[blockquote source=”Pema Chödrön”]”The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.”[/blockquote]

It’s a difficult journey, now isn’t it? Something happens at work, or someone cuts us off in traffic – and suddenly, all of our good intentions seem to fly out that ‘spiritual window.’ In an instant, we are triggered – something sets us off, and our mind begins to spin.

Can you feel it? That chest tightening, pulse pounding, ‘racing out of control’ sort of feeling?

It’s pretty awful, isn’t it?Oh, and, we’ll do our best to defend, deflect…to push it away…anything to avoid the sting; the sting of once again having the ground pulled from beneath our feet.

But, my dears, when we understand the impermanence of our troubles, we begin to see the futility in our ‘clinging.’ It feels good to be attached to something – whether a person, or thing, or ideology.

Our connection, in some ways, defines us.

But, it can also cause us injury – in so much as, we become preoccupied with the facts of that matter, and less interested in examining the energy of the moment.

Take a breath, and look inside – listen to what this moment is trying to share with you. What is the true nature of your upset?

Because, all of that which we experience – the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty-side of being human – they are all part of your awakening. Each and every single step, leads to a new understanding – a deeper awareness.

But, when we cling – we become trapped inside of our own ‘head space’, incapable of moving forward. Round and round these emotions go, “I can’t believe…”, and “Why is this happening?” become our mantras for the day.

In an excerpt from the chapter “Working with Negativity” in the book “The Myth Of Freedom” by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche states,

[blockquote]”We all experience negativity  -the basic aggression of wanting things to be different than they are. We cling, we defend, we attack, and throughout there is a sense of one’s own wretchedness, and so we blame the world for our pain. This is negativity. We experience it as terribly unpleasant, foul-smelling, something we want to get rid of. But if we look into it more deeply, it has a very juicy smell and is very alive. Negativity is not bad per se, but something living and precise, connected with reality.

Negativity breeds tension, friction, gossip, discontentment, but it is also very accurate, deliberate and profound. Unfortunately, the heavy handed interpretations and judgements we lay on these experiences obscure this fact. These interpretations are negative negativity, watching ourselves being negative and then deciding that the negativity is justified in being there.

Basic negativity is very revealing, sharp and accurate. If we leave it as basic negativity rather than overlaying it with conceptualizations, then we see the nature of its intelligence. Negativity breeds a great deal of energy, which clearly seen becomes intelligence. When we leave the energies as they are with their natural qualities, they are living rather than conceptualized. They strengthen our everyday lives.”[/blockquote]

As difficult as this may seem inside the moment, there is actually a great opportunity for learning. Powerful emotions yield profound wisdom – and if we are able to stay with it, without bias or judgement or some other higher though rationale…

Then, my dears, that marks the beginning of our very own, and truest awakening.