Have you ever heard the phrase, “Emotions are energy in motion”? Do you know what it means?

Emotion is the physiological reaction to a stimulus. You feel it in your body. Emotion moved you. Emotion moved you to express (energy in motion). “The concert moved me to tears.” Emotion caused such things as crying, knots in your stomach, butterflies in your stomach, surge of adrenaline, flash of anger, smiling, and laughing.

From my perspective there are three emotions: Grief, Love/Joy and Fright. Every feeling stems from one of these three emotions.

For those who are looking to label ‘anger’ as an emotion I will say this…underneath anger is either grief or fright. All anger is the result of grief, whether its the loss of a relationship (like through death, break-up, a job etc.) or grief over unmet projections for the future (death of expectations or hopes). Even anger from fright has an essence of grief about it. If you consider any close call you’ve encountered at the hands of another (reckless driver for instance) anger usually follows the fright because of the potential loss present.

Feelings on the other hand are more pliable. Feelings are the result of our mind’s interpretation of our emotions. Here is a perfect example: The body does not distinguish between nervousness and excitement. The EMOTION is the same – butterflies in the stomach, fluttery feeling, high energy. It is the mind that filters that emotion and labels it either excitement or nervousness…and it is the mind that further decides to turn nervousness into anxiety.

Another example is when we are moved to tears. The act of crying appears the same regardless of the cause. People cry for many reasons: empathy, pride, sadness, joy, overwhelm, anger etc. Our mind decides what file to put them in.

I tend to look at emotions like the primary colors and feelings are all the colors made from those primary colors.

Feelings are the minds interpretation of our emotions. In many ways feelings are judgements. For instance nervousness and excitement feel the exact same way in the body. It is the mind that assigns the feeling label of one or the other.

One’s mind who has a more negative slant will label that feeling nervousness, or worse- anxiety. While a mind with a more positive slant will label it as excitement. The *emotion* is the same…meaning the energy that is moved in the body by an event or idea is the same. It is the mind’s interpretation that dictates the feeling to be experienced. What’s important to note in the following examples is the focus.

1. Excitement: This is fun! I’m excited to do this! (positive now focus)
2. Nervousness: I can’t make a mistake. I’m not good enough to do this! (Negative now focus)
3. Anxiety: This is my one shot. I can’t mess this up. I’ll never get another shot. This is my one big break. I’m gonna mess this up. (REALLY negative future focus)

Emotions and feelings are important parts of being human. In fact, they are tools, given by the Creator, to enable us to navigate our path in life.

There is no comprehensive manual I can write that would apply to everyone. We are each individuals with our own unique histories that lend to how our mind interprets and filters emotions into feelings. In fact, how we experience feelings changes throughout our lives, because of that history.

When our life experience is limited, like say in our teens, we tend to be more ’emotional’ and think everything is the ‘end of the world’. However, in our fifties, with more life experience of the world not, in fact, ending, we don’t tend to be as ’emotional’. It is also worthy to note that our physical chemistry influences our emotion as well. Just ask anyone who has an imbalance of hormones.

It is important to recognize we are not our feelings. No one is an ‘angry person’, though someone might be a person whose mind channels emotion through the feeling of anger primarily because it is seen as ‘safe’ and acceptable – more safe or acceptable than other feelings.

Our baseline is Joy/Love. Our baseline is not suffering. It is not discomfort. It is not anxiety. It is never negativity. We have only to spend time with infants to know this is true. Babies are joyful until they are uncomfortable (the indication that a change is required)- the need to sleep, a diaper change, to be fed, held, or medical attention), they express that discomfort and when that discomfort is resolved, they go back to joy.

Next, any of the Light feelings, such as happiness, glee, surprise, contentment, love, are all the same message that we are on the right path and have made a good choice for ourselves. It means our thoughts, beliefs and actions are in alignment with our heart and spiritual essence.

It is our Heavy feelings that tell us when we are veering away from our heart and spiritual essence path.

• Irritability – Message: our soul is crying out for nourishment/attention. Can be situational – like going to a job day in and day out that sucks your soul and is easily remedied by following a passion. Or it can be chronic caused by underlying beliefs that are in direct contradiction with your soul essence truth.
  • Remedy: In the moment -meditate, pray, walk in nature, chant, sing hymns, read a spiritually enlightening book or take a nap. Longterm-see a Shaman, a therapist, a life coach, get guidance and support in following your bliss.
• Anxiety – Message: the thoughts that are being thought are far away from your spiritual truth. Again, this is a REALLY negative focus on the future, rather than the now.
  • Remedy: switch to a positive truthful statement that shifts your energy. Choose a thought that is ‘higher’. From above example: Switch from “this is my one shot, I’m going to mess it up” to “This is fun! I’m excited to do this!”
• Worry – Message: trying to control an outcome.
  • Remedy: Trust that the Universe conspires on your behalf and that whatever results IS in your highest best interest. Find a mantra that gives you peace as soon as you say it. One I particularly like is ‘thank You for reminding me the situation is already resolved’.
• Anger – Message: something has to change – ourselves (our expectations or our beliefs), the other person (see above expectations), or the situation (leave, de-escalate, quit job etc). Rage tells us that the ‘something’ we originally wanted to do the changing was not the thing that needs to change.
  • Remedy: really look at your expectations to see if they were reasonable to begin with. Most anger is the result of unexpressed expectations not being met – ‘things should’ve been different’.
• Sadness – Message: the flip side of anger, something has changed or needs to change and you are sensing the loss of the expectations regarding that.
  • Remedy: Feel the feeling, it’s part of the natural experience of being human. Let it move through you, then readjust to something Light. If it persists, then re-examine your expectations.
• Fear – Message: stepping into the unknown/out of the comfort zone. Fear is different than fright. Fear is derived from negative focus about the future. Fear is disguised insecurity or lack of confidence.
  • Remedy: Understand the fear and recognize it as nervousness (see above) and then move it to excitement. Turn “I’m afraid to open my heart again to love” into “I’m open to exploring all the possibilities an open heart brings.” Remember also that ‘fearless’ and ‘brave’ are not interchangeable. Fearless is the absence of fear, brave is action despite the presence of fear.

Just because our baseline is joy doesn’t mean experiencing heavy feelings isn’t perfectly natural, because they are! In fact, they are necessary! They are a built in navigational guidance system! Or like the rumble strips on the road telling you you’re drifting out of your lane, onto the shoulder. When we are squarely in our lane, the road is smooth and gets us to our destination safely.

Watch those expectations though! Notice I did not say ‘desired destination’ because that would be trying to control an outcome.

The only expectation for the future we have a right to have is the expectation that we can regulate ourselves back to joy no matter what we are facing.

The content on this site is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

If this article spoke to you, please share it on social media. If you are inspired to do so, leave a comment. If you’d like more information on Sacred Medicine, booking a session, or participating in a training please contact Jade at healingritesofpassage@gmail.com or by calling or texting us at 219-488-6176. Sessions are done locally in South East Michigan or remotely anywhere in the world.