Is Anger A Bad Thing?

Exploring The Role Of Anger

I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power which can move the world.  --Mahatma Gandhi

Last week I wrote a little about the energy of the Wood element as defined by the concept of Chinese medicine.  I spoke of how the qualities of Wood energy manifest within the human body in the form of the Liver, Gallbladder and Eyes.

Assuming that everything in the material world around us is influenced by consciousness, and in turn expresses consciousness, I would like to talk about the role of anger today, which is associated with Liver/Gallbladder consciousness.

In the Chinese concept of medicine, Liver consciousness is all about planning and organization. It processes and stores experiences in our connective tissue so we can remember our lessons.  It generates anger to alert us to an invasion of our boundaries.

The Gallbladder consciousness is all about decisions and motivation.  It is the catalyst which gets us moving from the planning stage to activity.  It releases anger along with the bile to give us the courage and confidence to act on those plans.  And it regulates the strength and flexibility of our tendons, which reflects the way we perceive life.

Viewed within this system, the energy of anger is a natural, healthy emotion that keeps us moving on our path.

Only when it is denied expression does anger turn pathological, giving rise to resentment.

Think about a time in your life when you have pushed your anger down.  Explore how that felt.  Is there any resentment there?  Where do you think that resentment has gone?  Is it taking up space in your tissues somewhere in your body?

Now picture a stream.  The water is flowing pretty well and at an even pace.

Now picture that a beaver has moved in and built a dam.  And now the stream has changed it's course a little in order to keep flowing.  You can think of the beaver dam as your resentment.  It is an obstruction which is causing a blockage in the flow of your energy.  Your body may compensate for this, by redirecting the flow of energy.  But how many obstacles are there, causing slow downs and redirecting your energy flow?  Is your body experiencing a traffic jam?

The Blood follows the Qi

The Qi follows the Thought

The Thought follows the Spirit

The Spirit follows the Tao

Qi (pronounce chee) is the energy we've been talking about.  And Spirit is consciousness.  The Tao (pronounce Dow to rhyme with "now") is defined as the unconditional and unknowable source and guiding principle of all reality; the process of  nature.  It is the absolute principle underlying the universe and is in harmony with natural law, called God or Source Energy by some.

If the blood follows the Qi that would mean that the unobstructed energy flow is very important to the function of your body.  So it would seem like a really good idea to identify and clear out those obstructions to get your energy flowing as it was meant to.  You can think of a BodyTalk session like a Spring cleaning, where we sort through and identify what emotions, and perceptions are just taking up space.  I can help you shift that stuff.

We take on so much in our experience of living.

If you'd like a Spring cleaning to clear out those obstructions and get your energy flowing the way it was meant to, send me a message using the contact form in the side bar at the top of this page.

Wood Element

Your Inner Resources and The Fear Factor

It's been a very cold, Winter.  And now transitioning into Spring you can add fluctuating weather patterns to the mix.

Yesterday morning, I bundled up in layers of wool before I left home.  By noon I was removing those layers as I sweated beneath a warm sun in a clear blue sky.  Now today it's pouring rain.  I hear snow is forecast for tomorrow.

This is spring.  Beautiful, blessed spring--bringing motion and change to shake us out of our Winter lethargy. 

If you're feeling the Late Winter/Early Spring Weather Blues this post is dedicated to you.

First of all, it's a good idea to stay warm and cozy.  Those two go hand in hand.  The cozy part is every bit as important as the the warm part of the equation.  Warm foods, warm drinks, warm clothes, warm environments, warm lighting, warm friends, warm laughter, warm thoughts which warm the cockles of your heart...the sun will tease us from time to time, but we are still experiencing the cold and wet of early Spring.

Secondly, I urge you to get away from any device which feels cold to you right now.  And by that, I mean devices which feed you any news or entertainment based in fear and which does not warm the cockles of your heart.  If you're reading or watching anything which causes you to feel fear, depression, disgust or cold fury, put it down and walk away.  Preferably allowing your feet to take you outdoors.

