During unhappy periods of your life, you can become obsessed with the past and what the future holds. Little or no attention is given to the present moment. The past is constantly in your thoughts because it holds memories of emotions yet to be released. The present is experienced as a stepping stone to some future time when you achieve happiness. Most of your mental energy is focused on the past and projection to the future. This energy is used to fuel an illusory time frame when hopes and wishes are fulfilled. This mode of thought avoids the present moment. It is only by being fully aware of this moment that you can access truth and receive clarity on your current situation. Through presence of mind you allow feelings to be expressed.

 Feelings are energy in motion in the body. Emotional pain is energy seeking release. The default setting for the unconscious mind uses emotional pain to fuel repetitive thought patterns of victim hood and blame. If you quieten the mind for a few moments, through stillness; you can sense turbulent energy in the body. Scan your body from head to toe, see where feeling or sensation arises in your body. As you simply observe energy, without attaching a label to it, the sensation dissolves on its own. Mental activity only serves to define the feeling as hurt, anger, guilt or shame. It is thoughts about the feeling that cause emotional suffering. When you resist a feeling and accompanying thoughts, mental agitation increases. Awareness connects you with the true source of energy. Through awareness, thoughts are observed without attachment. The source of love is within you, accessed through awareness. You can connect to awareness through breathing. Simply focus on the breath as it rises and falls in your chest.  At first, thoughts may demand your attention but through perseverance the mind starts to quieten. Thoughts can be like a runaway train, depleting your energy. It takes clear intention and focus to enter a place of awareness. In the calm oasis of stillness, you encounter your true being. Awareness proceeds from true being; it cannot be achieved through a mind made self or ego.

Extract from @In Quest of Love’ by Collette O’Mahony.