Embarking upon the path of personal development is no easy task. There are many inconvenient truths revealed in the processing. To be honest, this is why most stay away. Life can be hard enough as it is. Why go looking for trouble?
I tell those I work with that the practice is not about ‘puppy dogs and ice cream.’ It’s not about creating any type of controlled reality. Happiness is an emotion, not a personal quest. The goal is not to prefer one emotion over another. I have written about this before, so I won’t repeat myself here, but when we suffer, we have something to learn. The problem for most of us is, that when we feel uncomfortable, we believe we are doing something wrong.
Reiki, QiGong, Tai Chi and Meditation are practices that improve our health. Ironically, these same practices can knock us down from time to time. They can wreak havoc upon our immune system leaving us exhausted and depleted. The practice has the effect of releasing blockages within our circulation. Unfortunately, the freeing up of circulation means we have to re-experience that which has been suppressed or denied emotionally (a healing crisis so to speak). Bigger for some, lesser for others, ‘letting go’ forces us to go back and re-evaluate our personal issues.
When we can allow ourselves to experience the darker aspects of our psyche, we gain insight by learning how to embrace rather than avoid. Less about control, more about acceptance. Development teaches us how to become that much more adaptable.
Happiness is not the goal.