What is the Purpose of Intensity?

We could also call it dissatisfaction, frustration, ferociousness - and perhaps just good old anger. It could be felt physically or more as a restlessness. Feeling like we might explode, or that we MUST say or do something.

When intensity arises in the human being, it can be inconvenient and even destructive. In this piece of writing I am pursuing an understanding of this way of being so that we can put it into the proper context.

The big thing that I have realized is that intensity is not a bad thing at all. It is actually one of the human abilities or powers. When properly channeled, intensity is an amazing tool for breaking stagnant situations and our own self imposed limitations.

The Holy Fire

In most spiritual, religious, mystical, and magical traditions we have a certain reverence for fire. It's not by accident that fire is held as a sacred tool for cleansing and transformation. There is also the metaphor of the phoenix, which in it's fiery death is reborn. There are some strong clues here as to what this way of being is about.

The basic metaphor of fire, is that it consumes things and brings a great deal of attention to its self. Let's be super literal - and find our understanding/inner-standing through that. The fire needs fuel to feed on - what is fueling your fire? If you are near a huge bonfire then you will undoubtedly feel it's heat and it's light - on a cold evening it is a very life affirming thing.

In a cold world, fire is life - yet it actually goes beyond that. Fire is transcendent, and we see that in the tendency for the flames to continually rise upward, wisp like and ethereal it is ever shifting and never still. Fire will change things from one state to another, it can not exist without doing so - be prepared for this if you want to work with this energy.

Fire encompasses both life and death, and depending on how it is handled can facilitate either of them. Fire can cook our meals and warm our homes, but fire is also dangerous. At the extreme, fire is death - it will burn the body. It will turn our vessel into ash and dust. There's not a lot of wealth in contemplating this destruction literally - yet on the internal level this is a very valuable tool for transformation.

Renewal - The Cycle of Birth and Death

Just as things in the physical world are born and die, this is exactly the case for our internal world. The organisms that live inside us are primarily thoughts and feelings, subtle imprints. The complexity of thought and feeling, as well as our connection to the collective consciousness bring certain identities and thought forms into existence.

It's living out and connecting to these thought forms which is the basis of life for most people. In truth we are not these thought forms, we are actually a transcendent consciousness which is the playing the game of inhabiting these various personas.

Coming back to fire, and to life and death, we can start to apply this to the internal realm in terms of these thought forms. If you are able to see that you are not your identity or identities, then it becomes possible to put them to the flame so to speak. This in essence is the renewal of the spirit, through cleansing away our false constructs of ourselves.

Directed Intensity & Calm Intensity

When intensity comes - think of it as a golden opportunity to purge things in your life that no longer serve you. Many human beings back away from this energy, because we don't want to hurt anyone or offend anyone. Perhaps we just feel scared or out of control, or slip into some predictable thought loop about how it's life fault, or someone else's fault. Feeling attacked and defensive the fire never reaches critical mass and we never fully combust in cathartic self regenesis.

It's about being open and vulnerable, and facing the feeling of our own death. Its not a real death it is the death of identity and ego. Nevertheless it involves great resistance and fear.

When the fire is directed inward with a keen self awareness, we will find that the fire of intensity becomes the perfect tool for moving through our outdated traits and habits. I am talking about victim-hood, apathy, doubt, fear, co-dependence, and anything that limits our creative force and expression of truth. When directed outward it can power a strong workout session, a devotional practice, or to say something that needs to be said.

Anger has been an attribute of many yogis, zen masters, and realized beings. They use it as a tool to smack us out of our day dream. The dream of identity can be pleasant at times, yet it is also the source of our suffering. True inner fire is the conviction to offer everything up to the supreme consciousness - going completely into the unknown with no guarantee of any outcome.

Fire can be a self sacrifice, we use ourselves as the fuel and generate the necessary light and heat to create miracles. In truth we always have access to that miraculous energy - it was merely impeded by our own doubts and fears, and the belief in our limited ways of being.

I would love to hear your opinion on fire, literally, metaphorically, and otherwise. This week I am going to be hosting a meditation on fire, and it is my intent to use it as a transformational tool for everyone's highest good.