A Way Through

How emotional pain and suffering can be used as a catalyst to make us more conscious and can be seen in a positive light to get us to where we need to be.

Pain and suffering do not last forever.  They can't as it's impossible, once we realize what is at the root.  What causes pain?  What causes suffering?  I am, of course, referring to emotional pain.  Both of these conditions rely on an ego.  They need some sort of defined image or idea about what life should look like.  A simple definition of pain would be when life does not match my own idea of it.  Suffering, then, is the ongoing, repetitive attempts to make life fit into my ideas about it.

Feel Your Emotions

"Just as clouds form when warm air meets cold, so our emotions sit on the boundary between inner peace and outer attachment."

Our emotions are wonderful tools that guide us through this life.  Unlike our thoughts which tend to anchor us in the physical world, our emotions are reactive in nature.  They are neither positive nor negative yet simply float through our inner being.  Emotions, like our thoughts, should be observed and not identified with.

Our emotions originate in the space where our inner world and outer world meet.  Just as clouds form when warm air meets cold, so our emotions sit on the boundary between inner peace and outer attachment.  The greater the attachment to this world, then the greater emotional tumult as we journey within to a place of stillness.  If we realize that emotions are simply doing their job of making their presence known to us, we would not wish to rid ourselves of them, especially the emotions we may label as "negative" but are not really so.  These emotions are sadness, anger, hopelessness, grief, pain, guilt and other similar emotions.

In fact, the more we try and wish these emotions away or cover them up, they become trapped inside us without way of escape.  Like clouds, they need to freely move through our consciousness until they dissipate on their own accord.  Trapped emotions become part of our inner pain.  They will eventually work their way out through acting out behaviors, behaviors that we unconsciously do to bring pain into our lives.  We do this so that we will eventually confront our inner pain.

Instead, feel your emotions.  Go into them and experience them.  At the same time, we are the observer, taking an inner ride through our emotional clouds.  As we feel our emotions, they dissipate on their own, because the inner light of our consciousness eventually breaks through.  As we focus our inner soul radiance on our emotional clouds, we see that our inner joy never left but may have been temporarily obscured. We let our emotions percolate up from the depth of our soul as they expand into Supreme consciousness and are absorbed by the Love that is all there is.

As we journey within, this is why the emotions surface on occasion. Our consciousness begins to shift from attachment to this world and we run into the emotions. They are the fog or mist that separate us from inner peace. If we avoid them, we miss out on the peace that lies just beyond their perimeter. Instead, we brace ourselves and feel our cockpit rattle as we pass through them. Pass through them, we must to get a taste of Divine bliss. The joy in life is in the journey that we take to our destination.

Living a Balanced Life

"Just as I am the connection between the earth and the heavens, I need to strive for balance, which is being grounded as I pursue spiritual realms."

I must always strive to live my life in balance: spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically. Without balance, I am like the parable of the person who built their house on sand.  It is only a matter of time before the storms of life come.  Our house will come crashing down. It appears as if we are shaken by the Universe, yet this is part of the design of our existence.  An unbalanced life is not sustainable, and the storms push us towards balance.  In a balanced life, God is present so we should embrace the storms as vehicles that bring us to the feet of our Beloved.
 
Being balanced means living a centered life, where all of our centers are in balance.  Balance is an ideal to strive for as, without it, I will spin out of control.  Many times the storms of life are of our own creation.  The storms are created by this imbalanced state.
 
For example, if I am stuck in my emotions and go solely by feeling in life but do not consider reality, then I am easily deceived.  Others may attempt to manipulate me through my emotions and I would not see it if I was not grounded in reality, that is using my intellect and observing what is happening in physical reality.
 
I cannot write about a balanced life without discussing the seven centers that comprise one system used to describe consciousness.  Balance in these seven centers are outside the scope of this writing, but there is value solely in their awareness.  They are survival, sexuality, will power, love, communication, intuition, and transcendence.  Each center can be fully opened, fully closed or have different levels of openness.   
 
Without balance, even spiritual pursuits do not amount to much.  This is because we will not be able to sustain this life and eventually will be derailed from our spiritual journey.  This is why a vital ingredient to cultivating a sustainable spiritual life is striving to maintain our balance or centeredness at all times.  We are plants grounded in earth yet need the light of the sun.  If a plant is uprooted, it will wither away.  If a plant has too little or too much water or sun, its growth or even survival will be affected.  Yet, if the basic needs of ourselves are properly provided for, we will grow unbounded towards the heavens.  Just as I am the connection between the earth and the heavens, I need to strive for balance, which is being grounded as I pursue spiritual realms.

Let Go of Guilt and Worry

"Guilt means I am holding onto the past; worry means I want to control the future. Both show that I am not living in the present moment."

Many emotions that we feel, we have direct control over. It is so easy to feel like a "victim" in life. We all act like victims of our circumstance. The truth is we can instantly change many of our emotions with the force of will. It is only our unbelief, our lack of faith, that makes us feel enslaved to every emotion. We need to see ourselves as separate from our body, mind and emotions.

If we do this, we can see that we can observe the emotions much more easily, and, consequently, understand why we feel a certain way. Understanding takes power away from the emotions. We see that we feel a certain way in a certain situation and take note of it. We, then, are better prepared to handle that situation in the future. For example, I may feel guilty about spending money on myself to buy some new pants. However, the pants may be necessary to hold down a job and the guilt is misplaced.

Guilt, when felt genuinely for a legitimate situation where I have wronged others or myself, should be taken seriously directly after the offense. Thereafter, feelings of guilt are a way for me to feel enslaved to that moment in time. Similarly, worry felt for a loved one may be a clue to us that immediate action is needed. Take that action, yet do not hold onto the worry.

Guilt means I am holding onto the past; worry means I want to control the future. Both show that I am not living in the present moment. For the most part, negative emotions are a slave to the ego. The ego does not want to live in the present moment. In the present moment, the ego dissolves away as we are then truly in the presence of God or Self. By a force of will, let go of guilt, let go of worry. They do us no good but serve only to rob us of living our lives. They keep us enslaved to the past and the future, two imaginary domains of the ego.

When else can we live our lives but in the present moment? There is no other time to live so we must drop our imaginary shackles and embrace the freedom that is ours in the here and now.