Emotions are with us all, and we know them well. We are keenly aware of the times when we are feeling up and happy or sad or angry. We definitely know that we would rather feel peaceful and joyful than anxious, fearful or agitated.
It is important for us to remember that our emotions are part of the human awareness that goes back thousands of years. They are part of our nervous system that is constantly scanning the environment to ensure that we are safe. So, if we were not able to feel emotions like anger or fear, we might not be able to keep ourselves free from danger.
Many of us have been told throughout our lives that it isn’t nice to express some of our emotions. Maybe we have been told that if we express sorrow or weep at the loss of a loved one, that we are weak. Perhaps we believe that if we express any anger, we are not considered to be a nice person or a good person. During times of intense emotional states, our nervous system may become overwhelmed and unable to process the amount of emotional information in the body. This is often used to describe trauma. In either case, we may train ourselves to become numb to or “stuff” our emotions because they make us feel very uncomfortable. We may otherwise have made a choice during a challenging event, (at some level, often not consciously) that we could not deal with, or it wasn’t safe to deal with the emotions themselves.
But where do the emotions go when we are not acknowledging them or allowing them to be present in our lives? Unacknowledged emotions are simply waiting for us to pay attention to them so that they can be processed and regulated. Our bodies (and entire energy fields) store our unprocessed emotions until we are able to safely acknowledge them.
In 5 Element theory, there are believed to be specific emotions in addition to what are called virtues (the desired state) for each organ. Perhaps in a future article, I will name them all specifically. Emotions that are not processed and allowed to flow may get stuck in our systems (fields) and become blocked or stagnant energy (Qi). Over time, Qi stagnations can accumulate, become more dense, and can eventually cause health issues that may manifest in the emotional field and then in the body itself. Cancer is an example of what might be considered to be an extreme Qi stagnation. We can see then, why it is desired to keep our Qi flowing and in balance and harmony. In practice, the practitioner looks for ways to free up the stagnant Qi in order to facilitate the body, mind and spirit, to come back into balance.
What if I told you that our emotions (even the ones we don’t like very much) can become our friends, allies and teachers?
When we pursue a spiritual practice, it is important that we do not deny that we have emotions. It is equally important that we do not we do not judge our emotions or judge ourselves for having them.
We are all designed to have emotions, In addition to keeping us safe, our emotions can be important tools to show us the way into deeper understanding of our personal journeys and evolution. If we can find ways to embrace emotions that come up and make space for them, there are often beautiful pearls of wisdom for us to uncover. Our bodies are filled with so many levels of intelligence, very deep knowing and wisdom. Would we really want to miss learning from some of our wisest masters?
To deny our emotions is to deny our own growth and evolution as a soul incarnate. Here is to embracing all aspects of our time on this planet.
I will write more about emotions and the subject of spiritual bypassing in a future article.
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