Higher consciousness - avoiding lower

[WordKeeper]

I have lived a long time on a dark energy level, romping around in a world of depression and anxiety. I am moving out of that toward a higher consciousness.

I have a question of anyone who has made this journey before me. I have noticed that people who are functioning on a higher level seem to not get mired down with or by people on a lower level. It is as though they impart their knowledge, wisdom, experience to those on a lower level who enquire but they don't get mired down even in a counseling level.

I am thinking of people like Wayne Dyer who are able to go through life expecting and looking for good things to come their way and when something seems to be adverse they keep looking for the positive and find it. He does not fear picking up hitchhikers because he believes that he will only be drawn to higher energy level folks.

I have always been drawn to "The Wounded Healer" practise of helping people who are hurting in ways familiar to me. But I am rethinking this at this time in my life and think that perhaps I need to offer a helpful direction but keep moving on that path without stopping to persuade or convince or mend. I am thinking that I need to extricate myself from the dark and low energy for now and move on until I have enough strength and significantly more healing so that my own energy will not be drawn back down.

For those of you who are living on a higher level how did you respond to your empathetic/compassionate nature when you encountered low level folks along your way? Is it like approaching a drowning person whose rescue attempt would drown you both?

[Ontowhere]

It's hard to belive, you can save the world, if you can't even save yourself. You have to know yourself and, if you are aware that a certain situation might pull, you down if you choose to act. Than, the only logical thing to do is to stay away. You can try and help, but you need to know, when to back away. Sometimes people, chose not to see and there is nothing you can do.
I was reading a book once. The author wrote: "I am a compassioned person, but compasion can be tough, sometimes". It may not be logical, from a some peoples point of view, but sometimes you will do greater damage, to person, by helping. People sometimes need to hit bottom, to be able to wake up.

[RubberDuck]

Helping people in a similar situation to yourself, can actually be as much help to yourself, as to the other person. You can regard it as sort of active self help

RD

[Ontowhere]

This I think is also the whole logic of heaven and hell. God, clearly says, that if you belive in him, you can reach Heaven, but if you choose to look the other way, than even God can not save you from hell. God can only save, those who want to be saved.
I would, like to get some quotes, but I need more effort for, that

[Ontowhere]

Originally Posted by RubberDuck

Helping people in a similar situation to yourself, can actually be as much help to yourself, as to the other person. You can regard it as sort of active self help

RD

True. I kind of a got the feeling, he was talking about situations, when he feels like being sucked down, to lower fields, by negative orientation.
The situations, when you feel like you could help, but people chose to not to be helped.
I had a friend once who was a recovering alcoholic and she had to let her man go, though she loved him. Becouse, she was starting to fall back into the negativity. She used to tell me how bad, she felt. And how it hurt, couse she didn't know what would happen to him. But she did all she could.

[fellowtraveler]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

I have lived a long time on a dark energy level, romping around in a world of depression and anxiety. I am moving out of that toward a higher consciousness.

Good.

It's all relative - I was in a bad place, now I'm in a better place, with even mo' better places to go.

In my experience you give them a crumb if they seem hungry, and if they like the taste they'll ask for another. If they don't like it, walk away. Many times they'll chew on it for quite a while, and then seek you out for more.

And when they're full, you'll know it. And then you let them go on their way. As long as you do your best to let them know the pantry's always open, you've done what you can.

And through it all, you remain smart enough to not let them become vampires feeding off you.

[Gregorz]

I've spent a lot of time trying to help other people, but I think there's a limit to what you can do. A lot of folks just refuse to believe they can change, or they think you're deluded, or it won't work for them, etc. Often trying to explain to them will just make them think you're a loon.

A good example is vegetarianism. You try to convince people that it's good, and they'll just start thinking all vegetarians are self-righteous zealots. It's actually making them less likely to change.

What works best, I've found, is not by telling people, but by showing them. In other words, don't go on at length about how happy you are or how great the things you're doing are. Just focus on improving yourself, and eventually people will start coming to you, asking how you've become so happy and successful. If you'd tried to convince them, they'd have ignored you. Funny how it works.

In other words, live by example. Focus on yourself first of all, because as others have said, you can't help anybody unless you help yourself.

A good example of how this has worked for me is, again, with vegetarianism. Since I was an avid meat-eater for 15 years, I often chime in on conversations when people are talking about meat dishes and stuff, talking about my own preferences (even though I haven't eaten meat in years, I still remember what it tastes like, and what my favourite foods were back then). People often look surprised when I do this, thinking that I'd be all disdainful.

In theory, by 'accepting' their methods of eating and not acting morally outraged, it would seem like I'm discouraging people from becoming vegetarian. But in practice, what I'm doing is showing them that, in fact, vegetarians can be normal people -- they don't have to be crazy zealots. If they still hold all those stereotypes, there's no way that trying to convince them will do anything except reinforce those ideas.

Then they often ask, since I talk about meat dishes as being tasty, whether I ever miss meat. I just shrug and say "at first, but now I honestly don't feel any desire to go back." By showing people that I can be level-headed and recognise why people would eat meat, but still reject it personally, I'm doing more than active 'helping' ever would. This also gives me the bonus of being able to focus on myself and not get bogged down with other people's problems, since conveniently that's also the best way of helping others. It also means that I don't annoy people and thusly make more friends.

This is just one example, but the same principle applies to many other areas in self-improvement. Ever heard someone go on about how good something is and it just turns you off to the idea more? I know I have. In retrospect, I can see that I should've been more open-minded, but I could only see that later when I'd become more conscious. If you're anything like me, it's pretty easy to see how people can fail to be convinced -- they're just not as conscious as you, they can't help it.

