To exist there is to rely on the feelings and experiences and to exist in an emotional state of consciousness. This is fine if you exist on the astral in the astral body. However, it is difficult to rely only on the emotions on the physical.
From birth we are affected by touch, taste, sight, sound, and even smells. These senses supply us with our first emotional patterns in this life. Basic emotional patterns are reactions or responses to things around us, such as smiling or laughing when we are content, crying in discomfort or fear. Eventually we progress from basic emotional behavior and create ties or bonds to people or comfort.
As we grow older we also encounter emotional crises and create emotional conflicts in our relationship to people within our daily life. One can even become emotionally addicted to certain behaviors or comforts – even to other people. Then emotional imbalance occurs. Also when we no longer can control our emotional behavior we have an imbalance. Sometimes these occurrences are caused by a physical chemical imbalance.
Emotions have a lot to do with self-confidence. Many find that because of some deep emotional traumas they have difficulty when encountering similar situations that caused the trauma. Many spend their lives avoiding such situations and running from these experiences. Sometimes this behavior becomes habitual and one is not aware that they are carrying unnecessary emotional baggage. Some look to drugs, alcohol or some other emotionally stimulating activity as a means of escape. Others are institutionalized as a result of not understanding or being able to cope emotionally. All these people can be helped.
As the emotional body is a primary important function we should strive to be emotionally well and balanced. Misinformation, mistreatment and a lot of social teachings are directly responsible for many emotionally ill people.
Do not let all that you have just read frighten you into an appointment with a psychotherapist or into doing self-analysis yet. The first step to being emotionally happy and balanced is to be able to understand why you feel like you do. Perhaps it is simply that you are just finding out that you are a Soul inhabiting a physical body, and to be able to view yourself this way is a giant step!
All emotions are usually normal reactions. However, we must not become so emotional that we lose control. It is easy to become emotionally involved or attached. You are your best judge as far as understanding your own emotions. Sometimes in an emotional conflict we should only take a break, step back and examine the situation. When we feel that we are becoming too emotional we must learn to control our own feelings. One of the biggest causes of conflicts is trying to control or force other individuals to see or feel the way we do. To recognize that each person has the right to feel and think from their own perspective changes a lot of conflicting situations to one of understanding and acceptance. Always ask yourself about the way you are reacting emotionally. You may be surprised at how much of it is habit. You may find that you really feel different after all.
A good exercise for the emotions is to make a list of what irritates you. Then list things that you fear. Then list what makes you comfortable, happy and sad. Try to understand these feelings and why you feel certain ways about certain experiences. Try to overcome your fears with remembering that you are an eternal Soul and that everything also is relative. Try to understand anger and to imagine smiling instead of feeling angry.
It helps to write down a real traumatic emotional situation that deeply affected you. Write it down and you have released it. Then find someone to share it with, someone you trust. You will be surprised at how much relief you feel.
We must all have emotional outlets or something we enjoy doing for relaxing. It is good to also pamper yourself sometimes – a good massage for example. This is always physically and emotionally therapeutic. I like a nice scented bath with candle light, incense and music. Of course meditation is also very good for the emotions. For a special meditation procedure read the chapter about Karma.
You will find that if you can control your emotions you will function better socially and it will do wonders for your career. Of course understanding how you function emotionally does wonders for personal relationships as well.
Personal relationships with family, close friends or a partner rely on you being honest about your feelings and dealing with conflicts as uncontrolled emotions happen, not letting them build up until there is an overload and having angry outbursts. If someone says or does something which hurts or upsets you then you should say so calmly at the moment. Letting people know how you feel is important. If you have a family member or a past friendship that ended in hard feelings it is important to solve this by contacting, writing or talking to them. If this is no longer possible, because the person doesn’t live in a physical body anymore, you can do this in your imagination as well. If you don’t, this conflict will stay with you creating an unnecessary karmic debt or tie.
As a more aware person you are responsible for your actions and situations. It is up to you to make the first step to clear up misunderstandings and conflicts. This way you free yourself of this. Even if the other person refuses to accept their part or does not want to discuss it or forgive then you are still free as you have taken the responsibility for your part and made an effort. Then it is only their problem as you have taken care of your involvement. You have freed yourself of the unnecessary emotional baggage and solved your part. You can only be responsible for yourself and do what you know is correct for you and your well-being. You are not responsible for their reaction or lack of understanding. Each individual must be responsible for themselves. They must choose their own way and find their own truths. We must accept their way and they must accept our way – without judgments. Because to judge is not to let them be as they choose.
You can never force another person to see things your way. As individuals we all have our own perspectives and feelings. No two Souls are the same; no two human beings are the same. We must learn to accept and know this to be true. You can only change your own perspective working on yourself. However, you can always share your understanding with others as you should do. Perhaps you can learn to see things from another perspective. If quarrel arises because of different opinions you may consider that perhaps both are correct, just because they are individuals and therefore different.
We should realize that there are no superior race or people, no superior knowledge, no superior religion, no superior country or world, that we all are here for the same reason to experience and learn in the physical world all we can, so that we may begin to learn in other dimensions what we cannot comprehend here; when we learn to accept another’s right to his or her individual feelings, emotions and veins, then we can begin to have a mere balanced emotional self.
It is important to recognize the different emotions – anger, fear, joy, aggression, pain. They all are important. You must be able to have them all and accept them, not become too involved so that you as Soul do not have control. You can always become overindulgent – that is not balanced – but only you as a person know your own individual limits. You are the only one who can control them. You must find your own balance.
Some people overeat, overdrink, oversmoke – even indulge too much or become addicted to anything like for example sex. Persons even become addicted to each other or situations out of habit, not wanting it so much but using it to compensate for some emotional lack or need. This is a danger. But when we learn about our emotions and understand them, we are able to see if we are using something or overdoing out of emotional attachment. It is important to be able to see our faults.
So sit down and ask yourself a few questions about your behavior: Do you react emotionally out of habit or do you really feel that way? Have you become overindulgent? Can you recognize when you have no emotional control?
Answer these questions on a separate paper. Also write down what your definition of love is. Write down all you can about all your feelings. Do you do things that you really enjoy or what others expect of you? Look in the mirror and ask: Who am I? Am I someone whom I know or someone that has been created
