Again, I would like to critically comment on a frequent observation in my energy work practice. I will get straight to the point: There seems to be a common misconception in the new age/esoteric/spiritual scene that the purpose of the spiritual journey is to transcend the body and ‘lower’ emotions by ignoring them and solely focusing on our 'higher' chakras and ‘ascension’.
With this belief emotions are regarded as part of our lower animalistic nature and often compartmentalized or heavily judged. It can lead to an inner fragmentation and quite frankly, often accomplishes the opposite of ascension: it keeps us tied to our unresolved/unhealed aspects and therefore often blocks our journey at the very structural foundation of our energy system!
Almost daily I coach clients with heavy beat-up cycles, not being able to overcome ‘their emotionality.’ Who brought up this myth that our emotions are ‘bad’?! Of course we all have to learn how to deal with mind and emotion, but this doesn’t happen through avoiding or suppressing them! Do you have any idea what you are doing to yourselves, your etheric immune system and your energy systems by cutting your emotions off from your being? If you have the time, follow me by going a bit deeper into the causalities and why it’s important to face our ‘lower’ emotional states!
Energetic View
Energy work teaches us to regard our lower aspects in a different way. It shows that the transcendence of our denser energies (slower vibrational frequencies) cannot be accomplished by leaving them out -- on the contrary!
Our energetic/etheric cell memory is transdimensional – nothing can be left out, as anything unresolved will permeate and replicate into all layers of our energy systems and lifetimes! This means that contrary to the popular new age belief, dealing with our emotions and the conglomerate of our so-called ‘lower stuff’ is actually often more important than having visions or drifting off into the ‘cool higher stuff,’ as it will always pull us back ‘down’ if we ignore or deny it.
There are many different kinds of energetic clearings that can assist us to reinstate such a balance, but my personal view on that is that everyone on this journey ideally works on actively and consciously integrating lower aspects. One of the first things we can do is to learn about our chakras and how to balance them.
The purpose of our physical chakras is to regulate the flow of energy within our body. If you have a technical mind you can visualize them as valves and gauges if you want. Much like in the world of plumbing or blood flow, the objective is to have a direct and even flow, no clogs and an optimal supply to all systems.
Different from our linear and sequential understanding of the physical flow of fluids, our energy system is not only a bit more complex but also not bound by physical laws. The better the flow, the more exponential the amount of energy our physical system can hold and utilize. In energy work we call this ‘expansive,’ a state in which our energy spontaneously multiplies and stays abundantly available for us; we feel energized and often manage to do/perceive/feel more than we thought we could. Blocks, clogs, constrictions, diversions, pockets, enlargements, fragments, etc., on the other hand, lead to a ‘contractive’ energy system, which can make us feel like we are constantly struggling, tired or in resistance.
While our chakras act as independent gateways or energetic vortices, there is still something like a sequence in which they build on one another. The two main incoming channels of energy are through our Root (planet) and our Crown (sun/galaxy/cosmos); just like a tree, we depend on the interchange with both sources of energy; however, due to the gravity of our physical existence, the main source of primal energy is regarded to come in from below through our Root. It explains the importance of our ‘roots’ and symbolizes our overall stance and confidence in life. It also influences our ability to claim/reclaim our space in this existence and is therefore of utmost importance for our overall view of life. Our crown is no less important, as it represents our spiritual enfoldment and potential to evolve, but if our root system is impaired, the energy work naturally has to begin at the bottom - our 1st chakra.
The manifestation of our true potential and purpose in life has to happen on all levels of our existence simultaneously: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and etherically. Leaving out one or several levels can lead to schisms and fragmentation, which in return block the energy flow between those levels and prevent long-term realization of our true heart’s desire. Once all our levels of existence fall into total congruence with one another, we begin to live our life in truth. This requires us to own our energy and to ditch all programmed externalization of our Inner Higher Power!
This probably sounds like another ‘nice’ spiritual concept – the deeper meaning of this is what enables us to energetically integrate our True Self. The main obstacle in doing so is the fear of facing who we truly are.
On our journey, taking responsibility for our hidden or unloved aspects, including our mind and emotion, is about as important as sleeping, drinking and eating for our physical existence. It is the foundation of the integration of our consciousness (not to be confused with conscience!).
Initial reluctance to face our hidden aspects is understandable; however, the most important virtue on our journey is our attitude, the way we show up, our intention, resolve and dedication to learn about all our energies and associated emotional states -- not the amount of theoretical knowledge or metaphysical understanding!
If we want to ‘ascend’ into higher levels of consciousness, we need to look at our lives as a whole! And if we have the guts to do this, we will notice that most of our negative/painful experiences were linked to our sense of Self – the way we viewed how we acted, thought or felt about ourselves.
Taking responsibility and becoming accountable for who we truly are means to redesign our inner relationship and ultimately our relationship with others and the world around us. Self-healing and integration require a total and all-encompassing willingness and commitment to address everything undisclosed, unexamined or unfinished in our lives.
Emotional Accountability
The reason why so many of us have deep issues with accountability for our emotions is often rooted in our childhood: overbearing rules, cultural/religious programs and rigid beliefs made us become good ‘pretenders.’ We either learned how to get by through pleasing or became blatantly rebellious and disagreeable. We unconsciously created a ‘secret identity’ locked away deep inside of us, that allowed us to live out whatever created the most pleasure or self-soothing for us. Through projection and false self coping-strategies, we developed a life devoid of inner connection and safety, replacing the pain of inner separation through avoiding trust and responsibility. Without noticing, our shadow took form in victimhood, codependency, sexual manipulation or some type of addictive behavior (consumerism and workaholism included) often masking secret/open forms of retaliation, revenge or anger towards the other gender. If we continue avoiding these parts of our existence in this lifetime, we are also avoiding the very purpose of this incarnation, namely the transcendence of our lower aspects.
If we leave out these aspects of our Self, we run into the danger of not trusting or even rejecting part of ourselves. And without inner trust and safety we become prone to externalizing our inner powers, following others blindly or simply feeling damned, which leaves us hanging in endlessly repeating yearning and frustration cycles, as no one outside of us can truly provide this for us. With this mind-set then, committing to ourselves, others or the world around us feels suffocating, threatening, beyond real and often even harmful.
Without a proper accountability for who we are we become unable to trust in ourselves and others and thus have difficulties to commit to intimate and lasting relationships. Avoidance and dissociation take up a lot of our energy! If we don't find healthy ways to release these energies, our conditioned repression continues to block our energy and feed the complex inner network of justifications and ego control mechanisms just to cope with our deep pain and confusion.
Actively working with repressed emotions can bring out the rawness of these coping mechanisms. Do not feel frustrated when you observe this within you! Instead, remind yourself that emotional integration is important and that if we avoid it, we are increasing the breeding ground for other aspects such as shadow or even chronic diseases!
If you can, and if you are okay with allowing some of these raw emotions to come out and look at without judging yourself, you will be able to unlock the key to your spiritual and emotional maturity!
Facing and integrating the deeper levels of emotional patterns can be challenging and takes time. Be patient! You can't undo lifelong repression habits by just 'thinking' them away either!
Practice being more in the present and connect with your heart (which is not the same as your emotions).
This article originally appeared on www.transcodes.com.
