I’ve been noticing lately an air about some teachers or coaches who have a program they want to promote in order to help support others to “wake up” or “increase their frequency.”

They want to help people become more tuned into themselves and essentially to become more conscious. This idea of becoming more conscious has to do with broadening our awareness to either unconscious behaviors or learning something that can make us feel more present in our lives. The sentiment is usually not meant to harm another and in fact can be of benefit for some people. The terms of “ascension” have been so overused as well, at least when I observe it coming from people who use it as a means to draw attention.

I respect that we as human beings want to feel good, to understand more of who we are, and to feel even better being alive on this planet for the time we are given. That is why we have numerous activities to get our energy going, particularly in the movement of the New Age, which are ancient practices to connect to our deeper self, like the art of yoga and meditation. These acts of movement elevate our mood and can deepen our receptivity to our inner world. Meditation has many uses and can bring about an access point to becoming more aware of our thoughts or to help us become more grounded into our body. We can sense a connection being created with any emotions that we haven’t fully felt in a while, or can be used to sit with ideas or problems that need our attention. It can allow us to mentally contact what surrounds us, like nature or a particular object one is focused on—and maybe to something even greater, something intangible.

It can also be used as an escape route to avoid facing certain feelings or situations just to get that hit, to then simply ignore or slide under the rug behaviors or situations that are not ready to be addressed. We can consciously or unconsciously manipulate and misuse any substance, tool, or even person in order to extract what we need. As with anything, there are pros and cons, and these feel-good activities can turn sour, degrading our bodies or our minds. It can leave us in our bubble of what we think is supporting our growth when maybe it is just another mechanical act because someone told us that this is the way to find connection to our deeper selves.

I have noticed a superiority complex in some of these coaches who may share beneficial information, but share their story without humility. It can come off like they have something that others don’t. I recently received a newsletter where a woman was promoting her program and the last comment she made was, “Don’t sleep on this one.” I understand the idea of what she is saying, attempting to market her work. Implying her readers are asleep comes off condescending and leaves me feeling less than interested in opening the door of exploring what she offers. A teacher simply becomes more of an avid student to their work and is meant to be of service. It is a simple statement I read that most likely is a selling point and a mild use of cleverness to draw students in. Subtlety to me it felt like I was assumed to be in a position of not doing the inner work, not “in the know,” and that they have the answer to help me “wake up.” This brings me back to the whole concept of a coach wanting to help someone attain a “high frequency.”

It reminds me of two governing laws of nature, according to the “Kybalion,” which is a Hermetic text that shares seven laws of nature. One of them is the “Principle of Vibration” that simply states everything is in constant motion and continuously moving, hence everything is vibrating all the time, even if it doesn’t look like it is. There is evidence in science to prove that an atom is vibrating at a rate that we can’t perceive with our own physical eyes. So, there is some truth in that how we feel can correlate to an increase or decrease in our frequency. We can just ask ourselves how we feel in this moment and can sense or measure how we feel. The better we feel, we can say, the higher our frequency. And it can be tricky because some people may look happy or look like peaceful yogis who are giving off “high vibes” and saying just the right thing when in reality are putting on a performance and aren’t as genuine as they would like to be. It may not be deliberate, but it isn’t in integrity, as in how they feel doesn’t match what they are putting out.

Another principle that this reminds me of is the “Principle of Rhythm.” Look at how nature shows up rhythmically. There are typically four seasons to her flow, for example. We as human beings also have our cycles, our ebb and flow. My point is is that even if we are becoming more tuned into our psyche, our bodies, and our minds, there will be a rise and a fall. One day we will feel on top of our world, arms at our hips, chest out, superman or superwoman style, and then maybe the next day, we are slumped over and feel like we don’t know what we are doing with our lives. It is part of nature and something to embrace because what goes up must come down. To find our dance within these laws is part of the exploration and fun of getting to know ourselves.

I respect the world of healing, as I consider myself to be someone who supports others in their healing, but we need to accept that life has its own ebbs and flows. Like allowing feelings to arise that may not feel or look good, recognizing that it is completely natural and does not make one less “awake.” I also want to acknowledge that people who are in the field of self-help who want to serve others will have layers of their own self-work that need to be done. The work is not over just because someone proclaims to be a teacher. It brings me a sense of relief when I see coaches or self-help teachers who are humble, sharing their mistakes or what they are working on in their own life, diligently active toward self-discovery.

I can feel an air of humanity and that they truly want to share their gifts, even if they sometimes hit a block in the road. It also keeps their content fresh and honest if they are genuine in their expression. I am protective of people who fall for fancy words or images, with promises of ascension that will only keep them distracted and looking outward for their inner hunger to be satiated. I support the medicine givers of this time to share their work sincerely. I also want to pull caution out of the wind and share with words that we are responsible not only for our inner work of cleaning up what we need to clean up, but to be discerning on to whom we open our energy, mind, and bodies to aid us in our healing journey.

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