Power Over Our Emotions

I have been writing about inner power recently. An aspect that I haven't mentioned is an idea by Deepak Chopra that states, "Ask, don't demand...Don't give others power over your emotions." Think about that. When we demand something from others, we give them the power to conform or refuse. They are in control, not us. If we simply ask, we retain the power and don't have to be angry at any decision. We continue to ceate our world with positive emotions, even if we don't like others' actions.

See one of my recent previous posts for another aspect of inner power and/or see my latest Practical Spirituality Newsletter for an extended discussion.

Five Spiritual Powers: The Foundation of Real Happiness

These Five Spiritual Powers are from Thich Nhat Hanh's The Art of Power

1. The Power of Faith

This is about trust and confidence “ inside you and not directed toward something external.”

“When you have faith, your eyes are bright and your steps are confident. This is power.”

2. The Power of Diligence

Practice meditating, mindful walking, and/or mindful breathing every day.

• Do not let negative thoughts in, only positive ones
If you live in a negative environment, that environment will trigger negative thoughts. Choose to be around positive people and places.

• Calm and change any negative emotions that do arise. Do not ignore them. Simply recognize them, then replace them with something uplifting.

• Encourage positive emotions within. Take some action such as reading or making a statement, something that nurtures good thoughts.

• Continue to keep positive emotions nourished; this is a daily task, not a one-time event.

3. The Power of Mindfulness

• Being aware of what is happening in the present moment.

• Having the capacity to recognize things as they are, not as we wish they
were.

• Walking and eating with mindfulness.


4. The Power of Concentration

• Impermanence – Know that everything is constantly changing. Tomorrow may be too late to express thoughts or care for a loved one.

• Non-self – The reality is that we do not have a separate self, so when we suffer, all suffer.

• Interbeing – The interconnectedness of life means that any suffering we cause will also affect us.

5. The Power of Insight

• Impermanence – “Life is precious…we have to treasure every moment…” The positive side of impermanence is that if we have this insight, we can transform any negativity.

• Nondiscrimination – We are all brothers and sisters. “With this insight, we can undo our own fears, sufferings, separateness and loneliness, and we can help others do the same.” Imagine how this can impact the ignorance surrounding conficts in our lives and the world.


More of Thich Nnat Hanh's book is discussed in my latest Practical Spirituality Newsletter

Creativity is the Divine Spark Within

Too often we think of creativity as the same thing as genius. Creativity, unlike genius, can be encouraged, and a process can be taught. We are all creative. We are not all geniuses. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention studied over 80 contemporary people in all disciplines from the arts, humanities, sciences, business, politics and inventions. He shows that creativity is not confined to the arts. We are creative even if we can’t draw, act or write a poem. Creativity involves a new way of looking at old information.

Genuine creativity is rarely the result of a sudden insight and usually comes after much hard work. Creativity is not the one sudden thought that changes the world. Inspiration happens after we immerse ourselves in a particular study or problem.

Three elements in the creative process:

1. Immersion
Study everything about the subject and look at the data in as many ways as possible.

2. Incubation
Pull back from the study, work on some other activity and do not consciously think about the problem. This allows the mind to relax and provides a chance for new ideas to germinate.

This is where we open to our spirituality to allow the flow of creativity. Inspiration comes from connecting to something greater than ourselves. That moment of illumination is the divine spark within.

3. Illumination
Wait for that moment of inspiration, clarity, or divine spark. This may not be a sudden “aha,” just a fresh way to view the information after taking a break from it. This step can’t be forced. If the problem is particularly challenging, days may pass before any illumination happens. Being aware of surroundings, dreams, things others say, or some event may provide a clue to the solution. An answer will present itself if given a chance. This may not happen without the two steps of immersion and incubation. Creativity inspired by our spirituality can’t be forced. It just happens.

The Ego and Our Spirituality

Do you know what “Let Go and Let God means?” I ask not out of arrogance but out of humility as I realize how difficult that concept is.

In theory, I understand those words completely.

In practice, I struggle with this spiritual idea.

Ego seems to be the problem. I know I should not worry or try too hard to force results. Expectations and specific outcomes are requirements of the ego.

Rather than criticizing myself for being ego-driven, I accept that ego may have dominated up to this point. Just as children can’t understand certain books or concepts until they are older, perhaps we don’t understand or move away from ego before a certain age. That time seems to be now.

The ego invests too much energy in the outcome. The spiritual self focuses on the best effort without worrying about results. Allowing us to concentrate on doing a good job is a release from the pressure of worrying about the end product. A spiritual approach is the easy one. Our ego, however, doesn’t want us to know this secret.

Being critical is self-defeating. Judging is not acceptable. The answer is to stop the criticism and continue the work as the right things begin to happen.

Is ego interfering with your progress? I know it has affected mine. I'm working on focusing on doing the best job possible, not on the conclusion.