Energetic Containers
my personal thoughts on them
There’s a new buzzword in the spiritual community.
CONTAINER.
Some people name drop it left and right, others subtly weave in the concept with their followers and audiences, and others refer to it by different labels.
For those who may not know, it is your personal energetic field.
So what are these people using it for? As a VIP, exclusive type of invitation.
“I invite you, with my purest heart’s intentions, to come into my container.”
“Let’s create a container, just the few of us, and do magic together.”
“This container will be the seed from which we change the world.”
…
The folks issuing these container invitations are usually ones who believe themselves to have attained a “certain level” of spiritual and/or energetic proficiency or mastery, and they are essentially offering you to come into their energetic field, so they can energetically support and hold you.
Sometimes these are used as sales hooks, and sometimes there’s no money involved but it still confers an elevated type of status, like wow I’m being invited to the most exclusive party and it also means I’m valued, loved, and being offered special treatment. How could I possibly say no? I mean, there’s no harm involved, so I’ll just say yes and if it’s not great…no big deal, I didn’t lose anything.
I won’t lie…I’ve been invited to these, and I’ve always said sure, count me in. I’ve also considered creating my own. Cause why not? Everyone craves genuine connections these days, and to be part of a loving community. What better way to create and attain intimacy than to invite others into your energetic field?
And when someone you look up to (or are friends with) personally invites you into their “inner circle,” would you ever think to say no?
So, this post may end up being a trigger. I say this because if somebody had asked me to read this post a week ago, I may very well have been triggered myself.
As always, these are my personal thoughts. They are meant to raise some awareness, but no actions need to be taken. We all have our own journeys to undertake, and often times direct experience is still the most effective teacher.
Venus is in retrograde now, putting all our relationships under a microscope for examination.
Whether we like it or not, we are all in some form of container already. First and foremost, with our family. Then with those we live under the same roof as (which may not always be family). Then the next level would be co-workers and friends’ circles.
The basic question I would ask here is: have those relationships been easy? Even the ones we like to brag about, like “we’ve been married for forty years” or “we’ve been best friends since we were six years old.” Have they been easy? Did it not take a lot of patience, hard work, overcoming the ups and downs, compassion, consistency, perseverance, forgiveness, and overall loads of time?
We all know that just because we are born siblings, or parent-child, does not mean that relationship doesn’t need all of the above to nurture and maintain. It still does, day after day, week after week, year after year. And even then, there is no guarantee that something could happen which will put a dent in the relationship.
For those who openly advertise and invite “anyone who feels called to it” or “anyone who is willing to show commitment by paying XYZ amount” to join their energetic containers, I would ask the same question: how is your relationship with your parents, your children, your siblings, your partner, your co-workers, etc.? Essentially, those who are in your container already.
Are your relationships with those people already at a level where they can go on auto-pilot? No more conscious work involved?
Remember, this is not asking if you love them or they love you. This is asking, do you think your relationships with everyone in your existing containers are so easy and effortless that if you did little to no more work with them, had no more contact with them, spent no more time with them, that it would still remain just as strong? Like they’re already functioning at an optimal state and will continue to do so automatically?
I’ll be the first to say, I’m nowhere near that point.
I believe a huge part of the reason for this is that we often forget our relationship with ourselves. We are also in a container with our own energies. It may sound surprising, but this is not so easy to manage either!
Many days, I would get asked: Rachel, did you talk with your energies today? What did they say?
In certain moments, I have shied away from having those conversations. As the Gene Keys would say, this is often the shadow of Pride, Arrogance, Exhaustion, Deafness, Doubt, Immaturity, etc. In summary, I’m running away from looking deeper into myself and getting to know myself better.
Then some folks would say, “Well that’s just you. I intentionally talk to myself at least a hundred times a day. I check in constantly. I’m always affirming and reassuring myself. I’m very connected to my intuition already.”
So the next topic is distortion. At this point, I’ve seen many discussions and examples around the topic of spiritual ego. For most beginners, if called out, they will usually be more open to accepting that they have distortion. But the biggest danger is when a certain degree of experience and knowledge and recognition has been accumulated. Then we get to a point where we are beyond reproach.
To be fair, this happens in all niches. As a sub-type of spiritual ego, Gene Keys founder Richard Rudd refers to it as Spiritual Materialism. You can check out the entire video where he explains the 18 types he’s encountered here.
I would even take this a step further to say, I’ve seen “experts” and “gurus” talk about distortion for themselves. Like they acknowledge it. But the catch here is it’s selective. And the even bigger catch is they are the only ones allowed to talk about it in regards to themselves. Like I can talk about my distortion all day long, but nobody else can. If they do, they’re being malicious, unappreciative, or they’re just even more distorted and are projecting their distortions and insecurities onto me.
