Using Fire To Release Feelings Of Anger

Since anger is one of the negative characteristics of the element Fire, I use it to release anger that I am having a difficult time dealing with. Of course, this technique wouldn't be suited for the heat of the moment. I'm writing about the type of anger that you might be holding on to.

First, I go to the room I have devoted to sacred space and sit at my central table. I light the candle that is always there ready to go. I then sit back comfortably and bring the event that triggered the anger to mind. I begin to feel the anger that was created. I force myself to sit with the anger for awhile and I try to feel it as deeply as I can, even though it is usually uncomfortable. There is a type of anger that I don't really find uncomfortable, and that is anger that I think I am justified in feeling. It is a sort of righteous indignation if you will. In this case it is harder for me to release because I don't want to let it go. However, in my opinion, anger in any form is unhealthy if you hold on to it for too long.

Next, I begin to explore how the emotion is affecting me physically. I try to locate the anger in my body. Where am I holding it? When I am able to find it, I imagine it to be a fiery red ball. I develop the picture in my mind as deeply as I can. I see its color. I feel its heat. I watch as the flames flicker and change in intensity, always keeping in mind that this fire is actually the anger I feel. I imagine that I can actually hold the fiery ball without getting burned. I cradle it in my hands and draw it from inside of me. I could almost describe it as psychic surgery...I know that sounds hokey, but it really kind of fits. I hold it out in front of me and examine it now that it is outside my body. While I am visualizing myself holding the fiery ball, at the same time I imagine that I can feel a tingling sensation in the area I have just taken the anger away. I visualize it filling with a sparkling, white light.

At this point I take the imaginary fiery ball that is my anger and "send" it into the flame of the candle. I see the two merge and watch as the flame increases in intensity and heat. It flickers, sparks, and sways and gradually returns to its previous state. Once I see that the flame has settled back down,. I move my attention back to the spot that once held the anger. I imagine I can feel the tingling and that I can sense a calm, loving white glow there. I realize that this is a form of Divine Spirit and that if I allow it, I can have it with me always. I then lean forward and blow the candle out. As the smoke rises, I "see" the anger that I have released mixed with the smoke from the fire and I watch it rise away from me and out into the heavens.

I have now released the anger that was troubling me.

As always, when I am discussing the different techniques I use, I try to keep in mind that most of you aren't blessed with as much time to devote to your spiritual health as I do. I usually try to find a similar way to use the technique I'm explaining that would be useful to someone who has limited time. In this case I would try to visualize a candle in my mind and imagine lighting it. (Don't try to imagine a blazing fire such as a bonfire or forest fire because I'm afraid that would fuel your anger...) You will still have to feel the anger as fully as you have time for, gather it into a fiery ball in your heart and visualize sending it into the flame of the candle. There the fiery ball and candle flame become one flame. See how the flame kind of blazes with more intensity for a minute and then see it return to a normal flame. Your anger has become a part of the candle flame. Now, blow out the candle with your mind. Watch the smoke rise to the heavens. You have released your anger.

Try not to pick this same anger up again. If you do though, simply do the technique again, and again until you finally have a sense of peace and acceptance when you think of it.

Enjoy Life!

The Sri Yantra

Using the Sri Yantra as a focus point during meditation is a favorite technique I use sometimes. There are some that say meditating on it can bring wealth, both materialistically and spiritually. It is considered to be a sacred instrument that symbolically represents the aspects of divinity and the creative forces of the universe. I have found its use to be calming and that it helps to settle my mind when it is restless.

The different parts of the Sri Yantra represent different things. The dot in the center is called the bindu and it represents the unity that is underneath all aspects of this physical world. The downward triangles represent creative feminine energy or Shakti. The upward triangles represent masculine qualities or Shiva. The circles outside the triangles represent the cycles of cosmic rhythm. Time has no beginning and no end. The lotus petals represent the heart which is the seat of the soul and the unfolding of understanding. When the heart is opened, understanding comes. The square at the outside represents the boundary between this physical realm that our senses show us, and the spiritual realm.

I start by focusing on the bindu and contemplating what it represents. Then I expand my focus outward and do the same thing with the downward triangles, the upward triangles, the circles, the lotus petals and finally the outer square.I do this several times until at a certain point when I get to the outer square I decide to expand my focus to include everything in my peripheral vision. Then I allow my my focus to return to the bindu and stay there. The best way I can describe the state I reach at this point is to say it is like when somebody says, "...he was staring into space..." It isn't a state where I am in a trance or where I have separated myself from reality but rather a "zone" where my sense of reality are actually heightened. The wind blowing in from the window feels different. Sounds sound different, and my sense of smell is more intense. I am really working at being able to maintain this "zone" longer, but the second I realize I'm there, the realization causes me to snap back.

I really like using this technique and I hope if you try it that it works well for you too. Let me know...I will be posting other techniques as well in the future. What are some of your favorite techniques? Share them with us!

Enjoy Life!