Maria the Muse

So the other day I said that the secret to finding lasting happiness is to ask “How do I feel?” Well in response I got a lot of questions!  People wanted to know things like…

• Why emotion is so important?
• How does feeling get you the physical stuff you want?
• How do you do this feeling thing?

So I thought I’d spend a few moments clearing it up :^)

Why is emotion so important? Humans are multi-faceted beings and as part of that we have both mental and emotional sides.  Most of us are taught that the mental side is more important (especially in western society) so we go through life reasoning things out, applying logic, and approaching problems and goals step by step.  While this works, our mental side is only part of the equation.  Therefore it can only take us so far in creating the life we desire.

Another facet, our emotional side, is just as important.  In fact, emotion holds the “charge” that gets things done.  And it can also keep us from things too.  For instance, think about a time you were really excited about something.  Because of that excitement you were full of energy and even in the face of obstacles you probably kept going until you got what you wanted.  On the other hand, when you were “made” to do something you didn’t want to do I bet it got done more slowly, maybe even begrudgingly, and in the end it probably wasn’t your best work.  Can you see why it’s so important to have our emotional side on board?

How does feeling get you the physical stuff you want? Like we said above, the more emotionally vested you are in something the more likely you are to bring it into your reality.  That’s because you’ll naturally look for the signs, connect the dots, and do what needs to be done to make it happen.  You WANT it!

How do you do this feeling thing? Lots of people wanted to know this!  So here are some quick and easy tips to help you tune into your emotional side:

• Practice Awareness.  Simple yet so effective!  Simply pay attention to how you feel every time you remember.  It doesn’t have to be a certain situation…just stop every once in a while and take stock of your emotions.  Interestingly, when I ask people to do this they often have trouble identifying emotions at first.  That’s because we sometimes suppress them so effectively that it’s hard to recognize them.  This is ok.  Just keep checking back and soon enough you’ll find one, then two, then a whole host of emotions just waiting to be acknowledged!
• Allow yourself to feel.  Strangely many of us feel like we’re not allowed to have certain emotions.  Maybe it goes back to when we were children and were told “big kids don’t cry” or something similar that encouraged us to stifle our feelings.  So start by giving yourself permission to feel again.  You can do this mentally, out loud or in written form.  And you can ask the Universe for help if you need it.  Once you allow yourself to feel you can be sure that emotions will make themselves known.
• Expect ups and downs.  This can be kind of scary at first, especially if you’re used to holding everything in.  Sometimes when emotions are first allowed to be expressed they can spew forth in very uncontrollable ways.  For instance, you may burst into tears or begin laughing hysterically for no reason.  Small things may have a huge emotional impact.  You’re not going crazy here.  What’s happening is your newly released emotions are stretching their wings a little.  In time you will find balance and be much more able to express them appropriately.
• Honor EVERY emotion.  From giggling to bawling to extreme anger to indescribable bliss…. it’s all good :)  Every emotion is important and they all have messages for you to assimilate and heed.  So honor them all.

In the next post I’m going to get a little more into the specifics of feeling your way in manifesting.  For now think about your emotional side and begin to integrate it more into your daily life.