Every time a loved one or client celebrates an anniversary of sobriety, I truly celebrate with them. Because so many do not ever make it there, to the feeling of freedom and empowerment that comes from walking through the dark night and surviving to see the other side. In my practices, I see everything as an expression of an energetic presence, and through many years of experience, I have cultivated intentional relationship with many presences that are life-affirming, deeply trustable, and profoundly healing ~ this has definitely benefitted me personally, and continues to benefit those who are called to work with me as well. One presence that I encounter occasionally that is deeply problematic and troubling, though, is the energetic spirit presence that comes with alcohol. When I began to walk this spirit path with full commitment, my guides insisted that I walk away from it, and I have come to understand that well.
Alcohol is celebrated in modern culture as the lubricant that removes inhibitions, sheds stress, and brings people to experience a sense of joy. Sometimes. If consumed in modest amounts by people who are strongly anchored in themselves and this world, who are not particularly sensitive or empathic, and who do not carry any deep traumas that have not been healed. For anyone who has ever crossed the threshold into drunkenness, feeling that sense of watery instability, both physically and emotionally, there is a moment where things may shift into a darker space. This is the shadow world of the water element, and alcohol can unlock this gate for even the most stable person.
For those who are more energetically open, empathic, and sensitive, those with porous boundaries, and those who carry the heaviness of trauma within themselves, the spirit of alcohol can cause immense harm. Unlocking the shadows within, and opening one’s boundaries further, alcohol feeds on the energetic chaos, on the stirring darkness, and feeds the drinker a sense that perhaps the only escape from these things is one more drink. Seeking freedom from pain that may or may not even be their own, those caught in the grips of alcohol are gradually taken over by its spirit. This is not merely partial soul loss, this becomes full soul loss as the drinker is encapsulated in an inner world of confusion, pain, and turmoil that seems inescapable. And the path out of this place requires immense strength and commitment on the part of the drinker. Alcohol is a hungry ghost that becomes hungrier as drinking proceeds. So many who become trapped in this state do not ever find their way out, and their lives are progressively destroyed.
Some people may be free to enjoy consuming alcohol in modest quantities. But those who do find their way out of this poisonous addiction are absolutely right to stay away for good, as the alcohol spirit is always ready to hook back into them given a chance. If you’re reading this, and you’ve found your way out of the grips of alcohol, I bow in your honor, you are courageous and strong beyond measure, and I honor you as a true hero. If you’re reading this, and some part of you feels that there may be some truth to this in your life, and you have no idea how to face it, know that you CAN. You ARE strong enough. There is help available, and it doesn’t always have to look like AA or conventional rehab.
