Mark Wenz
It’s human nature to want to be liked and to desire a large group of supportive people around us. However, some relationships do nothing to support our spiritual growth but do the opposite by holding us back and distracting us from staying on our spiritual evolutionary path.
We have all known people whose very presence makes us tense, defensive, anxious, or angry. Perhaps a “friend” or co-worker enjoys jabbing you with sharp criticisms in front of others or a family member constantly puts you down. Instead of trying to convince these people that they should like you, sometimes it’s best to simply not engage. You don’t need their dark energy. We all need people who uplift us, who remind us that the divine spirit resides somewhere inside all of us.
Hating or engaging in verbal combat with these people is counterproductive. If our consciousness has been raised, we feel unconditional love for these people and wonder this: What kind of hurt have they suffered in their lives that has resulted in their misery? If these people refuse to recognize their own need for healing, there is ultimately nothing you can do. The best course of action to deal with people who continually bring you down is to love the divinity inside of them while refusing to engage with them. I call these people the “soul suckers.” Don’t let them take away your power to spread love to others in your sphere. Don’t allow them to veer you off your course of spiritual growth.
I’m aware that letting go is sometimes difficult. Refusing to engage with people’s dark energy and hateful behavior is different than not forgiving them. You can forgive them and pray for them and hope that they heal and find their path of spiritual growth, yet you don’t have to give them the power to bring you down.
Sometimes it’s easy to ignore the dark energy of others. In public we have all run into rude, selfish, and hateful people. Why let them bother you? Envision a shield of protective light around you and simply go about your day. These people have no right to suck your energy from you, so don’t let them!
At other times it’s not easy to ignore the dark energy of others. This is especially painful if the person putting you down is a family member. I have a family member who constantly blamed me for her problems and who constantly ridiculed and verbally abused me for 15 years before I finally let go and said “enough!”, and my life became simpler and happier almost immediately.
Don’t let the “soul suckers” take away your light. Stay on the path of forgiveness, compassion, and love, but don’t give up your power.
At Unity Church of Sun Lakes we welcome all people with open arms. Join us at 10 a.m. on Sundays in the Arts and Crafts room at Sun Lakes Country Club.