Hard to believe the holidays are upon us? Weren't we just being broiled 'neath the late summer's heat? And with Thanksgiving now past, only a few short weeks remain until Christmas.
With such thoughts in mind I share some recent findings from the fascinating HeartMath Institute group I've written about over the years.
As we gather with friends and family, this nonprofit research association that delves from a scientific viewpoint into the innermost recesses of our hearts has some fascinating facts to share about these holiday-related events and how we relate among ourselves without awareness or uttering a single word.
Deborah Rozman, a veteran psychologist who directs HeartMath, writes that we each are "feeding the field" whenever we join such groups.
She gives the example of times when you enter a space immediately after two people have had a heated disagreement to detect the tension lingering in the air. "You could cut it with a knife as the saying goes. We're feeling the collective energy of what just happened even though nobody has spoken. The collective room environment is based on the energy of each individual in that room."
The same holds true when we enter a room or space and sense something positive or fun just happened. "We may feel compelled to ask, 'What? What just happened?' Then someone breaks the silence and gives the good news," Rozman explains.
All this is based in the research conducted at the institute over the past decade. "The electromagnetic field generated by your heart and mine is the most powerful and largest rhythmic energy field our bodies produce," she says, adding that the heart's field is about 100 times greater in amplitude than that of the brain. Even more fascinating, this EM field can be detected by the brainwaves of others when in close proximity or touching.
Simply put, what you and I are feeling at any given moment is being released into the collective field environment close to us whether we mean to and are even aware of that release. Rozman adds that it translates to the individual electromagnetic field we each are continually discharging into our surrounding environments and "not only affects us, our health and perspective on life, it also contributes to the environment wherever we are."
As to how this information relates to the holiday season, it's beneficial to realize that, whatever else we might be bringing to our gatherings of family and friends, one of the most significant things is what your EM heart energy and mine is adding to the overall social environment.
Surely, most of you (as with me) have experienced how one negative person can dampen not only the larger mood but the attitudes and thus the energy of those around him or her. Now we might better understand what's happening and perhaps find ways to counter that at our personal events.
"Knowing more about how we contribute allows us to consider what we want to add," says Rozman. Will it be drama and negativity we bring, or can we strive to bring examples of the holiday spirit and feed the collective field with peace and gratitude?
In that vein, Rozman offered several ideas for you and I to make holiday gatherings far more fulfilling.
First, it's important to select the right attitude before everyone gathers, kind of like choosing what we are going to wear. Then stay focused on maintaining that attitude throughout the day and evening. That could range from "just be genuine" to "stay positive" or "I'm here to serve and express appreciation."
Secondly, should you or I feel ourselves becoming negative, grumpy or stressed, put a stop to it before it gets going. "Remind yourself it's just not worth draining your energy reserves," says Rozman. If need be, find some quiet for a few minutes to regain your inner balance.
Finally, keep at the forefront of your awareness that your perfection, or perfection in others, isn't expected or even necessarily a positive. We live in a human environment where mistakes and unexpected events are commonplace. Remember that some of the most memorable holiday gatherings were those years when the turkey burned or the Christmas tree unexpectedly toppled. Get pictures so you can laugh together in years to come.
Closed then reopened
Thanks to readers who pointed out that while France did initially close its borders after fewer than 10 radical Islamists either killed or wounded hundreds of its citizens, as I recently wrote, a few days later the nation decided to reopen them to thousands of unvetted Syrian refugees.
All I can add is I continue to wish the French best of luck as a result of their choice.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 11/29/2015