It is easy to assume that positive energy is good and negative energy is bad. From there we presume that more positive is better and more negative is worse. And some people conclude that the most positive is best and the most negative is worst.
This is very tricky and it leads to lots of problems, so I want to unpack it.
When the ancient Chinese described energy they used the polarity of Yin and Yang. Any polarity fits into the Yin Yang description. For example feminine-masculine, soft-hard, cold-hot, down-up and so on. In each of these the first is Yin and the second is Yang. Negative and positive work the same way.
It is important to understand that Yin and Yang are simply two poles, or the down and up of the waveform. Neither is superior to the other and neither can exist without the other. Negative is as valuable as positive because they are both part and parcel of every aspect of life.
If we apply this to energy, negative energy isn’t worse than positive energy. They are simply different aspects of the frequencies of life. It is a modern Western interpretation that has created confusion because, quite naturally, positive feels and sounds better than negative, and it is true that a positive outlook or approach to life is consistent with greater success and achievement.
BUT (and it’s a big but).
Let’s look a little closer.
In working with my friend and colleague, David Router, who can see energy, I learned years ago that there is a neutral positive and a neutral negative energy. Let’s call these Functional positive and Functional negative energy.
In practical application they are both equally valuable. For example, in business, the creative person who has lots of ideas (Functional positive behaviour) needs the person who looks for the problems, does the stress testing and assesses the risks (Functional negative behaviour). Together they make a stronger business than either on their own.
There’s also over-positive and over-negative energy. These are forceful and feel manipulative. Let’s call them Forced positive and Forced negative. We could also describe them as False or Fake positive and negative.
We commonly experience Forced positivity in business. When you feel “pumped”, and you’re “killing it” or when people sell their products by putting an over-positive spin on them, you feel manipulated. Equally, when someone uses fear and threats, or FOMO (fear of missing out) to persuade you to do something, they’re using Forced negative energy. Both of these are energetically unethical and not aligned with the fundamental principles of life.
There is a third kind of positive and negative energy when people take it even further and lose connection with reality. We can call this Fantasy positive and Fantasy negative.
If you are completely unrealistically positive (and therefore dysfunctional), you come across as fluffy, up in the clouds Pollyanna-ish. Your promises have no grounding in functional truth and you come across as being dishonest to yourself and others, even if it’s not what you’re intending. At the other end, you can become so invested in your own negativity that you believe you are hopeless, beyond the pale, deeply flawed and of no value. You also come across as being dishonest to yourself and others because what you’re saying is literally untrue, even though you can’t see that.
It seems to me that our focus on positive energy to the exclusion of negative energy has caused us to engage with a lot of dysfunctional energy, both positive and negative.
At the “negative” end we have depression and suicidal ideation, engagement with excess fear, worry and anxiety, and manipulation and abuse of power. At the “positive” end we have disembodied spiritual platitudes, pressure to be positive at all costs, and manipulation of power through spin marketing to ourselves, others, in business and in politics.
If you want to feel at peace with yourself and enjoy life it’s essential to be able to experience both negative and positive energy. The positive moves you forward and brings in new energy. The negative creates a natural restraint that allows you to do things well and share them generously.
Positive is receiving. Negative is letting go.
Positive is fast. Negative is slow.
Positive is creative. Negative is cautious.
Or are they the other way round?
The point is that life is a play between negative and positive, Yin and Yang. It’s the combination of positive and negative that produces the spark and gives you spirit. If you try to deny either, you are short-circuiting yourself and you will start to move into Forced energy and ultimately into Fantasy energy. It will be very uncomfortable.
Functional positive and Functional negative make for a Functional life.
Who would imagine there could be so many F’s in the world of energy?
