The Dark Side 12.18.18

“But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression…the dark side of the Force are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will.“―Yoda

Moving through the dark, the more difficult emotions of living, help us become more compassionate towards ourselves and others. These emotions can lead to the gift of forgiveness. When I resist or try to avoid fear, anger, frustration it builds, grows, consumes. Letting it go, releasing it, understanding that when I hold onto these emotions the only person I’m hurting is myself, THAT is the challenge. I know how it feels to be on the other side of anger and fear. What I haven’t figured out is the magical potion that can make that happen sooner. But I’m getting closer.

For example, over the past couple of years I’ve harbored lots of these dark emotions towards my sister. The reasons aren’t important for this example. What is important are the steps I’ve made to move through them. (And hopefully she will agree with me that we’ve made progress.) The two big things I’ve done are:

1. Acknowledging and naming “the hurt” as much as possible, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes either person feel, using as much loving language as possible and at a time when neither person is angry.
2. Doing something for that person completely from a place of love. Preferably not in a one-off way, and in a way that forces you to remember why you love this person. 

Today’s Prompt:
Add an element of drawing to your work today.

Bonus: that person you are angry at, if there is such a thing, make strides towards healing that relationship.

Everyday through December 25th, I’ll be making a 5×5 inch collage, writing a short entry on this blog and sharing a prompt for those who might want to participate along with me. You can follow my progress by subscribing to this blog through the sidebar on the blog homepage, or by following me on Instagram.