Let Melancholy be Your Life Coach

This human being is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all!
(Rumi)

Our negative emotions always have a message for us. Yet, most of us can't stand them. Millions of people are on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication and pain killers, let alone the unbelievable amounts of coffee and alcohol we drink to charge ourselves up, or calm ourselves down. Have you ever entertained the idea of just taking in the negative emotion as the are, full-impact, without any attempt to mitigate or run away from them?

Just observe the wisdom that lies in these tensions bubbling up from deep inside of us. Maybe danger lies ahead, maybe disappointment, maybe something needs to be done about the situation you are in. Facing these negative emotions is hard, yet, by covering them up or by repressing them, we actually lose the opportunities to really understand what our body is trying to tell us. We may become numb and indifferent to what's going on and may take larger and larger doses to hide what is killing us inside. A recurrent, lingering emotion is trying to tell us something is not right in our life. If we don't dare to face it, we will never change course either. Melancholy is here to help us, not hurt us.

It is easy to get hooked on mood boosters or stimulants just because everyone is picking this - supposedly - easy way out. A spiritual path is different though. If you want to live in the magical world our gurus are describing you will also have to do your homework. A simple awareness of all the signals you are receiving from your inner voice is as crucial as responding to your brothers and sisters' messages in the real world with fullest attention. Trust us, you can handle whatever negative emotion is inside of you without artificial sweeteners. Life sometimes put a lot on our plate but never more than we can handle.

The true problem may not lie in the fact that these negative emotions that are coming our way are hard to handle. Most of the time it is about our dislike to follow the warnings of our inner voice. We don't want to change. It seems much simpler to pretend that we are happy instead. Yet a spiritual path is about change, it is about being in tune with everything that comes our way. Change is there to make us happy. Embrace it and remove your blocks to experience happiness in the process.

Watch and welcome all your emotions and a Guide will tell you what you need. It is a process, and unfortunately sometimes a painful one because you suddenly have to face the stored and accumulated homework of the past. Yet soon you will get a feel for all the messages your spiritual path has in store for you. Cooperate with the Way and fun, wisdom and harmony will be your travel companions. Let melancholy be your life coach just as all the happy messengers the Tao sends your way. Every voice needs to be respected and honored.

By Christian and Su Zhen