Exploring our emotions

Today's article will be a bit different from previous articles, as we shall discuss something which we have not discussed before. An interesting topic, which has been introduced to the author by a spiritual friend he met in India. In this article, we shall discuss the topic of graphology.

Before we delve directly into the topic, let us first meet at a point where we can all relate. We exist on many levels, and we are aware of and experience many spheres of existence, knowingly and unknowingly. For example, we are here on this gross level of existence, as human beings, having a human experience, a physical experience. However, beneath the surface, we are having thoughts, emotions, we are experiencing energies. Thus, we exist on these levels too. Not merely existing, but operating and transacting on these levels, every single day, maybe without ever giving it any thought. For the purpose of this article, we want to consider the more subtle levels of ourselves, and the great power they hold.

All of us experience emotions, this is nothing new to us. When we start to wake up to a deeper sense of reality, or when we are consciously embarking on a spiritual path, a path to inner freedom and happiness, we generally become more aware of our subtle levels of existence. We become aware of our thoughts, our emotions, and we try to transform them into positive vehicles of experience. With that said, when we have such an attitude, it is not uncommon that we start off in a rather unskillful way.

Constant discrimination 

Why do we say this? Let's be honest with ourselves. At some point, we may have thought that we should only allow ourselves to have 'good' thoughts, 'positive' thoughts and that we should close ourselves to anything 'not good'. We even see such messages on social media often, with sayings such as Good Vibes Only and so forth. This means that we have this idea that we should not allow ourselves to feel anger, guilt, jealousy, sadness, because this is not in line with being a 'positive' human being. We have this notion that we are only allowed to be pure, and feel guilty whenever specific emotions or thoughts arise. Is this not true? Let's check up! We need to completely banish this discrimination, constantly judging and discriminating internally and externally.

When we start to feel angry, we feel that it's is not good for us, and we try to move it aside. Or, when sadness comes up, we feel that we should not experience sadness, because this may just mean that we are attached to something, or that we are 'weak' at heart. This may sound a bit hard, but this is true for some of us. Thinking that we should completely deny certain thoughts or emotions, because they are not beneficial for us, as we are trying to grow spiritually. The mistake that we may be making, is that we are not differentiating between experiencing something internally and acting out something. For example, there is nothing wrong with feeling angry, but when we start to act on anger and get aggressive or say and do hurtful things to others, that is where the danger lies. However, by noticing that anger is arising, and being aware of it, we can investigate the source of it, and use this to grow and develop in beneficial ways! The same with any other thought or emotion arising. When we investigate this deeply, we realize that it is not the thought or the emotion itself that brings us suffering, but the way we deal with it. Generating attachment or desire towards it, or trying to reject it completely. 

See, we should not numb ourselves to experience, denying ourselves the opportunity to experience something. This makes our lives very difficult and it makes our hearts cold, hard, making us closing ourselves to our friends, families, and those around us. Closing our hearts towards love and compassion. Instead, we can use these emotions and thoughts beneficially, to investigate the origin of them, and transform them into valuable lessons and beautiful experiences. We can use our anger, our sadness, our guilt, and fears, and turn them into precious stepping stones, paving our path to internal peace and happiness!

Transforming our experience

Let's think of the lotus flower, how it grows from the mud, and flourishes into the most beautiful flower! It depends on the mud, and cannot grow and flourish without the mud being present. In the same way, we can use our 'muddy' emotions and thoughts, grow from them, and transform them into a source of love, peace, and happiness for those around us! We can thrive on the challenges life brings us, because we keep growing, gaining wisdom, insight, and becoming more peaceful and compassionate as we live through them.

Now, with this said, we may not always be aware of our inner emotions, we may not be conscious of what lies in the subtle levels of the mind, and therefore we may not address and heal some of the emotional traumas that exist there. Not only healing our traumas, but we may also not be aware of what other emotions we have lying 'dormant', which we could awaken and turn them into something beautiful! Through meditation, we can, of course, check up on what is happening internally, but there is also another practical way that we can deal with this, and this is through the art of graphology.

According to my friend and qualified graphologist, Sanjana, she says that graphology is used to decode our personality traits through handwriting analyzation, and to explore the inner shape of the mind. A short quote by her on the topic:

"Graphology is the study of human personality through handwriting. Handwriting can also be called brainwriting and has a direct relation to the nerves coming from the brain of a person. Handwriting is a universal skill that does not discriminate against gender, race, color, or creed. Graphology gives an unbiased outline of the unique personality and behavior of a person, without them being physically present. The truth in appearance can be deceptive, but handwriting never lies. Further, graphology does not only examine behavior but the subconscious intentions which lies behind the actions."

Applying graphology beneficially 

From the author's personal perspective, when the graphologist studied his handwriting, it amazingly revealed some 'secrets' about the author which he never before shared with the graphologist. Once the author was made aware of the subtle areas within himself requiring attention, he was able to work with them and to heal them, and this is the intention behind introducing this topic to the readers too. It can turn out to be very beneficial!

It is not limited to healing ourselves, but also beneficial to aspects such as career guidance, personality profiling, and relationship compatibilities. However, this is not the objective of this blog, and will not be discussed here.

Concluding, what we want to consider through this article, is that we do not need to deny our emotional traumas or label some thoughts or feelings as 'negative' or 'bad'. We can work on them, with them, and use them in extremely beneficial ways. These emotions and thoughts are extremely precious to us. In Buddhist philosophy, the peacock is a reminder of this, where it is said that the peacock is able to consume poison, thriving on it, and transform it into medicine! 

Through meditation, we can delve deep into our minds and discover certain emotions, and the origins behind them, without applying discrimination of 'good' or 'bad'. Through the help of graphology, we can also become aware of internal aspects that hold precious opportunities for transformation. 

Sanjana, the graphologist says "It can create a big change in our lives. It helps us not only to identify our weaknesses but also provides us with techniques to bring about a practical transformation."

A big thank you to Sanjana for her collaboration in this article. If anyone would like to get into contact with Sanjana, an email address will be shared in the comment directly beneath this article. 

A peacock's feather, reminding us that we can turn so-called poisons into medicine, and thrive from it!