Attending to the steady seeping
"For the Soul is Dyed by the Thoughts" - Marcus Aurelius.
When I read this quote by Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic emperor and Philosopher, I resonated so much so that I dyed it on me!
Events happen in real life, and the series of our thoughts and the associated emotions give it the flavors and the colors. Whereas the experience of the past events, play out as thoughts and emotions. An event and the associated memory trigger an emotion for that moment which shapes our current feeling. Prolonging with the feeling beyond that moment, hence moving it into memory, say for a few hours becomes our mood. Having that mood unchecked and linger for a few days and weeks then turns into your temperament. Staying in this temperament for a longer period becomes your characteristic trait as Dr. Joe Dispenza nails it. So, your feelings now, your mood since a few days before, your temperament from months back determine your personality. If you find someone or yourself blaming an event that happened in the past to justify the current temperament or personality, you now recognize where it comes from.
So, if you recognize, we are talking about two kinds of seeping:
Thoughts into emotions
Past (memories) into reality
Thoughts into emotions (and vice versa):
Most of us live in this constant exchange between body and mind. Body talks through chemical secretion which triggers a particular feeling or emotion. Mind which is the brain in action talks through a series of neurons firing that we have consciously or unconsciously associated with an event. The communication between thoughts and emotions make you perform an action. A thought about what your mom told you about cutting the vegetable in a particular way when you were doing that action, and a series of neurons connected to either the action or the person bringing you a chain of associated thoughts, say for instance, all the other useful advice that she gave you, and possible memories of a few disrespect and disregards you've given to her move you to get out of your brain and slips you into your body. The body responds to that thought with an associated chemical secretion in this case, Adrenaline. The unsettling feeling of guilt and possible fear of losing this loved one one day, combined with a rush of affection could possibly move you into tears.
However, it doesn't have to happen in the same series, one thought triggers an emotion, and it's a self sustaining cycle. This means that fueling the next move from the previous outcome could happen without a new external event, hence emotions triggering another associated thought which further intensifies that or associated emotion. On the other hand, an emotion can trigger a thought and the chain continues unless there's an external influence or disturbance. Thinking about or watching an act of showing love that makes you feel that emotion, brings about a series of thoughts about a person who you have romantic associations with.
If you pay enough attention, you can clearly see the moment where a thought elicit an emotion and vice versa. This internal point in time when the seeping between thoughts and emotions happen is a Crossover Point as I like to call it. Noticing this is crucial because this is usually when you lose control of your thoughts or emotions, and become susceptible to unconscious self fuelled cycle. As soon as you recognize the crossover point, see from your inner self if this is reasonable, important, and if it would have any use now or in the future.
Memories into reality or imagination:
It is so straightforward, almost hidden in plain sight how the experiences from a previous incident paints a picture for the current situation or a future possibility. This drives us straight into the preconceived notions we carry within ourselves, which paints a picture of everything that we encounter. All the conscious mental work is derived from the accumulation of events, information, experiences, and sensory inputs. This is quite necessary so we don't walk into danger. You know that fire is hot, so you know it through sensory perception, you slipped once in the bathtub, you learnt that there's a fake spiritual teacher, etc., So, what am I talking about having them not seep into reality? Aren't these important to be cautious? Yes, that is correct, but it should stop at that. It is carefully injecting the objective experience and learning from an event, so we do not walk into the same scenario and find ourselves messing it up the exact way.
The experience should be looked at a practicality value rather than a characteristic trait. When you're unconscious about this, you tend to seep the experiences directly into your current reality and when you imagine future possibilities. There's a difference between implementing your learning vs letting it dictate the reality. It's essential that we learn as we go through life experiences, not forget and move on in which case the life brings the similar scenario and gives you an opportunity to get the takeaways you should have at the first place.
So, how is it different? For instance, you had a failed love affair, and rather than taking it at face value, which leads to seeing things at a surface level such as the individual you were involved with and blaming the society, situations, individuals etc., see it as an opportunity for learning where YOU actually went wrong. It's quite easy to always point to someon`e or something for the events that ensued. But it takes courage to see beyond these external factors, straight within you, your quirks, behaviours, and emotional stance to learn from the event. So, another time you fall in love, you do not paint it with the same dye you've been put through the first time, and expect it to turn out differently. Rather, make sure that event do not seep into the reality, during the present moment. YOU should be in charge of your actions in current life, not a sliver of memory from the distant or near past.
Memory is a tool, like a pair of glasses that make you see clearly, not a pathway that dictates your next step.
Sru🔥
Further reading:
Breaking the habit of being yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
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