It’s this air of intolerance to watch for. Again, nobody has to accept the views of another. They may very well not be the right fit for you. They may very well be distorted too and coming from a place of wounds and trauma. But the key here is in your reaction to this. You can react with graciousness, or you can react with intolerance and/or shutting down. There’s a world of difference here.
So what is the connection between distortion and containers? Well, if my relationship with the people in my immediate containers, including myself and my family members, could still use plenty of improvement, should I really be putting out an open call for everyone (or even a few selective ones) to join my energy field? To mix our energies together? Am I really in a position to support each and every one of them the way I would support myself or my life partner?
Now I want to address a common misconception here. I am talking about energetic containers. They are energetic structures of their own. If you are clairvoyant or highly intuitive, you can actually see and feel these structures. In no way am I saying you should no longer be friends with someone, or cut them out of your life, or stop talking to them, or if they need help just say no. What I am saying is, be aware of when you invite them into your energetic container/vessel/circle/etc., and be aware of when you agree to accept someone else’s invite to enter their energetic container/vessel/circle/etc. Because words contain great magic, this distinction matters. When you give your conscious consent, it takes things up many levels in intensity.
But what exactly happens when you do this? Create a container and invite others in, or accept offers to join other containers. Aren’t we all here to support each other? Doesn’t it make things better to combine our energies to create a supportive community?
One of the effects is confusion. Lack of clarity. You start to feel certain emotions and get certain thoughts that are not necessarily your own. Like I’ve felt anger and anxiety come out of nowhere, and yet there’s nothing happening in my life that would warrant any of these things. Oftentimes, I’m picking up on someone who shares a field with me (or we’re in the same container)’s thoughts and emotions. I’ve also witnessed other situations where people start developing romantic feelings for someone else in the container, which consciously there’s no reason or chance for that to happen. It’s perplexing, baffling, and oftentimes embarrassing. How do you explain it to your partner? How do you interact with that person? Do they know? Can their own partner pick up on it?
This may sound almost comical, but it’s not. It takes a high degree of discernment to know which feelings are yours and which are someone else’s. And let’s be honest, who has time to be sifting through every single thought or feeling asking the question: is it mine? If not, whose is it that I’m picking up?
The above may sound like a worthwhile exercise to get some practice with, but in the grand scheme of things, isn’t it exhausting and stressful? Relationships can get complicated very quickly this way. Projections run rampant. If person A suspects person B, and I pick up on that suspicion from the field, then I unconsciously start suspecting person B. This doesn’t create better connections, but rather the opposite. It creates separation and division. And even worse, I don’t know what’s happening most of the time because it’s so unconscious. Remember, we often agree quickly to join energetic containers but then forget about them. Then we get emotions and thoughts throughout the day and we either choose to react or repress them, neither of which are beneficial for us. It creates more trapped emotions, leading to more unconscious stress and overwhelm, which get picked up by others in the container as well, and so the effects amplify, creating more unnecessarily complex drama. By then, distortion is going through the roof, and just cause I “checked my distortion” before making a certain statement, does not ensure its objectivity.
That’s the effect of sharing an energetic container.
Again, this does not mean you need to act on anything in a dramatic way. Let’s say someone is going through a divorce and negative emotions are flaring up. You can still have a chat with them, listen to them, and offer words of comfort or even advice. You can take them out for dinner or to go dancing. But for me, I wouldn’t agree to be in an energetic container with them. I wouldn’t want to be feeling every single angry or sad thought and emotion going through their consciousness. It’s not personal. Because once we start picking up on these from others, and then we realize it to some extent, then it’s also easy for us to start unconsciously blaming them, and over time they start picking up that we’re blaming them, and it makes them feel self conscious or ashamed or upset, and they start blaming us too for making their problems worse. None of these help with maintaining the relationship in the long run.
The reality is, I’ve been in most of these situations. Even now, I’m not 100% in the clear. It’s a work-in-progress every day.
The next topic is for those who have already invited tens, hundreds, or even thousands of folks into their containers. Or plan on doing so, because it’s “part of my job” and “how I pay the bills.”
I would again ask the question: is your relationship with those already in your container at an optimal state that they can run on auto-pilot while you offer to build these new relationships? Can you truly energetically sustain and support these people? Do you even want to be feeling their emotions and thoughts all the time?
This requires some thought.
