http://donotgrievealone.com/2007/10/17/a-twist-on-suffering/ Happiness Boot Camp For Those In Transition Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:06:29 +0000 http://donotgrievealone.com/2007/10/17/a-twist-on-suffering/#comment-29 hc Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:57:27 +0000 http://donotgrievealone.com/2007/10/17/a-twist-on-suffering/#comment-29 Yes descend we must. But monitoring the emotions while in the 'descent mode' is the trick. For me, the way out is to meditate. My water meditation helps. Water (as in a body of water) changes with the winds. So when I am feeling turbulent in my grief when and the winds are ablowin' I bring to mind what the waters will be like when the wind calms. They always do. And the peace that comes then is..... like sweet nectar. I called on the Spirit to come to me the other (turbulent) evening and this came to me in the morning. From my journal: "When I allow myself to feel sad and hurt, I then have an accompanying feeling of loss of control over my emotions and I become frightened. All the while I also have a grain of understanding somewhere in the recesses of my mind of wanting to be well, wanting to see the crying abate, wanting to move forward. Trying to think cheery thoughts (the ones I like the most) just seem so out of reach. So last night I knew I needed sleep. And he was there as he always has been holding me, warming me up in bed. Sleep did come and even though I awoke at 5:30 (not enough sleep) I did have my creative brain send me an image. It was that of a butterfly. A butterfly unfolding its wings as it emerges from the chrysalis. Its wings are wet and it has to pump blood through its body to unfold those wings to dry them. This process isn't fast. The lightness of this image spoke to me. (Spirit enters) Then came my analogy of the caterpillar in the children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar who eats and eats and eats his way through too much food to the point of being fat and stuffed. That analogy was - one grieves and grieves and grieves until one can grieve no more. Then you become suspended in your chrysalis just barely hanging from a branch. There is stillness then. And you wait until the moment that you emerge - and oh yes you ARE beautiful. Delicate yes, changed forever but you now are privileged to float through the air and find the sweet nectar. Yes descend we must. But monitoring the emotions while in the ‘descent mode’ is the trick. For me, the way out is to meditate. My water meditation helps. Water (as in a body of water) changes with the winds. So when I am feeling turbulent in my grief when and the winds are ablowin’ I bring to mind what the waters will be like when the wind calms. They always do. And the peace that comes then is….. like sweet nectar. I called on the Spirit to come to me the other (turbulent) evening and this came to me in the morning. From my journal: “When I allow myself to feel sad and hurt, I then have an accompanying feeling of loss of control over my emotions and I become frightened. All the while I also have a grain of understanding somewhere in the recesses of my mind of wanting to be well, wanting to see the crying abate, wanting to move forward. Trying to think cheery thoughts (the ones I like the most) just seem so out of reach. So last night I knew I needed sleep. And he was there as he always has been holding me, warming me up in bed. Sleep did come and even though I awoke at 5:30 (not enough sleep) I did have my creative brain send me an image. It was that of a butterfly. A butterfly unfolding its wings as it emerges from the chrysalis. Its wings are wet and it has to pump blood through its body to unfold those wings to dry them. This process isn’t fast. The lightness of this image spoke to me. (Spirit enters) Then came my analogy of the caterpillar in the children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar who eats and eats and eats his way through too much food to the point of being fat and stuffed. That analogy was - one grieves and grieves and grieves until one can grieve no more. Then you become suspended in your chrysalis just barely hanging from a branch. There is stillness then. And you wait until the moment that you emerge - and oh yes you ARE beautiful. Delicate yes, changed forever but you now are privileged to float through the air and find the sweet nectar.

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