Back when I was in college, I spent lots of time outside walking. I'd go 40 or 50 miles each week. It was in a small town and I frequently walked the roads outside of town to get my distances in. At night. Away from all the houses and businesses and in places without streetlights, it got to be really dark out. It was dark in a way I wasn't familiar with. There were places that were dark and open and it just felt like when I looked up at the empty night sky it was looking back at me like a predator. It was creepy and a little scary at times. There was a sense of power and mystery to the air around me and it wasn't like being alone at all. I have tried to buy magic here to get that feeling back again.

Inedible wrote: I have tried to buy magic here to get that feeling back again.

Well, from my own experience. That sense of wonder and 'magic' in the world is something that might get lost over time. But it has to come from within, I doubt any amount of bought magick will help someone with that.

Inedible wrote:Most people here wouldn't go up to someone and punch that person in the face. Lots of people here would use a Spirit or do a Spell to hurt someone because it is so much easier and less risky. Fortunately, the level of real damage a person can cause with magic is purely symbolic and close to nonexistent. If you go that route maybe it will make you feel better.

Even then, there are times when throwing that punch is justified. If I were to wander around punching people unprovoked, any sane person would consider that behavior unacceptable, even criminal.

But suppose there is a person threatening harm to me or someone else, or worse yet, actually inflicting harm? Punching THAT person would be classed as self-defense or as protecting someone else, and therefore, most folks wouldn't condemn that action.

Motivation or intent, to me, would be the way to distinguish between BA, DA, and WA behavior. Punching someone just to be a bully? I'd call that BA. Punching someone to protect others? I'd call it WA. And then there's the "DA means you have a choice to do good or evil", so by that measure, we could class the two behaviors as super-dark DA and super-light DA. Either way, the motive behind the punch makes a difference.

As far as BA, DA, and WA *energies* is something else again. You know how a prism separates light into its component colors, from long wavelengths to short ones? Imagine a prism could separate energy from black to white, with every possible shade of gray in between. That would, to my perception, be a range from heavy to light. Others' perception might describe it differently.

This is just MY worldview. Others might process these things differently than I do.

Earlier I posted a chart of emotions and the different energy levels they have. To my way of thinking, the best thing to do is to release all those emotions which are below 200. It looks to me like the DA / BA crowd here wants to focus on increasing them. Either way, eventually everyone is going to have to let them go. The 400-499 range is another problem. It is hard to get out of the 400s because when you are in them you know for a fact that you are right. It doesn't matter how good or comfortable it seems to be where you are currently because there is always something better you can have. The hard part is letting good things go. For that matter, even when you know something isn't good it can still be difficult to let it go. You know where you are based on how you see the world around you and the kinds of experiences you have most consistently. When you change, the world around you seems to change with you. It gets to the point where being angry and hurting another person doesn't even make sense anymore. It was never about how they deserve it or what they did first.

It is true that different energies can cause ill-effects in people, this does not mean you can't get used to it and get a greater appreciation and understanding of it. I work best with DA but have come to really adore WA as well. I naturally embrace duality both in nature and in life, so it makes sense that is where my alignment would be. However, I also need to adjust to energies that are at the threshold of DA and BA because it comes across as foreboding and quite ominous at first, but once I've adjusted, I can find the beauty within it. Reactions to a type of energy isn't something to flinch away from but something to confront, albeit slowly and gently.

I do think there is a lack of knowledge concerning the WA part of the spectrum though. If we were to take a spectrum consisting of WA, DA, and BA (I personally include GA, but that's my own interpretation and experience of energy), according to the way I believe most understand it, WA is just a blip and it is DA that has all the complexity and BA also offers ranges of "darkness". However, WA also offers greater intensities of light, from a dull shine to a brilliance beyond the sun, and it only gets more intense from there. Many do not deal these sorts of energies naturally, even in Spirit Keeping, and those unaccustomed to this light can have severe reactions as they travel into greater brilliance. So if you do not react well with WA, try to go for one that is less luminous, and take it slowly from there. Unfortunately, this is not conveniently mapped out so you'll have to trust your intuition and instincts regarding what might be safer and more comfortable for you. Angels may be too intense. Perhaps work with faeries or herbivore animal spirits?

I also think the concept of WA not causing harm, DA can cause harm, and BA will cause harm is overly simplified, and this is causing confusion. While WA, DA, and BA are certainly capable of different things and these labels speak of certain mindsets, it is important to reinforce that these are different energetic qualities that beings possess but are not necessarily the beings themselves. Generalizing them into just these labels is folly. Each being is an individual, is personally capable of thinking for themselves and should be respected for all the unique qualities that they individually possess, their shorthand tag of WA, DA, and even BA being only a minor part of that. There are darker DA who may never want to harm a fly, even if they have the capacity to utterly devastate, and save that sort of power for a choice few.

Labels, especially in the paranormal, are only going to cause issues. There's too much complexity to say this is "clean" and this is "unclean". They help to get a general understanding in the beginning, but after a point, they do more harm than good. Truly, it is all relative, as we are all on our own spiritual journey that is unlike anyone else's. Much like the spirits we deal with, we need to understand our own uniqueness.

Likes2Read wrote: As far as BA, DA, and WA *energies* is something else again. You know how a prism separates light into its component colors, from long wavelengths to short ones? Imagine a prism could separate energy from black to white, with every possible shade of gray in between. That would, to my perception, be a range from heavy to light. Others' perception might describe it differently.

This is just MY worldview. Others might process these things differently than I do.

I really loved the way you put this. Excellent example.