You know how healing is a never-ending spiral? It sometimes seems as if I’m confronting the same issues within myself over and over. Each time, a deeper layer reveals itself. Oh, how my mind longs for the days when I will be “completely healed.” (Insert laugher here.)
What does that even look like? In an idealized world, I would have no triggers, no wounds, no anger, and no self-denial. Instead, I would be in complete and total bliss permanently. Nevermind the troubles of the world, or my family, or my partner. I would just “be okay.”
Why have we equated spiritual evolution with a lack of emotion? It seems pretty messed up to expect us to feel joy but not pain. They go hand in hand. The part of the brain that regulates joy is the exact same part of the brain that regulates grief. One cannot truly be experienced without the other.
For thousands of years, we have been led to believe that feelings are weak. They somehow put us in the “inferior” category. I used to agree. Not because I actually agreed, but because it was what I was told by everyone around me. I learned how to silence myself before being silenced by another. The display of emotions was not safe. Over the years, I completely lost touch with my own feelings. They were automatically pushed asunder, given no room to breathe.
Feelings arise within us naturally. They are inherently part of the human experience. The danger is not feeling, but feeling unconsciously. When we lack awareness of what we feel, the feeling has the potential to control us.
As the feeling becomes seen and acknowledged, we allow it to move through us consciously. It shows us and teaches us. It points the way. It helps us to know ourselves more deeply.
To pretend we don’t feel – or to shut ourselves off completely – is full of risk. It creates not only self-denial, but also judgment and hostility to the feelings of others.
My biggest problem with spiritual teachings that tell us to be void of feeling is that they essentially tell us to ignore our humanity.
We do not need to ignore our humanity to accept our divinity.
To the contrary. Our divinity is inseparable from our humanity.
Yes, it is essential to elevate our consciousness in order to recognize our true nature. But it does not require the denial of anything. Not death, or pain, or suffering. Instead, we look at those aspects of our experience with new eyes that see something far greater and more expansive than the physical eyes can behold. Our vision changes.
What does this bring up for you? Are there feelings you stop yourself from expressing? I’d love to know. Post your comments below.
If you haven’t already heard, my 5-week online course Reclaim your Body as Holy begins in less than two weeks. Join us beginning October 20, 2020 to hear your own inner voice, discover your true feelings, and develop an intimate relationship with yourself. More info is available here.
I’ll be giving a talk on Facebook Live next Thursday, October 15, about the Danger of Shame. Join me at 1:30 p.m. here.
One final announcement. I just put together a series of four guided practices to root you deeply into yourself. They are easy, quick and my gift to you. Simply sign up below, and you will receive the first of four weekly meditations delivered straight to your inbox. Yes, you absolutely deserve it!
The Path to Sovereignty 