Part II: Spirit. Chapter 9: Emotional Work - Tuning In
Spiritual activation is a fundamental part of human self-actualisation.
The spirit is the manifestation of consciousness that emerges from our physical, embodied properties and processes. It is responsive to both material and discursive stimulation, and is imbued with the potential to shape and steer individual and collective agency. Familiarising oneself with spirit and its capabilities requires deep listening, learning, patience, and honing our powers of observation. Engaging the spirit in order to realise its potential requires sustained concentration, practice and commitment, particularly in light of substantial challenges posed by the most basic of human conditions. Nonetheless, spiritual activation is a fundamental part of human self-actualisation, and for this reason, is always worth the work.
9. Emotional Work
The physical work explored in Part I: Body sets the stage for the emotional work described in Part II: Spirit. To achieve the outcomes outlined in Part II, you will need to use the tools described in Part I, particularly those gained through breathwork, mindful movement and meditation. These tools enable and facilitate the process of tuning into your emotions, guiding and being guided. Such processes require a considerable degree of self-awareness, best attained through a sustained and regular physical practice. Beginning with the body is important because the body never lies; as such it is a trustworthy and accessible conduit to the truth of a situation, which we as mystics continually seek.
The link between body and mind is inextricable – through the nervous system, the sense organs receive information and speak to the brain, which prompts the release of chemicals that in turn affect the body. As the body and brain communicate continuously though the nervous system, their innate unity is a key part of our physical realities. The tools described in Part I are ways we can support this relationship: for example, massage works though encouraging blood flow so that the chemical messages can do their job more easily, acupuncture acts upon the nervous system, functioning as a road-clearing device that helps to unblock traffic jams and re-open closed highways. Meditation permits the sense organs to rest, and for the brain to become still and quiet enough to draw information from within rather than without. Integrating such effective techniques into our lives helps to support our emotional fitness.
What we know as emotions – such as fear, anger, love, hate, disgust, grief and happiness – are simply a useful shorthand for different sets of chemicals released by the brain through the body in specific combinations. Understanding emotions as the presence or absence of certain chemical bouquets in our brains and bloodstreams is perhaps a cold, but scientifically accurate definition. This perspective is useful for spiritual work as it gives us some distance from our emotions, preventing them from ruling us. More coolly observing our emotions may be particularly helpful for those of us (water signs, we see you) who tend to have big emotions that are felt very deeply, which at times can inhibit the interaction with others that is necessary for building community. Author and mystic Aldous Huxley’s words resonate here: “Lightly, my darling. Learn to do everything lightly. Feel lightly, even though you’re feeling deeply.” Remembering our emotions are part of, but not the whole picture, dynamic, not static, and influenced by both body and brain, allows us the license we need to begin to work with them.
Tuning In
Learning to recognise your emotions when they arise is one of the first steps in emotional work. There is a reason we call emotions feelings: they are often experienced as physical sensations, and, if we consider the knowledge that they are chemical reactions in our bodies, they are physical indeed. Emotions are felt in different parts of the body; it is no surprise that we often describe our emotions as occurring in one of the energy centres – chakras – in the body: for instance, a tingling in the loins, butterflies or a sick feeling in the stomach, pressure or heaviness in the chest. We respond emotionally to nearly everything we encounter, even if that emotion is indifference. Tuning into our emotions means paying attention to the responses we have to various stimuli, letting it sit with us, and planning our responses intentionally and appropriately.
Visual or other sensory stimuli can trigger certain emotions in us. If you are less familiar with your emotional responses, practice tuning into your emotions by choosing some stimuli that you expect to have a positive reaction to – a photo of a loved one, a favourite piece of music, a soft blanket or other physical comfort item – and some that you expect to have a negative reaction to – the name or a photo of a public figure you dislike, a song from a genre you can’t stand – and sitting with each of these objects, one at a time. If you are working through particular problems or concerns with individuals or situations in your life, do this exercise using images or objects that represent them. This will help you understand more clearly how you feel. Allow yourself to notice what feelings arise in you, and where they are located. Name them if possible, using visual aids or creative expression to find words that are close to what it is you are feeling.
