy

Human beings are significantly affected by the movement of energy inside and outside them. Our emotions, thoughts, and physical lives are manifestations of that energy. Osho’s philosophy is concerned with grasping this energy and transforming it from suppression to sublimation as a means of spiritual development.

In most traditional spiritual traditions, the emphasis lies in the management or repression of one’s energy in order to reach higher levels of consciousness. But Osho gives us a completely different strategy: instead of repressing the natural movement of energy, we are induced to transmute and sublimate it into higher states of awareness and manifestation. This is referred to as the dance of energy.

In this module, we will take an in-depth look at the concept of energy from the perspective of Osho, examining the dance of suppression and sublimation, and how meditation is at the center of the energy transformation.

Energy in the Human Experience

Energy is an essential aspect of our being. It influences every level of our existence—mental, emotional, and physical. Osho sees energy as life force, prana, or chi, which flows through every part of our existence. It is the fundamental vibration that gives life to our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Forms of Energy:

Physical Energy: Energy that powers the body—movement, strength, and vitality.

Mental Energy: Energy that drives thought processes, creativity, and cognition.

Emotional Energy: Energy that drives feelings, desires, and emotional reactions.

Spiritual Energy: The highest level of energy, associated with the soul or higher consciousness.

Suppression of Energy: The Traditional Approach

In most spiritual and religious traditions, there tends to be an emphasis on suppressing or controlling energy, especially desires, thoughts, and emotions that are deemed negative or unclean. The suppression is said to cause spiritual purity, inner serenity, and transcendence. The intention is to suppress the energy that is deemed unspiritual and achieve control and discipline.

Repression: Sufficiently resisting desires, emotions, and thoughts causes them to become unconscious and repressed. This takes the form of inner conflict, guilt, and psychological tension.

Emotional Blocks: Trapped energy tends to manifest as emotional blockages or stagnation. Instead of permitting the normal flow of energy, repression causes energy to become trapped.

Spiritual Disconnect: When energy is suppressed, it creates a gap between the physical and the spiritual. The individual feels disconnected from their true essence and may experience spiritual dryness or emptiness.

Sublimation of Energy: The Osho Perspective

Osho’s method is radically different from conventional suppression. He instructs that energy should not be suppressedbut transformed and sublimated. Sublimation is the process of changing lower energies (like sexual, emotional, or aggressive energy) into higher modes of expression and awareness.

To Osho, energy is neither good nor evil—it just exists. When we embrace the energy inside us with no judgment, we can shift it to more spiritual and creative directions.

Principal Concepts in Sublimation:

Acceptance of All Energies: Rather than rejecting some energies (such as anger, lust, or fear), Osho invites us to accept and observe them. Acceptance promotes natural transformation.

Transmuting Desires: Instead of suppressing desires, Osho recommends transmuting them into creative energy. For instance, the sexual energy can be transmuted into artistic creativity or spiritual bliss.

The Power of Meditation: By meditating, one can witness the circulation of energy inside and start to transmute it. Meditation enables the natural flow of energy without attachment, and the awareness developed in meditation can transmute base desires into higher consciousness.

Ecstasy and Creativity: Sublimation of energy results in feelings of ecstasy and bliss. Instead of turning inwards and suppressing, energy becomes a dynamic force that creates and expresses in fresh, higher forms—be it art, creativity, love, or spiritual development.

The Dance of Energy: Transition from Suppression to Sublimation

Osho’s analogy of the dance of energy illustrates the subtle movement between suppression and sublimation. Instead of pushing energy into a box of control, the person performs a dance in which they welcome all parts of their energy and lead it to higher forms of expression gently.

Suppression generates resistance and frustration.

Sublimation generates flow, creativity, and freedom.

This dance involves awareness and consciousness. Through meditation practice, a person can watch and witness the energy without attaching himself to it, thereby allowing it to sublimate naturally. With time, the individual can direct the energy to express itself in more positive and enlightened forms.

The Role of Meditation in Energy Sublimation

Meditation is the key instrument for facilitating energy through sublimation. Meditation, as explained by Osho, is a place where the meditator is able to watch their energy without becoming identified with it. This enables the student to shift from a state of reactivity (where energy drives them) to a state of proactivity (where they are able to regulate the flow and direction of energy).

How Meditation Facilitates Sublimation:

Seeing the Energy: By practicing meditation, we become able to see the energy as it emerges, neither attached to nor repelled by it.

Disidentification from the Mind: Through meditation, the meditator becomes able to disidentify with the mind’s incessant chatter and can disidentify from thoughts, feelings, and desires. By seeing them without attachment, the meditator allows these energies to naturally release their hold on us.

Sublimating Energy: Channeling Energy for Higher Purposes: As soon as energy is perceived, it could be directed towards spiritual or creative activities. Whether it is through music, writing, art, or selfless work, sublimation results in a life of flowand and ecstasy.

Sublimating Energy through Meditation: Practical Exercises

These are some of the practices that can be used in sublimating energy during meditation:

1. Energy Awareness Meditation:

Sit comfortably in a quiet spot and close your eyes.

Take a few deep breaths to ground yourself.

Pay attention to the energy inside you—the sensations in your body, your thoughts, and your feelings.

Without judgment or labeling, just notice how energy flows through you.

As you notice, see how thoughts or feelings shift into different sensations or urges.

Let the energy flow freely in your awareness without judgment or repression.

Gradually start directing that energy towards a higher expression, like creative work or spiritual practice.

2. Breath and Flow of Energy:

Sit comfortably and start paying attention to your breath.

While inhaling, visualize taking in energy from the bottom of your spine.

When exhaling, visualize releasing the energy into the world.

See the energy becoming cleaner and more refined with every breath.

This can assist in channeling the energy from lower emotions to higher consciousness.

3. Active Movement Meditation:

In Osho’s Dynamic Meditation, one actively uses the body to let go of stored energy.

Begin with deep breathing and fast movements (jumping, dancing, or shaking).

As the energy builds up, notice any thoughts or feelings that arise, and let them pass without identification.

Finish the practice by sitting still, feeling the calmness and energy transformation.

Reflective Questions

Recall a moment when you experienced a strong emotion (anger, desire, fear). What did you do with that emotion? Did you stifle it, or did you let it morph into something creative or insightful?

How can you transition from trying to control your emotions or desires to observing and transforming them through awareness?

In what ways in your life do you think you are suppressing energy? How can meditation be employed to liberate the energy and enable it to be sublimated into something beneficial?

How do you understand the dynamics of suppression and sublimation of energy? What are the challenges and advantages of shifting from one to the other?

Once you have practiced meditation, can you sense the flow of energy within you? Are you more conscious about it? Do you feel any difference in the way you direct this energy?

Conclusion: The Dance of Transformation

Osho’s idea of the dance of energy exposes a deep truth: energy is not to be repressed, but to be comprehended and transmuted. By accepting and sublimating the energy within us, we can transcend the confines of repression, entering into a realm of creative flow and spiritual liberation.

Meditation is the vehicle which provides us a chance to perceive, comprehend, and channelize the energy in its lowest state to its finest state. Going along this way, we develop consciousness of such infinite potential of transformation present within every moment and realize the elation resulting from energy sublimating into greater life forms.