How to write a consciously evolved e-mail

In this era of instant communication and everyone being in a rush to do everything, the quality and effectiveness of e-mails has, all too often, suffered. But it needn’t. With a bit of mindful presence whilst ‘doing our e-mails’ it’s possible to combine both the convenience and speed of electronic communications with a deeper, meaningful (and thus more effective) means of engaging with our fellow human-beings.

How to
1. So let’s assume that we’re about to e-mail a particular individual. The first thing is to ascertain if it’s worth our effort. Engaging consciously does take time and focused intent: if that is unlikely to be reciprocated, why bother? Discernment is a useful ally here: but that’s a blog for another time.

2. Next, what sort of a message? Most of us seem to be fairly well conditioned to ‘dash off a quick e-mail’, and sometimes that’s appropriate: e.g. to confirm some practical arrangement. But, if the topic is something with a deeper significance, concerning personal feelings, for example, does that not require a bit more attention? Just because the recipient will not receive it as we write it (if only my a few seconds) doesn’t mean feelings can be ignored!

3. In might thus be appropriate to consider the e-mail as a carrier for, or indicator of a heart-felt telepathic communication. And this can be as relevant in a message to a loved one as to a customer who’s just complained about your product or service!

4. But how? I would adapt the process I teach for ‘distance healing’:

• Tune into the person, visualise them if you know them, or bring to mind whatever you can to uniquely identify them.
  
• Get yourself into a state of inner peaceful, mindful presence, deep relaxation: whichever of these ideas you resonate with and by whatever techniques works for you (in might mindfulness, Reiki healing or any form of reflective or contemplative exercise, for example).
• Now bring these two conscious states together: superimpose your sense of connection to your recipient with your inner state of peace. (Note: if you’re not able to do this, that may be an indicator that preparing this e-mail at this time is not appropriate!)

5. Now, and only now, start writing. Allow the words to flow through you rather than from you, from the bit of you (some call it higher self or soul) that, through your connection exercise above, is now connected to the e-mail recipient (at a level or mode of consciousness beyond the rational, and beyond satellites and fibre-optics).

6. Read the message back to yourself (and edit for legibility if required): how does it feel? Does it feel ‘right’, ‘appropriate’? If not, take a few moments to get into a state of mindful presence and tune into the recipient and the topic again. Reread their last message to you: could it be taken another way? Is there another facet to it that you’ve previously overlooked? Have you considered all the points they raised?

7. Once you’re reasonably happy . . . sleep on it. Allow other deeper nuances to the situation to emerge and update your draft accordingly.

8. If, as you begin this process, you realise that there are many factors which you need time to reflect on, consider sending a short response in the meantime:

“Thank you. Much to reflect on! I’ll get back to you when I’ve had chance to think this through and get a better feel for what’s really going on”.

Yes, it takes time. But by adopting this approach, misunderstandings will be minimised. The recipient will appreciate that their perspective is being considered. In the long term, it is a much more effective means of using e-mails . .

A conscious e-mail!?
The title of this piece is quite deliberately open to interpretation: do I mean that the writer of the e-mail is more consciously evolved  . . . or the e-mail itself?

Both! Obviously if the individual who’s drafting or responding to an e-mail is more aware and ‘connected’ as they create their message then they will be demonstrating a level of consciousness beyond the usual mindless, uncaring, reactionary string of text. But if an e-mail (or even a text or social media chat/message) is created from a deeper connected place, then does not the message itself become imbibed with depth and meaning?

Most definitely! All communication is a form of energy exchange. Just as radio and TV content is transmitted as energy pulses via radio waves, so all electronic content is transmitted (typically via WiFi, fibres optic cables and/or satellite). The content isn’t just the 1s and 0s that are converted into words and pictures, it is also the emotional energy conveyed in the tones, gestures and yes, even in emoji or emoticons :-)

In face to face communication or over the phone, those who make the effort and have a degree of evolved consciousness, are able to pick up nuances in what’s being said, or read between the lines of a letter. All of this is at the non-literal and usually sub-conscious level: it’s energetic, happening within a mode of consciousness beyond our rational thoughts. And that’s the point: this energetic communication transcends all boundaries of location and time. If a writer/speaker is present when they write their e-mail (or record their webinar)  and the listener/viewer is wholly present when they read or watch it back those inner, deeper, meanings will still be present: even across continents, even if separated by hours, months or even decades.

Content without heart and soul has no power, no energy and is thus unlikely to make a lasting impression. But when we put our creative energies, our inner sense of purpose and compassion into our e-mails, that will be transferred over the internet . . . so long as the recipient has a sufficiently open, receptive and aware state of mind as the receive it.

It is really our choice: to perpetuate dead, soulless e-mails or evolve them into a new electronic art-form; where an open-mindedness, compassion and desire to engage as fellow human-beings is propagated in all our digital dealings.