Power

Jaya and ashe go on in this episode about power; what we all agree it is, what it is probably more like, and how to find the love hiding behind clinging, behind what feels powerful. 

We're talkin' about spiritual power, and we hope you enjoy.

This is the third of six parts in a series called First Fire. 

Each episode in this series is a small part of one longer conversation.  

Music from this episode is called Dusty Decks by Enlay.

To find out more about Open Dharma and Deep Rest Meditation, follow these links. 

Dharmacosm is produced by Jaya Julienne Ashmore and ashe d. phoenix. 

We are a powerful part of the Tenderfire Media network of tells and shows. 

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pow·er
/ˈpou(ə)r/
noun
noun: power; plural noun: powers

1. the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality.

"the power of speech"

2. the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.

"she had me under her power"

3. political or social authority or control, especially that exercised by a government.

"the party had been in power for eight years"

4. a right or authority that is given or delegated to a person or body.

"police do not have the power to stop and search"

5. the military strength of a state.

"the sea power of Venice"

6. a state or country, especially one viewed in terms of its international influence and military strength.

"a great colonial power"

Similar: state, country, nation, world power, superpower

7. a person or organization that is strong or influential within a particular context.

"he was a power in the university"

8. a supernatural being, deity, or force.

"the powers of darkness"

INFORMAL

denoting something associated with people who hold authority and influence, especially in the context of business or politics.

1. modifier noun: power

"a red power tie"

2. used in the names of movements aiming to enhance the status of a specified group.

"gay power"

3. physical strength and force exerted by something or someone.

"the power of the storm"

4. capacity or performance of an engine or other device.

"he applied full power"

5. denoting a sports player, team, or style of play that makes use of power rather than finesse.

"a power pitcher"

the magnifying capacity of a lens.

6. energy that is produced by mechanical, electrical, or other means and used to operate a device.

"generating power from waste"

7. electrical energy supplied to an area, building, etc.

"the power went off"

8. driven by electrical energy.

"a power drill"

PHYSICS

1. the time-rate of doing work, measured in watts or less frequently horsepower.

Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French poeir, from an alteration of Latin posse ‘be able’.

(Definitions from Oxford Languages).

** the power to notice how many words there are in this language for P-O-W-E-R.

Transcript

jaya: 0:00

Because you know, all the defenses are up, but it's kind of a, I think something maybe in the back gets a little bit of relief. Like a little, ahhh, maybe this story is not all there is.

ashe: 0:15

Totally. why the story being all there is why does that feel powerful in a moment? Do you know, does that, does that strike you? I feel like it's power that I'm clinging to when I'm like holding onto fear. When I have ostensibly somewhere in me, I know I have other choices. That's the most seductive or that's the most, it feels like power. Does it feel like power to you?

jaya: 0:41

It's powerful. And I think it's, I think it's love gone awry.

ashe: 0:47

Hmm.

jaya: 0:47

I think there's something that wants to be protective of our tenderness and it's just gone awry because it's trying to do it through control and dominance and repressing, you know, like shut up. They'll hear you, you know,

ashe: 1:07

is that just learned?

jaya: 1:11

I reckon there's probably some biology in there. I think there's a lot in the collective and the culture about pretense, even more than maybe some other, um, ages and cultures. There's more like, especially now with the U.S. Culture still, you know, it's on it's waning, but it's still the dominant kind of force or the dominant culture. Um, There's so much about how you package something, the packaging, the presentation, the pretense, um, the dismissal denial, like that's the state of mind that we cultivate collectively.

ashe: 2:00

And interpersonally, I guess. Okay. Full disclosure, I'm having somewhat of a, like conflict um with a person who I've just been thinking a lot about and like leaning a little bit into, well, I'll say it this way. I was like trying to compose a text message to this person. Even though, I didn't feel like I had anything to say because I wanted them to. You know, know that I heard them, but also ask for some space, you know, like use that time to be like, I'm hearing you, I want space. And I know that I'm holding on to- I was texting and I was thinking to myself, what might you say in this moment? Like w you know, it, it led me to cut out. I'll just a lot, just cut a lot out of what I had already written. And, um, and I could still feel like the parts that. The parts I would never think you would say. I think that was about power, like holding on clinging to some sense of like being right or powerfulness and that's part of my question for sure.

jaya: 3:05

Yeah. Yeah. There's being right. mean, it feels to me more true to say that we believe that being right is powerful. I'm not sure if it really is. I mean, it's dominant. It's culturally salient or it has valence culturally or whatever. It's We consider that to be powerful if you know, and if you're right, we consider that to be powerful. And so then it can move powerfully because we all agree to that in a way, but it's also kind of like, like all the power built up towards the front and the back is exposed kind of thing. It's like, whereas with wholeness. We're in touch with reality and including within reality, the welling up of what is protective of life through love rather than being defensive through fear. So I think it's really cool, like to inquire what I mean by inquire is more like in. Inward questioning, but in a feeling way, when I am sure that I'm right. How does it feel in the body or if someone doesn't feel their body very easily? Like what kind of voices that, or what images come,

ashe: 4:33

thank you for that addition. I cannot tell you how much I struggle in. Another thing that's making me emotional because I'm like, I don't think when people say, where do you feel it in your body? There's really very little comes to mind most often, you know, I'm just like, Ugh, I'm not sure. I'm pretty much thinking these thoughts. And I know that there are sometimes I'm in touch with that concept. Like it comes very naturally to me to say where right often I am. That's not the language I would use or I don't connect to that idea. And then I feel a little bit, um, I start to get very curious about that. That's putting it maybe mildly sometimes, you know, it's frustrating to not be able to receive the teaching or, you know, to impose a barrier there where there could be a lot of inquiry. But, um, I do appreciate the permission, I guess, for more options, it, it makes it all feel maybe more connected. Like there is a body place, for me also, I just get, maybe we'll get there a different way, but anyway, I was just, I've never heard that before those like, think about it differently than that. And it'd be the same concept is new for me.