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THE FEELING OF EMPTINESS...
And an exercise to move beyond it
Many people have felt a sense of "emptiness" in themselves
and in their lives that they have no explanation or remedy for. It can include feelings of
depression, but a person need not feel depressed to feel this emptiness. It is my belief
that this empty feeling can be explained in a different way than what we normally think
about.
I have come to believe that it makes sense to see it in an
unconventional manner. Maybe it is not emptiness at all, but rather, we are too full; too
full of our feelings that we experience over and over, (many of which are ones that we
wish to encounter less and less of). So there is no room for us to experience feelings
that we would rather experience. I know from practice that when I begin to clear out the
old feelings, to feel them fully and not judge them, we have room for new, and
perhaps more desirable feelings to enter.
Then we can "receive" joy and contentment, as well as
experience happiness with more ease. You have to start somewhere and your feelings is the
somewhere to start. First, you must identify what it is that you want to release. There
are many feelings that we experience that we wish we did not. Don’t get me wrong, all
feelings are just fine to have, but some feelings may get in the way of your ability to
feel joy and peace. We need to identify the feelings or issues that we want to work with,
and then ask for help in bringing other, perhaps more appropriate, feelings into focus. I
have been helped with my own issues by being able to look at them this way.
During an "Angel session", (a session where I assist a person
in speaking directly to his or her Angels) this very idea of "emptiness versus being
too full" came up. I have worked a lot with this person’s particular Angel and
she gave me a distinct image of a large vase or urn which is overfilled with water. There
was a steady stream of water flowing into the vessel, but because it was already full, it
just kept spilling more out. The feeling that accompanied this vision was a sensation of
being overwhelmed and unable to feel much of anything but a numbness. There was no room
for any other feeling. I was told that we must first empty the vessel somewhat before we
can begin to experience the feelings that we are desirous of receiving. Many Eastern
Philosophies teach the emptying of oneself. Perhaps this is what they are getting at.
For many years I have understood that this process was necessary; the
emptying of oneself. The mental picture I had of the concept is that of a large mailroom.
When I began this work in the early 1970's, the mail room was overflowing with mail in
every box, in fact, it was even spilling out of the boxes! There was every kind of letter
and package you could imagine: old love letters, hate mail; a lot of junk mail!! As I
began my "releasing" process, I had to go through each box, "read"
each piece over and over until it became merely information, devoid of emotional impact. I
did this mentally and emotionally, as well as in my everyday life. I started to tend to my
unfinished business; my feelings that I had not dealt with. After awhile, I was able to
"read" enough of the letters to make room to begin receiving "new
mail". I once again thought of that old saying that "the journey of a thousand
miles begins with a single step", (or in this case, maybe a single
"letter"! ) The place to begin is with your feelings.
If you wish to try a method that works for me, this is an exercise that
I have used very effectively for years. Variations on the exercise can be fun to come up
with. I made a card oracle game to help people with this very process, and it seems to
work well.
This is the gist of it:
I get myself a large red helium balloon, a big black marker, and a
glass of water.
First, I decide which issue I want to let go of. It could be anything.
I have spent many months on a particular issue or even years. For some things, once is
enough. Perhaps it is frustration or a fear of some sort. Then, I think of what I would
like to feel more of. Love, joy, confidence or whatever it is.
I write the issue I want to release on the balloon.
Then, holding it close, I say out loud, "I embrace this issue and
own it. I own that I am responsible for everything that led to these feelings, but I am
ready to let go of it and make room for something else."
I take a moment to feel this feeling fully and then, I release the
balloon, saying out loud, "I release this issue with love, making room for
_____(whatever I decided I want more of) to enter."
I watch it drift away from me.
After a moment, I take the glass of water and say "This glass of
water represents the feelings that I wish to fill myself with and as I drink it, I fill
myself with ______."
I take another minute to imagine that I am feeling the joy, the love,
the confidence, etc... flow into me.
Then, I ask for assistance from the angels and masters, in releasing
this issue and allowing the new feelings to become a part of my reality.
Finally, I take some kind of action to prove to myself
that I meant it. It could be anything that I choose, from giving someone a hug to taking a
walk in the desert. It doesn’t matter what it is, it only matters that I do something,
take some action.
This is a "thought / action / manifest" world,
not simply "thought / manifest." None of us can think our paychecks into
the bank! We have to do something to get something. That is the idea behind this
exercise.
If you try this, I think that you will find how powerful it is. We are creatures of symbols and the
balloon and the water works a powerful effect on your subconscious. It is a very uplifting
experience to see your issue sailing away. Good luck!
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NO
JOY... NO GAIN!
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