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Fear, Winter/Cold and the Element of Water

In the psychology of the body, based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fear is associated with the Bladder and the Kidneys, which are allied with the Element of Water.  Using Traditional Chinese Medicine as a guide to understanding the Element of Water; Water relates to Winter and to Cold.

So being in this season which is moving between Winter and Spring, you want to pay attention to balancing the extremes which cause you discomfort.  Too much Water feeds the Wood Element (which is associated with Anger), and too much Water dowses the Fire Element (which is associated with healthy expressions of both Joy and Sadness).  Using that way of relating to emotions, you can see how too much Fear feeds Anger and how too much Fear leads to Depression and mood swings.

Fear in its healthy state motivates you to activity (Fight or Flight), but an overabundance of fear can be paralyzing.  So if inclement weather is keeping you indoors and inactive, you may be spending more time reading things, or watching things which cause you fear.  Inactivity can lead to a build up of undischarged Fear emotion.  Too much fear in your tissues can lead to weakness and collapse.

Recognizing The Fear Peddlers

It's this simple, Fear Peddlers are people who stand to profit by scaring you.  Either they want to sell you something, or they want to control you.  And fear keeps us divided, feeling isolated and alone.  You know when someone is telling you a story which causes you fear.  Start paying attention, and just notice how many fear messages you see on social media or in the news.

There is another type of Fear peddler, the kind who means well.  This type feel they need to educate you/warn you about how scary the situation really is.  For those of us who are bighearted activist types, we often get subjected to the Well Meaning Fear Peddlers, and we spread it around among our tribe like a virus.  But make no mistake it is still fear.  It is still a type of manipulation.

When your emotions are healthy and balanced, you have more clarity around your emotional perceptions.

Balancing Fear

Your body naturally knows how to balance fear, if you allow it to do its job.  When you experience fear, true fear, your body wants to take some action.  If you are startled, you jump, or you run, or you move in some way, which uses up the adrenaline suddenly coursing through your body.  In our society we often suppress our natural instincts.  If you get a shot of adrenaline because you've just narrowly missed an accident, do you stop the car and get out and move around in order to discharge that chemical in your body?  Most of us keep driving.  The adrenaline may have been used up in avoiding the accident, or maybe not.  

Also we have a lot of manufactured fears.  We may not have to avoid death or injury every day, but we have many learned fears.  Whether real or imagined, fear can still contribute to adrenal fatigue.

Some good ways to balance fear, is first to understand what causes you fear.  To get to know what motivates your perception and your response.

A BodyTalk session can help identify fears and phobias and their root causes while allowing you to release that fear, restoring you to a state of balance and clarity.

Another thing, since fear and stress go hand in hand, physical activity is a real good way to balance fear.  Anything from strenuous out door activity to creative endeavors such as moving a paintbrush around a canvas, or a pen on paper.  Engage with the activity.  Be very present with it, so you train yourself away from the habit of allowing your mind to manufacture and/or dwell on fears.

Here's one you probably haven't thought of.  Since your body is an emotion processor, a balance of energies also helps keep your fear level healthy, rather than extreme.  Bladder and Kidneys help process fear in the body to move it through.  This keeps the emotional energy from taking up residence in your tissues causing stuck energy or repeating patterns which may lead to illness or personal problems later on.

BodyTalk sessions can balance organ energies like Bladder and Kidneys to keep them fully functioning physiologically, energetically, and as emotional processors.

You are an holistic, integrated Being.  Body, Mind, and Spirit all flow together as One.  An imbalance anywhere within the Body/Mind complex eventually will affect your whole Being on some level, whether you experience other symptoms or not.  BodyTalk does not aim to treat symptoms.  It aims to restore balance to your whole Being.

I hope this article gave you some new ways to relate to the season, to the emotion of fear, to the body, and to Your Self.

Enjoy the fluid motion of this season as we move out of Winter and into Spring.

You are Loved