Speaking personally, I have always been someone who feels things intensely. The depths of my emotion lead me into places inside myself, that left me in utter agony - mostly hidden away in private ... sometimes spilling out into daily life.
From the outside emotional people are often seen as 'unstable'. However holding emotional pain inside, that is so enormously powerful, with nowhere safe in society for it to flow out naturally, is not healthy. There is lack of skilled humans and support systems, capable of holding someone in need. Many people, friends and family can sometimes just move away in fear. Yet, in these times, where the darkness in humanity is being exposed, collective grief is flooding the human consciousness.
GRIEF RITUALS
Back in ancient times, there were places and people, priests or priestesses, who could hold such grief. Honour it. Allow it to flow through and out of the body. Yet somehow in the creation of society, we lost the acceptability of, and knowledge of how to tend to people in many kinds of grief. Recently I came across the writings of Africa writer Malidoma Somé, who describes some of these profound tools, which are embedded into indigenous cultures.
The course of my life has allowed deep lessons to be learnt around learning to heal my own self. Allowing pain to be felt, creating my own safe space to process complex emotions - often alone. Not running away from sadness. Yet not glamourising, or making identity out of it either. Allowing time for energy to move and flow out of the body, not holding on to it. Gently listening to hear what may be needed, in order to move forward eventually. This is inner alchemy.
TOOLS TO HELP EMOTIONS BE CLEANSED
Sad music is a NO for me. Soft, sweet, yet profound music is a yes. Powerful, transformative natural aromatic herbs and incense is a yes. Smoke baths are a yes to allow the process to flow. Healing natural instruments are a yes. Hot teas and a fire are a yes. Silence is a yes. Sunsets, drawing light shifts in the clouds ... sinking face down into the grass, or falling asleep under a tree, all a yes. Many sweet animals ... a big big yes! Giving offerings to nature, working in the garden. Learning how to tend to plants, is very nourishing and gives a sense of responsibility and reflection. What soil they prefer, light, how much water, weeding ... it takes a consistency to see results.
SMOKE BATHS
Smoke allows the emotions to move, not to get stuck in the body. Like hot vapour, when you put your face in steam under a towel, the juices flow out. Replaced by deep inhales of something beautifully fragrant - pure, natural, cleansing.
Allowing aromatics to gently wash smoke through your aura for a short time, is a deeply cleansing experience. You obviously need to ensure safety, having the right dishes to catch the ash and also have some ventilation, so you don't inhale the smoke directly. The herbal scent mixed with well ventilated air, is a beautiful tonic to soothe the soul.
AROMATIC INCENSE FOR EMOTIONAL PAIN
Each aromatic herb touches an emotion slightly differently. I will cover the benefits soon. Here is a list of powerful herbs to work with, that move emotions, uplift your mood and tune you into what really matters in this existence.
Powerful movers of stuck energy
- White Sage
- Boswellia Sacra - Frankincense
- Palo Santo (related to the Boswellia genus)
Softer, more tuning scents
- Champaca (Magnolia)
- Oud
- Sandalwood
- Cypress & Cedarwood
There is a profound Mystery, as well as the myriad of organic compounds in these plants, that touch and interact with our nervous systems - not just the 'scent' itself.
Plant allies are always there for us, when human interactions fail. Being very, very gentle with yourself in times of emotional pain. Criticising a plant will not help it to grow, nourishing it will. Search for herbs to align your deep soul with. Feelings are a natural part of being human. Building a mutually respectful relationship with nature, is a forward pathway, worth investing your energy in. It will lift you up and inspire you endlessly.
