More on Energy
I've mentioned about the effect of energy on communities ('The Influence of Minds') but there is another aspect of this that I want to examine here and that is the effect of people in close proximity experiencing energy. In football matches or any other situation where people are close together the energy moves through the crowd and builds up. This can have an overwhelming effect and the power of a mob can cause people to act in ways that in retrospect they find shocking. In fact it's this huge build up of energy that causes the home ground advantage. Even in cinemas people get a communal response to fear or comedy that surpasses what they would feel seeing the same movie at home, and similarly with live concerts.
The Romans used this to good effect in the Coliseum and it was built circular
in order to harness this energy. The Romans knew that the main emotions to stimulate
men (and it was only men who visited the Coliseum) were sex and violence, preferably
combined. Hollywood knows this as well. The central area of the Coliseum could
be flooded in order to have sea 'games' and one particular act had young Greek
girls, dressed in white, on a boat. As the boat went round the artificial lake
they sang to the tune of lutes played by young boys, also dressed in white.
The Romans had a low opinion of the Greeks who they considered effeminate. Then
crocodiles were released into the lake and it slowly became apparent that the
boat was sinking. As in dawned on the passengers they changed from singing to
screaming. The girls thrashed round in the water only to be eaten by the crocodiles
and the Romans looked on in wild amusement as the water turned red. When it
was over the men would go down to the area under the seats and visit the prostitutes
where they could dissipate their energy.
The build up of energy in crowds is used in the Muslim prayer lines. Muslim prayers raise energy and concentration exercises concentrate the energy in the heart area. The congregation prays shoulder to shoulder and this serves to let the energy travel down the line. In Mecca where the prayer is performed in a circle this has an added effect.
