Eyes & seeing

In Energy Training according to Harald Alke, the eyes are regarded as a mirror of feeling and of the soul’s condition. This entry gathers a personal, worldview-based view of the eyes, perception and eyesight – expressly no medical statement and no substitute for an eye specialist’s diagnosis or treatment.

In the eyes and the fine reactions of the many small folds around them, a great deal about a person shows itself, in our view. Stirrings, memories and feelings find their expression here.

How do we see the connection between eyes and soul?

We understand the eyes as gateways of the soul. An old observation that we share: the right eye is connected with the left half of the brain, the left with the right. We assign to the right eye rather the outer world, activity, assertiveness, criticism and intellect; to the left eye rather imagination, intuition, feeling and inner life.

That is an interpretive, symbolic view – no medical model. It is meant as a stimulus for self-observation, not as an explanation of an illness.

Can the perception of the eyes shift?

We assume that the perceptive capacity of our eyes is shaped and limited by upbringing and experience. Under certain circumstances, in our experience, other regions of the spectrum can be sensed. If the band of perception shifts, in the new spectral region the accustomed gradations of colour appear again.

Seen this way, “green” is not a fixed colour but roughly the middle of the visible slit of the electromagnetic spectrum, fixed today by habit. If the region of perception shifts, its middle appears once more as green. Pressure on the closed eyelids too produces light reflexes and in part characteristic patterns – here pressure becomes perceptible as a light impulse, not light in the proper sense.

An experience from practice (1987): After a long meditation I came to myself in a completely dark room and nevertheless saw everything as bright as day, with a brassy tone in the light; outside everything seemed blue-violet and unreal. Only when I “switched off” the (already switched-off) ceiling lamp did this seeing collapse and I stood in the dark by sparse moonlight. Such altered perceptions I have experienced several times. To me this suggests that we fix the range of our optical perception through upbringing and convention – and that with unusual training methods we can change something about it.

How do we read various sight problems?

The following assignments are a worldview-based reading, no medical diagnosis and no statement about the causes of an illness. Sight problems such as short- or long-sightedness, cataract or glaucoma belong in any case in an eye specialist’s examination. We expressly do not advise against seeking medical advice or taking up a recommended treatment.

From our view, sight themes often have to do with the relationship to one’s own environment:

• Short-sightedness we read as a tendency to withdraw, out of being overwhelmed or unsure, into the surveyable near range – connected with the wish to look again more into the distance and into the future.
• Long-sightedness we understand conversely as a difficulty in accepting the nearer surroundings as they are – with the stimulus to arrive more in the here and now.
• Glaucoma (the “green” cataract in German usage) we connect in our reading with lasting tension, worry and inharmoniously distributed energy. What can do good here is more calm and understanding in the surroundings; relaxing methods such as autogenic training or breathing exercises (pranayama) many experience as beneficial.
• Cataract (the “grey” cataract) we connect symbolically with the wish for a meaning-giving life task, as well as with movement in fresh air and a balanced diet as generally beneficial factors.
• Elevated inner pressure we read as an image for long-built-up inner, soul-related pressure; here more self-assurance and trusting attention can be experienced as relieving.

Important: these are experience- and attitude-related descriptions. None of these suggestions heals, eases or remedies an eye illness, and none replaces the eye specialist’s treatment. If your eye doctor recommends a therapy, please discuss changes with them and discontinue nothing on your own initiative.

An observation of my own on the side: my own short-sightedness fluctuated over the years with my soul’s condition and my screen work. In phases in which I feel very well, I hardly need the glasses at times. That I read, for myself, as a hint of how closely well-being and seeing can hang together – without deriving from it a general rule or a promise of healing.

A practical, uncontested point: dry room air from air conditioning and heating can irritate the eyes. Whoever notices this can refresh face and eyes with water several times a day.

Which eye exercises are there in Energy Training?

The following exercises we understand as attentive self-perception and relaxation, not as therapy. With existing eye illnesses, please have it clarified by a doctor beforehand whether they are suitable for you.

1. Mirror exercise. Regard your face calmly in the mirror and concentrate one after another on one eye each, then crosswise, finally on the point of the third eye between the brows. This can lead to more self-acceptance and inner calm.
2. Candle exercise. In the evening observe a candle at eye level, first with both eyes, then alternately with one eye, and regulate the distance of focus from far to the tip of the nose. To conclude, gather inwards and upwards with closed eyes. We experience this as calming and collecting.
3. Perceiving the edge region. Hold the head still and circle with the eyes, thereby consciously heeding only the outermost edge of the field of view. While walking (on a safe path) or as a passenger in a car this can be deepened – never drive yourself while doing it.
4. Near and far. In front of a window or outdoors, let the gaze wander back and forth between the near surroundings and the far view, right up to the tip of the nose and the furthest point. This fosters the mobility of the eyes.
5. Grain-of-rice journey. With closed eyes imagine a grain of rice and send it in thought on a journey around the world – a relaxing exercise for before falling asleep.
6. Warmth of the hands. Rub the palms warm against each other, lay them before the closed eyes, feel the warmth and afterwards regard the surroundings anew.
7. Sun with measure. In the morning until around 10 o’clock or in the evening after 5 o’clock, experience the sunlight with at first closed, then cautiously opened eyes. Please never overdo it and do not practise in the midday sun – if something is unpleasant, break off.
8. Perceiving prana. Whoever engages with the chapter on prana in Energy Training can learn to discover the fine particles of light in the surroundings.

Applied regularly and in any order, many experience these exercises as beneficial for tired eyes. Our eyes are often simply tired because what is seen is routine. Excursions into nature, where the gaze can roam far, do good in our view.

How does Energy Training work with the gaze?

With Native American medicine men I got to know a method that works with the eye: if, where pupil and iris bound each other, a tiny reflex of light appears in a relaxed mood, the healer fixes this point. We read this as an inner exchange in which the person finds their way to more clarity and a more positive conception of life. That is an experience-related account, no medical treatment and no healing procedure.

Similar is the exchange of eyes in tantra: after shared exercises, two people look calmly and lovingly into one eye each, without pressure and without a play of power. We often experience thereby a deep feeling of connectedness – a basis for an intense human encounter.

Note: This article renders a personal, worldview-based view and is not medical advice. It replaces no medical diagnosis or treatment. For health questions please turn to a doctor or pharmacy; do not discontinue prescribed medication on your own initiative.

Autor: D. Harald Alke