It does not mean you can’t chat with them. Or be in a Facebook group with them. Or offer your services in private sessions. But simply be aware when you put out an open invitation to “join your container” or “energetically support them on a continual basis.” Be aware of what you’re offering, or if you’re on the receiving end, what you’re signing up for. Confusion, distortion, and projections are no joke, no matter how vigilant we may consider ourselves to be.
Many energy workers laugh at this, because they’d say it’s all about boundaries. Just have healthy boundaries. Enforce your boundaries. Maintain your boundaries. Amateur stuff.
But do you realize that by giving consent to be in a container, that you are giving permission to override these boundaries? Otherwise, what else is the purpose of being in a container together other than the agreement to mix energies?
Some people might still say this isn’t quite true. That we can be in a container together and still have boundaries. My answer to this is yes, it’s possible. But do it slowly and with care. Like when you have made a new friend, or new partner, adopted a new pet, and/or birthed a new baby. You want to be in a container together, so you devote considerable time, energy, and love into the relationship. That’s wonderful.
Note that the above situation involves two people. It’s special. It doesn’t involve putting out a call to “anyone out there who resonates with this” to join your container. It doesn’t involve inviting tens or hundreds of people into your container in a short period of time. I am hopeful that at some point in the future we humans will have evolved to a frequency and consciousness level where we can do this. But not now. Right now, we are still in the infancy stages and should build up slowly. Right now, our energetic fields are not equipped to be overwhelmed with the energies of many others with little to no advanced notice.
In plain terms, you can have multiple sources of income, but you still have to build out each source on its own. When you are building something new, what you put in is what you get out. Inviting multiple people into our energetic containers at once is like trying to build out tens or hundreds of sources of income from scratch simultaneously. That’s a recipe for overwhelm, disappointment, and burnout.
I’ve seen some very ambitious and talented people attempt to do this. They manage to put up some structures for each source, but none of them are truly secure. They are always having to put out fires here or there and spread themselves thin. Maybe a part of them enjoys this, but from an energetic foundations perspective, it doesn’t feel healthy. Will it be sustainable in the long run with no repercussions? We shall see.
Finally, the energy workers who say it’s just about having boundaries, also say that they clear themselves every day. Perhaps even multiple times a day.
Of course, clearing is important and we should all learn how to do it. Daily clearing is a good habit just like brushing our teeth before bed.
Yet by now, we should be accustomed to talking about a spectrum of intensity. Just like we may miss a pocket here and there between our teeth when we brush, the same goes for distortion. We don’t know what we don’t know. It’s like someone who says it’s OK to smoke like a chimney as long as I eat healthy and exercise daily. Yes, maybe it offsets things and delays the negative effects. Maybe because you exercise a lot, your stomach is flat and your legs are toned. But internally, your lungs are still turning black from the smoke. Of course, you can choose to deny this and pretend like all is well in public. But your lung cells feel otherwise. You can say I clear myself religiously all day, but those pockets in your body tell a different story.
Just like the best way to prevent the effects of smoking is to stop smoking, the best way to prevent the effects of containers is to get out of the containers.
How? Revoke your permission. Just say to yourself, “I’m getting out of ABC container.” It’s that simple. Anytime, anywhere.
Another flaw with clearing while in containers is the loss of clarity, as in…just what exactly am I clearing? I was gently reminded recently that, what I believed I was clearing out of myself, was actually something from someone else. Wasn’t even mine. Or at least not all of it. So in that case, who’s responsible for clearing what? If I can’t ensure I’m not clearing for myself, then am I wasting my time and energy worrying for someone else? The lines are truly blurred, because boundaries cannot be enforced.
On a further note, just like the decision to go into a container is very personal, so is the decision to come out. You don’t need to announce it to the world. You don’t need to tell the person who invited you in that their container was “toxic” for you. You don’t need to notify everyone else still in the container that “they’re caught in an energetic trap,” because it’s not your job to save them. And should you have chosen to confide in a few people about this, don’t be offended if they don’t listen. How many times have I seen people get offended over this, that they swing to the other extreme and say, “Well you dug your own grave. Either you choose to come with me and get out of The Matrix or you can go screw yourself. You deserve all the suffering you’re getting and I want nothing to do with you. You’re consciously choosing to remain corrupted. This is your final warning. As a matter of fact, let’s cut the relationship for good. Let’s block each other.” I’ve also been unfriended and blocked by container owners for leaving their containers. Like…“How dare you change your mind! How dare you not value the amount of energy and love I’ve put into building this magical container for the enlightenment of humanity! You are such an entitled pig and have set a terrible precedent for everyone else. To hell with you.”
