Chapter 3

SPIRITUAL EMOTIONS.

Spiritual Emotions

All our emotions can be placed in two categories, those that are heavenly, and those which are those of animal.  The animal emotions are earthy emotions, coming from the primitive areas of the brain. 

In psychology there are lists of emotions.  They are sorted academically, with little regard for using the information for a better life.  We can be silly, drunk, sexy, loving and so on.  This method of understanding gives us no prospective on which emotions we should strive for and which will get us in trouble.

Spiritual emotions include:

• Justice

• Sincerity

• Faithfulness

• Knowledge

• Wisdom

• Illumination

• Mercy

• Pity coupled with Intellect

• Comprehension

• The power to grasp the realities of things

• The ability to penetrate the truths of existence

-Abdu'l-Baha , Foundations of World Unity, p.110 (Baha'i Faith)

The Earthy Emotions, on the other hand, are those of a brute, more harmful than the emotions of an animal as man can be a more cunning and inventive animal.

Our spiritual nature generates spiritual emotions that make us feel clean, beautiful, and worthy. With these emotions we express tenderness and caring. These emotions spring from the beautiful love we receive from God.

When these emotions are present and there is an intent to move closer to God through the soul, the soul moves up the spiritual ladder towards God. Spiritual emotions may seem remote or hard to discern within ourselves, but others can easily pick up on them.

Many of the spiritual emotions orginate from God and pass though the soul to the self and consciousness. These heavenly emotions select information from the our beliefs into our consciousness.  The effect is to move ordinary consciousness to high consciousness.  The self decides to act out spiritual  emotions by sending commands to the task area within the brain.  This is the way good things get done.

Spiritual emotions contrast to our earthy emotions. Instead of love and doing things for other people, our earthy emotions are self centered and often hurt other people.

Spiritual emotions allow us to optimizing our life.  With practice we can feel happy and spiritual all the time.

Emotions

Emotions are simple thought-forms that felt instead of being heard. One can cultivate the ability to reason with emotions so that they are acknowledged and understood. Then you can simply watch an emotion and help it fade into a spiritual emotion.

Spiritual emotions come from the soul instead of the self.  The self calls for action, but the soul acknowledges a higher path.  Spiritual emotions change the self instead of acting out in the physical world.

With a earthy emotion such as anger, you identify with the emotion and acknowledge that you angry so you get ready to fix the problem perhaps by fighting or escaping.

There are situations where earthy emotions are appropriate, but they can be modulated so they are effective with the minimum of harm.  If a person is attacked verbally or physically, this calls for a measured response, which prevents unpleasantness now or in the future.

By being aware of earthy emotions we can give them a name, identify where they originated and let them burn out.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is defined as being fully present and engaged in the moment, being aware of your thoughts and feelings without being distracted by judging oneself or others.  With mindfulness one can be of service, and not focusing on suffering.

Suffering by itself can burn out.  If your heart is breaking, if you simply acknowledge it as part of the spectrum of possible human conditions. You need not identify with it any longer than necessary.  If you let your heart break, it will start mending.

Lifting yourself with spiritual emotions moves you to another plane of reality where things are a lot better, yet remain real.

Meditation

Since the mind can only think of one thing at the same time, one can change their thinking and distract the mind from thinking idle destructive thoughts. This technique is known as meditation.

There are many forms of meditation, each of which distracts from thinking about the wrong things in life.

You can focus your attention on the breath, or note what is around you. You can visualize yourself on a nice beach, or send loving compassionate thoughts to those you love. You can simple stop thinking and give you mind a rest. Or you can reflect on being grateful.

Once you get skilled at meditation, life itself is mostly a meditation; a life of purpose.

Recommended  books which support many of my ideas.

Feel free to write me if you have questions or comments.

My email address is:

     george@deepermind.com

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