When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you. — African Proverb
Although I am in the business of hope through understanding, hot meteors of negativity break through the atmosphere of my serenity and occasionally derail me. I am jealous, angry or judgmental, or sometimes indifferent or overwhelmed.
But more often than not these uncomfortable feelings are not meteors at all. They aren’t streaking across my mind and crashing into my psyche. Rather, they are a thick, murky fog of thoughts and feelings that slowly but steadily eclipse my optimism. And that’s only half of it.
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Thanks huge for a marvelous article!
Meditation has been a beautiful-sweet, slow turning in my life – inward, lovingly-outward, toward a new peace, greater depth, gentler insight, and ever-evolving compassion (which is a component of love). Like the author, I often allow myself to be stricken by “hot meteors” of anger, judgment, envy, etc. All of these emanate from self-centered fear – hence, from a false sense of identity. In truth, none of these are necessary . . . except . . . that they are, as the journey is perfect, and infinite. And, of course, I must offer myself compassion, too, lest I lose the art of it.
value wisdom.thank u
It’s difficult to feel the feelings of love when no one loves you. And to think about love from the past is more of a sad feeling for me.
So how do you feel love when you don’t actually feel loved by anyone?
I believe I understand what you mean Linda. Just off divorce I cannot find much in the past 28 years that doesn’t now elicit a depressive response.
Thanks for your thoughts. These are important points. I can only offer the words of Soren Kierkegaard. “Don’t forget to love yourself.” Perhaps compassion for ourselves is the most essential ingrediant.
And also we need to have compassion for our negative feelings and thoughts. Not that we cultivate them, or act them out, but that we understand where they are coming from, accept them, recognize that we are inherently flawed and imperfect, and recognize that everything has meaning, including our worst thoughts and feelings. If we have compassion for these then we can discover their meaning and be enriched by it. I am wary of systems which overly emphasize the positive: where is the negative being buried, and how is it secretly being acted out? For example, see my article at http://www.jungny.com/carl.jung.17.html
I have to thank Maxsom McDowell for suggesting his website: http://www.jungny.com/carl.jung.17.html. I went there and read a very generous lecture on Jungian psychology that really helped me understand the dynamic between my Mother and me.