RE: [INTERACTIVE INSPIRATION EXPERIMENT] Could You Feel Better In Two Minutes? Find Out Now!
After watching your video and hearing you talk about how you had recently been feeling unworthy and wanted to transmute (or reconcile) that feeling with its opposite (worthiness), I couldn't help but think of the Hermetic Principle of Polarity:
"...Hate may be transformed into Love, by changing its polarity. Courage may be transmuted into Fear, and the reverse. Hard things may be rendered Soft. Dull things become Sharp. Hot things become Cold. And so on, the transmutation always being between things of the same kind of different degrees. Take the case of a Fearful man. By raising his mental vibrations along the line of Fear-Courage, he can be filled with the highest degree of Courage and Fearlessness." - The Kybalion by The Three Initiates
Which conjures to mind:
"Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
Continuing along to Step One:
Right now I am physically and emotionally in a ferment -- agitated, disturbed, turbulent, heated, and excited. Yet I also feel neutral about it, knowing that this is Divine, quivering and erotic (Eros/Arrows), Wrath. This feeling can be expressed as either strength, tension, passion, nervousness, frustration, and/or anger. The opposite emotional state is calm, cool, patient, and still.
But fortunately, I am feeling exactly how I want to be feeling in this moment: I am sacrificing basic instinct for Divine Communion.
Step Two:
I'll give two examples (memories) of occasions where I have embodied this emotion.
Anger - My heart was thrashing wildly about in my chest. My spine was on fire, my brain stem was burning, there was intense pressure in my skull, and my blood was boiling. I was enraged, absolutely furious, and seeing red. I thought I was on the verge of having a heart attack. Although I was in a seated position, I measured my resting heart rate at 141 BPM. (Noting that my average resting heart rate (beats per minute) is between 50-61 BPM.) I was sitting in my boyfriend's living room alone (with whom I was living at the time). It was dark outside. He was hiding in his bedroom. I had just confronted him about cheating on me. We'd just gone through a very traumatic ordeal together and I felt blind-sided and humiliated by this shocking revelation.
I also felt an intense rush of energy to get my tail in gear and pack all of my things. Which I did and was completely moved out (moving motivation) the next morning while he was at work.
Excitement - My breath kept catching as my heart felt like it was alternating between skipping beats and racing. Adrenaline was pumping. I felt as if I were the lone victor at the height of a great summit -- a warrior, a champion, and a slayer of beasts. It was very masculine. My kundalini (serpent of fire) had been triggered during concentrated meditation and inundated me with shocking revelations. Revelations powerful enough to shatter the illusions of a crumbling foundation. As if struck by lightning, my cells were vibrating in a frenzied chaos. Again, like before, I was seated and alone in a living room. But I was excited, not angry. It was extreme, a little frightening, but also exhilarating.
Step Three:
Although I experience this emotional state often, it's not something I would want to feel all the time. Definitely not while driving, having to interact with the public, or watching children. I don't think I could optimally function in this state of upheaval under those conditions. For those situations, I would focus on its opposite: Patience, calm, and tranquility.
But there are times when I have no choice but to feel these perturbations. The best I can do on such occasions is to return to my breath and talk soothingly to my cells.
So yes, while we can consciously focus (or suggest) on which end of the spectrum we'd rather feel...sometimes we just have to ride it out. I'm sure we can all agree that repressing (not acknowledging or allowing) a negative emotion for the sake of trying to turn it into its opposite can be a little premature and unhealthy. All has purpose: Good AND Bad. There might be an important lesson in authentically feeling whatever arises, and it might even be to lose our preference over either/or. But I like that this thought experiment allows honest emotional exploration rather than just proclaiming, "Positive vibes only."
"The only way out is through."
Isn't it interesting that when we surrender or relax instead of trying to force something, we often move through and right into the more desirable state?
Step Four:
I've been physically expressing this emotion all morning, but I did it again for the sake of the exercise. I stood, smiled, sounded off like an animal or lion roaring, waved and flailed my arms about, did a little hop, and moved my head in a circular motion akin to head-banging.
Step Five:
I feel fired up and inspired!
Anyway, I really like the effort you put into this experiment and thought it deserved the same amount of effort in return. So, thank you!
Woweee @heathersilvey! If I could upvote this comment 10 times I would. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your experience and reflections here.
In terms of the principle of polarity that you shared - I fully agree. I wrote about this about two weeks ago but I do notice that when I am working through a painful emotion (such as unworthiness), I am most definitely on the path to worthiness. Or at least, I have a better sense of trajectory!
I personally do believe that we can change how we feel in any instant, however, I also believe that you cannot change how you feel until you accept where you are at. And sometimes that acceptance part takes awhile, especially if it requires a bit of digging to discover.
I'm pumped to hear you are fired up and inspired! Woo! Thanks so much for stopping by. I truly appreciate you, and also your majestic writing!
Cheers friend, axios.
Thank you. I enjoyed participating! I'll definitely be taking a closer look at your "This Is Why I Live My Life Inversely" article when I have a little more time to engage. But from first glance, I can already tell it's going to be a good read.
I agree with the above entirely and wholeheartedly! It's the Law of Compensation: If you're going through something difficult or unpleasant, but have the guts to both persevere AND surrender...you'll "flip it" on its head and reach the other side. And it's because we've experienced sorrow that we can know what it's like to feel joyful.
It brings to mind something that Abraham Hicks always says: