I recently wrote about our sense of “otherness,” the internal sense that has become a bullying voice overpowering who we truly are and crushing our every effort to be free (see Does Your Sense of Otherness Keep You Small?). One of the reasons why our sense of otherness and our sense of self may have a discordant relationship is because we may not be in sync with ourselves.
Our own disconnection gives this sense of otherness (i.e., others, our relationships, the external world, etc.) too much power. What I mean by this is that our emotional and mental bodies, which are the energy layers of the mind that create the “I-sense” on this plane (that we call ego), are not resonating at the same level of perception. More often than not, one wants to go in one direction and the other one wants to do the exact opposite.
We try to navigate life with this ongoing split, and then wonder why things don’t go the way we want. We fail to see how contradictory our thoughts, desires, and emotions are, and how they keep splitting our experience of life.
The higher (intellectual) mind has the ability to process emotions and impressions, which makes it a powerful tool when guided and directed toward self-awareness. However, it can also disconnect us from our emotions. This is what we tend to do as kids, simply because we don’t have the tools or a positive parental guidance to process and integrate how we feel about the world around us. Then it becomes a defensive pattern we get trapped in.
Anything that cannot be understood or that is considered “unacceptable” gets quickly suppressed and shoved under the emotional rug, because life goes on and we’re trying to figure things out as best we can. There is no stopping to reflect or explore how we really feel about ourselves and our experiences, so our emotional compass loses the power to guide us in the direction of our dreams, passions, and goals.
Relying on the mental gives us a greater sense of control because in our dysfunctional world, emotions make us vulnerable: they carry the feminine energy that’s been disrespected and violated in a myriad ways, for thousands of years. We believe that as long as we don’t touch the wounded Feminine within, we’re “safe.” But we’re also powerless.
The mind rationalizes, uses logic, and judges how we feel, and pushes us to move forward even when we’re not ready. Our sense of otherness becomes this relentless boot camp sergeant that keeps us moving, pushing, fighting, while it bullies us all along, making us feel as worthless and insignificant as our efforts—no matter how hard we try.
Whether in life, career, or business, we jump ahead of ourselves while we drag a whole bunch of unresolved emotions that feel like dead weight holding us back. So of course, we have to make a much stronger effort to get anywhere: half of ourselves got stuck in childhood and is not moving along the other half!
To allow our inner power to emerge, we need to acknowledge, express, and integrate all our emotions—past and present—with the understanding, wisdom, and compassion that our life experience has gifted us. Infinite Consciousness plays hide-and-seek with itself, and our task is to find all the places where it hides. Here’s a hint: it’s not out there. ;-)
If we leave our emotional terrain in the dark, either because it’s scary or because we judge its significance (remember, it makes us feel vulnerable!) we’re leaving the biggest aspect of ourselves behind, with a huge trail of energy that will hold us back or pull us down, depending on the situation. Every time we judge or doubt ourselves, we get out of sync with life.
So make friends with your emotions, even those painful icky ones: touch, express, accept, and integrate them into who you are now, regardless of whether they’re “positive” or “negative.” They’re energy you’ll need to fuel your dreams and walk a conscious, more empowered path. They’re precisely the energy we came to experience and explore on this physical plane.
Contact me now if you’re ready to learn to get in touch with, process, and recycle the energy of your emotions, to heal your emotional wounds and turn them into beliefs, habits, and patterns that empower you to pave the way for the life YOU want.
© 2014 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
