DOUSING THE ANGER FIRE-CRACKER WITH AN ICEBERG
DOUSING THE ANGER FIRE-CRACKER WITH AN ICEBERG
This period marks the most widely celebrated festival season
in India – ‘Diwali’ - The Festival
of Lights. While there are many interpretations, the one that resonates with me
is the transformation of light into dark and darkness into light…..
A wise person once taught me that occasions such as this
omniscient festival season is a great opportunity TO tap the external energies
and channel it to look within. So, I did…Here is one illustration:
I WAS VERY ANGRY….AT MYSELF……
I found myself repeating a pattern that had had got me
feeling down yet again. Despite trying hard and fighting hard NOT to repeat my
behaviours, I had done it yet again…and I simply found that absolutely stupid!
A few days ago, I had talked about being angry at someone
else/a situation, but this time around the target was yours truly. This time
the anger was accompanied by its evil shadow – contempt. And yes, the target
for contempt was me.
By now I have become fairly proficient and recognizing this
emotion and ‘naming’ it. Typically, that important step was the gateway towards
healing. But this time around, I found that it simply did not do the trick. In
fact, I found myself egging the anger even more…..Telling myself that the anger
was good…it would propel me to drastic action and would get me out of this
orbit.
However, I could also sense a part of me gently whispering
that this was just a mirage…..
Over the next few days, as I stayed with this anger, I could
find its hold subsiding. Ala Pi, the tiger was still on the boat, but at least
there seemed to some distance between us. And slowly, yet surely, the distance allowed for something deeper to emerge.
The picture below captures that insight.
Yup, the anger was just a shield….It was a ‘protector’…what I was
feeling was a combination of embarrassment, isolation and rejection. Ah, the
onion peeled…..and once it does and one can name the layers as well, the tears
dry up and one starts to feel better….
I just reached out to a client and asked him the same
question – What does Diwali mean to you? He responded that said it was about ‘celebration’
and ‘giving.’ I encouraged him to
use that lens of giving and celebration to observe himself over the next few
days….how could be more giving? Or maybe less….How could he bring more
celebration into his life?
How can we better tap into the energies around us and charge
ourselves???
What you made it all the way here?????
Well, Happy Diwali!
MAY THE LIGHT BE WITH YOU!
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