It may be useful to create a chart or wheel of emotions in your first or most fluent language, as this may assist you in naming your emotions more accurately. Emotions are physical processes we interpret conceptually, and concepts are socially constructed through language. It follows that our comprehension of emotions is language-bound. Indeed, there are many profound and subtle emotional concepts that cannot be expressed, or even imagined, in English. Use whatever language(s) you have at your disposal to express your understanding of your emotions.
Done often enough, this process of tuning in should develop into a rhythm that you engage in easily and naturally. At various moments throughout the day, it can become normal and welcome to pause your activities in order to deepen your breathing, check in with yourself to see how you are feeling and where in your body your emotions are sitting, naming them if necessary, and responding appropriately.
Stronger emotions call for stronger responses. If you are excited, cheerful, or content, make it a point to soak in the feeling and explore what you can do to make more of this happen in your life. If you are annoyed, fearful or uncomfortable, name the feelings (to yourself or aloud if appropriate) and internally enquire why; if you are angry or upset, examine whether the situation needs intervention or if it would be better for now if you were to step away. Use self-soothing techniques from Part I (e.g. yogic breathing, mantras, meditation, mindful movement) and positive self-talk as needed. Deep-seated feelings of frustration or anger may need deeper emotional work; these would be good opportunities for journaling or creative expression, vigorous physical activity, getting some fresh air, loud or calming music, a hot bath or cool shower, or individual/consensually partnered sexual release. You may need to understand or come to terms with the cause of your anger, or you may want to focus on just letting it go.
We will each have our own most effective ways of processing our negative emotions; we owe it to ourselves to overcome stubbornness and self-destructive tendencies and face our negativity head-on so that it does not consume us and destroy positivity in our lives. Prepare yourself to enable the work; keep that which supports your process to hand. Do not get discouraged if you struggle with this, if it feels like you have failed again, or are not making progress. Doing work to restore emotional balance and create the environmental conditions for contentment may seem stilted and uncomfortable at first but becomes smoother, less forced, and easier over time as we turn it into habit.
However, such a rhythm is very alien to us in a world where capitalist forces, in particular, have effectively hijacked so many of our emotional processes. Most marketing plays on our feelings of desire, fear, shame, and inadequacy in order to encourage us to continue buying, and ads interrupt our daily rhythms. Similarly, social media uses our basic human hunger for novelty, lightness, beauty, and belonging against us – keeping us trapped, head down and scrolling. For those of us engaged in the struggles for social justice, our timelines are often filled with terrible news and outrages against the most vulnerable. This keeps our senses permanently heightened, with little time for respite. Moreover, the sheer speed of daily life presents a huge obstacle to slowing down in the way that is required in order for us to tune in consistently, without feeling strange or out of place. If you must, pull the car to the side of the road, take a pause in the pedestrian flow, or move into another room to find the quiet space you need to tune in. If your daily routine means you cannot switch off at will, using a silent mantra or visualisation technique may help you find private space in your mind, even while at work or interacting with others.
The importance of external stimuli to our emotional states means that it is beneficial to create environments that support your emotional health. Our environments reflect our emotional states, and vice versa.[1] In particular, your home environment should be, to the extent possible, a haven for you in which you are surrounded by objects that hold good memories, as this ensures that it is a place in which pleasant emotions dominate. Simultaneously, clothing yourself and adorning your body in a way that is pleasing to you is a means by which you can ensure there are at least some nearby stimuli that support your emotional steadiness and well-being, no matter the situations you encounter in your life - women and femmes have known and practiced this secret since time immemorial. You may also carry or keep a small grounding object on your person, such as a keychain, stone or crystal, piece of jewellery, or string of beads in your pocket; its presence can help to centre, calm and support you despite external stressors. Learning to disconnect from distractions, overthinking and escapist habits so we can be fully present and aware in our experiences, encounters with others, and the emotions they bring out is a way by which we can reclaim our true nature, and is one of the most potent mystical powers we possess.
[1] Shaw, A.M., Timpano, K.R., Steketee, G., Tolin, D.F., Frost, R.O. (2015) Hoarding and emotional reactivity: The link between negative emotional reactions and hoarding symptomatology. Journal of Psychiatric Research 63: 84–90. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387091/
Needed this today. So ready for more Part II