That said, I will directly help people where I can. I buy the Big Issue occasionally, for example (if you're not in the UK and haven't heard of it, wikipedia it). But I remember that if I do too much at the cost of my own personal growth, then in the bigger picture I'm reducing the number of people I can help. Use your own judgement; don't be too stingy, but don't sabotage yourself to help someone else. In some situations it's better to let them learn for themselves, in other situations a small contribution can help someone go a long way. Just remember to always think in terms of the big picture.

[wachusettgirl]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

I have always been drawn to "The Wounded Healer" practise of helping people who are hurting in ways familiar to me. But I am rethinking this at this time in my life and think that perhaps I need to offer a helpful direction but keep moving on that path without stopping to persuade or convince or mend. I am thinking that I need to extricate myself from the dark and low energy for now and move on until I have enough strength and significantly more healing so that my own energy will not be drawn back down.

This is a very interesting topic to me, as I am in a healing profession and have sruggled with this very question. It sounds to me like you already have the answer that you are looking for, at least in part. Trust in your intuitive abilities to know when to "extricate yourself from the dark and low energy..." and move on. There are also excercises which you can do through meditation, visualizations and affirmations to protect yourself and bring light to another. Prior to every session I state a very clear and precise intention to myself, and have found that this brings amazing results.

There is also the comforting thought that we are not responsible or able to heal anyone else, but are only able to facilitate them with their own healing.

[WordKeeper]

we are not responsible or able to heal anyone else, but are only able to facilitate them with their own healing.

Wachusettegirl - beautifully put - that's it, very helpful.

[SimonaRich]

I only help people who are interested in personal development and want to raise their consciousness. I would never attempt to change people who don't want to improve themselves. It is both unnecessary and can harm you.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by SimonaRich

I only help people who are interested in personal development and want to raise their consciousness. I would never attempt to change people who don't want to improve themselves.

ITA, especially in social situations. I notice that people love to talk about how bad their health is, what meds they take, how many times they go to the doctor, etc. etc. I don't engage in these kinds of conversations, and try to change the subject or move on to a different crowd.

In the past, I would've make remarks about alternative treatments, but now only do so if the conversation warrants it, or if someone says something like, "I wonder if there's anything different I could do?" (but don't worry, that almost never happens. LOL).

[brandongilbert]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

I have lived a long time on a dark energy level, romping around in a world of depression and anxiety. I am moving out of that toward a higher consciousness.

I have a question of anyone who has made this journey before me. I have noticed that people who are functioning on a higher level seem to not get mired down with or by people on a lower level. It is as though they impart their knowledge, wisdom, experience to those on a lower level who enquire but they don't get mired down even in a counseling level.

I am thinking of people like Wayne Dyer who are able to go through life expecting and looking for good things to come their way and when something seems to be adverse they keep looking for the positive and find it. He does not fear picking up hitchhikers because he believes that he will only be drawn to higher energy level folks.

I have always been drawn to "The Wounded Healer" practise of helping people who are hurting in ways familiar to me. But I am rethinking this at this time in my life and think that perhaps I need to offer a helpful direction but keep moving on that path without stopping to persuade or convince or mend. I am thinking that I need to extricate myself from the dark and low energy for now and move on until I have enough strength and significantly more healing so that my own energy will not be drawn back down.

For those of you who are living on a higher level how did you respond to your empathetic/compassionate nature when you encountered low level folks along your way? Is it like approaching a drowning person whose rescue attempt would drown you both?

if you are really in a higher consciousness then you will probably stop caring and labeling others as high/low. that is the real teaching. you will accept and love people as they are and let go of all of the spiritual dogma about the "levels" of consciousness.

[WordKeeper]

Good point BrandonGilbert. I am definitely not there yet. You raise an interesting concept - Does the identifying of high or low energy or auras obviate the move to a higher consciousness?

I believe that once you are there then the "labeling" is not necessary nor even valuable but it's on the way that I'm not sure of. At some point dark energy is binding and trapping. On the path toward a higher level something must be done to avoid that trap. Not clear how that can be done unless one discerns and is self-protective from dark energy.

[Inspirations]

hi wordkeeper,

While I don't use the terms you refer to, I do understand your post and would like to share a couple of things that I found.

Firstly I must say that everything we each do is valid and perfect for us.

At first we seek out people to 'help', with the same issues as ourselves. We actually attempt to help ourselves by helping another person, until we finally realize what we are doing and do the work.

Then when we go to the flip side an interesting thing occurs. Once we finish and no longer need to resolve a topic (the same one we were so inspired to help people with), we no longer feel it or are drawn to it (we are repelled away from it). We are ready to live its opposite experience.

While I was heavily involved in my introspection journey, people would pop up everywhere wanting the answers that I was discovering for myself. I surrounded myself with very distressed people who wanted to release their wounds so I showed them how.

Now I merely want to get on with living, and don't feel any 'need' to seek out people to help. But also, I found that my needing others to help with certain situations was in fact perpetuating people with that situation, which I decided that I didn't want to do.

The conflict for me comes as I wish to spread the word of something very special, but from the perspective of it being possible rather than wanting to help.

So I find myself here, to let the people who keep calling me know that it has arrived, when really I want to just say "hi there, here it is" and go do my own thing. If that makes sense.

[Eric Roosevelt]

If you hang around people with low consciousness, you better have a source of higher consciousness to "back you up". For example, let's say you spend a lot of time trying to help a disgruntled family member. Maybe they're angry about something, or insecure. Moods are infectious, so whatever s/he is feeling, it'll rub off on you. The key is to get away from that person for a certain period of time each day, and hang out with someone more cheerful (or, perhaps, read some personal development material). It's not an impossible task to hang out with the "lower consciousness" people and still maintain a high level of consciousness within yourself.