Today we ask that you consciously learn to work with your body, emotions, and thoughts.
You each possess a physical body, an emotional body, and a mental body.
The physical body experiences the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. It is a marvelous organism that consumes food, converts it to energy, processes waste, and continually modifies and repairs its structures. It is the material home for your soul. It is like a wondrous machine — infinitely more complex and valuable than any man-made scientific marvel. It possesses a very basic, primal consciousness and self-awareness.
Your emotional body feels. Happiness, sadness, anger, fear. It has a great deal in common with mammalian animals. It is the seat of instinct, and intuition. It can feel whether or not other people are lying, or pose a threat. It is in tune with the rhythms of nature, and with the collective unconscious of mankind. At its highest level, it conveys a wordless wisdom that can never be understood with thought; only felt deep within.
Your mental body thinks. It learns. It digests information. It plays with concepts and philosophies. It is the seat of the intellect, and the imagination. The mental body can construct a cathedral, or grasp the Theory of Relativity. At its highest level, it is the seat of insight, the “a-ha” moment, when everything comes together. It imagines, and builds from its imagination. It tells stories. It can perceive beyond the limits of the physical senses and feelings, through its imagination. It can imagine other worlds. It can imagine the divine.
When the physical, emotional and mental bodies are healthy and functional — what a piece of work is Man!
Each one of you possesses this capacity.
Some humans are more physical, others more emotional, others more mental. These are like different colors in the palette. Everyone is a unique shade, but some are more red, more blue, more yellow.
As we said in yesterday’s message, it is essential that each of these bodies be attuned to your true spiritual nature. That is what creates health, and allows them to fulfill their highest purpose.
It is a very useful practice to check in with each of your bodies several times each day.
Ask, what is going on with my physical body right now?
What does it sense? Does it have aches and pains? Is it hungry? Is it tired? How can you help it, without giving into its cravings (reaching for the cookies, etc.) Maybe it needs a healthy snack. Maybe it needs to stretch. Maybe it needs to go for a walk. Listen to it.
Ask, what is going on with my emotional body right now?
What do you feel? If you are angry, anxious, or sad, what is causing this? Without giving into your cravings (lashing out in hostility at someone else, watching “junk” TV to distract yourself, etc.) ask how can you help it? Maybe you need a hug. Maybe you need to cuddle an animal. Maybe you really need to cry. Listening to music can help. Try to find a safe space in which you can feel your feelings. Be very gentle with this body. Listen to it. It contains deep wisdom.
Ask, what is going on with my mental body right now?
What are you thinking? Are your thoughts racing? Are you imagining bad things happening to you, or your loved ones, in the future? Are you obsessing over things that happened in the past? Are you distracted from the task you are supposed to be doing right now because you are thinking about something that won’t happen for months, or years, if ever? Is your head overheated from all the information you’re taking in from the internet? Are you paranoid, obsessing over problems in the world that you have no control over? What is going on?
In order for your mental body to be healthy, you must learn to help it calm down. You cannot let it race around like a hyperactive child. You must learn to focus.
The best tool for this is learning to meditate. Focusing on your breath will calm your mind.
Another very useful tool is The Work of Byron Katie. This is a system that asks you to inquire into the truth of your thoughts. You will discover that almost all of your stressful thoughts cannot be proven true.
When you learn to calm your hyperactive thoughts, your mental body becomes healthier. You actually start thinking “higher quality” thoughts, instead of just letting your brain rattle around. You will become far more productive.
You must also remind your mental body that you are a spiritual being. Use your imagination to imagine realities that increase your well-being, and the well-being of others. That is is the proper use of the imagination.
Please learn to check in with your physical, emotional, and mental bodies.
Just asking: what do I sense in my body right now? What do I feel emotionally right now? What am I thinking in my mind right now? — asking will automatically bring more consciousness to these bodies.
Please help your body, emotions, and thoughts work for you, not against you. It really is possible!
wordfromthewell 