On Energies, Vibes, and Intuition

One of my favorite parts about traveling is seeing the “vibe” of a new city. Every city in the world I have visited has a different vibe, a different energy so to speak.

When I lived in India, each city had a palpable energy that you could, quite literally, feel. It was intense, loud, colorful, frightening overwhelming, disorienting, colorful, exciting.

Seoul, South Korea had a completely different energy. One that was serious, regulated, but playful and colorful and exciting all the same. (And drinking/parties!!!).

In Rio there is another, very different, energy. One of enthusiasm, encouragement, connection inclusion, gratitude and love.

My home city, NYC, has quite possibly the most intense energy of any city I’ve ever been in. It has an energy that is exhilarating and challenging, hopeful yet discouraging.

But it’s more than that. The words I’m using don’t quite capture the “energy” of that city, so to speak.

What is this “energy” that we feel when we’re in these places? It’s something that many of us have experienced, but it’s difficult to put your finger on.

Then take people for example. Every person that you encounter has a different energy.

Some people can pump you up. Others can leave you drained. Some can leave you sad or angry. Others can leave you happy and calm.

In my short time here on this planet, it seems to me that everyone I come into contact has a different energy. Everyone evokes different feelings, different levels of comfort, different feelings of attraction or repulsion.

Once again – we all understand this concept and can point to experiences that we’ve had, but it’s nonetheless something we can’t quite explain or put our finger on.

Then think about the concept of “bad vibes” – When you enter into a place that just doesn’t feel quite right. Something in your gut tells you that something is off.

What is this energy that we are sensing when this happens? Is it simply intuition? Even if it is, what the hell is intuition anyway?!

The other day I took some Psilocybin mushrooms. It felt like I could “Feel” the energy of every room that I walked into. Every room had a different energy, a different vibe. Some rooms just didn’t feel quite right, whereas others made me want to sit there and laugh my head off.

Was this the mushrooms, or was I simply experiencing a frequency of energy that I’m normally not tapped into, but was always there nonetheless?

Similarly, when I’ve done 10-day meditation retreats, I’ve had experiences where I can “feel” the other meditators around me. I can have someone pass by me and get chills through my body where I feel the energy that they are carrying around with them. I can feel the people who are struggling. They are sitting still cross legged in meditation, but I can somehow feel that they are having a hard time.

What is it that I am sensing when having these experiences? Is it merely my reaction to these people, creations of my own imagination, or am I actually feeling the energy of other people?

This gets all the more fascinating when we then think about the concept of “collective energy” – the collective vibe of a place from the cumulative energy of it’s inhabitants.

Is it a coincidence that when I lived in India, I was the ugliest I’ve ever been with long hair and a belly, but then somehow when I moved to Brazil I discover the best looking version of myself I’ve ever been in my life?

Yes, it’s possible that these are coincidences or causation. It’s possible that I simply didn’t give a shit about my appearance in India, whereas in Brazil I took more pride in myself.

But what if we look at this “energy” as a magnet. It attracts more of a similar energy. Could living in certain places magnetize to parts of your personality and bring it out of you?

Could the city that you are living in be pulling you in the direction of the collective energy of this city?

Can Rio pull out the best looking most fun version of yourself in the same way that India can pull out your spiritual side?

Can certain people bring out certain parts of your personality while others repel you away?

Think about it – the entire universe is built off of energy, frequencies, and magnetism. It would make sense that certain energies will have a magnetic effect on you, while others would have one of repulsion.

Could this be the intuition we speak of? A good vibe is simply an energy that resonates with you pulling it towards it, whereas a bad vibe is an energy that is repelling you?

On an energetic level, can we literally be magnetized to certain personalities and repellant of others? Can we magnetize or attract certain things like affluence and love while repelling misfortune?

Who knows? But this is what I like to think about in the mind of Troy 🙂

I find this “energy” fascinating. It seems to permeate every aspect of life that I have encountered. Energy is always there, always influencing our experiences and how we feel. Pulling us towards or repelling us away from people, experiences, and places.

The push and pull of energies and magnetism – the same forces that drive this entire universe – why should we be any different?

 

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Also published on Medium.