It is one of life’s great paradoxes that the things we don’t want to look at in ourselves are the very things we need to look at in order to know ourselves better and to become more fully who we are. A spiritual being having and human experience.
The feelings that make us want to run away are buried treasure full of positive energy and inspiration if we are willing to look. These feelings come in many forms, from strange images or snippets of information to recurring dreams and feelings that rise up seemingly without a reason. Whatever shape they come in, and no matter how scary they seem, these messengers bring the information we need in order for our soul to grow.
When we are tired of burying old negative feelings and emotions, or trying to run away from them, a good first step is to write down in our journal what we think we are avoiding. Often this turns out to be only the surface of the issue or a symbol of something else. Expressing ourselves fully on paper is a safe way to begin exploring the murky territory of the unconscious. The coolness of the ego can give us the distance we need to read what we have written and feel less afraid of it.
It helps if we remember that no matter how dark or negative our thoughts or feelings may be, these are energies shared by all humanity. We are not alone in the dark, and all the gurus and teachers we admire had to go through their own unprocessed emotional territory in order to come out the other side brighter and wiser. This can give us the courage we need to open the heal and let go of what we have been avoiding.
Within the parts of ourselves that we don’t want to look at, there are emotions that need to be felt. When emotions are not felt they become stuck energy, and when we leave emotions unprocessed, we deprive ourselves of access to that energy, and over time those negative feelings we have buried cause great physical harm to our body.
When we feel strong enough, we can begin the process of feeling those emotions, on our own or with guidance from a spiritual guide. It is through this work that the buried treasure of energy and inspiration will pour forth from our hearts, giving us the courage to look at all the parts of ourselves with insight and compassion.