Welcome to Day 29 of our 40-Day Retreat.

Yesterday we dealt with the power that is involved in listening. Today I want to move on to the emotional centre and to explore the ego in emotional expression. In our subtle energy field, as I have been telling you, we carry these centres: centres of expression, centres of energy, centres of awareness. And the heart or emotional centre is worthy of great attention.

Broad spectrum of emotions

We are emotional beings. Emotions influence us every day, and by extension our world. It is worthy to note that emotions extend across a broad spectrum. You can have what we may call the lowest emotions and you can have the highest emotions, and they all affect you in a certain way. Lower emotions are those which limit you; those which take your vitality away; those which cause you to contract or to see the world in a limited point of view. The higher emotions, however, are those which uplift you. They bring a greater sense of joy and freedom, and so we need to be aware of this entire spectrum of emotions as we go through the human experience.

Are you managing your emotions intelligently?

You know well what the lower emotions can do when they are out of control. It is extremely important, therefore, to be able to be aware of them and their power to influence, and to be able to manage them. Of course, we need to manage higher emotions as well, otherwise we can also become out of control. Elation, excitement, pride all give us a sense of feeling nice and excited, but we also have to manage those.

Emotions are powerful energies and the heart or emotional centre is like an engine. It can give you the power to move forward. It can bring passion to you. When emotions are running high you find that you have a lot of energy to do things. We are heavily influenced by emotions. If you observe what emotions do to you, you will see the need to be able to control the lower ones, and the need to be able to manage the upper ones in a way of getting what we want out of them.

Being aware of the field of emotions, being aware of what they do to you, being aware to choose the emotions you want to experience, or you need to experience and being able to sustain that is what we call emotional intelligence. Therefore, where there is that powerful emotional field, it needs to be managed with intelligence. Now the question is, “Are you aware of this? Are you aware of how much you are managing emotions? Are you aware of the power of emotions to help you to achieve what you want? Are you using them powerfully?” That is the question.

Are you a victim of limiting emotions?

If you have been given this gift of feeling, of passion and emotion, how have you been using it? How have you been managing it? Are you caught up in limiting emotions and are not able to see it? Have you become a victim of the lower emotions? Do you find yourself being high jacked by fear, anger, hate, greed, jealousy and anxiety? Do you see how these emotions rob you of your vitality and bring you into a state of bondage, instead of freedom? Then if you do, is there a desire within you to change it, or do you enjoy being a victim? Do you surrender yourself to being a victim: “I can’t do better? Fear is part of the human experience, so I have to accept it. I am angry, just angry. That’s how it is.” Do we see how these emotions take over?

The ability to be aware of these emotions within you as they arise, and to be able to see the negative effects that they have, and to have a desire to want to do something about it, is important. You cannot create change if there is no desire for change; if there is no awareness of a goal beyond the limitation. So this gives us the idea of exploring the possibilities of managing emotions that they do not hold us in bondage.

The beauty of this centre is the ability to embrace the higher emotions such as love, compassion, optimism and positive thinking that comes from the feeling of optimism, hope, trust, faith, kindness, empathy. Some say, “But I cannot come out of this emotion; it is too strong. This anger is so strong, I cannot help it. This fear is so strong, I can’t do anything.” While the worst is that you give up in helplessness. You are a victim.

Managing emotions; exploring the possibilities

Being a victim is a miserable state of existence. If you find it difficult to come out of the limiting lower emotions:

It is important to associate with those who are strong in the positive emotions that you want to develop or to embrace. That’s extremely important, the associating with those who are strong.
Then use the intellect to reason out why you shouldn’t be in that state. Look for every possible reason why you should not be there. Also look at where you want to go.
Create the vision of where you want to go: “I want to be a positive person. I want to be a happy person. I want to be a fearless person. I want to be a strong person.”
Create a powerful image of what you want to be and associate with those who have it.
Make a plan for yourself as to how to achieve it.
Then there is the discipline of staying with your plan. Staying in the association. Holding the vision before you. That discipline is required.

Then there must be patience. Even if it does not come right away, be patient. Allow the process to work.

These steps are extremely important in learning how to manage emotions.

Love - the most powerful emotion

Of course, the beautiful thing is that once you begin to feel it, even if it is only a little feeling of positive energy, hold on to it. It will grow. And the emotion that can guide us to freedom if we hold on to it is love. Love is the most powerful emotion in the spectrum of emotions. If you hold on to love it can take you through. It might begin by being conditional love, but later as you go further and deeper, love itself will purify you. It will teach you if you become a true disciple of love, and take you to that state of unconditional love.

This much I will say to you today. But love is the most powerful emotion in the spectrum of emotions. It is even said that “Love is God.” “Love is divine.”

Post -Meditation note:

May you have a day of love today. Love allows you to listen better. Love allows you to be more aware of the space around you. Love allows you to feel the energies of interaction. Love, as it deepens, makes you humble. And love washes away the impurities of the ego. May you be love’s instrument today.

Have a loving day everyone.