Transforming suffering into consciousness

Suffering has no value unless it is conscious suffering.

\”Sometimes when our emotions are particularly intense, nothing we\’ve learned from spiritual practice seems relevant. Isn\’t it when we become lost in our darkest emotions that we disconnect from the heart and judge ourselves most harshly? In these darkest moments, use the breath as a conduit to bring all the sensations of suffering into the center of the chest. In these moments, breathing even the most chaotic emotion directly into the heart is an act of compassion for ourselves. By opening to our personal core of pain, we open to the universal pain of being human. Though we may fear the pain will destroy us, opening to it connects with that which is truly indestrubtible.\”
~Ezra Bayda~

One of the ego\’s most subtle tools is the thought that one shouldn\’t be feeling what they\’re feeling. It plants a seed saying, \”I should be beyond this by now\” which causes the spiritual seeker to doubt their own evolutionary growth.

Emotions are powerful teachers. They are an integral aspect of the human condition. Though we learn to ride the ups and downs of life and how to stay balanced through the turbulence we experience, emotions, when they arise, should be felt wholly and explored.

This is not to say that it\’s appropriate to act in an unconscious manner or while trapped in a full-fledged egoic state; rather, we take the time to process our feelings, honoring them as part of our personal path of awakening.

This distance between suffering and peacefulness can be bridged by dropping our thoughts regarding a particular issue. Our role is to see beyond the stories of the mind and experience whatever feelings arise with an open heart. That is transcendence.

Today, my intention is to reside in the light, love and laughter of the Universe.