The term cosmic energy can have different meanings for different people, cultures, philosophies and spiritual practices. In this article, we’re going to touch on only a few of the most widely reported meanings.
Cosmic energy is often used in metaphysical spiritual contexts to describe a universal energy or life force that permeates all things in the universe. This energy is thought to be responsible for the movement and transformation of matter and energy throughout the cosmos.
Some people also refer to this energy as universal energy, prana, qi (or chi), shakti, mana, and life force energy, to name only a few. Fundamentally, cosmic energy can be seen as the source material, or even the fount itself, of all creation. It is not something that exists remotely from us as human beings. Rather, it flows around us and through us. We are part of it as it is part of us.
Cosmic Energy Is Not All the Same
Cosmic energy can be roughly divided into 2 major categories.
In a general sense, cosmic energy refers to the idea of a universal energy or life force that is believed to exist in the cosmos.
It is thought to be the source of all creation and the force that drives the movement and transformation of matter and energy throughout the universe. In spiritual and metaphysical traditions, cosmic energy is often associated with practices such as yoga, meditation, and energy healing. In these disciplines, it is believed that the flow of cosmic energy can be harnessed and directed to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
But there’s another kind of cosmic force referred to as “intelligent cosmic energy”. This refers to a universal energy that is not merely a mechanical or impersonal force, but rather a conscious and intelligent entity. It’s not conscious and intelligent the way humans are. It is not a disembodied presence. Rather, its existence is of a non-corporeal nature.
To even consider the idea of intelligent cosmic energy, one needs to accept that cosmic energy in general is not just an abstract concept. Rather, it is a natural force that is aware of itself and its surroundings, making it capable of interacting with the world in meaningful ways.
The idea of intelligent cosmic energy is often associated with the concept of pantheism, which holds that the universe itself is divine and that all things are interconnected and interdependent. But intelligent cosmic energy exists beyond pantheism, which is merely a way of identifying it as real.
You might also sometimes hear the word “shakti” applied to expressions of intelligent cosmic energy.
How Is Cosmic Energy Experienced?
The concept of cosmic energy is associated with a range of spiritual practices, including yoga, meditation, Reiki, and other non-allopathic healing modalities. In these practices, it is believed that cosmic energy is channeled and directed to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being and healing.
Cosmic energy is always a subjective experience. Even though it is unrecognized by the modern scientific community as even existing, millions of people around the world experience it as quite real.
Here are some basic guidelines to help you gauge your own experience.
On the physical level, cosmic energy is often described as a sensation of warmth, tingling, or vibration throughout the body. Because we live in a physicalized reality, or at least a corporeal perception of reality, we often describe experiences first by what the body experiences. The body feels very real and tangible to us, and the physical sensations that will sometimes accompany an experience of cosmic energy can be useful markers of its existence.
But as anyone who has delved into the most basic meditation practice knows intellectually, you are not your body. You’re not even your mind. You are so much more than either of those. You are the thing that animates the body. What is that thing experiencing that the body interprets as a warm tingle?
Experiences of Heightened Spiritual Vibration
On the intellectual/emotional level, people report a sensation of expansive thought and perception, a release from linear analysis, and an inner emotional sense of peace and “rightness”. These mental/emotional sensations defy logical explanation yet often result in transformation of the person’s entire experience of life.
Above even our mental and emotional experience, we have something we generally refer to as spiritual experience. When interacting with cosmic energy, you might encounter epiphanies of the highest order. They sometimes come slowly, evolving over several hours or days. Or longer. Other times, they come like flashes of insight, or “downloads” of understanding. They are, at essence, experiences of higher self and mysticism.
These are generally referred to as “higher vibration” experiences. They’re not magic. Rather, as new perceptions come, the mind truly expands to see things differently. It’s what humans do at our best – engage in self-transformation and evolvement.
There’s a little image that I find helpful in thinking about my own nexus of body, mind, emotion, soul and spirit. Perhaps you’ll find it useful, too. Imagine your existence as a little sailboat on an ocean wave. Your body is the hull, your mind is the deck, your soul is the sail, and your spirit is the wind. The sail fills with the wind that the deck and hull do not directly experience. Yet the whole boat is moved in one direction, all parts heading together to one destination.
When cosmic energy fills your sail, as it were, you are moved in directions you are unable to move in otherwise.
How to Begin Exploring Cosmic Energy Experiences
Yoga, of course, is a great way to dip into cosmic energy. There are many styles and pretty much every city and town these days has at least one or two, or one or two dozen, yoga studios that offer a variety of teachings. All of them move prana throughout the body, preparing it for the inner stillness of meditation.
Speaking of meditation, you don’t have to do yoga first. There are plenty of styles of meditation from which to choose out there. You might start with mindfulness, or you might want to dip into cosmic energy meditation right off the bat. In fact, at the bottom of this page, you’ll see an audio player that will walk you through a 5-minute guided cosmic energy meditation. Try it and see what you think. If you like it, and it resonates with you, you’re welcome to sign up for a free membership to QuietSelf.
Another easily accessible option is reiki. Connecting with a reiki master might be revelatory to you. And it has the added benefit of being both healing and restorative to wellbeing.
You might find intention mantras useful.
Even just silently connecting with nature can bring awareness in ways you’re not expecting – especially if you set an intention to be open to new perceptions.
As you move forward, try to keep the following in mind. There’s no right or wrong pathway into experiences of cosmic energy. There is only the pathway you are on.
Travel far.