Be Like a Bird
Be like a bird, who, Halting in her flight On a limb too slight, Feels it give way beneath her, Yet sings, sings, Knowing she has wings! - Victor Hugo
Your Energetic Wings
If you have encountered divine beings in your practice, you may be aware that they have WINGS. Artists depicting angels and goddesses frequently including their wings (see the images of Freya, Isis, and Michael on my website for examples).
A lesser-known fact is that we humans also have "wings." These are energetic streams that flow into the area of the shoulder blades from the spiritual world, giving the peace of connection with our divine allies, and the security of the bird who does not rely on the flimsy branch beneath her feet, but on her ability to move, for her protection.
This energetic stream is the first I became aware of. As a young girl, I would become anxious when I needed to perform a piano solo in a recital, or when I slept alone, but I learned that if I simply prayed for peace, I would feel the soothing energy of divine connection flowing as if down an umbilical cord attached under my shoulder blades. Later I learned to unfurl my energetic wings, play with them, and fly, but just sensing their presence is a profound experience that can be a powerful antidote to the uncertainty that the experience of having a separate body on Earth brings.
How to Feel your Wings: To feel your wings, refrain from drinking alcohol for 24 hours (alcohol interferes with the conscious experience of the energetic flows), ground, align, and sit comfortably with your back straight. Place your awareness on the spaces beneath your shoulder blades, ask the gods for peace, and open to the flow. You may feel it more strongly on one side than the other. Just breathe and relax, and allow yourself to be soothed. You are ok in the present moment, and the present moment is ALL THAT IS. Release your clutching attachment to whatever structure you have been trying to derive security from and rest only lightly on your "branch," feeling it sway beneath you.
Once you feel the flow of peace down through your wings (it may take a few tries), play with moving them and feeling the "wind" beneath them, the support of all your allies, human and divine. When this becomes natural, you can move toward the "activist" version of this practice -- "plugging in" instantaneously in social situations, or when feeling threatened, and letting the peaceful current flow through you and out of heart and hand chakras to soothe and heal others.
Blessed Be!