In those times I cringe at the harshness of it all. The bitterness. The rage and rejection. At the end of the day, we have all incarnated here to learn. To walk our paths. We have fallen down and gotten lost, but we’ve also picked ourselves up and absorbed the lessons. I, for one, know that I’m average or below average when it comes to pace of learning. I resist for a long time. I have blindfolds on for a long time. But when I finally learn, it does sink in very deep.
And this is why I am writing this post.
For those who come from a corporate background like myself, or have been in similar situations, you may be pondering how this concept of an energetic container relates to your life. First, if you’re not deeply immersed within the spiritual community, you may never have been offered to be a part of a container! Nobody really uses this word outside of the spiritual community right? I personally have mentors who, because they act independently and are not part of any community, have never even heard of this word before! The people who are true masters, what you will find is that they are very considerate of their own energies. Many operate alone. Some take students but many don’t. At first glance, it seems selfish. But if you ever have the opportunity to know them 1:1, you will find that they are very open to sharing. Way more than the average. But that is only by choice with those they let into their fields. The other part of this is, you may hear that they have twenty students. But this is often over the course of their whole careers. And if they are serious about their work being absorbed, they only take on one or two at any given time. They don’t do this whole “anyone who wants to come into my container is welcome” thing. Maybe for a public lecture here and there, but that’s a temporary event, not a long term commitment.
For those in corporate, it’s true nobody uses the word container outside of shipping logistics. There are other equivalents though, like team, group, department, and tribe. Project teams. Those reporting to the same supervisor. And at a higher level, everyone who works for the same company. Do these folks who share these containers pick up on each others’ thoughts and emotions? Absolutely, although many will deny it or be numb to it. That’s why it’s called “business-as-usual” and “professionalism.” But then with the level of competition, in-fighting, backstabbing, bureaucracy, sabotaging, gas-lighting, paranoia, gossip, burnout, and negligence, billions are wasted in inefficiency and even worse, sometimes projects go horribly wrong, resulting in injuries and deaths. We would work ourselves to the ground 24/7, only to be saddled with these half-baked results. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a part of many “successful” projects that made back their ROI and gave me a nice bonus at the end. And yet, anyone on the project could still come up with a mile-long list of things that could’ve been executed better. We called these “lessons learned,” but rarely were the true lessons learned past a surface level. Why? Because we refused to do inner work on ourselves and improve our own relationships to ourselves before jumping into the next container, to be overwhelmed with a plethora of other energies. We talked a lot about self-care (cause it’s another buzzword) but that usually meant going to the spa, getting a massage, or attending a group meditation. Sometimes there were team building exercises or personal development workshops. Are those things wrong? Of course not, but there are deeper currents at play here. To understand the intricacies of mixing energies within containers takes an elevated level of awareness, humility, intention, and consistent persistence. Again, this is not to say companies should stop forming new teams and stop taking on new projects cold-turkey. That’s not practical at all. Awareness is a lifelong journey, not an overnight sensation. I do believe we should choose those who are most open to embarking on it as leaders, and because we as a species have not collectively learnt to deal with mixing energies on a high level yet, to rotate leadership in a way that no single person has to get overwhelmed and burnt out, and no single person has to take on the responsibility for the whole group at any given time.
Why do I talk about consequences? Because I talk about the double Aquarian Age that we are in right now, in almost every post. Many will say it’s no big deal, I’ve spent my whole career or life dealing with systematic inefficiencies, and I’ve survived it, and I’m OK. Maybe more than OK. I have made money, gotten recognition, raised a family in that time. Yes, that could very well be accurate. But we are in a new age now, and because time is now accelerated (compared to before), what has worked well enough previously, is coming undone at the seams. For those who think “business-as-usual” is no big deal, perhaps even the best available working model, think about how many of your co-workers or former co-workers keep switching jobs, or complain every day, or are overweight, or on drugs, or gotten divorced, or have gotten too many surgeries or suffered serious health conditions by a certain age? How many are short tempered, depressed, bored, delusional, trying to milk the company for benefits, and just staying around for the bi-monthly paychecks? Even the entrepreneurs that get glorified, are they immune to these things? Do they think twice before joining a container or inviting others to join their containers?
This post is not a call to action, but rather, food for contemplation. If you are in a container and for any reason feel obligated to “carry it through” till the end, of course you can keep going. Life has a way of teaching the lessons each needs to learn at its own pace. These are my personal reflections, and by no means representative of everyone’s experiences. Many lessons that I’ve learnt were conceived as near-invisible seeds in the ground months or even years ago. It’s literally taken me that long to come around to them, and I’m still just getting started.